Before requesting this one I did not realize it was a part of a series. I will edit my review once I can read both books. Had to DNF this one for not understanding what was going on.

Robert has been on his own for several years, wandering around to find a place where he can belong, as he comes to terms with his unusual power. While in LA, he meets several other Unusuals, and thinks he has found his new family.

This book is the second book in a series, although it is listed as a standalone book. I did not read the first book. I'm not sure if reading the first book would have helped me with this one, but based on this book, I have no desire to read the first book to see.

Robert was not a likeable character at all. I did not find myself caring about what was happening for him. I don't feel like there was any growth in his character throughout the story. Speaking of the story, I don't even really feel like there was a story. Just a bunch of scenes that followed one another. No character growth from the others, either. I was a good 60% in and wondering if there would ever be anything that would happen.

I received a digital ARC of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

Novels based on podcasts/audio dramas always have a difficult job to do, balancing between being stand-alone works that can be enjoyed independently of their source material, and still be recognisably part of the beloved world of the podcast. So far, neither of the two Bright Sessions novels has managed this successfully for me.
A Neon Darkness is easy to follow if you know the world of the Bright Sessions. Unfortunately, it is also immensely emotionally predictable, and every step of Damien's development (or lack thereof) is easily anticipated. To someone not aware of TBS canon, I imagine that parts of this book will be almost incomprehensible. That is not to say that I don't think there is a good way to write an origin story based on a podcast antagonist. Welcome to night vale's book on the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home managed to draw me in and make me forget that we knew the way her story ended until the very last page. Neon Darkness did not do that.

This book was honestly just not for me. The writing itself was not bad, but I had a hard time following the plot.

rating: 4.5 stars

“I think about being happy and whether that’s something I’ve ever felt. I’m not sure it is, but I think it must be something close to this.”

First of all, that if you haven’t already, go listen to The Bright Sessions podcast. This book and the one that came before it are both novelizations of that podcast, but while The Infinite Noise covers a story that’s already been told on the show, A Neon Darkness is a whole new story. All that said, you don’t have to have listened to the podcast or read The Infinite Noise to enjoy this book. I just think you should because they’re amazing.

A Neon Darkness follows Robert, an eighteen year old who can manipulate others to do whatever he wants. He’s spent the last few years traveling the country alone and made his way to Los Angeles in hopes of seeing the ocean. He’s always believed that he’s the only one who can do what he does, the only one with extraordinary abilities — but that changes when he makes some new friends who have secrets of their own.

Anyone who has listened to The Bright Sessions knows exactly who Damien is: he’s the villain. He may have his humanizing moments, but it’s clear that he’s not a good person. I was a little wary going into this book because stories from the POV of the villain can be hit or miss for me, but I should have known to trust Lauren Shippen. She made me understand Robert/Damien’s character more than I ever have before, all while showing how abhorrent many of his actions are.

Even within his own story, Damien is the bad guy. Shippen never shies away from that or tries to justify his actions, but as the reader you also feel like you understand, even sympathize with him. And it’s uncomfortable! You’re not supposed to like him – you don’t like him – but he’s still a fascinating character to follow.

It’s hard to completely hate a character when their primary motivation is simply to be loved and understood, but what makes Damien the villain is that he goes about it in completely the wrong way. In some ways, it’s not his fault, because he’s never had the opportunity to learn that love can’t be forced. But at the same time, it’s entirely his fault because he never listens to the people telling him to stop or tries to fix his mistakes. He blames everyone except himself because he’s never had to face consequences for his actions before.

“I’m not solely responsible. I can’t be. Because if I am — if I actually took ownership over the things I’ve done — I’m not sure I could live with the person I am. But I have to live with him. So it has to be everybody else’s fault.”

He’s just *clenches fist* such a well-developed morally gray character! You want to throttle him but you also can’t help but feel deeply, deeply sorry for him and what he’s been through. Even though some of what he’s been through is his own fault! It’s confusing and uncomfortable in the best possible way.

Though the plot is slow-moving and uncomplicated, this is more of a character study than anything else. It truly reads like a villain origin story because you can only watch, horrified, as things unravel. You watch Damien’s relationships with the little family he forms grow and then start to break because of his actions.

Speaking of which, I should probably mention the other characters. Indah, Neon, and Marley, who make up the group that Damien finds himself a part of, are all wonderfully developed, each with their own backstory and complex relationships with each other and with Damien’s ability.

“The boy whose wants infect everyone else can’t even articulate what he wants, even though it’s as simple as wanting to be wrapped up in someone’s arms. To feel loved. To feel safe, for just one goddamned second.”

This book has no easy answers regarding Damien’s morality. By the end, I felt like my emotions had been manipulated almost as much as the other characters’. Even though it was not the most comfortable way to finish the book, I absolutely loved it, because if a book can affect my emotions that much, it’s done its job.

And I have to mention that Lauren’s Shippen’s writing is, once again, absolutely phenomenal. I love how I could recognize her style, even though the voice and tone of this book is so different to The Infinite Noise. She transported me to the buzzing neon and desert heat of mid-2000s Los Angeles, to the point that I felt like I was there alongside the characters.

This book made me question everything I thought I knew about Damien and fall in love with a whole new set of characters. If you’re a fan of The Bright Sessions, you need to check out this book, and if you’re not, it’s never too late to jump aboard! Now I’ll just sit here eagerly awaiting the next novel in this series.

“I hate that dark little part of me that craves comfort, craves a soft hand and a warm body, but as much as I despise it, I can’t destroy it. It rules me, and I rule everyone else.”

The ARC for this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the podcast, The Bright Sessions, and was excited when Lauren started to write books based off the characters. I have been looking forward to reading more about my favorite bad guy since I learned of this books existence. Diving into Damien's world was intriguing. His past isn't fully talked about in the podcast, so it was cool to see what he was up to before he met Dr. Bright. I loved the new cast of characters we meet (Neon, Indah, Marley, & Blaze) and wouldn't mind reading more about them, or hearing their stories in podcast form. I also think that if you haven't listened to the podcast you might not appreciate the plot 100% because this isn't your traditional character arc. Damien isn't a good guy, he's not going to grow into a better person. The only thing I wish this book had was the beginning of Damien's relationship to therapy with Dr. Bright. All in all I really liked this book and I cannot wait to get my copy in the mail.

Oof, this was exactly as frustrating and twisted as I expected it to be – and unfortunately just as unsatisfying character-development wise.
Definitely stays true to it’s subtitle “What if the villain of your story is you?”

Content warnings include: abduction, electrocution, murder, underage drinking and drug use, theft, unconsensual kissing, coercion.
Mentions of: suicide attempt, torture, abandonment.

The Bright Sessions is one of my favourite audio dramas, and therefore my opinion and this review will be heavily influenced by knowing that Damien – or rather, Robert – will grow up to be one of the main antagonists of that storyline.

This was also why I was scared to read this book. I was curious about Damien’s – Robert’s – past, but knowing who he would grow up to be made me wary. I did not expect a happy ending, and I didn’t get one.

But let’s start at the beginning.

I can’t say how clear Robert’s ability would be to readers going in without knowing about it. One big part of this is that Robert is an extremely unreliable narrator. I couldn’t tell if this was a deliberate stylistic choice, like Robert was manipulating the reader, or if Robert himself was in denial. He was constantly contradicting himself, one moment saying he has no control over what he wants, thus also making other people want what he wants, and then the next moment saying he was deliberately holding back. One moment he would be swearing he wasn’t influencing another person, just to admit to it freely a couple pages later.

Robert was a deeply complex character, and he would be fascinating if it wasn’t to frustrating reading about him. So much of the conversations seemed to go in circles, with other characters directly telling him what he was doing wrong, but Robert just continued to deny responsibility.
There are multiple facets of and reasons for this going deeper into his past and psyche, and Robert is right about it not being as black and white as it seems, but ultimately there was a lack of character development for me. I wasn’t able to connect chubby, hopeful, teenage Robert with cynic adult Damien at first, but I was wrong – Robert was just as self-focussed as Damien, forever locked in the self-fullfilling prophecy of the world being against him, seeing every criticism of him failing to accept responsibility for the consequences of his action as confirmation that nobody would ever like him if he didn’t coerce them to.

Robert’s character arc – or lack thereof – aside, pretty much nothing happened. The official description pretty much sums up the entirety of the plot. 95% of the book was just the toxic cycle of Robert using his ability to get what he wanted, then getting confronted about it, running away after throwing a tantrum, then using his ability to make everyone forgive him and it started all over again.

The side plot with someone picking up Unusuals off the streets was extremely minor, and not resolved and followed through in any way. I was hoping for some confirmation about who was behind everything, and the whys and hows, possibly some connection to the audio drama, but nothing. I can appreciate that on the level that new readers won’t miss anything, except it just ended up feeling unfinished and inconsequential and left a huge question mark hanging over the one thing that brought any outside influence to the plot.

And as I said before, the character-focus of the book would have been fine, had it not been the same events circling around and around, going nowhere. And even without that, I found the aftermath of the book’s climax, shocking as it was, didn’t quite address how drastic it was, instead leaving a lot of emotional threads hanging. Additionally, because of the above mentioned outside plot being so minor, it was hard to get emotionally invested in the rest of it.

I think anyone who liked villain origin stories, complex unlikeable characters, and questions of morality and dubious practices will like the book. Fans of Damien will get an intriguing look into his head and his past, and it certainly answers some of the questions about why he is the way he is.

The second Bright Sessions novel, based on the popular podcast, about a group of young people with supernatural powers and how they deal with them (or don’t).

This book tells the story of Robert, who arrives in L.A., determined to finally see the ocean. He’s used to getting what he wants: he’s able to make people want whatever he wants, and uses it to his advantage. Don’t have the money to pay for groceries? Just tell the cashier that you don’t need to pay. Want your crush to kiss you? Just get within ten feet of them, and they will. Need to escape your life in Nebraska? Tell your parents to forget about you and take a car on a road trip.

Despite having the ability to get whatever he wants (literally), Robert’s not happy - he’s never had a close group of friends, felt at home anywhere, been able to form relationships. So when he meets Indah, a woman who has the ability to sense Unusuals - others with strange powers like him - and is introduced to Neon and Marley, he feels like he is finally able to be himself.

Despite the underlying fear that his new friends are around him because he wants them to be, not because they actually want to be, Robert knows that he has found his people. And then a tall mysterious figure who seems immune to their powers appears in their lives, and one of the Unusuals is kidnapped, and everything Robert worked so carefully to build up comes crashing to the ground.

I have to say, I was excited to read this book after absolutely LOVING the first book ‘The Infinite Noise,’ but this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Yes, the concept of the Unusuals is interesting, and I thought the L.A. group has a cool mix of personalities & interests & abilities ... but Robert was just so, so, so rage-inducing. I mean, maybe it’s because I don’t exactly know anything else about the character (I assume you learn about him in the podcast?) so I didn’t know if he’s a villain or not, but god, 80% of the book was just Robert being a manipulative bastard, and feeling so bad for himself, and UGH. Yes, there was a plot, and the story advanced by degrees, but I spent the majority of the book being so annoyed by Robert. So I definitely think there is an audience for this book, and that is someone who knows more about the Bright Sessions podcast than me.

All in all, I really do appreciate the world that Lauren Shippen has created, but I felt like this book just ... missed the mark.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Out September 29th.

This was an interesting take on the superhero origin story. The Unusuals all have special abilities and someone is out to get them. They characters are complex and multidimensional, and they live in the gray areas, not really good, but not really evil either. The main narrator, Robert, gets a little annoying as the story goes on, he's very needy and whiny, so I got tired of him after about half the book. He was really hard to sympathize with. Overall, the story was enjoyable, and I think my students would like it!

A Neon Darkness

Robert is a piece of work. At some points in this book I felt like he was compelling me to feel for him but he really is an unlikable character geez.

This book was great. It shows such an in depth look at a character we met for the first book. All Robert wants is to belong somewhere but he's spent so much time on his own he has absolutely no idea what it's like to be with other people.

He refuses to grow up but would rather blame all his short comings on others which is completely relatable at a point in life.

I really enjoyed the other characters. It would be nice to know more about Blaze but I enjoyed knowing Indah and Neon and Marley.

I genuinely cannot wait for another installment of this series. I need more and I need to know who these mysterious people are kidnapping and torturing Unusuals.

4.5/5 that .5 is for how annoying Robert is lol.

I feel like I enjoyed this book more than I realised I did while I was reading. The main character isn’t particularly likeable (which isn’t a must, by any means, but often helps); I’m not sure any of the characters were especially likeable. And yet, I found myself still wanting to know how they were doing and what was going to happen to them next.
This was an origin story of morally ambiguous characters, with no promise that you’ll find out how they grow. And it works.

✨✨8.5 stars out of 10✨✨
God... My heart... It hurts so much :( I just wish all of them can be happy :(

Keywords: science fiction, slice of life, superpower, found family, morally grey, LGBT+, muslim representative, POC representative; trigger warning: mental health and slight mention of suicidal thoughts

I get an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley, as an exchange of honest review.

A Neon Darkness is prequel from the first book of Bright Session, The Infinite Noise. While the first book is light and cheery and full of love, this book is more emotional, dark and depressing. This book tells about Robert Gorham, or Damien, a boy with a superpower make people get what he wants. Even so, his life is not easy and all his life he can't seem to get what he actually really want: to be loved as what he is. Those things change when he meet people with superpower similar to him. But will it ever last?

Because I got this ARC, I also bought the first book and I thought I like the first book. Turns out now I like this series very much because I significantly like A Neon Darkness better and I want to know what will happens to the characters later on. Here's what I like about this book:

- Morally grey but relatable character we can sympathize with
Damien is not a hero. He is not righteous, what he did most of times are questionable. What he did some other time are exactly wrong. Some people might even think he is villain. But he has reasons to the way that he is. And reading this I can sympathize with him, with his past and with his decisions. He's so lonely and sad, his power is complicated and he struggling to control it. I just wish he would find happiness someday :')

- Cool, charming characters (and diverse too!)
I think the characters in this book is quite diverse, there is Indonesian character, a bipoc i think, and people from various orientation from gay, lesbian, to bisexual. They are all cool and quite memorable, especially Neon. They're also have strong characterization and each of them get their spot in the story equally. There's a moslem representative in here that's also lesbian, has tattoos, and an Indonesian. I think for some people, the part about her religion is unnerving, though I myself don't mind it. Yes moslem women who're also lesbian exist, even in my country and I know some of them. Yes, people can practice religion differently, regarding what they believe.

- This book is emotional and there's found family trope
There's also found family trope in this book and the theme of this book relies heavily on that. The loneliness, the longing to be accepted by somebody, the joy of having people who can understand you, who can love you and whom you can call as home... Those really strikes me right in the gut. Lauren Shippen is really good at making us feeling what the characters feel. So much emotions, especially when the book ends.. I feel raw and really sad reading this. I always love a book that invokes so much emotions in me.

What I don't like:
- I don't find anything I don't like in it, but.....
I don't find what I don't like from this book. Nothing rubs the wrong way to me. But for some people who expect more, who expect more plot, more character developments etcetera, it's not the book they will like. And I think not everyone will like Damien, some might feel he is wrong, he is villain and what he did are not justified because he doesn't seems trying to be better. As for the narration, it is sub-par. The pace is moderate to fast and the plot, to be honest, is not really that impressive. But as I said, Lauren Shippen is really good at invoking emotions.

CONCLUSION
It's pretty good, just not excellent I want to recommend this book, I like this book a lot, but I'm not sure others will like it too. It's those hit or miss situation, either you will like it or not. As for the series itself, no need to read it before diving into this book because it can be read as a standalone and not much really change if you read the first book beforehand.

I didn't realize this was a book 2 (or prequel) until after I finished reading. So, I guess you can jump in here with no problem. I loved the world-building of The Bright Sessions Universe, and I really liked Robert now Damien as a person. it was a bit X-men ish, but not in a copycat way. Teens (and adults!) who love Sci-Fi will want to check this out and then go back and read book one, like I'm about to do.

This was so good! Just like the the first book in the series, this was such a character driven story. We see the characters just talking to each other, trying to process their emotions, trauma, and other shit. More than ever, we see the main character slowly turning into the villain that he is. There's no high-stakes or super adventurous plot, instead we see a lonely, troubled kid looking for love and acceptance yet fails to see what these things truly mean. Also, I loved that this featured a diverse plot; a Black character, Asian characters, sapphic characters/relationship, gay and questioning characters.

In conclusion, yes, I loved this! Full review soon!

This book was great! Kind of like it better then the 1st book. Also if someone says it is about x-men, I am going to read it. Interesting story.

Thank you to the author/publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 3.5/5 Stars
Plot: 3/5 Stars
Setting: 2/5 Stars
Characters: 4/5 Stars
Writing: 3.5/5 Stars
Memorability: 3/5 Stars

~Quick Review~
A Neon Darkness is listed as a standalone within The Bright Sessions series, and it was my introduction into the world. I was not confused throughout the books, but for me, at least, A Neon Darkness was just another book that I’ve read. It did not have the gravity on me that I probably would have felt had I have read the first novel in the series. Regardless, it was an okay book, I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I could have.

~Other Information~
Publisher: Tor Teen
Page Count: 256 pages
Release Date: September 29, 2020

~Blurb (via Goodreads)~
Los Angeles, 2006. Eighteen-year-old Robert Gorham arrives in L.A. amid the desert heat and the soft buzz of neon. He came alone with one goal: he wants to see the ocean. And Robert always gets what he wants.

At a very young age, Robert discovered he had the unusual ability to make those close to him want whatever he wants. He wanted dessert instead of dinner? His mother served it. He wanted his Frisbee back? His father walked off the roof to bring it to him faster. He wanted to be alone? They both disappeared. Forever.

But things will be different in L.A. He meets a group of strange friends who could help him. Friends who can do things like produce flames without flint, conduct electricity with their hands, and see visions of the past. They call themselves Unusuals and finally, finally, Robert belongs.

When a tall figure, immune to their powers, discovers them, the first family that Robert has ever wanted is at risk of being destroyed. The only way to keep them
all together is to get his powers under control.

But control is a sacrifice he might not be willing to make.

~Characters~
A Neon Darkness is the origin story of Damien, who was previously (and in this novel) known as Robert Gorham. Robert/Damien has the ability to make other people want what he wants, effectively always having people do what he wants. As the travels across the US, he meets other people who also have power, Neon, Marley, and Blaze; they call themselves the Unusuals. I have to say, that as a “villain” origin story, this is actually amazing in fulfilling its purpose. There is not much character development in the novel, instead, Robert just comes to terms with the fact that he wants to control people, creating a whole landslide of problems for his ‘friends’, Neon, Marley, Blaze, and Indah to deal with.

I felt that the characters themselves were well written, however, I found it hard to like Robert/Damien, and it was unclear whether or not that was the author’s intention. Also, I greatly appreciated the LGBTQ+ representation in the novel. However, Neon, who is Bisexual, is portrayed as a promiscuous girl who can’t commit to anyone. With all of the bi-erasure inside and outside of the community, I felt that it was a bit harmful.

~Writing and Setting~
I honestly felt that there was too little detail throughout the novel. Nothing related to the Unusuals is explained, though I’m assuming that more detail is provided in the first novel, An Infinite Noise.

While A Neon Darkness takes place on Earth, nothing about the Unusuals world is explained, which I found very frustrating as it is a huge part of the novel’s story and the character’s lives.

~Plot~
The plot itself was nothing horrible, but it was not incredibly special either. A large portion of the story is devoted to the Unusuals finding out what a mysterious man needs with Blaze and his power (fire). All to be solved very quickly (though horribly) at the end of the novel, which was pretty disappointing.

~Overall Review~
Overall, I felt that A Neon Darkness was an okay novel, but would have been better had I read An Infinite Darkness beforehand. Needless to say, I will not go back and read An Infinite Darkness, as I just don’t feel that I need/want to at this point. Fans, however, will most likely enjoy this novel more than I did.

“A Neon Darkness” is a young adult sci-fi novel centered around a man named Robert (or Robbie, as he is referred to a lot throughout the beginning of the book) who has special powers, and feels like he can fit in once he comes across a group of people – called The Unusuals – who have powerful abilities as well. This group instantly welcomes him in with open arms and makes him feel like he fits in.

Even though I didn’t read the first book in this series, I thought that this one was still pretty easy to comprehend. It was a quick, captivating read with a really interesting plot, and I’d definitely recommend that fans of YA sci-fi check this one out.

Rating 3.5/5

‘A Neon Darkness’ is the origin story of Damien. A queer, morally-ambiguous teenager with mind control powers, finding his way in LA, what could possibly go wrong?

What I Loved: More than anything, this book is a character study of Damien. You find yourself emphasizing with him and his struggles to grasp on his powers. His desire to form lasting connections with people who get him is poignant and understandable.
Even when this desire quickly becomes an obsession for Damien, his friendship with the Unusuals becoming a fabrication of his wants, even knowing how his tragic tale ends in 'The Bright Sessions', I still found myself hoping he would see what he was doing and that he'd change.

What I Didn't: ‘A Neon Darkness’ has a compelling premise and an interesting and diverse cast. Indah is a gay Muslim bartender. Neon is a badass pansexual biker who can manipulate electricity. Marley is a gentle-giant law student who gets visions of people's past. Despite this, it always feels like we’re just on the brink of getting to the plot that we never reach. The characters don’t really change from their introductions; there’s just no development. This book is marketed as a standalone, but readers who haven’t tuned into 'The Bright Sessions' may find their interest in Damien flagging. Without the interest in who Damien will become, this is just the story of a narcissist being told "No." for the first time.

Final Thoughts: A fun read with awesome characters but lacking in plot.
Cover:★★★★★
Characters:★★★★☆
Plot:★★☆☆☆
Overall: ★★★.☆☆

A neon Darkness is the second novel by the creator Laura Shippen, in this we see Damien before becoming what we see in the bright sessions, we see how Damien's beginnings were and how he became aware of the world of people with powers and that Sometimes there are dark paths, in this novel we find a flowing writing, in a character so interesting by himself and with his events they make him more interesting, if I consider that it is necessary to have listened to the bright session podcast to be able to appreciate the book, in my case it was, and without a doubt it is such an immersive and addictive world that it leaves you wanting to continue reading about the story. Strange, vicious and revealing that is this story and it deserves to be read by all possible people.

Description:
☆
A Neon Darkness, the second Bright Sessions novel from creator Lauren Shippen, asks: “What if the X-Men, instead of becoming superheroes, decided to spend some time in therapy?” (Vox)

Robert Gorham always gets what he wants. But the power of persuasion is as potent a blessing as it is a curse.

Robert is alone until a group of strangers who can do impossible things—produce flames without flint, conduct electricity with their hands, and see visions of the past—welcome him. They call themselves Unusual and they give Robert a new name too: DAMIEN.

Finally, finally he belongs. As long as he can keep his power under control.
But control is a sacrifice he might not be willing to make

Robert (Damien) has a crazy ability -- he can make other people want whatever he wants: giving him things, telling him things, even kissing him. Throughout his journey you wonder if this kind of power can give him what he really wants or is it just a curse he has to carry.
I was first introduced to the bright sessions by the Novel ' The Infinite Noise' That is where I first learned of Damien and I always felt like I needed more background info with the kind of power that he had.
☆☆
I was Super Excited when I heard that they were going to be writing ' A Neon Darkness' My hopes and expectations were met and exceeded. Definitely a good book to pick and overall the I cant wait to be able to pick up a physical copy in store and would Highly Recommend the book to any one who wants to dabble in the 'Bright Sessions series'
☆☆☆
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to be bale to read the eARC it was an amazing book.
☆☆☆☆
I was given the eARC in trade for an honest and non bias review.
☆☆☆☆☆