3.5 stars

As someone who grew up religious I usually enjoy this type of trope because I can identify. This is a real slow burn story, but for me it started out really strong as we get to know the characters. I was invested in their stories and how they came together as friends. However it definitely starts to lose steam around the 2/3 mark and it begins to feel overly long (this clocks in at almost 450 pages which was completely unnecessary) which made to start dragging for me. Overall I did enjoy this one, I just think it would’ve been much stronger if it was edited down a bit.

Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this novel. I was sent this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Vera Kurian does it again!! Instead of college psychopaths we are following 6 teenagers in 1994 and 5 adults in 2015. This tale starts with Jia Kwon coming back to her hometown of Wesley Falls to help find a missing woman with her psychic powers and the dead women turns out to be Maddy Wesley, her family is the founding family of Wesley Falls. This story follows the present and past in order for the reader to learn about what happened and what lead to the events happening in the current timeline. Maddy came back to Wesley Falls to bury her parents she finds out her family left everything to the church. Maddy goes to the church and sees the man that her and her friends murdered the summer of 1994. Maddy finds out the truth and before she could tell the other Capstone 6, she was murdered by the very people that she knew from her old church. Jia goes to the church as well and has the same surprised reaction and calls the other Capstone 5 and tell them about Maddy's death. The Capstone 5 start to retrace Maddy's steps and discover a secret about the town that the church wants to remain hidden. Turns out the pastor is a creature that needs dead bodies in order for the town to continue to prosper and The Elders to continue to be richer. Turns out the current pastor is the son of Taylor who was a church girl like Maddy. The church called Praise Church is basically a cult and kids get thrown in the old mine in order to become sacrifices to the pastor. Jia and her friends get him into the mine after Jia tells him that she can free him. Jia and her friends end up killing him and the church ends up burning to the ground along with the rest of the town that ends up quickly abandoned.

Jia never quite fit into Wesley Falls, being one of the few Asians in town with her mom running a quirky new age store. That's why she bolted as soon as she could. But a surprising revelation about her family's psychic abilities pulls her back into the fold. Teaming up with the town sheriff, whom she remembers fondly from high school, Jia gets drawn into investigating a long-standing mystery triggered by the discovery of a body, setting off a chain reaction that spans two decades. Rallying her old gang of friends, who swore never to return to Wesley Falls, they delve into unfinished business from their high school days.

"A Step Past Darkness" might have been a hefty read, almost 500 pages long, but boy, did it pack a punch. Vera Kurian skillfully weaves a tale that keeps you glued to the pages, painting vivid scenes of the eerie setting and building suspense that's as thick as the coal dust in the town's mines. Switching between past and present, Kurian crafts a narrative that's part mystery, part coming-of-age drama, and part psychological thriller, leaving you eager for more. This gripping tale explores themes of ambition, manipulation, and the darkness that lurks within us all, keeping you hooked until the very end.

Thank you NetGalley and HTP for this ARC!

Jia has never fit in living in Wesley Falls. Not only was she one of the only Asians in town (her mom was the other one), but her mother ran a new age type of store. It's the reason she got out the minute she could. But what brings her back is that there's a little bit more to her mom's interest than just stones. It turns out, psychic visions run in the family.

Jia has been helping out the town Sheriff, who she fondly recalls from high school, for several years. When she's called back to help investigate a disappearance and happens on a body, one-time mean girl, Maddy, it sets of a chain reaction of events that has been 20 years in the making.

Jia calls six friends who swore they would never set foot in Wesley Falls again back home to finish what they started in high school.

It took me longer than usual to read A Step Past Darkness. It wasn't until I finished that I realized the book is almost 500 pages long (Kindle problems). While it was a long read, I will say it was meatier than most of the books in this genre. It wasn't just a surface story with twists and turns. We really got to know the 6 characters and were really a part of their story from beginning to finish.

Vera Kurian did a superb job really painting a picture of the setting and developing the suspense in the story. It kept my attention all the way to page 448. Special thanks to Netgalley and Park Row publishing for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now.

A Step Past Darkness follows six students, thrown together for a group project, and the secrets they discover about their small town. Wesley Falls seems like the perfect place - except for the weird, cult-like church that determines everyone’s social status in town. The book has a dual timeline - the kids at school in the 1990s, and their return to their hometown in 2015, where they gather for the memorial of one their own. Told through each of the six characters’ point of views, the past leads up to how the six of them swear never talk to each other again, and how they finally reunite.

The book starts off normally, but the story quickly becomes bizarre - in the best way. There certainly is something strange going on at the church, but the supernatural twists are unpredictable. I enjoyed Vera Kurian’s first book, Never Saw Me Coming, but A Step Past Darkness is a lot more fun, if also more unrealistic. A suspension of disbelief is definitely required, but this kept me hooked until the end.

"Pretty much every kid in Wesley Falls still remembered the rhyme taught to them in kindergarten. Allegedly something the miners sang when they worked down there.

Once healthy men with eyes bright,
Tunneled down to eternal night
Slaved away for a bit of coal
Came back not quite whole
Lost souls are buried deep
Dig too far, you'll fall asleep"

I adored Kurian's debut, Never Saw Me Coming, so I picked this book up just because her name was on it. And this book is sooo different from that book, but just as good.

The book begins with Jia returning to Wesley Falls. She has visions and has remained friends with the police chief, a boy she went to school with. He has called her back to help find a missing girl. Then we switch perspectives and are in the past--Jia's sophomore year in high school and the capstone group she is assigned to. The grouping is strange--as so many class projects are--and the group is Jia, her best friend, a jock, a burnout, a devoted churchgoer and a bookworm. At this point I was kind of like, what the heck is happening here, but I kept going and wow, did it pay off. I loved this book. It was like The Breakfast Club meets a cult meets the horror movie The Descent. Megachurches and mines and small towns--oh my! I laughed during the book, I got teary eyed during this book, I got creeped out during this book--it was awesome. And now I'm dying to see what Kurian comes up with next.

At the time, I was interested in mystery/thriller books; however currently I am no longer interested in reading the book.

Thank you HTP for the advanced copy of A Step Past Darkness, I read and enjoyed Kurian’s previous thriller and was hoping to enjoy this one as much. I liked the premise and how the book started, but as it progressed and you got closer to revealing what was going on, it felt like the book changed. The added paranormal element felt off to me, I wish the book went in a different direction. I liked the characters and their development, and the way the book weaves between past and present. I will definitely read from this author again.

This is sad, I loveeee Never Saw Me Coming, so I was excited for this one, but unfortunately it's not for me.
Disappointed with a lot of things. It's kinda dragging at the beginning, I don't feel connected to these many characters, it felt weird and confusing, and I keep comparing it to that famous book from that legendary author. The paranormal part is kinda okay. The mystery is predictable. The suspense is none. The ending is rushed. So yeah not for me, which is sad, because I do want to love it, I just didn't enjoy it at all in the end.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
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When I came acoss this one on NetGalley I was actually super shocked to see that this wasn’t talked about more on booksta. I absolutely loved Never Saw Me Coming so I immediately hit that request button. When I was approved I opened up that ebook and was like wowwwww she THICCC – coming in at 502 pages. Well of course I had to dive in.
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I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this one. It was very different from Never Saw Me Coming. This book centers around the Capstone Six - a group of unlikely friends who had a summer of hell and decided to keep eachothers secrets by going their separate ways. Not until one of them dies, do they come back together to finish what they started. Told in multiple points of view and through a dual timeline of the summer of 1995 and the present – 2015, you really get to know each of the characters
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This one gave me so many different vibes while reading it. I got like a Breakfast club / Culty / Vampirey vibes from this one. I was instantly intrigued and needed to know what the hell was going on with Golden Praise. The pacing of this one was pretty steady throughout. There were points that were much faster paced than others and there were also some super thrilling parts. This whole book was an adventure while facing something that just wasn’t right. I loved the character growth of each of them throughout this story and I really fell in love with each of them. I was instantly sucked into this story and it kept me intrigued until the very end. I loved what Kurian did with the ending and felt like everything was wrapped up nicely.
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Overall, fantastic read; a bit long, but addicting enough that you don’t even notice. A Step Past Darkness was released on 2/20, be sure to check this one out. Definitely recommending it to all of my cult / thriller / mystery fans. Huge thank you to NetGalley, Vera Kurian and Harlequin Trade Publishing and Park Row for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers & Vera Kurian for the ARC. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish this book. Too many characters and it read too YA for my tastes. I'm sure this will be a hit though!

I normally don’t do paranormal mysteries, because I get freaked out. That being said, I was totally captivated by this book. And despite my fears I’d be hiding under the covers, I had to keep reading. I love that we learn a little bit at a time so that things are kept a mystery until you absolutely have to know. This book explores our want for prosperity, for having it all, and shows us how someone with charisma can bring out the inherent evil in us all. And if you doubt that, at the end of the book ask ‘Did he ask for that?’

As a fan of Vera Kurian’s first book, “Never Saw Me Coming,” I will admit, I went into this one expecting something completely different than what was here. Which, honestly, isn’t fair to the book itself’s fault, but the back blurb and my expectations of a thriller like her debut left me a little let down.

This is not a thriller. This is not a novel set only in the real world.

This book is a character study and an homage to the book “IT”, which after finishing makes so much sense.

So my review is really to warn others who have read the previous book.

What I did love was the cast of characters and their relationship. The slow build creepiness. The lore of the mine.

However, the dual timelines and length of this novel were a struggle. I’d get confused at who was talking and what time period. This book could have been a little shorter and tighter than it was.

But, still an enjoyable read and I definitely recommend to anyone looking for a character-driven, cult-like horror book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review ecopy of this book.

Vera Kurian caught me with her last book Never Saw Me Coming and I have been itching for her next release. I was so excited to see A Step Past Darkness that I instantly knew I had to read it.

The story follows Jia and friends from Wesley Falls as they come back together after decades apart when one has mysteriously died and there are so many questions about their hometown.

First up, this book gives major cult vibes. I never used to like books about cults because they made me uncomfortable, but I’ve learned to love them and all their twisty ways. Golden Praise is the epitome of a cult and the obsession the townfolks have with it triggered all my red-flag warnings right away. Kurian knows how to get you instantly intrigued by a story and desperately needing more information. The six friends in this book were so fun. I think what people will like is there is someone for everyone. There are the popular kids, the stoner, the book nerd, the shy girl, and so forth. Everyone can relate to someone in this story. I think that helped me connect.

The only thing about this story that kept me from giving it five stars was that it had a bit of a fantasy twist to it and I was not expecting it. It is labeled in the genre of mystery and thriller, and having read Kurians previous work I was expecting that. It is that, but I was not expecting that supernatural twist. So if you are not a supernatural fan, maybe this won’t be for you. But before you decide that I will say I don’t read many supernatural-based books because it’s not my thing, but this book was still really, really good. I just wish I had a bit of a heads-up to that.

Even with that said, Kurian again has delivered a stunning piece of writing with deep, interesting characters that you honestly cheer for throughout and a dark, intense antagonist that you don’t see in too many stories. I’m impressed, yet again, by Kurian’s talent and will be waiting desperately for the next book.

I loved this book. I did think it dragged towards the end, but this book stayed with me far after I finished it. The characters, the setting, all parts of this book did it for me!

The best thing about this book is the page count.

A Step Past Darkness takes you by the hand and slowly leads you in. You know the characters - strengths, weaknesses, fears, and hopes - both past and present. You see relationships evolve throughout time. You know the town - the families, the parks, the store fronts. You're there. You're involved. You're a witness, maybe a victim.

Honestly, there were parts of this plot that were a little out there for me, a little silly. But, I left the book feeling like I had an experience, met some people, visited a town. It was engrossing. The author sold me on what she was trying to do, even though I didn't always agree with her choices.

I would recommend to anyone that is sick of the 300-page horror novel with no personality characters that you can't keep straight, and some poorly described evil entity that is either too unoriginal, or too confusing, to be scary.

First, thanks to @netgalley for an early review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This released on 2/20.

This book should have been a good read for me - I love murder mysteries, small town drama, and group dynamics. It could have felt like The Goonies or any other similar story with a group of misfit outcasts. But it wasn’t.

This suffered from too many characters and for needing a good editor. It was unnecessarily long, and the number of people you have to keep track of feels unmanageable. Beyond that, it just wasn’t anything groundbreaking or deeply interesting.

To be honest, I didn’t realize that this was the same author as 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐰 𝐌𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, which was also underwhelmed by in 2021. I now know this author isn’t for me, and that’s okay. She clearly has super fans out there, and I hope if you’re one, you give this book a try.

This is definitely a "WTF did I just read" type of book, and I'm not entirely sure how I felt about it. I was prepared after Vera Kurian's debut for this to be a bit of a wild ride, and it definitely was, but I found the ending to be a little unsatisfying, and with a book as long as this one was, it felt like a lot of a commitment to feel that way. I thought that the setting and characters were great- the author isn't afraid to explore the grittier parts of personalities and environments.

I love stepping into a book completely blind, but sometimes it throws me off a bit.

Vera Kurian does her research. We learned this from her first book where she understood the psychology of psychopaths SO well that she even shocked experts in the field.

So I went into this book blind expecting it to be a psychological- or science-focused book…and the last thing I expected was a paranormal element! And yet, once I wrapped my head around it, I truly enjoyed the world she created (and yes, she did her research on everything involved to make it as realistic as possible).

Six kids bonded one summer as kids when they were placed in a group together for a project, but the bonding didn’t really happen until the trauma occurred. Then they were forced to stay apart in order to avoid people questioning their involvement in the crime. So 20 years later, they all come back together when one of the original six has been murdered unexpectedly in their home town where everything started.

Dual timelines and multiple perspectives shape this paranormal thriller meets amateur detective story into one you’ll be flying through.

It’s a bit outside of my usual genre, but I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend it—especially to anyone who enjoys paranormal thrillers!

It's so hard when you love one book by an author, and then you have certain expectations for their next book. Reading this book, I knew how much I enjoyed this author's book, Never Saw Me Coming, and that definitely affected how I felt about this one.

I found myself bored with this book and had to get the audiobook to get through it. The audiobook did help move it along but didn't make the story any more interesting.

I really don't feel like the storyline was unique. It felt like an amalgamation of many stories I have read or watched in my lifetime (the Buffy episodes with the preacher kept coming to mind IYKYK). Sidenote:The real-life PA town of Centralia, I'm sure, was a big inspiration for this book, too.

I wanted so much to like this, and it really wasn't all bad. I enjoyed a couple of the characters and their back stories. I enjoyed some of the descriptions and the family dynamics that were very realistic.

All in all, I gave this 3⭐️. While this book wasn't completely for me, I know I will keep reading this author's work.

As always, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.