I had a hard time with this book. Perhaps I should have read book one in this series first. While I thought the premise and many of the characters were interesting, Rob/Damien was so unlikeable, I had a hard time finding any empathy for him.

I think this problem was compounded by the fact that Rob/Damien doesn't undergo much emotional growth during the book. The result was a number of repetitive scenes: he abuses his power, his friends educate him that this is in fact abuse, he kinds/sorta gets what they're saying and apologies, he does it again. After a few cycles, I got tired of the pattern.

What I liked is that this didn't feel like standard issue "origins of a villain" kind of story. For the most part, Rob/Damien can't help himself. He's so emotionally stunted that he can't help wanting connection and then using his powers in a really violating way to make that connection happen. I guess that alone, didn't make for a compelling-enough story for me, personally.

I think this wouldn't have bothered me so much if there were a lot of other things going on in the story to distract from that repetitive pattern. Sadly, though the "let's find/defeat Isaiah" subplot felt like a red herring. We never got to know Isaiah, why he wanted the Unusuals, what he was doing with him, if he was part of a larger group, etc. As a result that subplot felt like the existed merely to give Rob/Damien and his crew things to do and places to go.

Like I said, likely just a matter of a bad match between book and reader. I really dug the rest of the world the author created. I just didn't enjoy spending my time confined to this particular corner of it.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Robert always gets what he wants, literally; it’s a power of his that is both a blessing and a curse. At only 18 he feels he has the world at his feet and nothing to live for. However, when he arrives in LA he meets Indah and her friends, and thinks he may have found where he belongs. As Robert's power grows and the group faces a growing threat, he may come to find that there are some wants even his abilities can’t grant.

Let me start by saying, although this is labeled as a standalone, if you haven’t either listened to the Dark Sessions podcast or read the first book, I recommend doing that first. A Neon Darkness was my introduction to the world, and I feel that was one of the biggest things stopping me for really enjoying it. This book is also labeled as an “origin story,” and without the word “hero” or “villain” in front of it, I thought it would just be the main character’s story of growth in general. But wow, that is the farthest thing from the truth. Do NOT go in to this expecting character development from anyone. At all.

I really, really disliked Robert from the start. At first I understood that he was struggling with his power (to make others want what he wants), and empathized a bit. It was an interesting twist to have a character who gets everything they want, but still isn’t happy. However, when it became clear that Robert’s arc wasn’t going anywhere, I was extremely disappointed. Neon, Indah, and the others just keep having the same “don’t use your powers on us” argument with him over and over, which he would then ignore. It got really tedious/repetitive, really fast.

Which leads me into my next issue: nothing really happens in this book, besides that same argument. The villain is bland, and there isn’t really any resolution or point to his story (though I am not sure if this is another element that would be solved by having prior exposure to the Dark Sessions). Even the final confrontation with him in the book seems inconsequential. I was left going wait, that was it? That’s what the entire story was building to?

The only real bright spot in the whole book for me was the diversity. We have POC, Muslim, and LGBT representation which I really enjoyed (although I am not able to speak to the accuracy/sensitivity of all of the portrayals). All of the characters, with the exception of the MC, were fairly interesting. However I couldn’t fully appreciate them because of Robert. I would have much preferred a novel about the tough, caring, and kick-butt quad (Neon, Marley, Indah, and Alex).

I never enjoy giving books poor ratings, but this one took me 8 whole days to get through. It felt so, so long at only about 250 pages. That being said, if you are already immersed in the Dark Sessions, this may be worth giving a go.

Intended audience: Young adult
Content warnings: sexual assault, drug abuse

I will be posting my review to Goodreads tomorrow, and to my blog shortly after.

i really liked damien from the bright sessions podcast, so i was pretty excited to read his origin story.

damien is such a messy character. he really let his power and his circumstances twist him, and he just doesn't fight it.

i liked the found family bit, but there was a dark tension that stained what could have been happy and uplifting, and of course that's all damien doing.

i really felt bad for everyone he involved himself with, but i also wanted him to never let them out of his grip because he was just too lonely.

side note: i'd like to know what muslim reviewers think of the muslim rep in this book. to me it seemed sort of lazy? im not muslim though, so im not sure.

I received an e-arc of A Neon Darkness from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was first intrigued by this book as it answers the question of "What if the X-Men, instead of becoming superheroes, decided to spend some time in therapy".
The main character Robert has the power of persuasion, he can make anyone he comes into contact with want what he wants. At first, I was interested to see how this power played out in the story but Robert never took responsibility for his actions/using his power on people.
I liked the diversity that this book had, with LGBT+ characters, people of color, and a Muslim character. The core group of characters were similar to the kids from Stranger Things as well as the X-Men.
This arc copy was relatively short, a little bit over 200 pages, but I had to really push to get through it. I couldn't connect with the characters and I didn't really understand what was happening in the plot. Because of this, I ended up giving this book 2 out of 5 stars, it just wasn't a story for me.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. A HUGE thanks to Macmillan- Tom Doherty Associates, Tor Teen for the chance to read this book.

A neon darkness is the second Bright Session novel and, since I loved The infinite noise so much, I was over the moon when my request got accepted.

A neon darkness focus on Robert Gorham (Damien, who was introduced briefly in the first novel) and his power and life. Robert has the power of persuasion. He can get anything he wants, people have to do anything he desires and he lived, apparently, a blessed life, not having to pay for anything, getting luxorious cars, living in wonderful mansions, eating expensive food.
But his power can be a curse, too, since he struggles to find people able to understand him, truly understand him. When his wandering bring him to Los Angeles, Robert meets Indah at a bar where she works and this meeting will open a new world for him. Introduced to Neon and Marley, Robert discovers they have peculiar powers too and they call themselves Unusuals. Indah is able to sense other Unusuals, Neon can use electricity, Marley can see people's past.
Naming him Damien, they welcome him in their lives and world, while trying to discover what happened to their friend Blaze, pyrokinetic, who is missing. But while he's happy not to be alone, able to be understood and to have a family, Damien is struggling to keep his power under control. And he's not ready to do this sacrifice.

A neon darkness is intense, brilliant and I loved everything about the world Lauren Shippen created. Damien is a skillfully complex character and it's impossible not to feel empathy and compassion for him.
He's lonely, hurt and his past and power burden him, leaving him lost and unable to connect to anyone, his power both a blessing and a curse. His desire to belong and be part of something is absolutely understandable and he's a grey character.
A "villain", because with his power he's able to control people, manipulating them and depriving them of their free will, but at the same time it's difficult not to feel compassion and empathy for him, wanting him to be better, to be understood, to find someone able to help him be better and belong.

The found family the author created is beautiful and the characters are amazing, brilliant and complex, as the main one. Indah with her sweetness and stubborness, Neon with her strength and vitality, Marley with his seriousness and energy, Blaze with his struggles and intricacy. Robert/Damien finds himself involved in their family and the way they are so fiercely ready to do anything for each other is empowering and touching. They are protective of each other and they love so much, but when Damien's power starts to be too much the balance between them all is cracked.
The introduction of Isaiah and the mysterious organization is interesting and eerie at the same time, leaving the reader and the characters to wonder who are they, what do they want, where are they, a shadow on their lives.

The author created a world interesting, captivating and with complex characters, with their pasts, relationships, powers and motives, who move skillfully in their world, in Los Angeles with its energy and life, loving, helping, supporting, having doubts about, one other.

A neon darkness is a book about a thrilling, but dangerous power and its consequences,about family, friendship, free will, accountability, want and belonging to something and someone.
Told, mainly, by Robert/Damien's POV, with some flashbacks and entries by the other characters, A neon darkness is a captivating book, able to capture the reader's attention until the end, leaving him/her/them thinking about want and consequences, compassion, empathy and more about the characters' lives.


I loved reading this book, but I found it a bit slow sometimes, so I'm gonna give it 4.5 stars

RATING: 3/5 STARS

THE INFINITE NOISE, the first book in The Bright Sessions Series, is one of my all-time favorites, so this follow-up novel had a lot to live up to in that regard. There were many aspects of this book I really liked. The world-building around the Unusuals' powers was the most interesting part. Robert's difficult friendship with Indah, Neon, Marley, and the other Unusuals was a big part of the plot and their interactions were compelling. I rooted for Robert, but I struggled to connect with him because of his manipulative ability and troubled anti-hero energy. Lauren Shippen excels at writing emotions and character studies in depth - the writing in this novel is excellent. My reaction to this book is definitely a it's-me-not-you thing. I think readers who are looking for a darker, more gritty perspective into the Bright Sessions universe will enjoy this novel.

A sincere thanks to Tor Teen for providing an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Social: @_shelf.awareness on Instagram

A Neon Darness is a book that you might as well enjoy best if you previously listened to the author's podcast "The Bright Sessions". This book and the previous one, The infinite noise, are based on those podcasts although they can be read apart.
I hadn't listened to them so I had a hard time trying to figure out the characters' perspectives and way of acting.
Particularly Robert Gorham.

Robert, or Damien, is a very deeply troubled youngster. He falls in the anti-villain category and hast the ability to make others do what he wants but the consequences and morality of his use of said ability go furthermore. He feels like a complex character and human but I had a hard time trying to emphasize with him because I couldn't simply just like him. We'll meet a bunch of other characters like Neon, Indah, Alex and Marley, each one with their own abilities. They call themselves Unusuals and they're the retailer-brand X-men you didn't know you wanted.

My biggest problem with the book was that the plot was very confusing, slow and vague, and the "villain" is one of the most boring I've ever read.
I get that this novel focuses more on its characters rather than plot itself but I would've prefer it to be a little more structured and even. If you've read The Infinite Noise before, I guess you would enjoy this book more as it tells the origins of Damien, a character that appeared in the first book.

I raised this book's stars because of the author's writing. This book probably deserves more but the characters and plot just wasn't for me.

Going in, I was thrilled to get approved for this. Listening to The Bright Sessions podcast got me through a whole semester of college. And since Damien was always my favorite character, I was really looking forward to getting more inside of his head in an origin story. However, I just felt a huge disconnect from this book and the podcast. Damien felt so out of character to me. I liked that we got to see his vulnerability, but the things he coerced people into made me feel so uncomfortable. I know it was to display his desparation and why he is the person he is in the podcast, but it just didn't read the same to me personally. That being said, I loved the new characters we were introduced to; Neon and Indah especially. And the LA backdrop felt so bright yet so grim simultaneously, I really enjoyed that.

Actual Rating: 3.5/5.

“A Neon Darkness” was a gorgeous character portrait, part bildungsroman, part origin story. Unfortunately, it was too light plot wise for my personal tastes.

I wish I could wave a magic wand and give everyone who reads this book the ability to have already listened to Lauren Shippen’s spectacular podcast “The Bright Sessions” (which, if you haven’t, and you enjoyed this novel or The Infinite Noise, I IMPLORE you to. It is set in the same world and takes place a few years after the events of this book. Also, its simply brilliant). This novel worked for me, but it’s hard to separate my feelings about its complicated, difficult protagonist from his character in the podcast. Inversely, I also believe that people who haven’t heard the podcast are going to have a very different perspective on Robert Gorham than I do.

Robert Gorham, or Damien, is a fascinating, deeply troubled young man. Not an anti-hero by any means, but perhaps an anti-villain. He has the ability to make others want what he wants, which works for him sometimes—not paying for food or hotels, making people give him cars—but harms him deeply in others— accidentally making his parents abandon him. A character with this sort of power gives the author a very, very delicate line and to walk. Yes, Robert can make people go along with his will, but Shippen does a good job of toeing the line so if he is acting amorally we understand (generally) what motivates him, and even when we sympathize with him we still are reminded of the wrongness of his actions. His character becomes an interesting mediation on intent versus action, free will versus control, and the inherent privilege Robert wields as a white man in society even without his powers.

Shippen does a good job of making not only her protagonist feel real and human, but also her dynamic cast of characters. Neon, Indah, Alex, and Marley all bring depth and perspective to the story, as well as a vehicle through which to observe Robert. I liked that we had small interludes from their points of views, allowing us to understand and enjoy them as well as to see our narrator more objectively.

My biggest problem with the novel was that while the characters shone the plot was very, very frustratingly vague. The “villain” is confusing at best and boring at worst, and very few mysteries that are raised come to a satisfying conclusion. I would have liked this book a lot more had as much structure gone into fleshing out the plot as went into structuring the marvelous characters.

All in all, this novel really made me think. While Robert certainly does terrible things, having his power certainly isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. One moment you hate him, one moment you pity him, and another you feel for him. Shippen chose a good character to dive into for this novel, but as much as it was an excellent character study I wish it had been more of a story.

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:

Oh man! I am so excited to be talking about this book! A Neon Darkness takes place before the events of The Bright Sessions podcast and The Infinite Noise, so technically you COULD read it without having caught up on everything else. However, I still totally suggest immersing yourself in the other content (even if just because it’s super awesome!)
In this villain-origin-story prequel, we follow Damien, who was something of a villain in the first book and original podcast, but who was a character that I have always been intrigued by! I loved getting this deeper look into his past, and getting to see what made him the way he is!
I also loved seeing the introduction of some new characters! This little friend group had me wishing I could move to LA and start my own small squad of atypicals.
A Neon Darkness definitely feels a lot more ominous than The Infinite Noise, but if you were a fan of the first book, then you need to pick this one up!! It will surpass all of your expectations!

This standalone in a series is more about character than about plot. It follows a young man who can influence people's actions based purely on his thoughts and desires.

While there is a link between the first in the Bright Sessions series, The Infinite Noise, A Neon Darkness stands purely on its own. Reading both novels will better paint an overall scope of the world in which these young people with miraculous powers live.

A Neon Darkness acts as a kind of origin story for Damien. As a child, he'd commit simple acts with his powers, like getting dessert instead of broccoli. But having the ability to control another person's actions doesn't always have a pleasant outcome.

Lauren Shippen molds a morally grey character with Damien. This novel follows how he goes from thinking himself one of a kind, building a family of other "Unusuals," and the lengths he will go to keep that new family safe. It might sound rather typical, but the diversity and morally grey conflicts these (Damien in particular) youths must face dresses the zero to hero story up.

Not to mention the flip this novel takes as tension builds, making the reader question who is the villain? A Neon Darkness offers readers a poignant look at the idiom, to walk a mile in another person's shoes.

•ENGLISH/ESPAÑOL•

~ENGLISH~

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

I really don't know how to feel after reading this book. I spent a long time waiting for it, longing to know Demian's origin story (and hoping that somehow Lauren Shippen would give us information about his future after the events of the podcast) but although the hype I had was 100%, this book did not measure up.

The story centers on Robert, an 18-year-old boy who just arrived in Los Angeles after spending several months traveling around the United States. Robert doesn't have a plan, a destination, he doesn't have a place to get to or a place to return to, but he has something extremely important that makes him special: his power. Robert, surprisingly, is an Unusual and his power is to control people, make them do / say / feel what he wants. He has been like this for years and has not come to control his ability, he does not really know if it can be controlled, but when he arrives at a bar in the city and talks to the girl who attends him, he realizes that perhaps he can change the situation, perhaps he is not alone and there are other people like him. Maybe they can understand you. It is a risk, but he's willing to accept it.

What I liked most about the book was the way the author managed to empathize with Robert by showing us her past, and at the same time showing us a side of him that put me in a very strong emotional conflict.
I know Demian, I am familiar with the character thanks to The Bright Sessions podcast, so his attitudes and bad decisions are already familiar to me. He also has some very questionable moments on the podcast, but while I know the older Demian and the person he's become, I didn't know Robert until now. I didn't know too much about his story and the truth is that I loved the way the author approached flashbacks, how she subtly shows you terrible things that hurt in the soul and suddenly brings us back to reality to try to understand why Robert is like this.

Also, some of the characters are very complex. Neon, for example, is a very complicated girl, a free spirit and, although I do not know if I liked her character, the truth is that having her in the book was very exciting.
On the other hand is Blaze, who although I would have liked to know more about him, his character seemed extremely mysterious and interesting, especially the way he explains his ability and what it causes in him.
And Marley, I think he is the only character of all that I could love with all my heart! I adored him~.

However, although I liked many aspects of the book, I can't ignore the fact that it does NOT have a plot.
Literal is a book by Lauren Shippen explaining the origin of Robert based on the friendship he has with Indah, Neon and Marley that carries pages and pages of conversations (some nonsense) between them and the way they live day by day.
There is a mystery to be solved, and yet it is rarely mentioned in the book. The "villain" of the story appears and disappears and really in the end has no weight in what happens. Added to that is the fact that the author literally does not explain anything about the villain, about what happened to Blaze and only continues to narrate Robert's life while trying to battle his own demons.

For those who have not listened to the podcast of The Bright Sessions they will not know why the mystery of the "villain" is important, because the author only presents the problem and then leaves it on the air only to mention it once after almost 50 pages .

The truth is that I was very disappointed in this book. The first one that came out, The Infinite Noise, also disappointed me because it was too introductory, but this book has disappointed me because it lacks a plot, sometimes meaningless and, honestly, it was very difficult for me to read it. I want to think that the feeling of regret that filled me when reading Demian's perspective was intentional (in which case it really did its job) but I still feel like I read something that could have been summed up in 100 pages because literally nothing interesting was happening except at the end (And then the author only gave it the relevance of a few pages).

I honestly don't know if I'm going to read the author's next book. With this one there are two disappointments and that makes me very sad but I want to think that in the next one it will improve. This book understands itself very well, but I have the feeling that the author is trying not to give too much information here, so that new readers could want to listen to the podcast, but, in my opinion, that strategy is not working very well. I seriously hope to see jer evolution in your next books, although I will think a lot about whether to read them or not.

~ESPAÑOL~

El ARC de esta novela fue proporcionado por la editorial a través de NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Realmente no sé cómo sentirme después de leer este libro. Estuve mucho tiempo esperándolo, ansiando saber la historia de origen de Demian (y esperando que de alguna forma Lauren Shippen nos diera información sobre el futuro de él) pero aunque el hype que tuve estuvo al 100%, este libro no llegó a la altura.

La historia de centra en Robert, un chico de 18 años que acaba de llegar a Los Angeles luego de haber pasado varios meses viajando por Estados Unidos. Robert no tiene un plan, un destino, no tiene un lugar al cual llegar ni uno al cual volver, pero tiene algo sumamente importante que lo hace especial: su poder. Robert, sorprendentemente, es un Inusual y su poder es controlar a las personas, hacer que hagan/digan/sientan lo que él quiera. Él ha sido así desde hace años y no ha llegado a controlar su habilidad, en realidad no sabe si puede ser controlada, pero cuando llega a un bar de la ciudad y habla con la chica que lo atiende, se da cuenta que quizá puede cambiar la situación, quizá no está solo y hay otras personas como él. Quizá ellos puedan entenderle. Es un riesgo, pero está dispuesto a aceptarlo.

Lo que más me gustó del libro fue la forma en que la autora logró hacernos empatizar con Robert al mostrarnos su pasado, y al mismo tiempo nos mostró un lado de él que me puso en un conflicto emocional muy fuerte.
Yo conozco a Demian, estoy familiarizada con el personaje gracias al podcast de The Bright Sessions, así que sus actitudes y malas decisiones ya son familiares para mi. En el podcast también tiene algunos momentos muy cuestionables, pero aunque conozco al Demian mayor y a la persona en que se ha convertido, no conocía a Robert hasta ahora. No sabía demasiado de su historia y la verdad es que me encantó la forma en que la autora abordó los flashbacks, cómo sutilmente te muestra cosas terribles que duelen en el alma y de pronto nos regresa a la realidad para intentar comprender por qué Robert es así.

Also, algunos de los personajes son muy complejos. Neon, por ejemplo, es una chica muy complicada, un espíritu libre y, aunque no sé si me agradó su personaje, la verdad es que tenerla en el libro fue muy emocionante.
Por otro lado está Blaze, que aunque me hubiera gustado conocer más de él, su personaje me pareció sumamente misterioso e interesante, especialmente la forma en que explica su habilidad y lo que esta provoca en él.
Y Marley, creo que es el único personaje de todos al que pude amar con todo mi corazón! Lo adoré~.

Sin embargo, aunque me gustaron muchos aspectos del libro, no puedo ignorar el hecho de que NO tiene plot.
Literal es un libro de Lauren Shippen explicando el origen de Robert a base de la amistad que tiene con Indah, Neon y Marley que conlleva páginas y páginas de conversaciones (algunas sin sentido) entre ellos y la forma en que viven día a día.
Hay un misterio que resolver, y aún así, el mismo es mencionado pocas veces en el libro. El “villano” de la historia aparece y desaparece y realmente al final no tiene peso en lo que pasa. Sumado a eso está el hecho de que la autora literalmente no explica nada sobre el villano, sobre lo que le pasó a Blaze y sólo sigue narrando la vida de Robert mientras intenta batallar con sus propios demonios.

Para los que no han escuchado el podcast de The Bright Sessions no van a saber por qué es importante el misterio del “villano”, pues la autora sólo presenta el problema y luego lo deja al aire sólo para mencionarlo una vez luego de casi 50 páginas.

Lo cierto es que me ha decepcionado muchísimo este libro. El primero que salió, The Infinite Noise, también llegó a decepcionarme por ser demasiado introductorio, pero este libro me ha decepcionado porque carece de plot, a veces de sentido y, honestamente, me ha costado muchísimo leerlo. Quiero pensar que ese sentimiento de pesar que me llenó al leer la perspectiva de Demian fue intencional (en cuyo caso realmente lo consiguió) pero aún así siento que leí algo que pudo haberse resumido en 100 páginas porque literalmente no pasaba nada interesante más que al final (y entonces sólo le dieron la relevancia de unas cuantas páginas).

Honestamente no sé si voy a leer el siguiente libro de la autora. Con esta ya van dos decepciones y eso me pone muy triste pero quiero pensar que en el próximo mejorará. Este libro se entiende muy bien por sí solo pero tengo la sensación de que la autora intenta no dar mucha información para que vayamos a escuchar el podcast, pero, en mi opinión, esa estrategia no está funcionando muy bien. En serio espero ver su evolución en sus siguientes libros, aunque voy a pensar mucho si leerlos o no.

Despite being my most anticipated read of 2020, I was very disappointed with this. I read The Infinite Noise last year and I loved it, but this felt like it was trying too hard. While it does have POC representation, it felt like it was only included for the sake of being able to say it has representation. There was little to no plot, despite there being opportunities for a huge one. Overall, this read like Season 2 Episode 7 of Stranger Things and made me doubt whether The Infinite Noise was as good as I remember it to be. LGBT+ representation. This wasn't terrible, it just wasn't as good as I had expected it to be.

Okay so I really enjoy this book- though I did not read the first book in the series, I don’t think it was necessary. Overall I enjoyed the character Robert/Damien but ended up not liking him as much by the end. I think that overall this was a lot of ground work and character development and I would be super interested in where this story/world takes us.

I have been waiting to read the second book in The Bright Sessions series since I finished reading The Infinite Noise. When I read the synopsis and found out that this book was going to be about Damien I went ecstatic. We got a glimpse of Damien aka Robert in The Infinite Noise. He is an Unusual who has the ability to make people want what he wants. I went into this book knowing that I'm either gonna fall in love with Damien or hate him. But after finishing this book I'm hella confused about my feelings. I have mixed feelings about the book and Damien. On one hand, I feel sympathetic towards Damien but on the other hand, I dislike him for intentionally manipulating his friends (especially in the end). This story reflects why Damien is the way he is. This book is about Damien's flaws and the consequences of his actions. I felt like the story was more about his relationship with his friends than anything else. Even after I finished the book, I felt like Damien's story was incomplete. Moreover, there is no mention of Dr Bright in this story. This whole book revolves around Damien's past and how he is the bad guy even when he tries not to be.

I did not read the first book in this series and I didn’t feel like I missed anything. This book made perfect sense without having read anything previously. Right at the beginning you can tell this book has diversity. It has LGBTQ+ rep and also Muslim rep. It was a very quick read. At the beginning I though this book was going to be an adventure about the Unusuals, but it turned out to be a very long character study about Robert. Robert is a very problematic character who has completely been corrupted by his gift. He has many sociopathic traits and that makes his gift all the more dangerous. The more I read about him the more I hated him. I am not sure if that was the goal of this story. I’m not even sure this book had a goal. The whole thing felt kind of aimless.

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.

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.