Carry On

Carry On is a loving spoof of Harry Potter. It's not quite the fanfic that Cath was writing in Fangirl, but it's not not that either. It positions itself as the eighth and final book in a series, though it relies on tropes just heavily enough for you to easily fill in the blanks of the previous seven books.

The action centers around Simon Snow, the chosen one who's supposed to save the magical world from the Insidious Humdrum. The only problem is that he's absolutely terrible at magic: tons of power, no control. With him are best friend Penelope (who is never quite called the brightest witch of her age), roommate Baz (a vampire who is supposed to kill Simon because of family obligations but has fallen in love with him instead), and his mentor, The Magician (who is better than Dumbledore in some ways and worse in others). There are ghosts and secrets and magic and a whole lot of teenage angst. It's a ton of fun.

Rainbow performs an excellent balancing act, highlighting all the flaws and shortcomings of a story she obviously loves a lot. It's fun to laugh along with her, and then turn around and cry. There's a reason we love the things we love, and even as we recognize that they aren't perfect, we can't quite help all those emotions they make us feel.

It turns out there's a sequel coming out soon, and I'm really excited to see what's in store for Simon, Baz, and Penelope now that school is over and the world is saved.

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