
A Neon Darkness
The Bright Sessions, Book 2
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Narrated by:
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Charlie Ian
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By:
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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 Macmillan Audio production from Tor Teen
©2020 Lauren Shippen (P)2020 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















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Beat of the trilogy IMO
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amazing!!
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As for Damien, reading through his mind left me raw, questioning my own selfish needs and reevaluating how often I allow my own “want” to be more important than anyone else’s. And that’s what a book should do, because then my wanting his redemption at the end was another question - did I want it for him or did I want it for me?
What do you want?
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good story
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This is a Prequel
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Amazing
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I have to say I feel bad for anyone who actually saw the teaser. Why on Earth did Shippen, or perhaps the publisher, forecast the whole plot and it’s so-compelling transformation right there on the cover? I say this from the perspective of knowing absolutely nothing about these novels other than having read the first in the series, so perhaps my naïveté was rare.
In all events, the novel does so much so well, it compelled me to deeper considerations many times. From pleasurable speculations on what having and using meta-abilities would feel like, to revisiting research I’d read regarding how people respond when they gain power (in the real world). Shippen has great skill in articulating the nuances of human interactions and mixing those universal experiences almost imperceptibly with cleverly written descriptions of supernatural experiences. And her ability to flush out her main character, an young adult with incredible power stuck at the emotional maturity of a selfish five-year-old, was as rich as it was chilling.
A Neon Darkness could, in fact, have been a home run, but for one of its villains, Isiah, who is present here only as a plot device, shoehorned in here and there to move the plot in a desired direction. It’s clunky, sometimes almost preposterous, how this (admittedly frightening) mystery man appears, twirls his mustache, vanishes, and then, in the end, serves his real purpose - as the final line that must not be crossed. In such a carefully written, thoughtful work, Isiah is an real oddity, both in how shallow and predictable he’s presented to us, and in the square-peg ways he’s deployed.
There are other quibbles - Blaze should have been flushed out more, for instance - but they are minor. The interior world of the main character is so rich, you’ll forget about the little things. This was a hugely entertaining book, and an intriguing and worthwhile follow on to the enchanting Infinite Noise. I can’t wait to read number three!
Occasionally Brilliant, Always Entertaining
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This book is all I could ask for and more. It provides just enough clarity into the making of Damien and and the thematic death of who he once was. Voiced fantastically by Charlie Ian, you can even here the change in the last few pages. If you haven't listened to TBS before reading, this book will definitely make you just to hear the continuation of Damien's story.
Although it's advertised as a standalone, if you're like me and want perfect context and hindsight in your stories, I would recommend giving TBS a listen through beforehand, otherwise you will be thinking about what you might be missing throughout the book as it does leave some questions unanswered.
Love this character and this book and would love a continuation of his story/character development after the events of AND and TBS!!
Perfect for fellow Villain lovers
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Baffled.
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I think where I struggled with the book was with the titular character of Neon. I don't think she's badly written - she, too, is very human and flawed, hypocritical and judgemental and yet also vibrant and charming. But it's difficult to understand how the reader is supposed to view her. I didn't find her very likeable, and this may absolutely be intentional, but when all the other characters think she's amazing, it's hard to know what the author intends. This could 100% be my own problem, however, and nothing at all in the author. I adored the other characters, though, and in general found them all to be very multi-dimensional.
The other issue I had was that there was some slightly tedious repetition of conversations and themes - at times it felt like the author forgot she had already stated a certain point or perspective. It made the book seem a little meandering or stuck at times.
Overall, though, this is an entertaining and engaging listen, seeing as I blazed through it in about two days. Charlie Ian is a fantastic voice actor, and he gives each of the characters a distinct and memorable voice without sounding so wildly different it's distracting.
Pretty good, with a few exceptions
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