A Fresh Take on Magic, Mystery, and Love

I’ve had my eye on this book for a while. A YA story with a school of magic, magicians, and vampires? I’m in. I had heard that the idea for the book started as Harry Potter fanfiction so I was curious to see how that turned out.
Simon is the Chosen One who is being tutored by The Mage in order to be the best wizard the world of mages has ever seen (sound familiar?). His nemesis and roommate, Basilton “Baz” Grimm-Pitch is an undercover vampire who comes from a wealthy family and seems to be trying to undo everything that The Mage and Simon are working towards. The plot takes a twist when a common enemy unites Simon and Baz who work together to survive and conquer the Humdrum.
It was interesting how Rainbow Rowell develops her own magical world while also giving a wink and a nod to the OG wizarding world.
The first quarter of the book was difficult to get through. It starts in media res and there’s not a lot of context to explain why things happen the way they do. There’s no background info on the characters other than brief, “last year…” or “that one time…” Once Simon and Baz embark on their quest, the plot solidifies and it’s much easier to get into.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. Once the plot kicked in, it was hard to put down. It was good enough that I continued you on with the remaining books in the trilogy.
I would recommend this book for a fun read for anyone who enjoys YA fantasy. I don’t think it’s going to have as much of a cultural impact as its British counterpart, but it’s a good time nonetheless.