I was elated to learn Vera Kurian was writing a new novel. I loved her book Never Saw Me Coming.

Why would six promising high school students leave their small idyllic town, vowing never to return? Surely, the secret isn’t in the creepy mine or the church that both run the town…

I love stories where long-lost friends or foes are reunited at the location they swore they’d never return to. I love the mystery behind what tore them apart and the power of the location that has kept them away. The story is a little breakfast club, a group of unlikely students forced together to work on a project, and it totally works.

The back-and-forth narrative of past and present added to many character perspectives was a little clunky in the beginning but settled into itself as the story finds its rhythm.

I enjoyed the mystery and the characters. I am still getting used to 1995 being “historical” fiction, but here we are. As an elder millennial, the 90’s will always be 20 years behind me. If you’re looking for a great mystery, a little horror, and some 1995, look no further.

Thank you, Harlequin and Netgalley, for the advanced copy.

Six friends from High School meet up back in their home town after 15 years to bury one of their pack. The past comes back in flashbacks as each of them, in varying chapters, recalls the horror of their childhoods in this quite horrible small town. The six had promised a vow of silence on what happened one fateful night… now all is coming unraveled.

Given this description and since the book was labeled in the mystery category, I thought I was going to be reading a mystery. I had read and enjoyed Vera Kurian’s first book, Never Saw Me Coming, about a female psychopath who specifically gets into a college to kill someone she hates. But then someone is murdered and the psychopath heroine did not do it! I recommend that book as fun and engaging.

However, A Step Past Darkness is not a mystery. It is pure fantasy, and being a lover of mystery novels, I found the book entertaining, especially at first, until I understood that rational character thoughts and actions were not present in this Kurian outing. I won’t give it away but suffice it to say, there is no mystery. Rather fantasy world elements keep this hometown in turmoil, and our six (now five since the murder of one) act completely irrationally — because that is acceptable in fantasy novels.

My preference for mystery/thriller novels lays in my desire to read about real life problems solved by logic and cunning. Thus, I am not a fan of fantasy novels! The first half of A Step Past Darkness without the fantasy as Kurian sets up the novel’s plot line, made me think that the book was going to following up the problem with a rational solution and ending. That was not the case. I liked the first half of the book, as Kurian can write good prose, but I do not want to be fooled into reading a genre I do not like due to a mislabel.

My ranking for this book as a mystery: 2. My ranking as a novel: 3.

This ARC title was provided by Netgalley.com at no cost, and I am providing an unbiased review. A Step Past Darkness will be published on February 20, 2024.

Back in 1995 six high school students witness a gruesome crime at a party in an abandoned mine. When they try to investigate on their own they realize that Wesley Falls has a dark history and decide to never speak about the incident or to each other again. After one of them is murdered 20 years later they make their way back to the town to finish what they couldn’t when they were younger.

This book was fantastic! I loved the dual storylines between the past and present and multiple POVs. The character development was superb and I grew to love every one of them. The supernatural aspect was a surprise that I usually don’t enjoy but thought it gave the book such a creepy vibe that I just devoured!

In my heart I want to give this a higher star rating than I actually will I think. Following the story of a group of teens who saw the unthinkable during one summer in 1995 along with a future timeline in 2015 where one of them has been murdered. Going back to the town where religious trauma caused them all scars to try and find answers and justice.
This book felt really long to me: I’m not sure why because it’s definitely not the longest book I’ve ever read. At the same time, I did enjoy it while I read it. Maybe the subject matter was a bit hard to read (to close to home for me): I liked the supernatural twist put on the story as well.
TW: SA, physical abuse, religious trauma.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Supernatural thriller told from 6 different POV. It was difficult to track the characters and the storyline. I wasn't a huge fan.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley & HTP Books for an eARC of A Step Past Darkness by Vera Kurian,

This book follows six classmates who return to their suburban town they grew up in after one of their old friends has been murdered. In 1995, they witnessed a horrifying crime that has forever changed their lives. Now, they take it upon themselves to investigate what happened to their friend.

I found myself getting confused with the characters in this one! I had to keep a list of who's who and refer back to it really frequently, so I struggled a bit with that. There was a supernatural sort of element and religious element to this that made it hard for me to binge like I did with Kurian's last thriller. I got through this one slowly and it was OK for me but not my favorite of this author's! I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with next.

This book definitely did not go how I expected. There was a supernatural / paranormal aspect that was a surprise.

I thought the dual timelines was interested and kept me engaged and wanting to know more about what happened in 1995.

On the negative side, I didn’t feel very emotionally invested in the characters. We were told and not shown how they’d changed over the years, but it fell a bit flat for me.

Overall, it was an interesting premise, but I wish it was taken further. And with it being so long, there was ample opportunity to make this book a smash, but it didn’t seem to quite get there.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC.

Why did I love this book? First of all, I love any good book that has a crazy church cult. I loved the story itself, a group of teens who would have never been friends except for a school assignment becoming life long companions. Good stuff! I truly enjoyed this book and I could not put it down until I knew how it ended.

Six classmates. One terrifying night. A murder two years in the making.

Right away, the synopsis of this novel caught my attention. This and the fact the story goes back and forth from 1995 to present time drew me in as I was roughly the same age as they were in 1995. ( Life before social media!)

The story takes place in Wesley Falls when six teenagers with very diverse backgrounds are thrown together after a tragic accident and share a secret no one can ever find out about.

The characters:

• Maddy, the popular girl with a clique
• Kelly, tries to fit in, was at one point shunned by Maddy and her group
• James, considered one of the burn out kids in the community
• Casey, star football player - good looking and charming
• Padma, smart, quiet and blends into the crowd
• Jia, has visions and experiences she can not always explain

Something goes down and they make a pact to part ways and never speak again. Twenty years later, however, Maddy is found dead and they are reunited at Wesley Falls. Her death raises many questions and suspicions and they begin to wonder if this is connected to what happened twenty years ago.

The good about this novel...the characters. The fact there are six POV's is insane but once I figured out everyone, I did have a good sense of each of their characteristics, personalities and background. They were all underdogs in one sense or another from past or present and I did really like them all. The back and forth from past to present was easy to follow and I did enjoy the throw back to the 90's.

The other stuff...six POV's is, as I said, insane. It worked but took a while. This is a very slow telling story. Because of this, it didn't hold my attention for long periods. I would read for a bit then put it down and not rush to pick it up again, In my own personal opinion, I think it could have been a good 100 pages shorter and then it would have been more action oriented and attention holding.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the digital advanced reader copy to read in exchange for my honest review.

Loved it , it's one of my new favorites for January 2024, loved how it gave me the feeling as if I was reading something by Stephen King , with how it was creepy, twisted , suspenseful as well as a bit dark . Once I started it I couldn't put it down. And this the second book from this author that I've loved , which puts her on my list of authors that I would definitely read more of .

I really liked this suspenseful and engaging thriller. It has Stephen King’s IT vibes with plenty of satisfying twists and turns.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

I just couldn’t get into this book. I didn’t really care for any of the characters. The plot felt very much like there were pieces that I needed to know but didn’t hear until much later, so for a long time, I was just left confused. And not in the fun thriller way—in the “what am I reading and why am I so lost” way.

Maybe her first book is better, but this wasn’t the thriller for me. As a fan of IT, this knockoff didn’t do it for me.

Twenty years ago, six classmates agreed to keep a secret. Now in present day, that secret has consequences as they start dying.

I wanted to like this as the premise gave me I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes. However, it wasn’t super suspenseful for me and it took me a while to get into because of the shifting POVs.

This was a good book! I connected with the characters and found myself anxious to hear how the story played out. I’d recommend it!

What a wild ride I feel like this book will keep everyone on their toes. Also I think that my mom would love this so i want to get this for her when this gets published.

Six people witness something bonkers and when the mystery doesn't get solved by the officials it falls into their hands to solve. I don't want to let too much go but omg it was so good I will be reading this authors backlist really soon because this was a thrilling fun book.

What the heck did I just read?! The synopsis doesn’t even come close to what the book is actually about. It is definitely a supernatural thriller. I should have known it was going to be different when, in the first few pages, you find out one of the MCs sees the future...

This book’s plot is very character driven but also completely unexpected. I am someone who picks a book to read based on the synopsis and this one left out some key details.

To be honest, I wouldn’t have read this if I knew what it was really about. It was so weird though that I had to finish it.

This book is told from multiple POVs and through past and present timelines. This was definitely a slow burn and the story dragged. I liked how detailed the characters were. I also liked the relationships between the characters, it gave off Breakfast Club vibes. The cult aspect of the book was neat as well.

Read if you like:
🤯 Unexpected Twists
👻 Supernatural Thrillers
👓 Multiple POVs
⛪️ Religion

Thank you to @netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Park Row for this eARC to review. All opinions are my own. This book will be available on February 20th!

I requested this book on the back of the authors previous book Never Saw it Coming which I absolutely loved.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. It was a very very slow burn, with so many characters and timelines to keep straight. I felt like I was reading it forever and not really getting very far. I usually like a book with multiple characters and timelines but I feel that we got too many details and every single character’s point of view on everything and it dragged. The book was just too long and not fast paced enough for me.

Can’t love them all, I am disappointed that this wasn’t for me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Six classmates become unlikely friends after six fellow students die suspiciously during a party in an abandoned mine. Once the group discovers the truth regarding the accident, the friends are compelled to take action which changes their lives forever. Vowing them to bury the facts, remain silent, and never to return home. But, twenty years later, they reunite after learning that one of their own died mysteriously. This suspenseful mystery is perfect for fans of Stephen King and C.J. Tudor.

Eerie atmosphere? Check. Slow burn thrills? Check? Twists you won't see coming? Check check.

Definitely a bit of a slow burn and, while not my favorite of the year, is still a book I'd recommend!

A Step Past Darkness by Vera Kurian
Pub date: February 20, 2024

Set in eerie Wesley Falls, a town situated adjacent to a huge abandoned mine and reliant on their prosperous church, six unlikely friends witness a horrific event.

Twenty years later, they reunite to investigate the suspicious death of one of their own and unearth the sinister secrets of the mine and the people who run Wesley Falls.

This is quite a character-driven story. The chapters alternate between all six main characters in past and present, which is a little hard to keep track of in the beginning. I don’t want to spoil any aspect of the plot, but the story does take a unique turn and is quite different than the average thriller.

I did enjoy this one, even though it was slow to start, because I could really connect with the characters and their relationships with each other. It felt like the Breakfast Club meets It. 👍🏻

Rating 4⭐️

Thank you @htpbooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to review this!