Young Adult

Rainbow in the Dark

Rainbow in the Dark

  • Downloads：1710
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-02 11:21:17
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sean McGinty
  • ISBN：1665066377
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

The Wizard of Oz meets Ready Player One in this darkly comic YA novel about identity， depression， giving up， and finding your way home。

High school senior Rainbow is trapped with three other teens in a game-like world that may or may not be real。 Together， they must complete quests and gain experience in order to access their own forgotten memories， decode what has happened to them， and find a portal home。
 
As Rainbow’s memories slowly return， the story of a lonely teen facing senior year as the new kid in a small town emerges。 Surreal， absurdist humor balances sensitively handled themes of suicide， depression， and the search for identity in an unpredictable and ultimately hopeful page-turner that's perfect for fans of Shaun David Hutchinson， Adam Silvera， and Libba Bray's Going Bovine。
 

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Reviews

Raygun ∆ Gothic ，

The cat dies ಥ‿ಥ and I don't forgive authors for this kind of thing。Let me say first off that comparing the spoke to Ready Player One is wrong， weird， and super random。 Also， RPO didn't have MAGIC ELECTRIC SELF CLEANING PANTS。I usually try to leave books about depression and suicide alone， because they’re triggering and I don’t like to read about people suffering。 But I actually didn’t find this to be dark or even as much about depression as it seemed like it would be。 It’s more of a parable tha The cat dies ಥ‿ಥ and I don't forgive authors for this kind of thing。Let me say first off that comparing the spoke to Ready Player One is wrong， weird， and super random。 Also， RPO didn't have MAGIC ELECTRIC SELF CLEANING PANTS。I usually try to leave books about depression and suicide alone， because they’re triggering and I don’t like to read about people suffering。 But I actually didn’t find this to be dark or even as much about depression as it seemed like it would be。 It’s more of a parable than a straightforward story， and it doesn’t wallow。 It promised surreal， absurdist humor， and that’s what it's got。The most notable thing about this book is that it’s written in second person， which is a huge pet peeve of mine。 In the past， it’s made me feel like an author’s agenda is being forced upon me， which I find frustrating。。。or it feels like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books。BUT I was able to let go of that pretty quickly because it became clear that the author was trying to avoid pronouns。 So， this is one of those books where a person just wakes up in another world trope。。。。 But not to become a villainess's stapler or a demon king's baby mama as is more common in these cases。It seems to be a video game world。 The notable things about it include:-Substantial memory loss about personal details: your own name， gender， the faces of people you know， what you look like， etc。Things you know: -your age， a handful of hazy memories or your life， and your brother’s name which is C。J。Some stuff that a call box tells you: -your name is Rainbow， which you can remember is a nickname your brother calls you。-You can’t touch yourself or your pants will electrocute you， so you have to pee your pants and that’s how you find out the pants are magic and self-cleaning electric pants。It was pretty slow until the protagonist met some other people in the world they’re trapped in。When they meet Chad01， a warrior class with a bottomless mary poppins time lord bag， he blames evil wizards for everything about this place。When you ask who invented the magic electric pants， Chad1 says， and I quote， "I don't know wizards and s**t。" Which reminds me that you can’t curse here。 The world just deletes the vowel parts of the word， so you have to say DKhead or fking or sht。They eventually meet up with a mystic named Lark and her twin brother Owlsey， a scholar。 They team up to find the city of 1000 nights to turn in the twin’s quest item， a magic ring pop。I'll admit that the author did not lay on the Wizard of Oz stuff too thick and I appreciated that。The only thing that makes this book like the wizard of oz is the number of travelers and the city of 1000 nights， which is run by a dkhead wizard named Dave。 Dave is a semi-omniscient non-corporeal entity and the city seems to be populated by a bunch of sycophantic npcs who think Dave is the best。Anything more will be spoilers， but I do have to say that pieces of the protagonist’s life are continually coming back to you during the questThe end was actually very moving。 I think the book was good。。。but the cat died， so。。。。。 。。。more

John Clark ，

There are times when you open a book， fall in and it's easy to figure out what's happening。 This isn't one of them。 Instead， reading it is more like falling into a raging river and finding the easiest course is to keep going with the flow。 Granted， I kept vacillating between thinking everything Rainbow was going through was real and that it was her being psychotic。 That effort was wasted。 This is a story to be part of， one that keeps you turning pages until you reach the end。 At that point， mos There are times when you open a book， fall in and it's easy to figure out what's happening。 This isn't one of them。 Instead， reading it is more like falling into a raging river and finding the easiest course is to keep going with the flow。 Granted， I kept vacillating between thinking everything Rainbow was going through was real and that it was her being psychotic。 That effort was wasted。 This is a story to be part of， one that keeps you turning pages until you reach the end。 At that point， most will be quite satisfied， but will feel a bit wrung out by the journey。 。。。more

Beth for BPL Teens ，

After reading and then reflecting on this bizarre and wonderful book， I find that I am extremely happy that I read it。 I don't think I've ever read anything like it， and I'm quite sure I'll probably never read anything like it again。 Rainbow's life feels like it's falling apart。 His brother doesn't seem interested in having a relationship with him， his mom is always sad， and his dad is gone。 After a move， Rainbow is having a difficult time in school， and his depression is a driving force in his After reading and then reflecting on this bizarre and wonderful book， I find that I am extremely happy that I read it。 I don't think I've ever read anything like it， and I'm quite sure I'll probably never read anything like it again。 Rainbow's life feels like it's falling apart。 His brother doesn't seem interested in having a relationship with him， his mom is always sad， and his dad is gone。 After a move， Rainbow is having a difficult time in school， and his depression is a driving force in his life。 Until he ends up in a new place。 A place he's never been before and can't quite figure out。 And as he begins to navigate in this place （which does distinctly feel like a video game）， he meets new people that will help him find his way home， but along the way， he must learn new things about himself and understand his own memories better。 Other reviewers have said that this book is a fascinating commentary on teenage depression， and they would be correct。 Though it was strange， and I was a bit skeptical at first， once I got going， I couldn't put it down。 My heart broke for poor Rainbow several times throughout the course of the novel。 I wanted to hug him。 I loved him， and his new friends were all fascinating people。 I think this book does have a lot of appeal for teens dealing with depression， or would be good for teens that are interested in video games， because it did wholly feel like that's what was happening。 There were quests the characters had to complete before they could move onto the next level， and every level got them one step closer to home。 The writing style was very well done too。 I am not quite sure I have ever read a book successfully told in switching third and second person narration。 Rainbow's memories were told in third person， while the action inside the video game was in second person， allowing for an even more immersive experience。 I am grateful this bizarre and beautiful book exists。 I'm excited to have it on my shelves and I'm excited to recommend it。CW: A lot of censored cursing （the game Rainbow is stuck in does not allow for profanity， but the teens try anyway） and there are some quests these teens have to fulfill that were reminiscent of drug use， like snorting fire ants and smoking Sour Patch Kids （all of which are said to be dangerous in the novel）。 Also suicidal ideation and depression。 。。。more

Philip ，

Okay， y’all。 This was one weird book， and I absolutely loved it。When Rainbow wakes up， she doesn’t remember anything。 She doesn’t know who she is， where she is， or how she got there。 She finds herself in a video game-like world， with memories slowly being returned to her。 In order to fully regain her memories and （maybe） return home， she has to complete a quest。 Chad01， the warrior assigned to escort her， is tremendously upset about being paired up with a Nobody， a character without an assigned Okay， y’all。 This was one weird book， and I absolutely loved it。When Rainbow wakes up， she doesn’t remember anything。 She doesn’t know who she is， where she is， or how she got there。 She finds herself in a video game-like world， with memories slowly being returned to her。 In order to fully regain her memories and （maybe） return home， she has to complete a quest。 Chad01， the warrior assigned to escort her， is tremendously upset about being paired up with a Nobody， a character without an assigned class。 They reluctantly set out across a bizarre world full of nightmarish creatures and magic that no one seems to fully understand。Rainbow manages to retrieve some more of her memories along the journey， leading her to remember her time with her brother CJ and her struggles with her own mental health and suicidal ideation。 The quest to find herself may be more destructive to her than she initially would have expected。Sean McGinty has crafted a unique story here， with some parallels being drawn to The Wizard of Oz as far as a quest within a questionable reality。 It’s a difficult story to describe， and a difficult one to read， but it pays off pretty well。 4/5 stars。 It’s out in the world as of *oops* yesterday， so go check it out。My most sincere thanks to NetGalley and Clarion Books for an eARC of Rainbow in the Dark in exchange for a fair review。This review originally appeared here: https://swordsoftheancients。com/2021/。。。 。。。more

Carrie ，

Rainbow in the Dark by Sean McGinty is a young adult fantasy standalone novel。 I would warn readers that this one has a dark side to it tackling issues like teen depression and teen suicide in a fantasy world。Rainbow is a high school senior who has one day found herself trapped in a virtual game world。 Rainbow meets another teen， a guy who claims his name is CHAD01， and Chad 1 （the 0 is silent） explains what little he knows about the world they are trapped inside。 The pair must beat the game to Rainbow in the Dark by Sean McGinty is a young adult fantasy standalone novel。 I would warn readers that this one has a dark side to it tackling issues like teen depression and teen suicide in a fantasy world。Rainbow is a high school senior who has one day found herself trapped in a virtual game world。 Rainbow meets another teen， a guy who claims his name is CHAD01， and Chad 1 （the 0 is silent） explains what little he knows about the world they are trapped inside。 The pair must beat the game to find their portal home。Rainbow in the Dark was compared to Ready Player One and The Wizard of Oz so of course being a big fan of each I had to check this one out。 Now I know sometimes comparisons are way off the mark but in this case I could see both in this strange fantasy。 The problem I came upon though was if I had not been referred to those books I probably would not have understood a thing going on in this story。 The world building was lacking and the story strange but bringing upon the other stories I actually did understand what the author was trying to do。 I wouldn’t say that I felt the idea behind this was original with the comparisons guiding me but somehow the strange story did work and in the end I’d rate this one at three and a half stars。I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley。For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews。com/ 。。。more

Sarah Yung ，

Truly affecting; will appeal to fans of Neal Shusterman's Challenger Deep and A。S。 King。 Truly affecting; will appeal to fans of Neal Shusterman's Challenger Deep and A。S。 King。 。。。more

Trisha ，

This is a story of a high school senior， Rainbow， a cat， Goldfish， and how Rainbow got stuck in another reality playing a game with three other teens that may or may not be real， especially when you find out how they have to use the bathroom。 They must complete quests， gain experience and memories to hopefully win and escape the game and go home。 But where does a cat named Goldfish come in and is Rainbows brother in this world too？This is a very interesting and well sculpted book。 There are so m This is a story of a high school senior， Rainbow， a cat， Goldfish， and how Rainbow got stuck in another reality playing a game with three other teens that may or may not be real， especially when you find out how they have to use the bathroom。 They must complete quests， gain experience and memories to hopefully win and escape the game and go home。 But where does a cat named Goldfish come in and is Rainbows brother in this world too？This is a very interesting and well sculpted book。 There are so many twists and turns it will keep you ensnared until the end。 The characters are well rounded and the story line is a new one。 I liked this book and hope you all do too。 。。。more

Angela ，

Booklist review to come

Jenn ，

DNF。

Siofra ，

This book was like nothing I’ve read before， and I really enjoyed it！ Trigger warning: suicidal thoughts， gory details for certain death。The switching between memories and Rainbows quest in the world was balanced and really helped set up how important remembering who you are and bad and good things are。 It doesn’t hurt that it was a mix between Wizard of Oz and Ready Player One， two books I adore; it took inspiration but created something entirely new and unique！ I literally didn’t know if Rainb This book was like nothing I’ve read before， and I really enjoyed it！ Trigger warning: suicidal thoughts， gory details for certain death。The switching between memories and Rainbows quest in the world was balanced and really helped set up how important remembering who you are and bad and good things are。 It doesn’t hurt that it was a mix between Wizard of Oz and Ready Player One， two books I adore; it took inspiration but created something entirely new and unique！ I literally didn’t know if Rainbow was male， female， no binary， or gender fluid for so long in this book， and I love it！ It was up to interpretation for a while， and I NEED MORE OF THIS！ Chapters aren’t too long， so those who struggle with reading won’t have trouble either！ *Spoiler ALERT*My problems with the story; the Goddess parts and the ending， which didn't hold enough emotional hold， so it fell flat！ The Goddess parts confused me for the longest while I didn’t find them necessary。 。。。more

Chris Lewis ，

Rainbow wakes up trapped in a video game and she doesn’t know the rules or the purpose。 Through different levels and by making a few friends， Rainbow starts to figure out what to do。 As Rainbow progresses through the levels， she also recalls memories from the life she thinks she once had。I struggled to get into the story because the world building was a little unclear。 Bringing the video game and friend-quest together didn’t always work out。 I didn’t love any of the characters and struggled to f Rainbow wakes up trapped in a video game and she doesn’t know the rules or the purpose。 Through different levels and by making a few friends， Rainbow starts to figure out what to do。 As Rainbow progresses through the levels， she also recalls memories from the life she thinks she once had。I struggled to get into the story because the world building was a little unclear。 Bringing the video game and friend-quest together didn’t always work out。 I didn’t love any of the characters and struggled to figure out who to fight for。 When the reader gets the end， there is still a little ambiguity， which I usually like， but I would have wanted a little bit more clarity about Rainbow and her experience。 The allegory-eque story of a character trying to understand their depression and suicidal ideation was an interesting idea， but the video game world wasn’t fully built。 I wanted to like it more than I did。 For readers who like a fast-paced， situation driven story， then this is a good choice。 The plot and characters will definitely create conversation between readers。 I would love to talk with someone about the narrator’s point of view。Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more

Roberta R。 （Offbeat YA） ，

Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA。 Pros: Unique story that balances dark humour and teen angst and delivers a powerful message。Cons: The surrealistic style might not work for everyone。WARNING！ Themes of depression and suicide （the latter more on the page， though filtered through an absurdist lens）。 Some gore。 A pet's death。Will appeal to: Those who like a book that colours outside the lines。First off。。。DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on Edelweiss。 Thanks to Clarion B Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA。 Pros: Unique story that balances dark humour and teen angst and delivers a powerful message。Cons: The surrealistic style might not work for everyone。WARNING！ Themes of depression and suicide （the latter more on the page， though filtered through an absurdist lens）。 Some gore。 A pet's death。Will appeal to: Those who like a book that colours outside the lines。First off。。。DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on Edelweiss。 Thanks to Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a temporary ecopy。 This didn't influence my review in any way。COME TOGETHERRainbow in the Dark is the epitome of a double-souled book: （mostly） set in a game-like world but contemporary in nature， alternating 1st person to 2nd person narrative （not to mention， there are a few chapters in 3rd person， whose protagonist is a character Rainbow dreamed up and wrote stories about）， humorous and absurdist but tackling serious themes as depression and suicide。 In short: dark comedy meets teen angst。 However， you needn't be afraid to pick this book up， because the opposites converge quite successfully， and give birth to one of the most unique stories you'll ever read。 Their connection is made even stronger by the fact that lots of details or incidents in the game-like world， no matter how preposterous， mirror/are connected to other details or incidents from Rainbow's real life， and the protagonist's fantastic journey is， for all purposes， a quest that will （maybe） result in her putting her life back together。 [。。。]Whole review here。 。。。more

Alex ，

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Rainbow in the Dark in exchange for an honest review。So。。。 this was weird。 I've read over 500 books this year so please know when I say this was the most unique， that's a really， really big deal。 Rainbow in the Dark is kind of poetic portrayals of teen angst meets kindergarten humor meets the quest/found family trope meets a bizarre nonsense version of the wizard of oz and somehow I mean all of that in the best way possible。 I really enjoyed this Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Rainbow in the Dark in exchange for an honest review。So。。。 this was weird。 I've read over 500 books this year so please know when I say this was the most unique， that's a really， really big deal。 Rainbow in the Dark is kind of poetic portrayals of teen angst meets kindergarten humor meets the quest/found family trope meets a bizarre nonsense version of the wizard of oz and somehow I mean all of that in the best way possible。 I really enjoyed this so I'm going to try and articulate what I liked to you， but its honestly the kind of thing you have to read to understand。We open on you。 You're memoryless in the middle of a non-earth nowhere where you can't touch your pants， form the vowel sound of swearwords， or figure out how the hell you're supposed to pee because of the aforementioned lack of pant touching。 You meet a guy named CHAD01 （the 0 is silent） who tells you you have to go on a quest together because a box told him so so you decide to do it。 Simular boxes can also give you memories。 CHAD01 tells you not to read yours but you do anyway and then suddenly the perspective shifts from you to Rainbow except you're also rainbow and throughout your quest through chaos-oz， the narrative intersplices Rainbows memories and the various attempts of a God/dess as she attempts to kill herself。Did that work？ Do you understand？ Still probably no？ Honestly I think the reason I loved this a lot more than other chaos reads is that it has actual stakes and a ton of real-world applicable messages you can take from the chaos。 If you want to tackle some serious topics like teen suicide/depression while also being able to be somewhat removed from the severity of all that， give this a go。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Rainbow in the Dark

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Rainbow in the Dark&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Rainbow in the Dark&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0