Is the Code of Rainbow series enough to fill your Harry Potter itch?
Is the 'Code of Rainbow' series enough to fill your Harry Potter itch?I'd say yes.
Now for those of you short on time, feel free to scroll down to the bottom to read my review of book one in the Code of Rainbow series. But for those of you who want a little more detail, stick with me.
So, obviously, I'm comparing this series to Harry Potter.
Is it as good as Harry Potter?Well...no
All I needed to know, thanks bye!But! It definitely fills the void that was left in the absence of Harry Potter books. The main reason I loved the Harry Potter franchise was the exploration into a new world. When the Sorcerer's stone first released, I was a student at a small private catholic school. In case you're unaware, catholic schools don't have to best track record in adopting or adapting to mainstream media fads and changes. This included Harry Potter.
Luckily...my mom bought the book.
Every night before bed my mom would read a chapter of Harry Potter to my sisters and I. This was how we consumed the first three books. After that, we began sharing the copies, all of us devouring the books at much faster rates.
What I loved most about the books was the ability to learn about a new world along with Harry. I learned about the wizarding world the moment Harry learned about it. Better yet, I saw and heard the characters through my own mind's eye, no one else's.
In fact! It wasn't until the movies began coming out that my family and I realized we'd been saying Hermione's name incorrectly the entire time.
My sisters and I wrote down every spell we could find in the books. We fashioned wands out of paper and created make-believe duels amongst each other, acting out the effects of spells as best we could.
It was an interesting escape, especially when other forms of entertainment such as video games, cartoons, and movies were always readily available. Instead, we played make-believe.
Now, Code of Rainbow might not get me excited enough to fashion a paper wand and call up my now grown siblings for a game of make-believe. But, now as a father, a husband, and business owner and all the stresses of that and common daily life, it does provide an almost nostalgic relief.
Once again I'm learning about a new world alongside the protagonists. The world is obviously massive, much bigger than the protagonist (and therefore the reader) realizes. The author, Weiqi Wang, creates a world that is seemingly composed of magical elements. These elements can be manipulated by certain rare individuals known as wizards. In this way the world is similar to Avatar the Last Airbender, as these individuals are very rare. In even rarer instances, individuals such as Sorame, the protagonist, are able to control multiple elements.
By rooting the world's magic system in elements that readers understand, such as Fire, wind, water, earth, light, and darkness, Wang not only relates to readers on deeper level of understanding, as we all have some basic knowledge of each of these, but he also creates an almost seamless connection between magic and science.
This connection makes the series appeal not only to fantasy lovers but sci-fi readers as well.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."-Arthur C. Clarke
Check out his website!
codeofrainbow.com
Here, he not only offers the first book in the series for free in exchange for an email, but he proudly refers to his fans as 'Coders.' The artwork throughout his site enhances the readers' experiences, giving credence to Wang's descriptions. In some cases, he creates almost trading-card like artwork which will be interesting to see if the series evolves into the phenomenon that is Harry Potter.
I have personally just started book two of the series but I'm excited to learn more about the world Wang has created!
Soaring Flame and the Dragon-transcending Magimal by Weiqi Wang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I loved this book. It's reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Buried Symbol. Both of those series created a new and exciting world for you (the reader) to explore along with the protagonists. Code of Rainbow did this as well in a spectacular fashion. I'm eager to learn as much about this world as possible and watch Soarame continue to grow as a wizard.
My only complaint with the book was the shift in perspectives. The book began in the third person limited but later shifted into a third-person omniscient narration. The perspective shifts were jarring at times. I would have preferred a consistent use of third-person limited narration revolving around Soarame alone and relying on visual cues and expressions to gauge the other characters' thoughts.
If it weren't for this slight criticism, and lack of consistency I would gladly give this work 5 stars!
View all my reviews
Now for those of you short on time, feel free to scroll down to the bottom to read my review of book one in the Code of Rainbow series. But for those of you who want a little more detail, stick with me.
So, obviously, I'm comparing this series to Harry Potter.
Is it as good as Harry Potter?Well...no
All I needed to know, thanks bye!But! It definitely fills the void that was left in the absence of Harry Potter books. The main reason I loved the Harry Potter franchise was the exploration into a new world. When the Sorcerer's stone first released, I was a student at a small private catholic school. In case you're unaware, catholic schools don't have to best track record in adopting or adapting to mainstream media fads and changes. This included Harry Potter.
Luckily...my mom bought the book.
Every night before bed my mom would read a chapter of Harry Potter to my sisters and I. This was how we consumed the first three books. After that, we began sharing the copies, all of us devouring the books at much faster rates.
What I loved most about the books was the ability to learn about a new world along with Harry. I learned about the wizarding world the moment Harry learned about it. Better yet, I saw and heard the characters through my own mind's eye, no one else's.
In fact! It wasn't until the movies began coming out that my family and I realized we'd been saying Hermione's name incorrectly the entire time.
My sisters and I wrote down every spell we could find in the books. We fashioned wands out of paper and created make-believe duels amongst each other, acting out the effects of spells as best we could.
It was an interesting escape, especially when other forms of entertainment such as video games, cartoons, and movies were always readily available. Instead, we played make-believe.
Now, Code of Rainbow might not get me excited enough to fashion a paper wand and call up my now grown siblings for a game of make-believe. But, now as a father, a husband, and business owner and all the stresses of that and common daily life, it does provide an almost nostalgic relief.
Once again I'm learning about a new world alongside the protagonists. The world is obviously massive, much bigger than the protagonist (and therefore the reader) realizes. The author, Weiqi Wang, creates a world that is seemingly composed of magical elements. These elements can be manipulated by certain rare individuals known as wizards. In this way the world is similar to Avatar the Last Airbender, as these individuals are very rare. In even rarer instances, individuals such as Sorame, the protagonist, are able to control multiple elements.
By rooting the world's magic system in elements that readers understand, such as Fire, wind, water, earth, light, and darkness, Wang not only relates to readers on deeper level of understanding, as we all have some basic knowledge of each of these, but he also creates an almost seamless connection between magic and science.
This connection makes the series appeal not only to fantasy lovers but sci-fi readers as well.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."-Arthur C. Clarke
Wang seems to be just as strong a world builder as Rowling, perhaps stronger in his ability to create a pseudo community around his books.
Check out his website!
codeofrainbow.com
Here, he not only offers the first book in the series for free in exchange for an email, but he proudly refers to his fans as 'Coders.' The artwork throughout his site enhances the readers' experiences, giving credence to Wang's descriptions. In some cases, he creates almost trading-card like artwork which will be interesting to see if the series evolves into the phenomenon that is Harry Potter.
I have personally just started book two of the series but I'm excited to learn more about the world Wang has created!
Soaring Flame and the Dragon-transcending Magimal by Weiqi Wang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I loved this book. It's reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Buried Symbol. Both of those series created a new and exciting world for you (the reader) to explore along with the protagonists. Code of Rainbow did this as well in a spectacular fashion. I'm eager to learn as much about this world as possible and watch Soarame continue to grow as a wizard.
My only complaint with the book was the shift in perspectives. The book began in the third person limited but later shifted into a third-person omniscient narration. The perspective shifts were jarring at times. I would have preferred a consistent use of third-person limited narration revolving around Soarame alone and relying on visual cues and expressions to gauge the other characters' thoughts.
If it weren't for this slight criticism, and lack of consistency I would gladly give this work 5 stars!
View all my reviews
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