Finley, twin, coffee shop employee, and martial arts student, has been hiding what she truly sees her entire life.
When she shows up to a business meeting to advance her future, she is shown a different, magical side to the world she’s thought she’s always known.

A slight slow burn to an excellent cliffhanger ending! Looking forward to immediately diving into the second installment of this series.

Last month I caught myself browsing through NetGalley. I really didn't need to, but this one caught my eye and I thought it would be nice to try. I AM NOW HOOKED ON THIS SERIES!

The audiobook is 9 hours and 37 minutes, and is narrated by Lucy Rivers and Aiden Snow. Lucy narrates most of the book as it is mostly told from the female main character, Finley. The sour, "I'm better than you" Carrick has a few chapters from his view, and Aiden does a glorious job of capturing Carrick's character. I was so in to this I couldn't stop! I finished the audiobook in just 2 days, and it would have been 1 if I hadn't needed to go to my office job.

Honestly I was a little worried as the writing is filled with descriptions, but it never became too much. I just kept listening wanting more. I was interested in finding what was happening with Finley and why she had been given the ability to see Fae and Daemons when no other human can do this. I was also a bit intrigued by the tension building between Finley and the character of Carrick, who wants something which has not yet been revealed to the reader, but clearly there is a little something between him and Finley.

There will clearly be something later in the series between Finley and Carrick. Even though right now Carrick is somewhat of a pompous character, there are flickers of something for Finley. Moments where he catches her arm, or helps her in ways he really doesn't need to in order to get whatever this is he is after. Finley isn't foolish either. She knows he's after something, and is trying to not let herself get too close to him.

I would classify this as urban paranormal fantasy romance. The romance so far isn't series yet, this seems to be a slow burn. So slow of a burn the characters don't believe or see anything between themselves yet. The ebook, hardcover, and paperback formats are available on Amazon. The audiobook published by Tantor Audio can be found available as of July 18, 2023 in your favorite audiobook app/store.

The Revelation of Light and Dark is the first book in the Chronicles of the Stone Veil series where we delve in to a dark fae world with our protagonist Finley. I found this to be a amazing fantasy and slow burn romance and I was instantly hooked with the dual POV and world building. I can't wait to see where this will go in book two and I would love to read more of Finley and Carrick's story.

4.5 Stars for The Revelation of Light and Dark ( Chronicles of the Stone Veil #1)
Sawyer Bennett is a go to author for me, I love how diverse she is but I have to honest I wasn’t sure if a paranormal/ fantasy series would be up my street because truthfully this is not a genre I’m drawn to, well how surprised was I when I found myself captivated by Finley Porter and Carrick Byrne’s tale.
Lucy Rivers and Aiden Snow did a wonderful job bring this book and the characters to life, they were spot on with the emotions and they took me into the dark world of Carrick and rescued me with light of Finlay.
There is a lot happening in this book and I really feel you heed to read it with no preconceived ideas, you need to read it first hand, so I urge you to just one click this wonderful story.
This story was intriguing, it kept me on the edge of my seat and I fell hook, line and sinker for the darkness of Carrick and the light of Finlay. If you love paranormal/ fantasy this will be a must read and if you love stories about true soul mates this book that revolves around, daemons, gods, angels and fate should certainly be on your TBR list. I’m excited to see where hook two will take us.....
I loved this book and I now love the audio version,

I don’t usually have the time to just sit and listen to an audio book. But I made time for this one! It was so good! The characters seemed to come to life in this audio version of the book. It became a movie in my mind. 😍
5 stars!!!

4.5 stars

I can’t remember why I didn’t read this closer to the original release date, but with the release of the audio version and knowing that the series is complete, I decided it was time. I’ve been on a bit of a PNR and fantasy kick and this fits that bill perfectly.

Finley is used to hiding what she sees and feeling different. She manages a coffee shop and while comparing herself to her sister, feels she never quite measures up.

Carrick is one of the most powerful men in Seattle. He is surprised when he learns that Finley can see beyond the veil that separates the humans from fae and daemon glamors. Entering into a business agreement is a surefire way to make sure he can keep Finley close to train her and to find out what she is capable of.

This does not feel like a strong romance at this point, being the first book in a multibook connected series, but this book is very heavily focused on world building for the series - and I loved the world that was developed. Finley learns the fantastical beings hiding behind a veil, walking around her world in disguise, and how to control the abilities that only she seems to hold. She thought she had mental health struggles as a child, not that she had an ability that was based in a reality that most of those around her knew nothing about. Carrick is still very much a mystery and I have so many questions left, especially after the cliffhanger at the end.

Aiden Snow and Lucy Rivers gave a great performance for the audio version of the book. Aiden’s combination of clarity and raspiness is a perfect match for Carrick’s mystery. I loved Lucy’s version of Finley, but some of her other character voices (mostly males) were a struggle for me to match with the way those same voices sounded from Aiden’s voice. I cannot wait to hear more of this story and particularly to hear more from the male POV. Aiden’s performance was top notch, and though there were fewer chapters from his POV, I am hoping as the series develops we hear more from him.

I can’t wait to continue through Finley’s journey, now to decide if I want to binge the other books in the series or if I want to wait for audio on each one.

AN awesome Sci Fi fantasy romance with a great female character Finley and a mysterious hero.Carrick.
Finley always thought there was something wrong with her mind until she met Carrick.
A great intriguing story with different paranormal, suspense twists and romance.
Good narrator and narration enjoyed listening.
Voluntarily reviewed looking forward to the next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen and review through an ARC!

Audiobook rating: 0 out of 5⭐
Novel content rating: 2.5 - 3.5⭐ out of 5⭐ (due to sociopolitical stances at odds with certain approaches and characteristics)
NetGalley (overall) rating: 2⭐ out of 5⭐


The novel starts us off with 27yo Finley Porter who instantly regales us with the intricacies of her life and her love for Seattle and coffee with the enthusiasm of an excited, running-free Chihuahua at a leashed dog park. The narrator choice takes every thought spoken by her and amps it with a beyond excessive amount of spunk and energy that only an over-caffeinated morning person can manifest, and I am solidly not a morning person. Listening to this novel was one of Dante's nine circles of hell.

In her childhood, Finley was 5150'd over a largely visual hallucinations-based psychotic disorder that she oddly never discloses to the reader beyond stating that when she looks at people, sometimes they change into beautiful or grotesque beings right in front of her. As a fellow mentally ill peer within age to Finley, I find that suspicious; why wouldn't she tell us what she was specifically diagnosed with? Giving name to the disorder grounds the reader into the reality of the novel. The way she engages with her mental illness felt sooo unrealistic for a Millennial. The internet is at your disposal, girl. Why haven't you made connections to others with your disorder online? You're living with ongoing psychosis unmedicated by choice, and you're going through it 100% alone--how isolative and, well, tragic, really. Finley having an online presence in her psychotic disorder would have made the novel far more true to experience, but to be frank, I question if she even knows how to use it outside of work related matters. To put it simply, that girl is a full-blown idiot which made the narrator choice even more grating.

Outside of her secret past of being ~mentally ill~~, she's just your Average American White Woman With Irish Heritage™. She's pretty but not gorgeous, wears some make-up but doesn't glam it up, and can admit that she on occasion thinks her friends are beautiful! but that doesn't make her a lesbian!!!!! Because for some reason the novel had to make that REAL clear, lol. She's the exact opposite of gender nonconforming, but there's this strange emphasis from both her and other characters that her choice to not present hyperfemininely on a regular basis is NOT a negative opinion on feminine presentation. It's quite the projection on gender non-conformity and homosexual relationships between women and sits oddly as the narrator races through Finley's thought processes in the book. And her thoughts about the homeless and drug addicts, my Lord...

But back to the plot, Finley is a manager at a coffee shop and has three tenants/roommates that help her pay the mortgage on her father's house. Finley is also a fraternal twin, and her twin sister, Fallon, happens to be on the social rise through her still relatively new-to-the-scene art gallery that is having a showing later in the week.

It is through this showing that we are introduced to the romantic suitor, Carrick Byrne (who also has a narrator with a grating voice but I think most attracted-to-men people will LOVE it?), and are eventually given an alternative reason for Finley's hallucinations: what she is seeing is very real.

Apparently, this whole time, Finley has been seeing fae and daemons, and true to my statement declaring her an idiot earlier, Finley, someone with Irish heritage, needed to be mansplained to about what the fae are... Several times throughout the novel... As a reader, I have never been more irritated, I swear to God. I know that there are people in the world who aren't into fantasy/mythology and are genuinely unaware of things like this but cmon!! I didn't get very far into the book after this before I decided to stop reading it, but, despite myself, it apparently got its claws into me as I picked it back up and finished it.

Carrick and Finley make a shakey alliance, despite him making it clear that he hates her, to determine why she can see fae and daemons for what they are instead of being tricker by their glamours and shenanigans ensue. He introduces her to a plethora of people in search of this knowledge, and in the process, Finley opens up to her powers and gets better at them; more world developing occurs. Then at the very end, we are given a cliffhanger that came out of left field. To the point that I am compelled to read the sequel despite my misgivings for the majority of the novel, lol

I think that the average romance reader would probably enjoy the book. I'm just not the target audience at all.

I loved everything about this storyline. Our heroine, Finley, has grown up with the ability to see things others couldn't. She learned to suppress that side of herself so that she wouldn't end up in the psychiatric hospital. While she tried to suppress that side, she could never truly make it stop. She just learned to shield her reactions and ignore it.

That changes when she meets Carrick Byrne. Now this book is full of secrets that we do not learn in book one. I think Carrick will be the hero, but I'm not 100% sure. We don't learn what Carrick is, but he has to be something if he recognized that Finley could see things she shouldn't.

All the secrets is enough to make me want to jump into the next book, but it isn't the only reason either. I love the idea of the heroine feeling like she's a bit crazy only to find out she actually has an ability. I can't wait to see what's in store for her.

I listeneed to the audiobook version and loved the narrators. I think Lucy Rivers and Aiden Snow did a fantastic job and brought this book to life.

I always enjoy a good fae book. This one was a good start to the series but it had a bit of world building that often felt slow. That said, I'm still here for it.

This fantasy series is blended with a mystery. We don't know a great deal about who the two main characters really are and I suspect the discovery of that at some point in the series will prove interesting for sure. I believe a good deal of this book was setup for the series and since the book ended with one heck of a wow moment type cliffy, I hope more answers will come to life in the next book.

AUDIOBOOK: The narration was done well and kept my interest. I feel that fantasy novels are good candidates for narration if the right narrators are chosen. This one definitely worked for me. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review this audiobook and the opinions contained within are my own.

The Revelation of Light and Dark
Chronicles of the Stone Veil #1
By Sawyer Bennett
Narrated by Lucy Rivers and Aiden Snow

I love Sawyer Bennett. She has a way of pulling me into her romances, enjoying the spice and the building relationships. But all I can say is WOW! This shows a new side to writing for me and I was completely captivated into her fantasy world. She has created a mysterious world where Finley begins to discover that she is truly more than she realized. Always thinking she was different and Carrick who is trying to see just what she can do. The ability to see beneath the glamour and know just who she is dealing with is now more than she can handle. But with Carrick by her side, she is hoping to get some answers. He though, is the most mysterious of all. As she tries to see just what and who he is, an even bigger surprise comes to light! Bennett delves into this world with an invigorating prose, descriptive and illuminating. I could see every scene, and loved getting deeper and deeper into the story. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next! Just who is Carrick, and what's up with Finley's sister? So many unanswered questions! Bring on the next one!

Lucy Rivers is just fantastic in this magical world. Her voices for each character are spot on, fitting each personality and finding the right nuance to make them real. Aiden Snow pops in a couple of times as Carrick, and leaves more mystery to this engaging yet aloof character! I enjoyed the narration and look forward to book two!

#ALC #comingsoon #magicalfantasy #chroniclesofthestoneveil #audiobook #sawyerbennett #lucyrivers #aidensnow

This is the first book in the Chronicles of the Stone Veil series, and it was an enthralling read that kept me hooked from start to finish. Finley, the compelling protagonist, drew me into a beautifully written and slightly dark world of fae unlike any I had encountered before. The author's skillful world-building and intriguing characters, including Carrick, Zaid, Maddox, Rainey, Fallon, and others, made the story come alive. The audiobook narration by Lucy Rivers and Aiden Snow was exceptional. Their performances breathed life into the characters, with Lucy Rivers capturing Finley's emotions and Aiden Snow embodying Carrick's charisma and power. The chemistry between the narrators added an extra layer of immersion. This is a must-read for paranormal and fantasy fans, and the audiobook is a fantastic way to experience this captivating story.

Wait....is that it?!?!
I'm not complaining about a short novel, but did I miss a part 2 that wasn't included in my audioARC?
Thank you, by the way, to Sawyer Bennett, NetGalley, and Tantor Audio for the ARC!!! Always a pleasure!

Except, there's a part of me that feels like I've been punked!!! What the heck! While a LOT of time was spent talking about the cafe Finley purchased, how she manages it, and how she is learning to juggle all these responsibilities while also being relieved she isn't crazy because--yes the creatures people turn into are actually real--I feel like nothing else of real note happened in this story until THE LAST SCENE.

I am all for a good cliff hanger, but that's when SOMETHING of note has happened, possibly resolved, and then BAM--knock you back on your tush with a curveball. This felt like it was building, building, building to something but never came down. Kind of like a sneeze that hangs around in your nose until you think you'll finally get it out only to have it fizzle back into tingles that drive you INSANE.
THAT WAS THIS BOOK!!!!
I will say I am thoroughly IN when it comes to the story and the way I hope its going. The story line is SOLID. I am diggin all that, but to just cut the book off during the most interesting action that happens...ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME!!!!!!
I probably should have waited to write this review until I've had a moment to breathe, but I am slipping on ice here and no railing to catch as I fall. The next book I pray is already in production release mode because you can't set so many good things up only to tell me to wait. This is shenanigans!!!! 3 stars until my anger is sated. Maybe after ... 3.5!!!!!!!

That is all!
NO REGRETS...???
Ask me again after book 2...which I will be reading...so, buy book 1 now and join me in my missery...I need the company. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I love Sawyer Bennett and was not sure about this as it is not like the books I usually listen too. However I was very surprised. I really really did enjoyed it. It was different, it was fun to read something off the regular for me. This series is full of mystery, fantastic creatures and an EXTREMELY SLOW BURN romance! I am really looking forward to the next book in this series

4 Star review of The Revelation of Light and Dark (Chronicles of the Stone Veil #1) by Sawyer Bennett

eBook/Audio: I think I have read every book that Sawyer Bennett has written. When I learnt she was doing a paranormal/fantasy series I was unsure about reading this as this is not a genre that I normally read.

I was a little surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. Finley Porter has always known that she was different and has struggled with mental illness, but she had no idea just how different she truly is. It isn’t until she meets Carrick Byrne and he begins to teach her she truly understands how her life is changing. Finley struggles with her beliefs and has no idea who she can trust. There are so many secrets, twists and turns that I was on the edge of my seat continuously.

There was so much going on in this story, you really need to experience it for yourself.
If you are a fan of paranormal and fantasy romance then this book will be right up your alley. The Revelation of Light and Dark is a well written love story about true soul mates that just happens to revolve around the fae, daemons, gods and angels. 

I cannot wait for the next book A Discovery of Secrets and Fate to learn some of the answers to the questions I have regarding Finley and Carrick.

The narration by Aiden Snow and Lucy Rivers was amazing. They brought all the drama, tension and passion to life with their erformance and certainly did justice to the story that Ms. Bennett wove.

A GOOD START TO THE SERIES!

Ok, honestly, this is giving me Dark Fever vibes and I don't hate it.

* Dual POV
* slow burn - nothing has happened yet romantically but the intrigue is THERE
* Paranormal / Urban Fantasy
* Good mix of suspense in the underlying plot

Finley discovers there is a magical and mysterious world that has been "veiled" by humans for millennia. She was always told that she was crazy for seeing "allusions" but really, she is the only human who can see beyond a fae or demon's veil (aka glamour) by which their true self hides. She's introduced to Carrick Byrne (extremely wealthy man who is in the thick of this fantastical world but won't elaborate what he truly is), who has his own interest in finding out how Finley can do what she does.

I really enjoyed the audiobook and did not get bored at all - I was very captivated and intrigued. This was definitely a big set-up novel so I can't wait to see where we go in book 2!

Rating: 4 stars

I had no idea that Sawyer Bennett wrote a paranormal series. It appears that this series is about to be republished because I was allowed the opportunity to listen to the audible of this book by Netgalley. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to listen to this book. I’m a fan of Sawyer so when I saw her name I was like let’s try this. I really enjoyed this book. I love paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I would give this book a 3.75 stars. It indeed kept my attention I find myself drawn into the story of a twin named Findlay who one days finds out that she is indeed not what she appears. After meeting Carrick her reality changes and she becomes aware that her life working in a coffee shop should not be her only focus.I love coming along for the ride as Findlay starts to find to find out what her purpose is and what exactly is her paranormal abilities. I am going to continue on with this series because I am now fully locked in and I need to know what happens.
Thank you Net galley and Tantor audio for this opportunity.

A solid start.

Finley had always known she wasn't normal. Ever since she was a little girl, she could see angelic creatures and monsters. She knew no one would believe her, even if she told them. Her own family didn't. So over the years, she learned to suppress this ability. Finley never knew why or where this ability came from. Nor did she know what it meant. It wasn't until she met the rich and handsome Carrick Byrne, that she finally got some answers.

I flew through this novel! I wish it was longer so we could get more answers. But it was a good start. I can't wait to read the next one. If you're a fan of light fantasy or new to the genre, check this series out.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Sawyer Bennett, and Tantor Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.**

I wasn’t sure about this book at first. It intrigued me enough to keep listening but I kept waiting for the action. This book is basically the set up of the world until the very end. I was slightly disappointed. The end was worth it enough to definitely continue listening to the series. I actually can’t wait for more. Finley is a fun character. She definitely has strengths and flaws. I can’t wait for her character growth throughout the series. This book was well written with a mysterious vibe. I’m looking forward to the next one. I enjoyed the female narrator. The male narrator was fine, just not my favorite voice. Huge thanks to Netgalley and the audiobook publisher for allowing me to listen and review this book.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.