Thank you to NetGalley, Vera Kurian, and HTP (Harlequin Trade Publishing) for early access to this story in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows 6 friends who attended an abandoned mine party where something goes very wrong. 20 years later one of the six is murdered and the remaining 5 all reconnect to figure out what happened. I went into this book blind and was shocked to discover that it was almost 500 pages long. While I didn’t feel like the story lagged at all I did feel that the pacing was off and at some points the story was slow. I think this is related to the depth that the author went with details on each character. While I appreciate character depth I think this story might’ve been better off with one or two less main characters. The story was extremely atmospheric with both the mine and the small town being run by the powerful church that gave off cultish vibes. The mystery aspect of the story was unique and nothing like I had read before. Overall this was enjoyable and I would recommend it to fans of dark, atmospheric, or cultish thrillers.

A Step Past Darkness is a thriller about six friends who witness something very bad while in high school. Twenty years later, one of them ends up dead and the others come back to their hometown to figure out if the death is related. At the center of everything is this mega church and a pastor. There is also a mine that is a central part of this story.

This book was just ok for me. I have conflicting thoughts so I will start with the good stuff. This book reminded me a lot of IT by Stephen King. A group of kids witness something and then decades past and they are back in their hometown to face their demons. I think the plot was interesting and it was a good story. The characters were well developed and this book touched on a lot of issues that many high schoolers experience. I think the writing was good as well.

Now, I usually don't like stories where there is a church or some sort of religious thing at the center of it that is evil. I'm not sure why but that doesn't usually work for me. This book has that and I did not necessarily enjoy that. That is more a preference thing for me than the actual books fault but nonetheless, it hindered my experience. If you are like me and don't enjoy that, I don't think this book is for you. However, if you do like that in your thrillers, this book is for you!

On to the stuff that made me not enjoy this book. This book is way too long. There is really no need for a thriller to be over 400 pages. I think the author had too many character point of views and too many timelines. Since the point of view and the timeline kept jumping around, it was a bit difficult to fully follow along. I think if this book had less point of views and was a bit shorter, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

This book had some good elements and some bad elements. I would still be interested in checking out this author's other work. I would suggest checking this one out still if you're interested! Thanks so much to netgalley and Harlequin for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much for the advanced reading copy., however this book wasn’t my Cup of tea. While the book follows six classmates from high school, there are a lot of additional characters, with good character development to keep track of.
I felt the book was a little slow, it took me a bit to get into and then I felt it was dragging on. There were some supernatural as well as church elements that had me feeling a little lost or uninterested at times.
Thank you again to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC in return of my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy.
I was really excited she. I saw this book available because I really liked the last book by this author. This book was not for me. It’s only personal preference.
The writing and character development was great. It was a good story with a good plot. There were supernatural elements and it was more YA, which is why it didn’t work for me personally.
I am rating it 3 stars, and would have no problem recommending it to the right audience. Again, not a bad book.. but not my personal preference.

The premise of A Step Past Darkness was intriguing. While the characters were interesting on paper, I had a hard time getting fully invested into what was happening with them. The story highlights the potential flaws of organized religion. It heavily focuses around this theme. At times it almost felt as if the author has been wronged by the Christian church. The book was slightly drawn out and slow at times. I enjoyed this book, but think if it was more suspenseful it would have been a quicker read for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A step past darkness is set in the late 90s and follows a group of mismatched high school kids who are grouped together for a school project. Despite protests and warnings from one of the group members they decide to base their project on the history of the town mines.

During their research they stumble upon something they never could have imagined, and their lives are changed forever. After agreeing to split up and never speak about it again the group go their separate ways, until 20 years later events force them to once again return and reunite. I absolutely love this plot type and it gives me similar vibes to the likes of stranger things, IT, I know what you did last summer etc.

This is a hefty book with lots of characters and details, multiple points of view and varying timelines where we get clips from the past and present. It is a little slow burn, but if you make it through the first 100pages, once you get absorbed into the story it becomes somewhat addictive with all the events taking place.

This is cast as a thriller but there are definitely supernatural horror elements in here. There are themes such as extreme church views, individuals abusing their authoritative power, cultish vibes, sexual abuse, race and political issues.

If you enjoy a complex plot with some heavy themes and the aforementioned book/tv series comparisons, then you will likely enjoy this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and harlequin trade publishing for an advanced copy! 🩵

I thought this book was GREAT. It's gripping, fast paced, and kept me entertained for HOURS. Honestly, it's thrillers like this one that make me love the genre and I couldn't recommend it more!

"SIX CLASSMATES. ONE TERRIFYING NIGHT. A MURDER TWENTY YEARS IN THE MAKING...

There's something sinister under the surface of the idyllic, suburban town of Wesley Falls, and it's not just the abandoned coal mine that lies beneath it. The summer of 1995 kicks off with a party in the mine where six high school students witness a horrifying crime that changes the course of their lives.

The six couldn't be more different.
-Maddy, a devout member of the local megachurch
-Kelly, the bookworm next door
-James, a cynical burnout
-Casey, a loveable football player
-Padma, the shy straight-A student
-Jia, who's starting to see visions she can't explain

When they realize that they can't trust anyone but each other, they begin to investigate what happened on their own. As tensions escalate in town to a breaking point, the six make a vow of silence, bury all their evidence, and promise to never contact each other again. Their plan works - almost.

Twenty years later, Jia calls them all back to Wesley Falls - Maddy has been murdered, and they are the only ones who can uncover why. But to end things, they have to return to the mine one last time."

I know it's a little weird that I'm obsessed with crimes that happened to high schoolers set when I was in high school, but there is a nostalgia factor... I'm not admitting to being a killer OK?

1995 - 6 students are grouped to work on their capstone project over the summer. A mega-church and its enigmatic leader control their town. Something doesn't quite feel right and the teens are determined to figure out the truth of their hometown. After a tragic accident, they scatter and swear to never talk about it or to each other again.

20 years later, the group are all called back to their hometown for a funeral for one of their own. Only the remaining five can solve the mystery of the violent death of their friend, and the truth.

Inspired by Centralia mine fire, I found the twin towns in this book an interesting concept. Was this book unnecessarily long? Yes. Were there one too many characters? Also, yes. That said, I was still enveloped in the story and wanted to know about the mine, the Heart, and the church. I wanted to see the good and the bad, the light and the dark.

I think once this goes through some revisions, it will be an excellent book and many people will enjoy it. It has "It" vibes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.




[While I enjoyed the overall story from Vera Kurian, I found so many typos and grammatical errors in my ARC that it was beyond distracting. ]

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of this book.

OMG I LOVED IT. I always say that I don't like magical realism, but I think I might just be lying to myself because this book was fire. There were so many genre elements in this book from historical fiction, contemporary fiction, magical realism, mystery and thriller (all rolled up into one fantastic book).

I had no idea how intense and crazy this book would be- I also think I pictured this as something that mostly occurs in the woods, rather than down a mine shaft. As someone that lived in Appalachia as a young adult, mines, caves, mountains, small towns, etc. are pretty common and at least to me, not that frightening- but woah boy, this one was.

I may be completely wrong, but I am pretty sure that the setting is loosely based on Centralia, Pennsylvania, where like the story setting had an underground coal mine fire years ago that continues to burn underground to this day, leaving a ghost town in it's wake filled with abandoned buildings, bubbled up cracks in the asphalt, and graffiti. All my urban-explorer friends, this book is for you! So- this was a big hook for me.

The main cast of characters (Jia, Padma, Casey, Maddy, Kelly and James) were all so very diverse both in social clique, race and family life, and all had different personal issues they were battling against which are so prevalent (eating disorders, abuse, pressure to be perfect, being gay). I became invested in each characters' part of the story. I truly loved them all, partially because of their flaws. Character development was on point!

Where we start is at a mine party which our six witness several students being pushed into the heart or center of the mine to their deaths. The six realize that they can't trust anyone in their small town when everyone seems linked to one another and to the prominent mega church (which seems to run the town and its police force as well). They realize this may be a secret they have to keep to keep themselves and their families safe, so they agree not to talk about it or to each other. But then, Maddy is murdered and there are too many questions that beg answers. Was Maddy murdered for what they all saw years ago? Who did it and why? These questions bring the crew back into town years later to investigate what happened to their friend.

There is so much I could say about what went on in this book that I would never do it justice. There's time-hopping flash backs, suspects and (my personal favorite) some culty behavior.

Please just do yourself a favor and read this book- it was amazing and will be pushing it into the hands of any of my thriller friends. 10 out of 10- absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to read more from this author.

I have the biggest book hangover I've had in recent memory. Brilliant. Deep. Chilling. It's left me with this nostalgic longing, as if I used to live in Wesley Falls and was part of the Capstone Six. I adored Vera's first book, and this second one in my opinion is even better--and totally different (she's got so much range!!).
I've been trying to think of what this comps to, and the best I've come up with is "The Breakfast Club" meets Kiersten White's "Hide" but with creepy mines and a cultish church.
I can't recommend it highly enough.

A Step Past Darkness follows 6 teens with very different pasts, who witness something truly horrifying while completing a school project. With time jumps between then (1995) and now (2015), this group who vowed never to speak again are brought back together when one of their own is found murdered.

With in-depth backstories, this book was a slow burn and drawn out with sometimes erratic pacing. Between the time jumps and the alternating POV’s, it can be hard to keep the story straight. Overall, the plot featuring many touchy social and political issues just didn’t sit right with me, and it’s important to note trigger warnings: religious cult, sexual abuse

3.5 ⭐️ rounded down. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I usually enjoy this type of novel where we go back to the tragic event and fast forward years later to uncover the truth. However once it started going into the super natural I put it down.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of A Step Past Darkness by Vera Kurian in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: 20 Feb 2024

This book was such a mixed bag for me. The premise sounds so good, so I was looking forward to it when I got approval on Netgalley. However, all it is is the slowest slow burn with so many characters to keep track of, during different timelines. This is for the first 40-50 percent of it. Once the 40 percent mark hit, it did start to pick up and I got into it.

At the 60 percent mark though, things took a turn, and not for the better. It became a book where a character conveniently started having visions and the book took on a supernatural element. Not my cup of tea if I’m being honest, I just wanted a thriller that had believable twists that I don’t see coming and this was not that. Unfortunately it was the a surprising opposite and not a pleasant surprise that I enjoyed.

Needless to say, I’m not sure I’d be very quick to recommend A Step Past Darkness and therefore, sadly, it’s a no from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Vera Kurian for this ARC. Sadly, this is my first DNF. I felt that there were too many characters to keep track of along with the past and present time switches. I felt no connection to any of the characters after 115 pages in. This is a long book, and I would’ve expected the plot to get interesting by now, especially given the number of characters. This book just didn’t draw/keep my interest.

Six unlikely friends form an unexpected bond in this unique blend of horror and mystery. Jia and Padma are the quiet girls on the outskirts, Kelly has been shunned by the popular group, James is a burnout with a tough family life, and Casey and Maddie are the popular kids who rule the town. They all have little in common until they are assigned a project that will change their trajectory in life forever.

This book was an interesting read, to be sure, though I’m not sure it was for me. Readers who enjoy a heavy focus on the supernatural will appreciate it as it’s reminiscent of Stephen King. I enjoyed the nostalgic 90s setting and the unlikely friendships in the story. However, it was a bit too long, somehow with a lot going on but also slow paced for me. Ultimately, the storyline wasn’t quite what I hoped for after really enjoying this author’s debut, Never Saw Me Coming.

Thank you to Vera Kurian, Park Row, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I requested this book on NetGalley because I really enjoyed the previously published book by this author, and the blurb sounded like I would enjoy this one too.

One of the characters in this book says something to the effect of, "I knew something weird was going on in this town, but I didn't know it was that weird." This pretty much sums up the novel as a whole. Jia, Padma, James, Casey, Kelly, and Maddy live in Wesley Falls. They get grouped together on a project, which means they end up spending some time together one summer in high school. They aren't your typical group of friends, largely because Maddy is a Wesley who is entrenched in Golden Praise, the church in the town.

When the book opens, Jia is summoned to Wesley Falls after being away for twenty years to help find a missing person. Jia has some supernatural tendencies, knowledge that she can't explain except to say that she can "see" certain things. Blub, the town sheriff, knows this, and calls her back to help locate a missing person. It turns out that the missing person is Maddy, and she isn't missing so much as murdered. Thus begins Jia's mission to get the rest of the group back together in Wesley Falls to finish what was started twenty years ago, when they witnessed a crime that they never should have known about.

This book was cool. The supernatural pieces were not overdone and felt completely appropriate to the story. It's a long book, but I didn't feel like any piece of it drug out too much. The reader gets to learn a lot about each character, and the insider knowledge of Golden Praise comes from different places, completing the whole picture.

The book switches POVs and timelines so that the reader can get a feel for each character, the buildup to the crime in 1995, and the developing events in 2015. I liked the shift between characters and time periods, and I think that helped make the book feel less long.

If you're okay with some supernatural elements in your thrillers, I think this is going to be a good one for you!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4! I’d definitely recommend it to a pretty wide audience due to its character depth, plot development, and winding storytelling.

A Step Past Darkness was unlike any thriller I’ve ever read. It was atmospheric, intriguing, supernatural, and gripping! Certain components of the book would be very well suited for lovers of Godshot or Midnight is the Darkest Hour, but the supernatural components are beyond comparison for my typical reading repertoire. It’s definitely not your standard murder mystery!

This dual timeline story follows a group of high schoolers during the summer after their sophomore year in 1995, and then also features chapters from 2015, when the group of old friends reconvenes in their hometown for one of their group members’ funeral. The story is set in a small mining town in Pennsylvania, where a mega church dominates the town. In 1995, six people are murdered, but their deaths are ruled an accident. It’s up to Maddy, Casey, James, Kelly, Padma, and Jia to determine what nefarious actions led to these deaths —- and just how far does the corruption go?

The first ~40% feel like a well-done literary thriller: readers get an excellent atmospheric setting, well-developed characters, and significant mystery and tension surrounding the mega church in town and the mysterious deaths. Readers grow to learn so much about these characters and become rather attached to their stories. The winding, twisting prose was one of my favorite aspects of the novel. The chapters that follow our characters during high school feel simultaneously nostalgic and chilling, definitely holding my attention throughout.

The more supernatural/demon-esque components of the story aren’t introduced until roughly the halfway mark, and from there on out it’s a wild ride! I couldn’t put it down once I hit the bigger plot pieces in that second half. The slow burn work from earlier in the book comes to thrilling fruition with the book’s conclusion!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Trigger warnings: religious trauma, eating disorders

"A Step Past Darkness" by Vera Kurian is a riveting thriller that masterfully intertwines the past and present, weaving a tale that is as haunting as it is compelling. Set in the seemingly idyllic town of Wesley Falls, with its hidden, dark underbelly, this book plunges you into a mystery that has been simmering for twenty years.

The story kicks off in the summer of 1995 with a fateful party in an abandoned coal mine, a setting so perfectly eerie it almost becomes a character in its own right. Six high school students from vastly different walks of life witness something so shocking it alters their lives forever. Kurian does a phenomenal job in fleshing out these characters - Maddy, Kelly, James, Casey, Padma, and Jia - each with their unique perspective and secrets, making you invested in their journey from the get-go.

Fast forward twenty years, and the past comes knocking in the most chilling way – Maddy has been murdered. The remaining five are pulled back into the web of secrets and lies they thought they had escaped. Kurian expertly unravels the narrative, layer by layer, keeping you glued to the pages as the former classmates confront old ghosts and hidden truths in their quest for answers.

Kurian's writing is sharp and evocative, effortlessly transporting you between the past and present, capturing the essence of teenage angst and adult desperation with equal skill. The suspense is masterfully built, with each revelation more surprising than the last. As the group returns to the mine for a final confrontation, the tension is palpable, culminating in a climax that is both shocking and satisfying.

In conclusion, "A Step Past Darkness" is a must-read for thriller enthusiasts. Vera Kurian has crafted a story that's not just about solving a murder; it's about confronting the past, the bonds of friendship, and the lengths to which people will go to protect their secrets. It's a gripping, twisty, turn-y ride that will keep you guessing until the very end. So, settle in and get ready to take a step into the darkness – you won't regret it.

This was the PERFECT book to wrap up my year with. I truly couldn’t have loved it more. I felt like this book was fine tuned and tailored just for me. 😂

A Step Past Darkness follows Kelly, Maddy, Jai, Padma and Casey in 1995 and 2015. These 6 vastly different teens were lumped together for a group project in High School when they witness something horrifying in the mines in their town. This leads them to searching for answers in their crooked creepy town. The book flashes forward to 2015 when they’re all brought back to the town when one of the 6 is found murdered.

I adored each of these characters. The 1995 POV had Stand By Me vibes that I just loved. The book was long but I truly could’ve devoured another 100 pages. I just didn’t want it to end. It felt like binging a whole series in a day.

My only heads up for future readers is, don’t go in fully expecting a straight to the point thriller. It’s just as much supernatural horror as it is thriller - but truly, in the best possible way.

I just can’t say enough good things about this book. It’s one of those books, to me, that need a 6th star. 5 isn’t enough. ⭐️✨

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.