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The Crossings Trilogy #2
Edging Through the Darkness
Something diabolic grows stronger within Crossings , Grace MacKenna's haunted ancestral estate. Grace vows to rescue her unsuspecting cousin Michael from demonic possession, and to do so, she explores the deadly secrets stored beneath her Antebellum home. As the mystery of Crossings and its importance during the Civil War surfaces, Grace encounters ghosts who lead her deeper into the mansion's dark past, buried passageways, and the routes used by slaves to escape through the Underground Railroad. Can Grace solve the murders that trap the ghosts to Hell on Earth in time to rescue Michael?
- GenresFantasy
229 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 19, 2015
36 people are currently reading
598 people want to read
About the author
D.L. Koontz
7 books61 followersD.L. Koontz was a management consultant and college instructor in the Washington DC area before trading it all for ranch life and writing. Now, she breathes easier and learns something new every day.
An award-winning writer and former journalist, she believes story trumps structure. As such, she's been published in a variety of genres, using whichever format/style best relays the story.
D.L. has been published in seven languages, and loves to keep her readers up all night.
Besides writing, she is passionate about hiking, photography, traveling, history, flea market discoveries, and British miniseries.
She’s a confirmed autodidact, having deep-dived into the food-lifestyle-health connection. She lives with her husband on their small ranch in coastal Georgia.
She welcomes readers to her beautiful, crazy, writing corner of the world at www.dlkoontz.com.
Her mantra: "There's always an upside - find it!"
An award-winning writer and former journalist, she believes story trumps structure. As such, she's been published in a variety of genres, using whichever format/style best relays the story.
D.L. has been published in seven languages, and loves to keep her readers up all night.
Besides writing, she is passionate about hiking, photography, traveling, history, flea market discoveries, and British miniseries.
She’s a confirmed autodidact, having deep-dived into the food-lifestyle-health connection. She lives with her husband on their small ranch in coastal Georgia.
She welcomes readers to her beautiful, crazy, writing corner of the world at www.dlkoontz.com.
Her mantra: "There's always an upside - find it!"
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 1, 2015
I LOVED THIS BOOK! I've been anxiously awaiting the continuation of Grace's story and was thrilled to get my hands on Edging Through the Darkness. As in the first book of the series, Crossing Into the Mystic, DL Koontz takes us into the past, the present, and the unknown with lush description and elegant prose. I occasionally found myself re-reading paragraphs just to relish the beauty of the words. I couldn't do that often, though, because each chapter had me anxiously turning the pages to see what would happen next. I never give spoilers in my reviews, but I will say that the twist at the end had me slamming the book closed in shock! Then I had to go back and re-read several key passages, wondering how I'd missed it. Then I had to go on a search to find out how long I would have to wait for the third book. Read this series. You will not be disappointed.
June 3, 2015
Edging Through The Darkness by DL Koontz is book number two in the Crossings trilogy, and I was blessed to receive a copy. This novel continues where book number one Crossing Into The Mystic left off. As it was a year since I had read the first book, I got a bit confused at the start, but soon remembered who was who, and what had happened. I think that you need to read book one before tackling this one.
Grace continues her fight against the forces of evil. She needs to put on the full armour of God, as listed in Ephesians.
Once again Grace is called on to solve murders from a hundred and fifty years earlier, during the American Civil War. The murders fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and must be tackled in the correct order. Time is not on Grace's side. Will she succeed?
The theme of being in a spiritual battle runs throughout the novel. DL Koontz suggests that we do not 'see' all that there is around us. In our day to day lives we may have 'entertained angels' or faced demons, unawares.
As with book one I found myself caught up in the action via Grace. At times my heart was racing and my skin was crawling. Grace was the epitome of goodness in an ever increasing dark world.
I did find that it took me a while to get into this second book, but I think that that was because I was desperately trying to remember book one. My advice is to read the books back to back, then no confusion will reign. However once I was 'hooked' I raced on to the end, being unable to put the book down.
The end did leave me with more questions than answers. I am eagerly awaiting the third and final book, where I am assuming all my questions will be answered and everything neatly wrapped up.
Grace continues her fight against the forces of evil. She needs to put on the full armour of God, as listed in Ephesians.
Once again Grace is called on to solve murders from a hundred and fifty years earlier, during the American Civil War. The murders fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and must be tackled in the correct order. Time is not on Grace's side. Will she succeed?
The theme of being in a spiritual battle runs throughout the novel. DL Koontz suggests that we do not 'see' all that there is around us. In our day to day lives we may have 'entertained angels' or faced demons, unawares.
As with book one I found myself caught up in the action via Grace. At times my heart was racing and my skin was crawling. Grace was the epitome of goodness in an ever increasing dark world.
I did find that it took me a while to get into this second book, but I think that that was because I was desperately trying to remember book one. My advice is to read the books back to back, then no confusion will reign. However once I was 'hooked' I raced on to the end, being unable to put the book down.
The end did leave me with more questions than answers. I am eagerly awaiting the third and final book, where I am assuming all my questions will be answered and everything neatly wrapped up.
July 10, 2015
Edging Through The Darkness, the second book in the Crossing Trilogy, picks up where Crossing Into The Mystic left off. Grace McKenna continues to investigate paranormal activity. Her ability to see souls not departed from this world creates a lot of problems for our 17 year old heroine. She has two loves to sort out, a few century old murders to solve and more mysteries to uncover about her new home and town. This book may have teens and young adults as its main characters, but the supporting cast of adults makes it an interesting for older readers. The continuing theme of battling the supernatural and how that intertwines with faith is explored again, and the ending adds another layer of truth, continues the theme of book one, and leaves readers anxious for the final installment. DL Koontz seems to be right in the mind of a teen coming of age as the story is told from Grace’s point of view. Her thoughts and emotions are so relatable even if the storyline is a bit out there. Paranormal is not my number one fiction choice, but I love American History. After being introduced to book one by a friend, I found it easy to pick up book two to continue Grace’s journey with her. Koontz is a compelling storyteller.
August 3, 2016
A paranormal story about good vs evil and how confusing it can be. When a seventeen year old girl, after losing her family, inherits a home that is over a hundred and fifty years old begins to be able to see ghosts "souls" it then becomes a battle of are they evil or good and will she survive the new gift or curse she's been given?
Faith in God and good deeds will be her only saving grace. Grace battles these new things while making new friends and trying to save her old ones and her cousin at the same time.
Faith in God and good deeds will be her only saving grace. Grace battles these new things while making new friends and trying to save her old ones and her cousin at the same time.
August 29, 2016
It felt like I was reading a short story, the polt went by so fast. Looking forward to reading the final book in the series. The first book was great but the 2nd left me feeling unsatisfied because it seems to lack the volume of content than was in the first, the characters weren't filled out as much as I would have liked. That said, it was an enjoyable read, sat down and finished it in a couple of hours.
May 28, 2015
I just finished reading Edging Through the Darkness. All I can say is that the ending left me on the edge of my seat and I can't wait for the next book in the series.
September 3, 2017
I obtained this book via Kindle Unlimited and so only have myself to thank. ;-)
Okay, let me start by saying if I gave half star marks, this book would really be a 2 and a half stars and the first book in this trilogy - ‘Crossing into the Mystic’ - would have gotten a three and a half stars. As, basically, I found this second book a little bit of a letdown compared to the first.
Now, before you all start hitting the “unlike” options hear me out. I DID still like ‘Edging through the Darkness’, it just wasn’t as good as I had hoped it would be after the great lead up and ending that happened in the first book.
I could be wrong, but it was as if a great deal of time elapsed between when Ms Koontz wrote ‘Crossing into the Mystic’ and ‘Edging through the Darkness’ and didn’t quite get back into the storyline’s headspace as much as she could have. And I am saying this from experience with my own work. When writing a sequel I need to go back over the story so far, remember how to write like those characters and try and let it seamlessly flow… which is why I got the feeling some time had passed between book one and two as they were similar… but not quite the same story anymore.
The second book sticks to the original foundation themes… but seems to go off on a different tangent as to how the characters worked, thought about it and reacted. It was still a good read, and I read it in like 4 days so that shows I enjoyed it, but it just wasn’t the same. I wish I could put my finger on where the spark had died… but yeah. Not too sure.
There was still a lot of the supernatural theme happening, but it was as if the book was now more interested in moving away from it being a story about ghosts and helping them and more a teen coming of age tale. Perhaps the inner teen I used to read YA just got bored as I’ve never been a fan of coming of age tales. Growing up is hard enough on its own without books trying to show you how good it should be. ;-)
Please don’t get the wrong idea, there is still some great supernatural and spiritual writing within this book and the history shared is obviously well researched by the author - showing a true passion for making the story a good read. But, yeah, just not the same (not as good for me) as the first book.
Would I recommend this book to others?
I would, but only if they had read the first book first. It is a fairly okay continuation of the story and if you were as hooked on the ending of ‘Crossing into the Mystic’ as I was, you will be wanting to see what happens.
The story is a little different than I assumed it would be, based on the first book, but who’s to say I am right? It is just one opinion and I freely admit I could be totally wrong about it all! :-D
I suppose you could read it as a stand-alone story, but it is obviously part of a series and I wouldn’t find reading just this book on its own as logical or fun as reading all three.
Would I buy this book for myself?
Well, I did join up with Kindle Unlimited just to finish reading this trilogy… but am going to be unsubscribing from it shortly as Kindle Unlimited just doesn’t offer me the books I want to read.
Saying that, when I do unsubscribe from Kindle Unlimited, it will mean I lose not only ‘Edging through the Darkness’ but the third book ‘Escaping from the Abyss’ and… to be honest… it won’t be a great loss to me. Nor can I see myself buying them when I can.
They are library level books (I will be reviewing ‘Escaping from the Abyss’ shortly). As in, something fun to borrow from the library to read and enjoy… not something I see myself ever owning as it just doesn’t hold that right spark to keep my attention. Meh, probably my loss, right?
In summary: An okay continuation and second book in ‘The Crossings Trilogy’ but not as good as first book.
Okay, let me start by saying if I gave half star marks, this book would really be a 2 and a half stars and the first book in this trilogy - ‘Crossing into the Mystic’ - would have gotten a three and a half stars. As, basically, I found this second book a little bit of a letdown compared to the first.
Now, before you all start hitting the “unlike” options hear me out. I DID still like ‘Edging through the Darkness’, it just wasn’t as good as I had hoped it would be after the great lead up and ending that happened in the first book.
I could be wrong, but it was as if a great deal of time elapsed between when Ms Koontz wrote ‘Crossing into the Mystic’ and ‘Edging through the Darkness’ and didn’t quite get back into the storyline’s headspace as much as she could have. And I am saying this from experience with my own work. When writing a sequel I need to go back over the story so far, remember how to write like those characters and try and let it seamlessly flow… which is why I got the feeling some time had passed between book one and two as they were similar… but not quite the same story anymore.
The second book sticks to the original foundation themes… but seems to go off on a different tangent as to how the characters worked, thought about it and reacted. It was still a good read, and I read it in like 4 days so that shows I enjoyed it, but it just wasn’t the same. I wish I could put my finger on where the spark had died… but yeah. Not too sure.
There was still a lot of the supernatural theme happening, but it was as if the book was now more interested in moving away from it being a story about ghosts and helping them and more a teen coming of age tale. Perhaps the inner teen I used to read YA just got bored as I’ve never been a fan of coming of age tales. Growing up is hard enough on its own without books trying to show you how good it should be. ;-)
Please don’t get the wrong idea, there is still some great supernatural and spiritual writing within this book and the history shared is obviously well researched by the author - showing a true passion for making the story a good read. But, yeah, just not the same (not as good for me) as the first book.
Would I recommend this book to others?
I would, but only if they had read the first book first. It is a fairly okay continuation of the story and if you were as hooked on the ending of ‘Crossing into the Mystic’ as I was, you will be wanting to see what happens.
The story is a little different than I assumed it would be, based on the first book, but who’s to say I am right? It is just one opinion and I freely admit I could be totally wrong about it all! :-D
I suppose you could read it as a stand-alone story, but it is obviously part of a series and I wouldn’t find reading just this book on its own as logical or fun as reading all three.
Would I buy this book for myself?
Well, I did join up with Kindle Unlimited just to finish reading this trilogy… but am going to be unsubscribing from it shortly as Kindle Unlimited just doesn’t offer me the books I want to read.
Saying that, when I do unsubscribe from Kindle Unlimited, it will mean I lose not only ‘Edging through the Darkness’ but the third book ‘Escaping from the Abyss’ and… to be honest… it won’t be a great loss to me. Nor can I see myself buying them when I can.
They are library level books (I will be reviewing ‘Escaping from the Abyss’ shortly). As in, something fun to borrow from the library to read and enjoy… not something I see myself ever owning as it just doesn’t hold that right spark to keep my attention. Meh, probably my loss, right?
In summary: An okay continuation and second book in ‘The Crossings Trilogy’ but not as good as first book.
November 16, 2015
Unbelievable! D.L. Koontz did it – Edging Through The Darkness, Book 2 of her Crossing Into The Mystic trilogy, is just as absorbing & fast-paced as Book 1! Chapter 1 has the reader already suspecting Michael is possessed by an evil spirit – a real ‘grabber’ to keep reading. Edging pulls us deeper into Grace’s life – a life now without Will or Clay; a life that has her feeling a growing evilness in her house; a life where the past, present, & unknown force her to face difficult decisions that profoundly effect those she loves. Grace must travel the intricate buried passageways beneath the mansion to get answers - discovering its role in the Underground Railroad & meeting the despicable demons who committed murders & threaten Michael.
Seldom does our book club choose to read a sequel as our book of the month another year, but after reading Crossing, when Edging came out, we wanted to check in with Grace & get answers to the many questions at the end of Book 1. Edging answered some questions from Crossing, added more details & dilemmas to some, & enhanced the overall story line with brand new events, characters & quandaries, which gave us more questions! We were not disappointed with Book 2!
Edging Through The Darkness intrigues us as Koontz continues to intertwine Civil War history, paranormal events, faith, & yes, a bit of romance. Her refined style makes history ‘come to life.’ The reader’s senses are alive, suffering the sights, smells, fears, & desolation of the Civil War, especially of the soldiers at Antietam. Her rich descriptions & elegant language allow the reader to easily enter Grace’s world, experiencing her predicaments, fears, & joys. Grace’s subtle vision was disturbing, yet exciting. Koontz deftly wove in the Bible & faith in God to help Grace – particularly verses from Ephesians telling us to use the armor of God against unseen forces of evil.
As I read a book, I try to predict the author’s ending. D.L. Koontz totally ‘won’ – she slammed a shocking twist in at the end that I didn’t see coming! Book 3 cannot come out soon enough!
D.L. Koontz is a masterful author – developing compelling characters, thought-provoking story lines, & powerful images.
Seldom does our book club choose to read a sequel as our book of the month another year, but after reading Crossing, when Edging came out, we wanted to check in with Grace & get answers to the many questions at the end of Book 1. Edging answered some questions from Crossing, added more details & dilemmas to some, & enhanced the overall story line with brand new events, characters & quandaries, which gave us more questions! We were not disappointed with Book 2!
Edging Through The Darkness intrigues us as Koontz continues to intertwine Civil War history, paranormal events, faith, & yes, a bit of romance. Her refined style makes history ‘come to life.’ The reader’s senses are alive, suffering the sights, smells, fears, & desolation of the Civil War, especially of the soldiers at Antietam. Her rich descriptions & elegant language allow the reader to easily enter Grace’s world, experiencing her predicaments, fears, & joys. Grace’s subtle vision was disturbing, yet exciting. Koontz deftly wove in the Bible & faith in God to help Grace – particularly verses from Ephesians telling us to use the armor of God against unseen forces of evil.
As I read a book, I try to predict the author’s ending. D.L. Koontz totally ‘won’ – she slammed a shocking twist in at the end that I didn’t see coming! Book 3 cannot come out soon enough!
D.L. Koontz is a masterful author – developing compelling characters, thought-provoking story lines, & powerful images.
October 5, 2015
I normally don't read paranormal fiction, but this book wasn't too bad. I like to read events from American History and some of it was woven into this novel. There was plenty of intrigue and romance, the paranormal and faith...a little something for everybody. I especially liked how the Ephesians verses about the armor of God against the unseen forces were blended into the story. The story flowed really well and it kept my interest until the end. I really liked the character of Grace...very spunky, a little impulsive, and easy to relate to. There were many unanswered questions at the end of the book...some raised by Grace and some by me, but it sounds like those questions will be explored in the next book of the series. I jumped into this book in the middle of the series, being offered this book for free in exchange for a review. The book was interesting enough for me to go back and read the 1st book, to get more background on Grace, Clay, and Will and their stories and relationships, and to answer questions that were raised for me in this book.
January 2, 2016
The sequel to Crossing into the Mystic, this book picks up only a few days where the first one left off. Grace MacKenna is living in her ancestral home with her adult cousin as guardian, but things are not going as planned.
The pace of this story is a bit slower than the first one, but that's because so much more is happening. D.L. Koontz continues to combine the exploration of historical locations with a well-woven story while smoothly adding more characters and layers to the plot, rounding out the tale's depth and exploration of the ghost phenomenon. Along the way, Grace learns that one of her friends may not be who she thought he was.
As enjoyable as the first story, this is a good read that most people will be able to finish in about two days. It's an excellent choice for a weekend adventure.
The pace of this story is a bit slower than the first one, but that's because so much more is happening. D.L. Koontz continues to combine the exploration of historical locations with a well-woven story while smoothly adding more characters and layers to the plot, rounding out the tale's depth and exploration of the ghost phenomenon. Along the way, Grace learns that one of her friends may not be who she thought he was.
As enjoyable as the first story, this is a good read that most people will be able to finish in about two days. It's an excellent choice for a weekend adventure.
July 15, 2015
This paranormal book was the 2nd of 3 books in this series. I found the book to be a very easy read. It was quite suspenseful and kept me reading and reading. I liked this book even better than the first in the trilogy. I can't wait until the 3rd book comes out to see how D.L. Koontz wraps up the characters in this series!
November 28, 2015
Loved this even more that the first book in D.L. Koontz Crossings Series, Crossing into the Mystic. My only negative is...I hate waiting for the next in the series! This story had some real twists - I am seldom surprised when reading and some of these twists and turns had me spinning. Thanks for another hair-raising thrill ride!
March 12, 2016
This is the second book in "The Crossing Trilogy". "Edging Through the Darkness" is the second part of the story. It's as good as the first book and I didn't want to put it down. I loved both books and can't wait for the third book. If you love paranormal, history, romance, and ghosts you will enjoy this book.
August 20, 2016
Quick paced
An excellent length for a a quick read, a tidy little page turner that does keep you guessing in places, sand isn't completely predictable. An enjoyable series of books.
An excellent length for a a quick read, a tidy little page turner that does keep you guessing in places, sand isn't completely predictable. An enjoyable series of books.
November 16, 2015
Loved this book. I finished in a day. I can't wait for the next book
November 21, 2015
Intriguing
This is a fun read with really dark undertones. I highly recommend this 2nd book in this series. You won't be sorry.
This is a fun read with really dark undertones. I highly recommend this 2nd book in this series. You won't be sorry.
November 28, 2015
Love love love
Very interesting who to trust and who not to trust lies deceit treason friends wolf's in sheep's clothing
Very good book
Very interesting who to trust and who not to trust lies deceit treason friends wolf's in sheep's clothing
Very good book
February 1, 2016
A page turner to the end.
If one is into romances, mystery, history, adventure, ghosts? This book has it all! A great book from the beginning to the end.
If one is into romances, mystery, history, adventure, ghosts? This book has it all! A great book from the beginning to the end.
August 19, 2016
Rate the book!
I wasn't ready for this one to end. I really have enjoyed these two books. I can't wait to see how she gets herself out of this sit.
I wasn't ready for this one to end. I really have enjoyed these two books. I can't wait to see how she gets herself out of this sit.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews