DNF @ 50%

This book is very boring, and not much has happened up to this point. Also the characters are not relatable at all. I have lost interest.

3.5 stars.

A Neon Darkness is the exciting second book in the Bright Session novel series, and follows the POV of Damien. Are you ready to get inside the mind of the podcasts’ most popular villain?

“It’s more power, more satisfying control, than I’ve ever experienced in my life, and it is completely intoxicating.”- A Neon Darkness.

While I did enjoy A Neon Darkness, I am still on the fence about it. I loved the side characters; I have mentioned this in my review of book one- but Lauren Shippen really knows how to bring all the characters to life. There was never a time I felt they were too flat, and I appreciated how unique some of their abilities were. (Neon and Marley’s had my mind BLOWN!!) In addition, I was here for all the queer representation. Neon is bisexual and Indah is a lesbian, both are together. Damien himself, is also not straight.

My favorite part of the book was watching Damien basically become himself. I have always loved him in the Bright Sessions and yes- he creeps me out like nobody’s business– but his story was so interesting. In the beginning we have one boy who wants nothing more than the love he is missed his whole life, and by the end, well – you will see.

The reason I can’t seem to get down from the fence? I wasn’t a fan of the plotline. The summary and the books’ beginning set up this intriguing mystery that runs align with Damien’s decent to villainy. However, the two story arcs weren’t balanced out well. We got all the villainy and a pinch of the mystery. This made the plot drag in some places and it lessened my enjoyment.

Furthermore, I wasn’t a fan of how Damien treated the unusuals- though to be fair, he is the villian so it was expected.

A Neon Darkness was without a doubt an interesting read and I think fans of the Bright Sessions Podcast will enjoy this instalment. I still think you’d enjoy the books- A Neon Darkness and The Infinite Noise- best, if you listen to the podcast first and familiarize yourself with the world and characters.

There's quite a lot of emotional turmoil in this book, so emotionally I quite connected with this book. It's a very character-driven story and well done. However, I did think I was missing something and didn't realize this technically isn't standalone! That being said, it was still well written and the diversity was quite evident.

A Neon Darkness is very much a creator's deep-dive into a complex character's complex backstory. Robert Gorham, soon to be known as Damien, is a very particular case of when a character and their power begins to be bleed together, and the line between who we choose to be and who we are made to be.

My perspective of this book is that of someone who has listened to the podcast and is familiar with Damien, and though I believe that it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone, to get the most out of it, you probably want to have listened to the podcast. Here, Damien is not Damien, he's Robert, a mock-up of who he will become. This is exactly what the book is meant to be, because it's supposed to be his backstory while we know who he becomes, but without that closure, I can see how it would feel like an unfinished story.

Robert is not meant to be a likeable character. He's a teenager who's used to getting what he wants without really thinking of it, and to be quite frank, he's pretty annoying. What's interesting about him is seeing the dichotomy between who he is and what his power makes him. As far as narrators go, he's not necessarily unreliable, but everything we find from him is tainted by the way he influences everyone around him. His friends especially were an unknown element, as they shifted from being under his influence to not, and it was definitely shown to be an unhealthy dynamic which highlighted the way that Robert only thought about himself.

It's a highly character driven book, and for that reason there were some elements of the plot that I wish could have been explored more. Alex and his powers especially were something I wanted to know more about, considering his appearance in The AM Archives, and though his disappearance forms the main spine of the plot, it didn't take up much of the book. It's very clear in the path the book takes that Lauren Shippen has been mulling over Damien's origin story in her head, and I definitely think that those who want to read more about how antagonists end up that way will like his story.

The Unusuals, a group of young people with powers, are one of my favorite things about this book. They definitely provide a contrast to Damien and his relationship with his power, especially Neon. Neon is very powerful, with the ability to hurt people, but her relationship with her electropathy is very different to Robert's constant use of his power. Seeing how he uses it on them, as well as how they work to try and minimise his influence, provided an interesting dynamic to how people use powers and how the use of powers is really down to the Atypical wielding it. Also, I love my name buddy Marley and I can't wait to see more of him in The College Tapes.

This book is not going to be for everyone, but I feel that it will definitely have its fans. If you want to go for the full experience, I highly recommend the audiobook narrated by Damien's voice actor, who really brings Robert to life. It's an interesting insight into the way that different types of powers can influence people, and just how deep an ability can go into a character's personality, and overall a good addition to the Bright Sessions universe.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who didn’t love The Infinite Noise, it was more of a 3.5* for me, I was anxious but excited going into this one and oh my god, my expectations were blown out of the water!

I loved these characters and the story so much. They all felt so much more developed and deep than in the previous novel and I was here for the ride!! I had so much fun reading this, I just didn’t want to stop reading which is how I ended up staying up until 3am.

If you couldn’t tell, I really loved this book and I’m so glad I gave it a go.

Lauren Shippen continues to hold my heart and hug it with the tightest embrace. This book was just as good as The Infinite Noise. Apart from the very cohesive cover aesthetic, A Neon Darkness is a jewel. I need to start with the Bright Sessions podcast soon, and I know my love for the characters will still live on.

For me, pulls you into the dark and then lifts you up with the most illuminating experience. It speaks bout the power of choices with a dash of X-Men vibes. If you love every description I gave, this book is for you!

“If she hadn’t introduced Robert and Neon. Maybe things would be different. Or maybe she, like Robert, was doomed from the start by something given to her at birth.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Breaking News: Lauren Shippen continues to have my whole entire heart. I am a huge fan of the podcast and especially Damien’s character. Everything about him has always interested me so I was so excited to read this.

This book is about Damien. When he was still called Robert. An eighteen year old kid, who can have whatever he wants from whoever he wants. But he has to actually want it. And he really doesn’t know what he wants. When he arrives in L.A, he discovers other with gifts and lets himself believe he may belong. But he doesn’t know how to make friends and a mysterious man after all of them isn’t helping either.

Firstly, this book is stand-alone, but I think it’s probably best to listen to the podcast first or at least the first book. I think it helps to know who and what Damien is as an adult in order to really appreciate all the great things this book does for his character.

Damien, for me, has always been this character that’s so fun to hate, but I never could quite manage it. I think if you expect this book to make you like him, it won’t. It’s really not trying to. It’s my favorite thing about the book. It doesn’t try to be an excuse, just an explanation. It outlines why Damien is how he is, without expecting the audience to love him or hate him for it.

I mean- yeah, he’s definitely the villian. But, it doesn’t try to make him seem more evil than he is. It reveals his very simple motivation. He wants to be liked, loved, and to belong. But his ability puts him in the very complicated position of not really being able to have that. And his particulsr upbringing puts him in the very tragic position of not being able to understand why. It’s messy and honest and heartbreaking.

I also fell very in love with the other characters in the book. I loved how diverse it was as I’ve come to love and expect from Shippen. I thought they made wonderful heros and I definitely curious about where they ended up in present-day Bright Sessions time. I think Shippen is incredibly talented at writing complex and compelling characters. She tends to suck me into the story and these precious babies are no exception.

Part of it was the format of the book. With occasional glimpses into Neon, Indah, Alex, and Marley’s perspectives and the majority of the story told by Damien in first person; it felt like the best way to tell the story. It’s a story about how Damien thinks and so there’s a lot of focus on that. It’s also about how Damien is disconnected from the feelings and thought of people he controls and so the book provides that as well. I loved it, amazing writing.

I also just want to mention that when I started this book. I had just return from Las Vegas back to my beautiful SoCal, just like Damien. It added a fun element to the read. And really, I just love how much this book loves L.A. The writing around the setting was brilliant to read. I feel like Lauren Shippen really captures what make L.A great and special. So this book is definitely a treat for California readers!

TL;DR: Lauren Shippen is one of my favorite storytellers for reasons perfectly outlined in this book. A huge focus on character drives the book with a deep dive into messy feelings about what makes a villian. Does it even matter?

E-galley provided by Netgalley and Tor Teen in exchange for an honest review. All quotations and opinions are based off an uncorrected proof.

First of all, this cover is just gorgeous and pretty interesting to look at after reading the book. Kudos to the artist who designed it!

This book sounded interesting. The premise is essentially a darker take on the powered people story with morally grey characters so it sounded juts like my kind of book and I was hoping for a Vicious/Victor Vale kind of vibe. But frankly, it was disappointing. I just didn’t like this book very much. I mostly enjoyed the story while I was actually reading it but in the end, it just left me a bit confused about several aspects and I didn’t really felt happy or satisfied after finishing the book. It just lacked something.

The main character is Robert, whose ability is to make people want what he wants. It’s clear that Robert’s grown up using his ability instinctually, to survive and protect himself to the point where he doesn’t seem to have that much intentional control on when he’s using it. But he’s a morally questionable person, he doesn’t try to not control the people around him, and although he realizes the wrongness of it at first, by the end, you can see how much he has changed after having a taste of what he desired most. Here’s my problem with this character – his goal the entire novel is either to be loved and understood or to find a meaning for his life and that is a perfectly valid life goal, I suppose, it just isn’t very interesting to read about. Otherwise, I actually quite liked him. I’m a sucker for morally grey characters and honestly, he was the main reason why I kept on reading the story. I was invested in his journey and I didn’t really care about any of the other characters except maybe Indah.

The plot and conflict are my main issues with this book, or should I say the lack thereof? This novel was character-driven from the very beginning, but the plot and conflict felt very underdeveloped. Where was the story headed? Was the conflict supposed to be Robert’s deteriorating relationship with his friends or dealing with Tall Man Isaiah and his people (which barely happened)? I’m still unclear on these two aspects.

The writing style was lovely and I’m open to reading more of this author’s books for this aspect alone.

Overall, this book was pretty unremarkable and confusing and I don’t recommend it.

*deep breath*

*exhalation*

First of all. Content warnings. Emotional abuse, manipulation, maybe some others?

Secondly. I love the world of The Bright Sessions. I devoured the audio drama. I loved Infinite Noise. That said. I did not love this book, and I'm not sure it's possible? But at the same time, it does what it does well. This is a dark, depressing read, so make sure you're in the right head space before jumping in.

This is the story of Robert Gorhman. Of Damien, and how he became the person we meet in The Bright Sessions. A self centred, narcissistic manipulator who cares for no one. But, he wasn't always that way. Once upon a time, he was 18 year old Robert, Robbie, Rob, who drifted from town to town, not really knowing what to do when life just does whatever you want. Except friends. Except family. Robert doesn't have that, until he meets Indah. And Neon. And Marley.

As I said, this is the story of how he becomes Damien. At the start, we can see flashes of kindness, giving money to the homeless, feeling bad for not paying for a broken glass. But, as He points out, this may just be because money means so little to him. From then on, we see his descent, his obession with being in control, with being loved, with having *shudders* a Family. As I said, this is not a pleasant read.

Plot wise, this is still our mostly slice of life Bright Sessions type story; we have friends interacting, going out, living together. But we also have a missing atypical, a strange man turning up in dark places, and unspoken histories. But, they're mostly background as we get to know Rob/Damien more. Part of me wishes that the finding of the missing person had taken more prominence, but I don't think it was side-lined to any great degree.

So. Would I suggest reading this? Only if you're a fan of the world, and even then, only if you really want to know more about Damien. As I said at the start, make sure you're in the right headspace before diving in.

E-ARC provided by the publisher (Tor Teen) through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All quotations are not final. Thank you so much!

"I want that affection so badly, but in the cold light of day, that desire feels unseemly. 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."

"It's more power, more satisfying control, than I've ever experienced in my life, and it is completely intoxicating. I want to see how they fall, how they fly. All I have to do is ask. I tell them to jump."

"The open, endless road. Infinite roads to go down, each and every one of them open. That's the beauty of being Damien. There isn't a single road in the world that he can't drive on.

4 stars. A Neon Darkness offers a look into the mind of a character I am equally disgusted and sympathetic towards, a cocktail of emotions I didn't think I'd ever feel when I thought of our main character, Robert Gorham or as he is better-known, Damien. Perhaps due to his power and the way it's warped his character, Damien has always been a character I've always found interesting at the very least: this book tells the story of how he got to be the character he is in The Bright Sessions podcast. Just like the first book in this series of spin-off novels, I'd highly recommend listening and finishing to The Bright Sessions podcast before reading this novel although it technically be read without it.

Just like in The Infinite Noise, I'd say that the strongest part of this novel is characterization. Based off these two novels alone, Shippen clearly has a knack for diving into the deep layers, psyche, and most of all, the emotions of her main characters. This book is told, mostly, from Damien's first person POV with the occasional flashback from his POV or passage from another character told in third person. There was something so compelling about him as a character, just based off his power and the way it impacts a narrative. He's a character who, as a result of his power to impose his will onto others, has never had anyone say "no" to him and thus, has never learned to understand the intrinsically mutual nature required for positive relationships between people. But more than that, his power has also left him bereft of understanding of his own needs or at the very least, enabled him to ignore them even when directly pointed out to him. More than all of that, he is just a young boy looking for someone to love him not because he wants them to, but of their own volition. Damien is a character, who under Shippen's careful pen, is at his most compelling even at his lowest.

Shippen's prose acts as not only the second best facet of this novel, but also the primary conduit through which she gets the reader to understand if not sympathize with Damien. The strongest quality of her writing is undoubtedly her ability to express emotion with a type of poetic clarity I've rarely seen before. I'd describe the way Damien's emotions are described in this novel as akin to the sensation of drinking sparkling wine: liquid gold on the outside, but with a bitter aftertaste. Her writing strikes the perfect balance between showing his thoughts and the insidiousness undercurrent that underlies even the brightest of them. It is because of the way Shippen uses her prose in this narrative to tie Damien and his often conflicting emotions to the reader that she is able to somehow get the reader to both empathize and hate Damien, in equal measure.

Those two aspects aside just like in her previous book, the plot/external stakes of this book falls short. Yes, there is an external problem that the characters of this novel must deal with but it just lacks any sort of urgency. The main villain had the potential to be a much bigger threat than they ultimately were and one event in particular seemed a bit too convenient. I'd liken the book almost to the quality Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle has, where the plot is thin but read on because the characters and their intricacies have caught your attention and refuse to let go. Ultimately, I think you have to go into any of The Bright Sessions novels with the expectation that they aren't so much about any outside conflict, but are more character studies that invite the reader along to follow a character, their emotional progression, and character development.

Conclusively, a surprisingly solid and compelling second book in Shippen's spin-off series. If you're a fan of The Bright Sessions and haven't picked up either of the books in this series, I'd encourage you to do so as the books provide an even more intimate lens through which to view some of the best characters from the podcast.

cw: drug abuse, suicidal thoughts, murder

I loved the first Bright Session Novel, The Infinite Noise, so I could not contain my excitement when I was given an early access for A Neon Darkness.

Compared to the first novel, A Neon Darkness has heavier and darker elements in it. The story followed Robert Gorham, who would be called later on as Damien, a young teen who had the ability to make people want what he wanted. It might be an ideal life to have, but even when his power gave him a lot of perks, he realized that the only thing he really wanted was something his ability could not get him -- to be truly loved and understood for what he was. When he was on LA, he met others who had unusual abilities just like him. With them, he felt that he finally found a family and something similar to what he could call "home." However, when a tall man discovered them, the relationships that Robert had been building and securing slowly cracked.

What really compelled me to this novel is the morally grey main character. I really love and find this kind of characters interesting. Plus, this book is an origin story! Even when I was writing this review, I still had mixed feelings for Robert. You know that feeling when you empathized with someone but also wanted to knock out some sense into them? That was what I felt while reading Robert's story. He was not a hero, nor a villain yet in this book. He struggled controlling his powers, which eventually led to some unfortunate events both from his past and present. Most of the times, his actions and decisions were questionable. It was also ironic that his own desire to be loved and accepted made him doubt and suspicious to what a person truly felt for him. He was sad, lonely and lost.

Plotwise, it could be slow at times and pretty much nothing happened. Just like I said, this was a story of a boy looking for some love and acceptance. I was actually expecting more from the plot since the conflict became quite repetitive. Nevertheless, the author did a great job invoking raw emotions. It felt as if I were in the character's shoes. Speaking of characters, this book was full of diversity. It featured a black character, asian characters, gay, lesbian, and bisexual. Each of them had distinct backgrounds and characterizations that were memorable.

Overall, A Neon Darkness is the second novel of the Bright Sessions Novel but can be read as a standalone. With its unforgettable characters, this novel narrated a story of found family, empathy, acceptance, and consequences.

4/5 stars!

I will be blunt with you I have never heard of All The Bright Places until reading this book. I did some Googling and found out why I don't like this book. It is the backstory book of the main hero. Robert becomes Damien. But in this book Robert is just an immensely unlikeable kid that repeatedly makes bad decisions and only gets worse. This book has no character growth. But the worst part was that you are left having a front row seat to someone messing up their life and the lives of those around them. It is a slow moving train wreck and I didn't enjoy it.

A Neon Darkness is presented as a stand-alone in this series, but I suggest you to read The Infinite Noise first to have a more solid introduction to this world inhabited by Atypicals. Moreover, I think that listening to The Bright Sessions podcast could give even more insights. I haven’t had the pleasure to listen to it yet, but after liking these two novels I’ll surely give it a try to discover more about these magnetic characters.
This one was a very enjoyable book and I loved how the concepts of Atypicals, friendship and power were here developed. Damien's origin story offers a lot of food for thought and it does glue you to the pages. I just would have loved it to be a bit longer.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. However, it took me a month to finish it... someone who frequently finishes books in a day or two. My problem with the book was that it didn't have much of a plot or extensive character development. I'm totally fine with something that meanders or has a minimal emphasis on plot as long as there's something else to propel the book. That's usually either character development or world building and this book had neither. Robert, the main character, is utterly unlikable. Apparently this is a prequel to another novel where he's the villain (I think), which I didn't know going in. Maybe if I'd been aware that I shouldn't expect any growth from him I wouldn't have been so frustrated, but here we are. The supporting characters were lovely, diverse, and honestly way more interesting than reading about Robert wallowing in self pity. I just didn't enjoy this book, unfortunately.

While I loved the concept of A Neon Darkness, as well as the themes of control and friendship, I felt a little frustrated with Robert/Damien. I think a degree of that is natural, because he makes it pretty easy to do so. Because of his power, he learned early on that he can get pretty much anyone to do whatever he wants. If you had that power as a teen, what would you use it for? And, just what you might expect, it has some pretty disastrous consequences not only for the people he uses his powers on, but also himself.

As readers, we want Robert to realize how manipulative his powers on. It's also insidious and beyond terrifying, because it introduces doubt into all his interactions. And the wants, dreams, and plans of his friends and family. Did they really want to go out with him and confess their secrets to Robert? How can we ever really have an honest relationship? I think A Neon Darkness has the potential to be polarizing to readers, because it examines not only this, but what happens to Robert. Can Robert change, does he want to?

[ I received a digital arc for an honest review]

A Neon Darkness is the second book in The Bright Sessions series by Lauren Shippen. It's a queer YA fantasy about teens with abilities they can't control and a whole lot of baggage that they really need to work through.

Since I read book 1 in the series I will admit I had expectations. They weren't necessarily high, but I was hoping we would get more of the same characters. After I realized that wasn't the case I was still hoping for characters that would tug on my heart strings, like Caleb and Adam had, but sadly that expectation didn't happen. Lastly I expected some heavy emotional topics and that it did deliver on.

Our main character Robert is a spoiled, emotional mess of a being. I say 'being' because he doesn't act with human decency many times in the book. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about him and then I couldn't help feel sorry for him but that quickly morphed into frustration and anger with his inability to accept responsibility for his actions, his constant pity party, and his lack of genuine remorse. The side characters, aside from their actions while being influenced by Robert, were likeable and interesting. It's was a diverse little group of friends all with their own unique abilities and struggles. Who , unlike Robert, attempted to control their abilities.

A highlight of the book for me were the flashbacks, which I don't ever find myself saying. Yet I really loved getting to see a glimpse from each side character of when they discovered their abilities. I also felt this installment in the series was much better paced. There was a steady stream of conflict throughout that had a build and climax that felt right.

All in all, while I enjoyed the characters in the first book more, A Neon Darkness was well written and get me turning pages no matter how frustrated I was with the main character. Seriously, If we have just removed Robert from the entire book it would have been much more enjoyable.

A Neon Darkness is sort of like X-Men meets loneliness. I read the first half in one sitting. It pulled me in immediately and while there seem to be a lot of moving parts, I can't say it's a bad thing. I loved it!

5/5 Stars

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.