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Through The Gloaming
After a shockingly unexpected fall through the ice, 18 year old Alex finds himself in The Gloaming, the twilight between life and death. He discovers his Gloaming to be a dark and dismal place, a direct result of a life lived with selfishness and greed.With the help of Anaya, is spirit guide, Alex is given a second chance. One chance to change his life, and his Gloaming for good. He wakes to find that he can see auras, bright colors surrounding people. People he loves, as well as total strangers. Embarking on a quest to understand the meaning behind the different colored auras, Alex discovers that he can help people. That is, if he can learn to put others before himself.Alex learns a hard lesson of sacrifice, love, and the power of letting go as he struggles to find his way Through The Gloaming.
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2012
7 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 27, 2012
Last night, I read one of the most beautiful stories ever. Trust me - when I say that, I am serious. I have read well over a thousand books in my life, but only a few have touched me like Dillon's Through the Gloaming.
The book is beyond amazing. It is professionally crafted - the words just seem to melt into one another and pull you inside. The characters made me feel at home. By the end of the story, I knew them as well as my own family. I could feel their angst, hope, fear, anger... When I was reading the book (which only took a few hours - I was so hooked on it!), I felt I was inside the story, living it with the characters.
Even though I am an Indie writer, I read both Indies and traditionally-published authors. I can honestly say this book is as good (and even better, in some cases) as any book I've ever read published by one of the "Big Six" companies. If the author submitted this book to an agent or publisher, she would have a gold mine on her hands, not to mention how many others she could touch with her awe-inspiring words.
I'm not a soft-hearted person. I don't watch Lifetime or the Hallmark channel, I'd rather have a good book than flowers or jewelry, and I don't cry at weddings or while reading books. THIS book made me cry. Without giving away too much, it is a story about second chances and hope. Dillon shows us that no matter where we are in life, there is always time to make a change for the better...and I am a better person for having read her book.
The book is beyond amazing. It is professionally crafted - the words just seem to melt into one another and pull you inside. The characters made me feel at home. By the end of the story, I knew them as well as my own family. I could feel their angst, hope, fear, anger... When I was reading the book (which only took a few hours - I was so hooked on it!), I felt I was inside the story, living it with the characters.
Even though I am an Indie writer, I read both Indies and traditionally-published authors. I can honestly say this book is as good (and even better, in some cases) as any book I've ever read published by one of the "Big Six" companies. If the author submitted this book to an agent or publisher, she would have a gold mine on her hands, not to mention how many others she could touch with her awe-inspiring words.
I'm not a soft-hearted person. I don't watch Lifetime or the Hallmark channel, I'd rather have a good book than flowers or jewelry, and I don't cry at weddings or while reading books. THIS book made me cry. Without giving away too much, it is a story about second chances and hope. Dillon shows us that no matter where we are in life, there is always time to make a change for the better...and I am a better person for having read her book.
August 19, 2012
Very enjoyable and well-written story about a bratty kid and his path to redemption after a near-death experience. Indie author Donna Dillon could've taken it full-on Dead Zone with this story, but instead decided to take it to a more realistic and believable level.
September 8, 2012
I truthfully don't think that Donna expects me to write a review but there's simply too much going through my head to just talk to her about, so here it is. "Through the Gloaming" is a light read that I would place firmly in the Young Adult genre though there are concepts that I believe that many adults my age (thirty something, for those who are wondering) still fail to grasp. It's about lessons learned and I can say that without giving away anything because that's right in the first chapter. The main character, Alex, is an incredibly selfish fellow who doesn't do a thing for himself and has tended to have everything handed to him in life. It's not so much his fault because I never read anywhere that his parents did anything to teach him otherwise but that still doesn't make this acceptable behavior. His friends and family accept him for who he is and love him just the same, but he has the capacity to be so much more. It's when he has a near death experience that he has the opportunity to turn his life around. But rehashing the plot is not where I intend this review to go.
I felt that the plot read easily though I felt that it moved a little too quickly. It was fairly Disney; the kind of novel where everyone always gets along. This is not something that I have a problem with because it's always wonderful to step into fiction where a person can escape reality even if it's just for a few short hours while curled up with a good book (yes, Donna, I'm calling "Through the Gloaming" a good book).
Here is where this review gets tricky for me because while I thought that "Through the Gloaming" was a heartfelt and thoroughly wonderful read, I also feel that you, Donna are capable of so much more. I was taken by surprise at a few points in the book and I'm used to reading adult level material. This means that you can weave together a very descriptive and entertaining story on a much deeper level and I for one wouldn't miss the opportunity to read it. So I'm going to issue you a challenge of sorts and I'm going to beg you right here and now not to sell yourself short. Stretch yourself beyond what it is you believe you can do and write something just as compelling but liberally mixed with an intricate plot. Be descriptive beyond what you might think is "too much" and prove me right.
"Through the Gloaming" is four star material as far as I'm concerned because while I enjoyed the read, I did feel the plot went a little too quickly. Put the storyline on a slow simmer and tend to character development just a trifle more because I want to know what the characters think and feel in fair detail. It brings them alive for me. On a final note, I'll be patiently waiting for you to show me something in a richly woven adult level five star because I know you can do it.
I felt that the plot read easily though I felt that it moved a little too quickly. It was fairly Disney; the kind of novel where everyone always gets along. This is not something that I have a problem with because it's always wonderful to step into fiction where a person can escape reality even if it's just for a few short hours while curled up with a good book (yes, Donna, I'm calling "Through the Gloaming" a good book).
Here is where this review gets tricky for me because while I thought that "Through the Gloaming" was a heartfelt and thoroughly wonderful read, I also feel that you, Donna are capable of so much more. I was taken by surprise at a few points in the book and I'm used to reading adult level material. This means that you can weave together a very descriptive and entertaining story on a much deeper level and I for one wouldn't miss the opportunity to read it. So I'm going to issue you a challenge of sorts and I'm going to beg you right here and now not to sell yourself short. Stretch yourself beyond what it is you believe you can do and write something just as compelling but liberally mixed with an intricate plot. Be descriptive beyond what you might think is "too much" and prove me right.
"Through the Gloaming" is four star material as far as I'm concerned because while I enjoyed the read, I did feel the plot went a little too quickly. Put the storyline on a slow simmer and tend to character development just a trifle more because I want to know what the characters think and feel in fair detail. It brings them alive for me. On a final note, I'll be patiently waiting for you to show me something in a richly woven adult level five star because I know you can do it.
September 23, 2012
This story really tugs at your heart strings. It's about a selfish boy who changes his attitude following a near-death experience. Alex gains the ability to see auras, and some of them warn of danger. While helping out at a homeless shelter, Alex encounters a little boy who he knows is being abused. Time is running out for little Adam. Can Alex save him before it's too late?
Through the Gloaming is a well-written and engaging tale that drew me in right from the first chapter. The story wastes no time jumping into the action, beginning with Alex's fall through the ice. I had trouble putting this one down.
There was one thing I would have like to see that, in my opinion, would have made the story even better: We are told of Alex's selfish ways via a prologue. I would have liked to have seen at least one chapter dedicated to demonstrating his selfish behavior to give the reader a first-hand look at his personality before the accident. Because we get to know the post-accident Alex without really having known him before, the stark contrast between the two 'personalities' is missing.
Overall, this was good read with plenty of suspense. The ending was perfect.
When I finished this one I immediately picked up "The Snake Pit", another book by the same author.
Through the Gloaming is a well-written and engaging tale that drew me in right from the first chapter. The story wastes no time jumping into the action, beginning with Alex's fall through the ice. I had trouble putting this one down.
There was one thing I would have like to see that, in my opinion, would have made the story even better: We are told of Alex's selfish ways via a prologue. I would have liked to have seen at least one chapter dedicated to demonstrating his selfish behavior to give the reader a first-hand look at his personality before the accident. Because we get to know the post-accident Alex without really having known him before, the stark contrast between the two 'personalities' is missing.
Overall, this was good read with plenty of suspense. The ending was perfect.
When I finished this one I immediately picked up "The Snake Pit", another book by the same author.
July 8, 2012
This is a story that could easily have tipped over into over-sentimentality, but managed to avoid that particular trap. It's a morality tale - it carries a message with it, but above all it is a story - one to keep you reading to find out what happens next. There's a hero, his best friend, his love interest, a victim and a villain, all of whom interact in a plot to keep you rooting for the good guys, and booing and hissing the baddy (and he really is a baddy). The fantasy/paranormal element in the story is not overdone, and it is a key plot driver, not just thrown in there to make the book appeal to vampire/zombie fans.
The world in which the tale is set is not my world, as I stopped being a young adult some time ago, and I have never lived in that kind of society (US suburbia), but it was well-drawn enough for me to be able to see the characters in my mind's eye and to make mental contact with them, if not to identify fully with them.
A book which will definitely appeal to a wide range of readers - probably wider than the one that the author originally aimed at.
The world in which the tale is set is not my world, as I stopped being a young adult some time ago, and I have never lived in that kind of society (US suburbia), but it was well-drawn enough for me to be able to see the characters in my mind's eye and to make mental contact with them, if not to identify fully with them.
A book which will definitely appeal to a wide range of readers - probably wider than the one that the author originally aimed at.
October 16, 2012
A wonderful young adult novel which imparts the importance of empathy, community, and family in a beautifully written metaphor called simply, "The Gloaming." The book reminds me in no small way of Mitch Alborn's book "The Five People You Meet in Heaven." Both books celebrate the importance of a life well spent, though of the two books I think I prefer this one. "Through the Gloaming" is definitely more aimed at the young adult reader, though still quite entertaining and thought provoking to the older reader as well.
I loved the little threads of detail that connect all the characters together and the story is woven together so tightly that in the end every small detail suddenly reveals its importance. There is just the right amount of suspense, danger, and touching sentiment to both capture the readers interest and their heart. I enjoyed this book a great deal indeed.
I loved the little threads of detail that connect all the characters together and the story is woven together so tightly that in the end every small detail suddenly reveals its importance. There is just the right amount of suspense, danger, and touching sentiment to both capture the readers interest and their heart. I enjoyed this book a great deal indeed.
April 6, 2019
Amazing!
This is absolutely not my genre of book. However, as per recommendation I started reading it and found I couldn't put this book down. Donna is an amazing author. This book was captivating.
This is absolutely not my genre of book. However, as per recommendation I started reading it and found I couldn't put this book down. Donna is an amazing author. This book was captivating.
May 20, 2013
A young man has a tragic accident and almost dies. He is given a second chance to remedy his selfish, egocentric way of life. What he does and how he does it makes for a heartwarming story.
Donna Dillon weaves a tale that will touch the reader and make you believe there is hope for everyone to live a good, rewarding life.
Donna Dillon weaves a tale that will touch the reader and make you believe there is hope for everyone to live a good, rewarding life.
May 29, 2016
i'm a pretty voracious reader and this is the BEST book i have read in a TALL stack of books...i laughed, i cried, and everything in between. it's a great story and incredibly well written, with richly developed characters....the perfect combination for a great read!!!!
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July 27, 2012Barely got started when I stopped to read a different book...will get back to this one eventually. Just didn't grab me enough to stick with it.
August 18, 2012
Read it in half a day and not because it was riveting. It was simpering mess of a story. The plot line was thin and so predictable. The worse book about a near-death experience.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews