In 2024, something I want to work on in terms of my reading is refining my reading taste. When I read the synopsis for A Step Past Darkness, I was beyond intrigued by this book and ready to dive in and see what my thoughts would be surrounding the story as I read.
A Step Past Darkness : A Novel
Vera Kurian
On Sale Date: February 20, 2024
9780778310761
Hardcover
$30.00 USD
Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological
448 pages
About A Step Past Darkness:
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER meets Stephen King in this character-driven thriller about a study group of six teenagers who witness something tragic in an abandoned mine, which comes back to haunt them 20 years later.
SIX CLASSMATES.
ONE TERRIFYING NIGHT.
A MURDER TWENTY YEARS IN THE MAKING…
There’s more to Wesley Falls than meets the eye, but for six high school students, it’s home.
Kelly, the new girl and rule-follower.
Maddy, the beauty and the church favorite.
Padma, the brains and all-A student.
Casey, the jock and football star.
James, the burnout and just trying to make it to graduation.
And Jia, the psychic, who can see the future.
When these six are assigned to work on a summer group project, their lives are forever changed. At an end of the year party in the abandoned mine, they witness a preventable tragedy, but no one will take them seriously. As things escalate, they realize the church, the police, and the town’s founders are all conspiring to cover up what happened. When James is targeted as the scapegoat, to avoid suspicion, they vow their silence and to never contact each other again. Their plan works – almost.
Twenty years later, Maddy is found murdered is Wesley Falls, and the remaining five are forced to confront their past and work together to finally put right what happened all those years ago. If they can survive…
My Thoughts about the Book:
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this. At first, the multiple points of view with varying timelines was a little hard to keep up with but as I continued on, I fell into the groove and ultimately found that with the jump to 2015, these characters were well developed and it was nice to see how much they grew since the summer of 1995.
This story had more of a supernatural edge that I wasn’t anticipating and while it was interesting to see this kind of take, at times I felt there could’ve been more depth brought into it. I completely understand why the author made these decisions in telling this story, this is more of a personal preference.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and following these characters.
Where You Can Purchase the Book:
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-step-past-darkness-original-vera-kurian/20155061?ean=9780778310761
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Step-Past-Darkness-Novel/dp/0778310760
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-step-past-darkness-vera-kurian/1143574161
About the Author:
Vera Kurian is a writer and scientist based in Washington DC. Her debut novel, NEVER SAW ME COMING (Park Row Books, 2021 was an Edgar Award nominee and was named one of the New York Times’ Best Thrillers of 2021. Her short fiction has been published in magazines such as Glimmer Train, Day One, and The Pinch. She has a PhD in Social Psychology, where she studied intergroup relations, ideology, and quantitative methods. She blogs irregularly about writing, horror movies and pop culture/terrible TV.
Find the Author Online:
Author website: https://www.verakurian.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/verakurianauthor/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vera_kurian
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