SPOILERS AHEAD!
DO NOT CONTINUE READING IF YOU HAVE NOT READ ALL OF HER NOVELS!
In addition to being a nerd, I’m a Disney fangirl! When I saw the Disney Book Tag post that Alexa over at did, I knew that me and this tag were a match made in heaven. Like Alexa, I’m also going to challenge myself using only books and characters by one author, and who else would I choose but the wonderful and amazing, Rainbow Rowell.
THE LITTLE MERMAID • A character who is out of their element.
In Carry On, Simon Snow is the main protagonist–The Chosen One. However, much like the fictional wizard he was based on, Simon grew up surrounded with humans and clueless about his past and destiny. He has absolutely no control of his magic and even less understanding of the world he gets thrust into when The Mage finds him in an orphanage and brings him to Watford School of Magicks.
CINDERELLA • A character who goes through a major transformation.
Cather “Cath” Avery from Fangirl is one of my favorite characters because I think she’s a mirror of myself at that age. When we meet Cath, she’s very shy and introverted. She’s just went off to college, and she spends the majority of her days hiding in her dorm room; she is weary of even going to the cafeteria so she eats snack bars and other junk in her room. She obsesses over her chosen fandom (in this case, it’s our beloved Simon & Baz). She’s just a mess, really. As the year progresses, she becomes friends with her outspoken and no-f**ks-giving roommate and she falls for her roommate’s cute friend, Levi. The two of them help Cath come out of her shell (a little bit) and confront some of her demons.
SNOW WHITE • A book with an eclectic cast of characters.
Carry On is full of wonderful, diverse characters. Sure, they’re all loosely based on Harry Potter characters, but they’re still pretty awesome as stand-alone characters. I’d hang out with Simon over Harry anyday, and I’d definitely take Baz over Draco. Each character, even the minor characters, have very distinct personalities. They’re funny, real, interesting, infuriating, flawed, and fabulous. My favorite minor character is Ebb’s brother. I just imagine a real slimy, pale greaseball.
SLEEPING BEAUTY • A book that put you to sleep.
Rainbow Rowell could never put me to sleep! However, I didn’t think that I was going to like Landline initially. It took a few chapters for me to get invested, and it’s still my least favorite. (I haven’t read Attachments yet though.) In Landline, I thought the premise was great. I know there are a few books/movies with similar plots but I haven’t read or saw any of them up to this point. This was one of those novels where I felt there was just too much dialogue and internal monologue by the protagonist. It could have been wrapped up a lot quicker. Or it would have been better with more flashbacks or alternating points of view.
THE LION KING • A character who had something traumatic happen to them in childhood.
I cried for Eleanor from Eleanor and Park. Of course, Baz’s childhood was traumatic, losing his mother and being turned into a monster, but Eleanor’s suffering is constant and never-ending. Baz’s family accepted and protected him, and he went on to live a semi-charmed kind of life, in spite of his own self-hatred and brooding. Eleanor on the other hand never got a break. She never had a choice to truly be happy. So, yeah, Eleanor.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST • A beast of a book you were intimidated by but found the story beautiful.
Carry On, again! First of all, it’s humongous. Secondly, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Simon and Baz snippets in Fangirl. I was extremely worried that I wouldn’t enjoy this book or be able to finish such a large book with characters I wasn’t invested in. Boy, was I wrong. Carry On is so beautiful and funny and exciting. It’s definitely one of my Top Ten favorite books of all time right now.
ALADDIN • A character who gets their wish granted, for better or worse.
The Mage from Carry On. He was obsessed with being the Chosen One, and then creating the Chosen One. He really just wanted to control the whole world of majicks. Even though he’s based on Dumbledore, I knew he was shady as f**k from the jump. He definitely got everything that was coming to him, and I was a very happy reader. I guess in the end, he was more like Lord Voldemort or an amalgamation of the two.
MULAN • A character who pretends to be something or someone they’re not.
The Insidious Humdrum is obviously a character who pretends to be something or someone they’re not. The creature, or whatever they call it, assumes Simon Snow’s complete appearance at age 11, from his face, to his clothing, to his outfits and little red all he always carried, until it’s defeated years later.
TOY STORY • A book with characters you wish would come to life.
I feel like I’ve said it over and over again, but I love all the characters in Carry On. I would love for Simon and Baz to come alive, because those two are my favorites, OTP, and relationship goals. I’m also a fan of Penelope. Plus, I really loved that their magic was weighted by words and common phrases that we use in real life. I thought that was actually very clever. It sure would make being a witch easier than remembering “wingardium leviosa”.
DISNEY DESCENDANTS • Your favorite villain or morally ambiguous character.
Rainbow Rowell books don’t actually have villains or antagonists. That leaves me with two options: Insidious Humdrum and The Mage from Carry On. I think that the Insidious Humdrum was a clever twist to an already amazing story, but a character like The Mage is someone that we all have to fear. Even though he did actually turn out to be Simon’s father, which was my initial prediction, he also turned out to be the biggest villain of all. He had no concern for his family and their well-being. He only wanted power and he was willing to do anything to get it.
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I nominate any blogger that wants to participate!