The book is promoted as a book imagining if the X-men chose to go to therapy, I instead imagine this book to be an expose of the villain Holden Caufield (Catcher in the Rye) really is. The story is easy to follow, but it becomes apparent that the Unusuals' universe may be more expansive than the books singularly focused antagonist leads us to believe. Maybe if I was a fan of the podcast or realized that there was a previous book I could have enjoyed this read more, I could not move beyond my dislike for the truly singularly minded character Robert/Damien, but that may have been the point. That being said the book has a nice cast of diverse supporting characters and a really interesting subplot that may just be setting up future books.

As someone who was completely unfamiliar with The Bright Sessions and Infinite Noise, I went into this worried I wouldn't be able to understand or enjoy it. I'm happy to say that absolutely was not the case, as this book stands just fine on its own. In fact, if I hadn't been told it was a Bright Sessions tie-in by the marketing materials, I would never have guessed it was anything but a standalone.

While there is a little bit of an outside threat in the plot's background, the story revolves primarily around main character Robert's emotional state and his relationships with the other characters. The bulk of the story follows Robert (a specific kind of mind controller) as he integrates himself into a found family of other super-powered people and struggles with the consequences of his ability. Go into this expecting a lot of introspection and very little super-powered action and I think you'll enjoy it a lot. Robert/Damien (as he comes to be nicknamed) is a fascinating character, and the book does a great job balancing the sympathetic and villainous parts of his personality. Shippen's writing does a great job conveying every character's emotions, often in subtle ways as Robert is revealed to be an increasingly unreliable narrator. I found this a quick but engrossing read, and it definitely made me want to check out the podcast it originated from.

The only complaint I had was the outside threat I mentioned earlier. There's a mysterious antagonist character that shows up at several points and helps push the story forward, but the resolution of that plot line leaves a little to be desired. (I'll word this carefully to avoid spoilers.) While I wouldn't call the ending anticlimactic (because emotionally it's hard-hitting and fantastic), I was left with some unresolved questions about the antagonist's overall plan or motives. Maybe this is explained in the podcast, I'm not sure, but it made me question at some points if the mystery antagonist/missing person part of the plot was even necessary. I'd say this is a pretty minor issue, though, as it didn't stop me from enjoying the book overall.

I begin with a caveat: I did not know of Lauren Shippen and her podcasts, and I was unaware that this book was part of a series. I was intrigued by the idea of those with powers like the X-Men going to therapy instead of school. But this particular book was disappointing, because it is a villain backstory. The protagonist does not choose to pursue his better angels, and his friends don't care enough about him to help him. The writing is very good, however. I am sure there is an audience for these books; those who are familiar with the author's format and goals will probably love it. It just was not a good introduction to her work.

“‘I can make people do what I want…’”
“‘Well, that’s not exactly how it works,’ Marley says, ever the pedant.”
“‘Whatever, I say,’ rolling my eyes. ‘I make people want what I want. So the result is essentially the same.’”

Robert Gorham is eighteen, new to Los Angeles, and the owner of a messy superpower. Fans of Lauren Shippen’s knock-out podcast The Bright Sessions will know Robert as the final form of the sketchy big bad Damien, and those unfamiliar with the character’s origin will think of him as a messier and more sympathetic Killgrave a la Jessica Jones. Whereas Damien is a fully grown villain, Robert is a teenager making (whether he knows it or not) some seriously questionable choices before his ominous name change. In this novel, Shippen captures the voice of a lost, self-hating young man unwilling to take responsibility for his own power and asks questions about power, consent, privilege, and desire.
A Neon Darkness is a fascinating exploration of a topic close to my own heart— want. How can we authentically recognize our own wants when they overlap and contradict one another? Does what we want define us? And is it enough want to want something good, or does that not count? Many of the characters in the atypical universe function like X-Men: empaths, mind readers, and the super strong abound. But Robert’s power is more slippery— he has to want something for his power to work. In order to control a power this big, he has to know himself and be willing to look unflinchingly at his own desires, but can he do this when his first instinct is to look away?
If you, like me, are a big fan of The Bright Sessions then this standalone prequel will give you insight into the compelling (in more ways than one) character of Damien. Teenage Damien, i.e. Robert, wants a family more than anything, but doesn’t know how to get it. Like Anakin Skywalker of the infamous Star Wars prequels, we already know the end point of Robert’s story arc. Shippen has an enormous task ahead of her in creating tension and drama out of a story that’s a sure thing. She does this by introducing a cast of incredible characters, Indah, the titular Neon, and even a side characters from the spin-off podcast The AM Archives. This found family give the story its structure which forms a little late in the book as we spend a while getting to know Damien. Shippen is an incredible writer of character, apt at delving into their wants and fears and using powerful conversations as moments of recognition and revelation. Though I loved her debut, The Infinite Noise, the story was very closely-aligned to the action of the podcast, filling in scenes more than it was creating a new story arc. With A Neon Darkness she really finds her stride, focusing on a completely new story.
Overall I liked this book, and not just because it was an homage to my hometown. I felt it captured, often frustratingly, the very human desire to put off knowing yourself for fear of what you might discover. It’s a refusing to come of age novel that asks some heavy questions about personal responsibility.

I have to admit, I am a HUUUUUUUGE fan of "The Infinite Noise," which led me to listen to the entire "Bright Sessions" podcast - which I am also, now, a huge of fan of as well. Admittedly, I missed the part where this said it was an origin story and was just so ready to be reunited with Dr. Bright and the rest of my favorites. So I think, initially, I was a little disappointed in the story because I was expecting something different. That is 100% on me though - because it clearly states that this is Damien's origin story. However, after realizing that and really getting into the narrative, I was fascinated by Robert's evolution into Damien. I love understanding how characters become the way that they are, so I appreciate Shippen's storytelling on this one especially because Damien is such an enigmatic character. The only thing I wish the novel would have explored more was how Damien found his way to Dr. Bright. I think Dr. Bright also played a huge role in the evolution of Damien and she is such a central figure to the entire series, it would have been interesting to see how they found each other too.

That said, I still enjoyed this one and would definitely encourage its addition to YA collections, especially where the first book is popular and/or for those who may be interested in checking out the podcast as well.

I was lucky enough to win a digital ARC of A NEON DARKNESS from Tor Teen's Shelf Awareness Sweepstakes. Thanks for the early look, and stay safe!

A neon darkness, in contrast to the infinite noise, tells a story that takes place before the events in the bright sessions podcast.

It is the story of Damien, a young man with the ability to make people want what he wants. He can basically control people. It is the story of his childhood and the way he (tries to) make friends.

I think I liked this one more than the infinite noise, simply because it is more surprising. It also has a very different, darker, tone.

You read this story knowing where Damien is going to end up, knowing you don't really like him in the end, but it keeps you interested because you want to know HOW he is going to get there.

I really enjoyed reading about the group of 'unusuals' Damien met. Each of them had an interesting story and had very different views on their own powers. I loved the way they interacted with each other.
I also really liked the way they all called Damien out on being a privileged, assuming idiot. I liked their talk about sexuality and wealth. It is super easy to understand these characters and they just feel super real.
Here's a gem from Neon:

"She knows that if she didn’t have the face she had, if she didn’t wear leather jackets and ride motorcycles, there would still be the same bullshit to deal with. Maybe from a different source—she does seem to attract a very particular kind of sleaze—but life would never be quiet. Not for a woman who refuses to be anything but her loud self. Not for any woman in this world. It used to scare her, the attention. She’s always been too small and too black and too queer besides—life was never going to be easy for her. It was never going to be safe.

but most of the time, she stands up squarely to the men who try to intimidate her, and she smiles with the knowledge that she could bring them down with a flick of her wrist. Neon knows that there are plenty of people who look at her and assume she’s nothing to fear. She knows that the men who know the truth and stick around anyway are men she can trust."

Then there's Damien. Luckily this wasn't some tragic back story to justify every terrible thing he ever did. It was more of an explanation of who he is, though he might be a terrible person, I couldn't help but feel bad for him and want him to be happy. Even when you know it can't end well, you still have hope.

I do still think the description of this and the first book isn't really that accurate. It is more a summary of the podcast itself than the books.

I love The Bright Sessions and I loved this book. The exploration of Damien made me see him in an entirely new way. There were some times when the prose was a little confusing (especially with pronoun usage) but overall the story here is enchanting.

I'm going to be completely honest: I loved this book, but only because I loved the Bright Sessions podcast and the sadistic evilness of Damien as the villain. Viewed as a book outside of that lens, it wasn't all that great. This book's audience is fans of the Bright Sessions. That's it. Unlike Infinite Noise, which at least had a teen love story and some more universal truths discussed, this book is just all Damien exploring his powers, meeting some other atypicals and messing with them in his way, and then a major event happening that I believe transitions into his meeting Dr. Bright. It doesn't stand alone as a book, but is a great companion to the podcast. That being said, Damien is a mess and I love his character. His line about how it has to be everyone else's fault because it can't be his, simply because he has to live with himself, summed up his character perfectly. He never takes the blame because to do so would be devastating. He's such an epic screw-up, pushing off his responsibilities on others seems almost a life-saving measure for him. And while this makes him more sympathetic a character, he's still an asshole. Shippen is an incredible writer, I just feel like this book doesn't have an audience large enough to make it successful.

A Neon Darkness by Lauren Shippen
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Having gotten into the world of Bright Sessions after reading The Infinite Noise, this was a book I instantly anticipated once I found out about its release. Thanks to NetGalley and Lauren Shippen, I got to read it five months before its official release and I’ve got a lot to say about it. You can read it as a standalone but you probably won’t see the full scale of the development (or sort of reversed development) of Damien if you are not familiar with him already and you won’t feel the impact of finding out his origin story.

When it comes to plot, there is admittedly not much of that. I consider this book to be more of a character study but I’ll get to that later. Whatever there is of a plot is simple and easy to follow with hints of what the universe of the Bright Sessions is about. Even if you are not familiar with it though, you can still be engaged by the story. The atypicals in this book are called by the main characters as unusuals. Much like a reader who has no idea what’s going on with the special powers these people have, the protagonist thinks he is alone in this and that there are not others like him but soon discovers that he is in an X-Men sort of world and what we see in this book is only scratching the surface of that. It’s interesting enough to keep the pace up and keep you going non stop.

Like I said before, what really affected and touched me in this book was the characters. I will never get over how much of a grey character Damien is and how complex and multi-layered. For those who are not aware, Damien has the ability to make people around him want the same thing he does and manipulate them that way. That sounds pretty cool right? For the user itself that is. But you actually see how much it has actually ruined him, how it has affected him and his view of the world since he can’t control it (or doesn’t seem to be able to). You can’t help but sympathize with him. This book towards the end starts feeling much like a villain origin story only you are not even sure how to feel about Damien in the end. Throughout the story, there were so many times I understood how he felt, I thought that in his place I would had probably acted the same way. Subjects on morality are touched and it’s all so complicated that you don’t know how to feel in the end. As for the other characters, they are all so well written and it’s obvious that there has been a lot of thought put into them. Marley was definitely my favourite because I have a weak spot for tough looking guys that are actually big softies and basically the mom of the group. They were also diverse as hell and there were a few times when the issues of racism and sexism were touched.

The way Damien manipulates others' wants feels as if it’s actually affecting you as a reader as well. There is a found family trope that is so heart-warming but it ends up ripping your heart out and leaving you wondering about many things and mostly how this reflects actual relationships in the real world. Someone can be controlling and manipulative and a toxic friend even if he or she doesn’t have literal powers that control you. It’s been a while since I read a book with a moral and that actually makes you think about it.

If you read this book and it does not convince you to get in the world of bright sessions then I don’t know what will. It’s obvious that the author knows how to build great characters and plot. If you are one of those that had – rightfully so – been complaining about lack of diversity and good, quality content in books, then this one is a must-read.

A Neon Darkness ripped my heart out.

As I listened to The Bright Sessions (this book is based on a character from The Bright Sessions podcast) before, I already knew about Damien and what a character he’d be but let me tell you that you aren’t prepared for this.

This book follows Damien, a teenage boy without a home anymore trying to find a place in this world. But Damien isn’t just a regular boy, he has a very unusual ability. He can make people do what he wants. He thinks he’s the only one out there with such a power, but as he finds himself in LA he’s stumbling across a group of people who also have strange abilities.

I really liked all the characters and how well they worked together. How this group of strange people who call themselves The Unusuals stick together and become their own found family. But what if some don’t play by the rules and you can’t trust your own family anymore? Damien is sure very manipulative and sometimes does not know when to stop using his powers. It was very painful to read how he’s become to be the man he is now. You’re torn between feeling bad for him but also getting mad at his choices and the morally gray lines that come with this. It sure as hell can’t be easy to have this ability even if it sounds like a jackpot at first.

A Neon Darkness is a wild ride and it made me go through tons of different emotions while reading. It’s been a few days since I finished it and I’m still thinking about it. It’s raw and deep and surely left its marks on me. Lauren Shippen has a way to describe things and feelings that is just really captivating.

A Neon Darkness brings readers back into the world of Lauren Shippen’s podcast The Bright Sessions, this time following Damien before he became the person Bright Sessions fans have come to know and love. As with all of Shippen’s work, A Neon Darkness is full of poignant insight, sharp prose, and a ton of emotional resonance. Damien’s origin story does not go down as easy as Caleb and Adam’s did, and for that I’m grateful. As an eighteen year old Robert Gorham finds himself amongst a group of friends with abilities as strange and dangerous as his own, his mind goes to war between what he wants and what he needs.

Listeners of The Bright Sessions know how A Neon Darkness will end—at least for Damien, for he is certainly not a hero—but it’s the journey to that point and the company he keeps that makes this such a wildly fulfilling ride. We see how Damien becomes the morally questionable, power hungry, and manipulative person he is, but most importantly, we see the people who tried to help him and care for him through his struggles, and what those friendships had to say about consent, control, and what it means to truly care for someone.

Shippen ends A Neon Darkness on a dual note: by showing us a dark and dangerous path that we know will be recklessly tread, but she’s painted above it a golden sky’s worth of hope. As has become her signature, Shippen prioritizes compassion, love, and hope above all things and for anyone looking for a read that’s strange and vicious and revealing, this is an excellent one to keep in mind ahead of its release.