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akkaquacka's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
agardill's review
5.0
I loved this book! Along with all of the fiction that Lauren Shippen creates. She does an amazing job of telling dynamic relationships between people, relationships that aren't always typical and I really like that. This book had great relationships between characters -- between siblings, parents, friends, and romantic partners. I felt like there was a lesson to learn in every single one of how to build better relationships with those around us.
I will say though, that this is coming from someone who has read the previous two books in this series and listened to the podcast. And this book in particular is not really a stand alone book - you benefit a lot from listening to the podcast and reading the previous book, the Neon Darkness.
I will say though, that this is coming from someone who has read the previous two books in this series and listened to the podcast. And this book in particular is not really a stand alone book - you benefit a lot from listening to the podcast and reading the previous book, the Neon Darkness.
jessential_reads's review
3.0
** Thank you NetGalley and Publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge for giving me an early copy in exchange for my honest review **
Rose comes from a family of Atypicals (people with powers), her brother and both parents have different abilities and she is just too normal, usually just keeps to herself and has only one passion, cooking. What she does have lately is a crush on a girl and sleeping problems, is it possible that out of her atypical problem she has nothing more than narcolepsy? That's what she thought, however when she falls asleep she discovers that the dream she is in is not her own. As she then learns to gain control over her dream diving, the life around her also starts to feel out of control and the more that goes wrong with her life the more she wants to be in the dream world. Rose always wanted to have this connection with her family but as things progress she distances herself from her family and starts to feel like being Atypical is not what it's cut out to be.
I loved the premise of this book, I love all things superhero, sci-fi, fantasy but unfortunately this was not it. It was just not for me, the writing style was confusing and some of the points of view just took me out of the story and I found myself skimming through most of it. I know that this book is part of the series but they are all separate stories that connect through these atypical therapists. Maybe I'm missing some things from the other books that would have made me more excited to keep reading. Now, I did finish because I liked some of the characters and well, I'm being greedy and I wanted MORE! I felt like there were a lot of things happening and it got nowhere. There were some times I wanted to hug Rose and sometimes I wanted to slap her, like 5G’s Good God Girl Get a Grip! I'm sorry but I barely finished it because I was hopeful that at least the ending would be worth it. I'm going to end on a good note and say that the final breakthrough for Rose was a bit emotional and the moments she had with her dad were the most true to her and I found that very stirring and tender.
Rose comes from a family of Atypicals (people with powers), her brother and both parents have different abilities and she is just too normal, usually just keeps to herself and has only one passion, cooking. What she does have lately is a crush on a girl and sleeping problems, is it possible that out of her atypical problem she has nothing more than narcolepsy? That's what she thought, however when she falls asleep she discovers that the dream she is in is not her own. As she then learns to gain control over her dream diving, the life around her also starts to feel out of control and the more that goes wrong with her life the more she wants to be in the dream world. Rose always wanted to have this connection with her family but as things progress she distances herself from her family and starts to feel like being Atypical is not what it's cut out to be.
I loved the premise of this book, I love all things superhero, sci-fi, fantasy but unfortunately this was not it. It was just not for me, the writing style was confusing and some of the points of view just took me out of the story and I found myself skimming through most of it. I know that this book is part of the series but they are all separate stories that connect through these atypical therapists. Maybe I'm missing some things from the other books that would have made me more excited to keep reading. Now, I did finish because I liked some of the characters and well, I'm being greedy and I wanted MORE! I felt like there were a lot of things happening and it got nowhere. There were some times I wanted to hug Rose and sometimes I wanted to slap her, like 5G’s Good God Girl Get a Grip! I'm sorry but I barely finished it because I was hopeful that at least the ending would be worth it. I'm going to end on a good note and say that the final breakthrough for Rose was a bit emotional and the moments she had with her dad were the most true to her and I found that very stirring and tender.
rosemary_nagy's review
2.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley
Here we go. I loved The Infinite Noise, but A Neon Darkness was one of the most dismal, depressing books I’ve ever read. Some Faraway Place was solidly in the middle, not my favorite but I didn’t hate it.
I don’t know if Rose was intentionally autism coded but I definitely got the vibes that she was, which was cool. I liked how passionate she was and how she had real, genuine struggles that had nothing to do with the plot but made her feel more full as a character.
The biggest complaint I had with this book was the weird faux social media stuff. Half the story was told via “Readit” (Reddit) and “Mumblr” (Tumblr) posts, complete with their unique formats and the “Stucky” (Steve Rogers X Bucky Barnes) fanfic that Emily was writing. It didn’t flow at all, and it felt forced and fake. Trying to read a book in Reddit format was unsettling and unpleasant.
Also, the timelines between the books didn’t line up at all. When I was reading books one and two in this series I was of the understanding that they took place simultaneously, or at least within the same few years. This book takes place shortly after book one, but over ten years after book two, and the characters from both books had a significant amount of backstory that never happened in either of their books. I know these books are based off of a podcast series I haven’t listened to, and maybe that was explained in the podcast, but just reading the books alone doesn’t make sense.
If this book had just been about Rose and her struggles learning to control her ability, her relationship with Emily and her family, and if it was written in normal novel form instead of faux social media, I would’ve loved it. But between all of the characters from the first two books suddenly appearing with backstories that didn’t line up with their books it and the social media formatting, I didn’t enjoy reading this book and I don’t plan to read any more from this author.
Here we go. I loved The Infinite Noise, but A Neon Darkness was one of the most dismal, depressing books I’ve ever read. Some Faraway Place was solidly in the middle, not my favorite but I didn’t hate it.
I don’t know if Rose was intentionally autism coded but I definitely got the vibes that she was, which was cool. I liked how passionate she was and how she had real, genuine struggles that had nothing to do with the plot but made her feel more full as a character.
The biggest complaint I had with this book was the weird faux social media stuff. Half the story was told via “Readit” (Reddit) and “Mumblr” (Tumblr) posts, complete with their unique formats and the “Stucky” (Steve Rogers X Bucky Barnes) fanfic that Emily was writing. It didn’t flow at all, and it felt forced and fake. Trying to read a book in Reddit format was unsettling and unpleasant.
Also, the timelines between the books didn’t line up at all. When I was reading books one and two in this series I was of the understanding that they took place simultaneously, or at least within the same few years. This book takes place shortly after book one, but over ten years after book two, and the characters from both books had a significant amount of backstory that never happened in either of their books. I know these books are based off of a podcast series I haven’t listened to, and maybe that was explained in the podcast, but just reading the books alone doesn’t make sense.
If this book had just been about Rose and her struggles learning to control her ability, her relationship with Emily and her family, and if it was written in normal novel form instead of faux social media, I would’ve loved it. But between all of the characters from the first two books suddenly appearing with backstories that didn’t line up with their books it and the social media formatting, I didn’t enjoy reading this book and I don’t plan to read any more from this author.
kelliemw's review
3.0
Lauren Shippen has created a world that I have been immersed in for years. I enjoyed Some Faraway Place but I just couldn’t get into it like I did with all of her other work. Without getting spoiler-y I felt as if this book focused too much on redemption of a character than the story of Rose. Rose wasn’t a character that I got attached to via the podcast so I wasn’t as invested in her as the previous books. I still would recommend this to others who enjoy the Bright Sessions universe.
okim2cool4u's review
4.0
it's lauren's world and we're living in it
---
edit after reading:
3.5 stars? maybe 4? i want to give it a higher rating but damien's parts/involvement really sucked. i liked his book enough but i'm tired of him. imo he's the same person he was at the first episode of the podcast. felt like rose deserved to have her own book without so much of him. the romance was nice but i wish we got to see it develop more. excited to see what lauren shippen does next :))
---
edit after reading:
3.5 stars? maybe 4? i want to give it a higher rating but damien's parts/involvement really sucked. i liked his book enough but i'm tired of him. imo he's the same person he was at the first episode of the podcast. felt like rose deserved to have her own book without so much of him. the romance was nice but i wish we got to see it develop more. excited to see what lauren shippen does next :))
samiamstew's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It had been a long time since I listened to the podcast or read the previous books so I was a little lost with the Damien-involved elements but this one does focus on a different main character so I was able to follow most of her story alright. Told through journal entries, Tumblr- and Reddit-style posts, and letters. Would have been more enjoyable if I read it closer to the others or if I still listened to the podcast. I liked Rose alright but she was kind of mean to her family… Good queer rep.
sunshinemoth's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
himani19's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
brittaniethekid's review against another edition
DNF at 30%. The Bright Sessions series is so character driven that if you don't like the character, it's impossible to get through the narrative. This is definitely my own bias at play but Rose was hard to relate to and when reading her journal entries/blogs here, I just didn't care what would happen to her. I didn't like her in the podcast either because she's written like some whimsical fae girl but makes really dumb decisions so it comes off more naive and childish.
Damien is by far the most interesting character in this world (which is saying something, see my review of TBS #2) and putting him in the book was maybe a mistake because it highlights how boring and underdeveloped the other characters are.
Damien is by far the most interesting character in this world (which is saying something, see my review of TBS #2) and putting him in the book was maybe a mistake because it highlights how boring and underdeveloped the other characters are.