A Neon Darkness
Ratings4
Average rating3.4
15
Ratings4
Average rating3.4
A Neon Darkness, the second Bright Sessions novel from creator Lauren Shippen, features villain Damien, who can make anyone want what he wants. 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. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Reviews with the most likes.
Not as compelling as the first book, probably down to Damien being an arrogant asshole and this book is really only about him. While the other characters have quite a bit diversity, that's not what I care about so did little for me when the characters themselves are rather two-dimensional or just unlikeable. It's written in a different style from the first book as well, like we're reading flashbacks going back and forth between character perspectives and it was a bit annoying. Overall, really disappointing after I enjoyed the first book so much.
I'd definitely recommend listening to the podcast before going into this book so you know more about who Damien is in the “present” and then go into this as it's his origin story. In the podcast (as far as I got) he's very much a villain character and this was interesting in that we see before, he was just a kid from a corn field in Nebraska. However, you also see that he displays zero maturity or growth in the years between this and the Bright Sessions which makes me think of him as a really boring villain and I'm usually one to root for the bad guy or underdog.
I received this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was really interesting. If you like stories where the main character isn't the most likeable, I'd recommend it! Honestly, I gave this book a 4/5 stars solely because I adored the other characters. Especially Neon. Robert was a very frustrating character. I found myself constantly wanting to scream at him for treating his friends so badly and not listening to what they told him. Regardless, the story kept me interested and I fell in love with majority of the characters!
