Page Two

WARNING:  This page contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell.

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First:  I LOVE those stories where I, the reader who’s familiar with Fangirl, can see a romance blossoming before one of the parties even realizes it.  And I LOVE, on the other hand, that if I hadn’t read Fangirl, Simon’s obsession with Baz wouldn’t necessarily read like a sign of romantic feelings.  Like, it’s entirely possible to read his rants and conspiracy theories and midnight wanderings as merely concerns for his and his friends’ safety.  After all, that’s how Harry’s obsession with Draco in The Half-Blood Prince officially turned out.

I can easily see myself doing an epic gasp-of-delight when Baz declares (to us) his love for Simon.

Although…I did start to roll my eyes at the umpteenth time the book showed that it wasn’t aware bisexuality exists.  Simon keeps fretting over whether liking Baz automatically cancels out any feelings he thought he had for Agatha.  Like, yes, it’s possible you weren’t truly in love with the first girl you ever dated because you’re not into girls at all, but you could also be bisexual.  That’s a thing.  It exists.  #minorsoapboxmoment

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Second:  Besides the debatable Bechdel performance and the tacky commentary on Real World horrors, the third element that put a dent in my rating was the way Ebb’s story arc ended.  On the one hand, I LOVE that she’s portrayed as the most powerful-yet-non-egocentric mage in the world, who gives her life to save another woman.  On the other hand, I HATE how quickly she agrees that it’s her job to die for the World of Mages.  Like, she’s supposed to be one of the most powerful mages in existence and yet she somehow can’t defeat The Mage without sacrificing her life?

I know, I know, the book is trying to make a big point about how Ebb’s sacrifice is so tragic because, as Agatha muses later, it was the only way to get the World of Mages to finally leave her alone.  All she wanted was to spend her days herding goats, and the World of Mages was like, Noooo, you HAVE to participate in our ridiculous politics!  It’s  your DUTY to use your talents for our most destructive purposes!

But, on the other hand, she’s the only known transgender character in the book and she has to die in the end???  Besides that, it feels a bit too much like (GAME OF THRONES SEASON 8 SPOILERS…skip to the next paragraph if you want)… the Daenerys ending.  Like, a woman with Too Much Power has to either be super humble about it and/or be killed off???

I AM glad that Penelope’s mum gets to be headmistress, but why couldn’t Ebb also stay at Watford and peacefully herd goats for the rest of her days?  Or move with her goats to California, like Agatha (Watford doesn’t need all those goats, does it)?

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Third:  this is totally random, and didn’t lower my rating at all because it’s not a flaw, but I just want to note that, dear Crowley, that scene between Lucy and Davey was the unsexiest sex scene in all of YA literature.  It’s clearly intended to be unpleasant, and thank snakes it doesn’t last long.

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Ok, one more tiny thing that gave me a frowny face:  YOU DON’T STEAL SOMEONE’S DOG AND THEN JUST DROP IT IN THE SNOW AND FORGET ABOUT IT.  I mean, ok, I can mostly forgive Rowell because the dog ends up living happily (I assume) with Agatha in California, but STILL.

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Anyhoo, what do you think, fellow Simon fans?  How might Ebb’s arc have ended better?  Why couldn’t Simon have insta-healed her the way he healed the Mage?  And will that poor Normal guy be able to fill the hole in his heart where that adorable King Charles Spaniel used to be?

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Page Two Credits:

Moriarty gasp GIF from Refinery29.
“Thanks! I hate it.” from tenor.