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!

A Step Past Darkness follows six classmates who form a bond over a class project. These friends start to notice strange things happening with the church and its followers. They discover through their class project the mines play a large role in all the oddities with the church and its members.

This book was really long and had a lot going on. I did enjoy it but felt the length was a bit much.

I think this book tried to hard. It wasn’t a bad read, but it was packed with so many characters. It had a ton of things going on. It just kept going and never fully sucked me in. With the Superman, cult and murder vibes nothing felt quite right.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this edge of my seat ARC!

The length was a bit daunting but once you get into you you don’t notice. I really like the timelines 1995 vs 2015 and all the main characters were awesome, not a dull one in the bunch. Entertaining story without getting too out there, and having “normal” problems too. Loved the personal experience of them all. 🩷.

4/5 ⭐️

5⭐️

*TW: religious trauma, SA*

I can’t really summarize this well without spoilers. But this is a former mining town that’s wrapped in the corruption of a Megachurch cult. Six students who were working on a project in the summer of 1995 find themselves witnesses of the death of several of their classmates while at a party in the mines. They begin to investigate the deaths themselves, but they soon learn how much the church controls. They bury their evidence and promise to never contact each other. That is until 20 years later when one of them is murdered and they realize that they are the only ones who can stop the cult.


This was another scenario where I went into this knowing the bare minimum and the story went in a completely different direction than I was expecting. But in this book it worked for me. I’m a huge Stranger Things fan and this had The Breakfast Club meets Stranger Things meets IT vibes and I absolutely loved it. This also had that super specific trope that I love where childhood friends have to reunite years after a crime because their secret might be revealed and there’s a cult!

The characters were very well developed and each of their backstories really added to the story. The religious trauma and the fine line between a religion and a cult was really well done. The scenario where a Megachurch has their hands in every aspect of a small town was both horrifying but absolutely believable.

I like how the supernatural aspects were subtly slid into the story and how it grew as the story goes on. I think I had the same phases of acceptance that the supernatural was real as some of the characters; saying it’s not possible, making excuses as to what else it could be, finally accepting it.

Thank you Netgalley and Park Row for providing this ARC to me!

BIPOC Mystery Thriller about five former classmates who after twenty years reunite in their hometown when a friend's murdered and must confront their past, which includes a mega church and small town conspiracies.

1/5 stars: This is stand alone by Kurian that's told in multiple POVs and dual timelines. Kurian's writing is well paced and the character work is well done. This book tackles some very tough topics, so take care and check CWs. This just wasn't a book for me, leading me to DNF it at 9%.

I received this eARC thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

I think I expected a faster paced book after being such a fan of Vera Kurian's Never Saw Me Coming. It's hard to review this, because I think it was just not quite the genre for me - it for sure has it's mystery elements, but calling it a thriller is hard for me to wrap my mind around since the pacing plods along through all 6 perspectives. I've seen it compared to IT, and I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I saw that, because IT as well dragged too much for me, even though I understand where there's a strong emotional undercurrent to it. Mostly, I think there will be people who do love this book and the emotional depth, but since I was expecting more thrills from the beginning since it's billed as a thriller, it fell short for me.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for a chance to review this ARC.
This gripping tale follows six individuals in what initially appears to be an innocent town -Jia, Padma, Maddy, Kelly, James, and Casey. The narrative skillfully navigates between 1995 and 2015, weaving a complex story that keeps your head spinning.
In 1995, a pivotal incident unfolds at a high school party set in an abandoned mine, leaving the small religious town in shock. The six characters find themselves entangled in the aftermath of this event. For enthusiasts of mysteries with a sinister or supernatural edge, this book is a compelling choice.
While I noticed moments where the story seemed to lag, the author adeptly introduces unexpected plot twists that sent my predictions in various directions, ensuring my continued engagement. Overall, I recommend "A Step Past Darkness" for its intriguing narrative and suspenseful elements.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

This was such a good book, I absolutely devoured it. It gave off IT by Stephen King vibes with the premise and I was so eager to read this.

The story follows a group of six: Casey, James, Kelly, Padme, Tia, and Maddison. This is a misfit group forming bonds. I was honestly intrigued by each character and their backstory. The book was kind of long, but it read quickly and was engaging.

I was pulled into the book right away and I was so intrigued to see where the story was heading. I loved the small-town vibes of Wesley Falls and the creepiness it gave. The atmosphere was super tense with the secrets and cults involved.

I also loved the dual timelines with flashbacks (1995 and 2015). They were equally enjoyable and captivating. The middle was slow and it took a while to get through, but the twists and plot kept me hooked.

Engaging, entertaining, addicting, and unputdownable, A Step Past Darkness is a must-read for slow-burn supernatural thriller fans.

Thank you so much NetGalley and HTP Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

My patience for books that aren’t formatted correctly has reached its end. I can’t spend this much time trying to figure out what the book says.