Lauren Shippen

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 Unusuals 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.

A Neon Darkness

P. Rose

I really wanted to like this book. Lauren Shippen did a phenomenal job in writing the Bright Sessions and the whole team brought it to life in the podcast. But this...

A Neon Darkness follows the life of Damien, or as we come to know him with his real name: Robert, before the events of the Bright Sessions podcast. In this book, he is an 18 year old, isolated from the world most of his life due to his mystical powers that enable him to persuade anyone that comes into his life to do what he wants. He's looking to start a new life in LA, moving from various places in the US with one great desire: To be loved and understood. Truly loved and understood, instead of being coerced by his powers. He meets a group of people with unnatural abilities like he does and wonders if this is where he'll finally get what he truly wants.

I honestly loved the concept of the whole book, including the characters and their dilemmas and predicaments, but it fell short from what I had hoped. The writing was clean and simple, but not so much so that it became dull. So, that's a plus for me. Then there were discussions about sexuality and relationships. I feel like this could have had so much potential, but it was mostly just skimmed over it, mostly obscured by Robert's arrogance.

I know there could have been so much more to this, and I felt as if it wasn't all captured in frame. There was something missing in this that I can't seem to point out. A friend had mentioned to me that this was more of a character study, but it did little in developing that, most of all in Damien. The other Unusuals did most of it for me, and ended up being the more interesting than the supposed main character. I understand that Damien is far from likable, but you end up wishing you never had invested any time getting to know his backstory. I wish there had been more focus on Indah and Neon because their characters had depth and life to them-even Marley who is supposedly the least likable of the group due to his serious demeanor. Blaze, who was absent for most of the book brought more to it than Damien ever did.By the end of this, I was resigned to think, "Wow, this boy really does need therapy."

Noah Warner

** spoiler alert **
           4.3 stars

Pain. Just pain. In other news, I loved this book so much! I loved Damien in the show, and I loved him here. His mind is just so… interesting, and his vision of reality is so warped but so similar to me and so many others. I loved the cast of characters too, and cannot wait to see a couple of them in seasons 6 and 7.

Helene Utterback

I loved getting Damien's backstory and the incredible voice acting. Can't wait for more books in this universe!

Paige Morgan

Robert has an unusual ability -- he can make other people want whatever he wants: giving him things, telling him things, even kissing him. But does this superpower actually give him the life of his dreams? Or is it a nightmare that keeps him from ever having real friends.

This book is a prequel/companion to popular podcast The Bright Sessions, set in a world where certain people have atypical abilities. The Bright Sessions introduced Robert, known there as Damien, as one of the main antagonists. In this story, series creator Lauren Shippen provides backstory on who Damien is, and how he became the predatory figure we see in the podcast. Does it work as a novel for readers who aren't already familiar with Damien from the Bright Sessions? Mostly, I think the answer is yes, and it's a tender but sad slow-motion trainwreck watching Robert discover that he's not the only one with powers and develop relationships with Inda, Neon, Marley, and Blaze, while trying to understand whether he can control his own powers -- and whether or not he wants to. Shippen's ensemble cast is compelling in itself, with or without Robert/Damien -- I would gladly read more about them -- and as the story builds towards a wrenching but almost inevitable conclusion, I kept hoping that there would be some other way, knowing all the while that there wouldn't.

Part of the plot ties in with the larger world of Atypicals and the Bright Sessions world -- and while this novel feels complete, there are threads that could be picked up in future books, and I would happily read more, whether or not Damien/Robert was present.

A Neon Darkness

Reviews