A Neon Darkness

August 1, 2020

Gr 9 Up-The Unusuals have gifts. Neon can create electricity, Marley can see the past, Blaze can create fire, and Robert can get anything he wants just by desiring it. Before Robert, the other Unusuals and their Unusual-sensing friend Indah led a peaceful existence in Los Angeles. Then Blaze disappeared and Robert arrived, and no one could tell whether their actions were their own or what Robert desired. Told primarily through Robert's perspective, readers watch as he transitions from a wandering teenager struggling for acceptance to the new persona of Damien, who goes from using his powers to get what he wants to controlling people to get the friendship he craves. Based on Shippen's "Bright Sessions" podcast, this second book in the series delves deeper into the character of Damien. A rich cast of secondary characters and gripping plot twists keep readers interested until the last page. Damien's use of control to gain human connection and its moral implications will make readers question how far are they willing to go to get everything they desire. VERDICT A first purchase for library collections. The story will leave readers thinking long after the last page is read.-Ashley Leffel, Griffin M.S., Frisco, TX

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2020
Robert can manipulate others--but he doesn't know if that's a blessing or a curse. Following The Infinite Noise (2019), this Bright Sessions book tells the origin story of Damien, ne Robert, one of the podcast's antagonists. When the book opens, Robert is an 18-year-old high school dropout and White boy with no family but all the material resources he could ever need. He has the power to make people do what he wants, or more accurately, to want the same things he wants. After arriving in Los Angeles, he falls in with a slightly older group of Unusuals with various powers who take him under their wing. Shippen combines an exciting plot with diverse characters--such as Neon, who is Black and queer, and Indah, who is Indonesian, Muslim, and lesbian--who defy stereotypes. As the group tangles with a shady organization that has kidnapped their friend, they also realize that the affection they feel for Robert might not be real. Robert's emotional arc is interesting and unusual--he wants to be a good person, but he is selfish, manipulative, and unwilling to change. He is sympathetic while also being pitiful and contemptible and far too uncool to be an antihero. This may be the best Bright Sessions content yet as well as an excellent starting point for those unfamiliar with this world. A creative and compelling read. (Fantasy. 14-18)

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August 1, 2020
Grades 9-12 Eighteen-year-old Robert's wanderlust takes him to Los Angeles, where he meets a young woman named Indah. She befriends him and introduces him to her friends Neon and Marley, who, because of their paranormal powers, refer to themselves as Unusuals. Indah is not an Unusual herself but an empath, who can sense such people. Oh, and Robert? Yes, he's an Unusual, too, capable of making people want what he wants; thus, if he wants a car, the owner will want to give it to him. Robert joins his new friends in their search for a missing friend, Blaze. Their quest leads them to a tall, sinister man who seems impervious to their powers. The question of how that is possible will eventually be answered, but not before seemingly endless attention is given to Robert's evolving, sometimes fraught relationship with Neon, Marley, and Indah. Not every reader will be patient with this novel, yet the original premise and sympathetic character of Robert will command their attention to this second, stand-alone volume of the Bright Sessions trilogy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)