Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

We get it, Rainbow Rowell, you love Starbucks

The Prince and the Troll by Rainbow Rowell

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The Prince and the Troll is more what I was looking for from Rainbow Rowell, more of what worked for the Simon Snow series when it did work, love by way of (mild) fantasy. You have a troll, who catches and returns a phone dropped from atop the bridge she lives under, and the titular “prince,” who begins treating her to (of fucking course) Starbucks every day on his way to work. Rowell doesn’t dive too deep (pun intended) into the lore of the troll […]

Rainbow Rowell does COVID (with a dash of love)

If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell

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Somehow, despite Rainbow Rowell being my favorite author, I was unaware of this story’s existence. But, in scouring through all the Rainbow Rowell reviews on here, just out of curiosity, I noticed plenty of reviews for this, discovered it was about Reagan from Fangirl, and decided I had to join in on the fun. If the Fates Allow picks up with Reagan during COVID times. Turns out she’s like my fiancee if  she were far rougher around the edges. Seeing Reagan go to such great […]

Doesn’t really matter to me (or does it?)

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

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Although she holds the title of my favorite author, the Simon Snow series has never resonated with me in any meaningful way and the first two books are firmly at the bottom when I rank her bibliography. My fiancee, who I’ve read all of Rowell’s books to (aside from this one), is firmly in agreement on that one. Whether it be the spells that are in fact just cliches that have amassed magical power from their frequent usage, the Harry Potter retreads that aren’t really […]

A great Christmas read

If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell

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I never would’ve learned about Rainbow Rowell had I not joined Cannonball Read. Hell, I probably wouldn’t have read her if I wasn’t doing the database, and seeing her name pop up more than any other author except Stephen King (432), Neil Gaiman (269), and Robert Galbraith (243) with 238 reviews. You guys absolutely love Rainbow Rowell (average review had 4.3 stars, compared to 3.7 for King, 3.9 for Gaiman, and 4.2 for Galbraith). This love, I feel, is fully deserved. Rainbow Rowell is glorious. […]

Sometimes a short story is just enough, but sometimes it leaves you wanting. CBR13 Reviews 7-9

The Prince and the Troll by Rainbow Rowell

The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman

If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell

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I have been a very bad reviewer in 2021. I have been an amazing reader, with a list longer than any year I can remember. But sitting down to review has not been easy for me. I thought maybe I would try writing “bundles” of reviews, putting similar items together and knocking a few paragraphs out. Lets see how that goes. In order of least liked, to most: The Prince and the Troll. Blurb: It’s fate when a man accidentally drops his phone off the […]

“Reagan already felt hard enough. She didn’t need any accessories. She didn’t need to telegraph it out to the world.”

If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell

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A few weeks ago, I saw an announcement on Rainbow Rowell’s Instagram that she was releasing a holiday short story this year and I rejoiced. I like Rowell’s short form work as much as I like her novel length ones. I’ve read Kindred Spirits, her 2016 take on fandom and waiting in line for Star Wars. Rowell also has holiday themed ones: Almost Midnight, 2017’s collection that includes both Kindred Spirits and Midnights. Midnights tracks a pair across several years’ worth of New Year’s Eves […]



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