3.75 rounded to 4 ⭐️

This isn’t your typical Dark Romantasy with a straightforward magical world. Instead, the story unfolds across two contrasting realms: the present-day world and the enchanting, dangerous lands of Tearsith and Faydor.

The story introduces us to Aria, a senior in high school, who is turning 18 and navigating a life full of secrets. Outwardly, she appears to be a troubled, isolated girl, misunderstood even by her own family. But Aria is far from ordinary—she’s a Laven. While she seems like a normal teen by day, her nights take her to Tearsith, a mystical realm where she has been tasked with fighting the Kruen since coming of age at 16.
Enter Pax, her Nol—a soulmate and warrior destined to fight by her side against the Kruen. The Kruen are haunting entities, manifestations of darkness that spread sin and destruction, born from the betrayal of Kreed, Pax and Aria’s bond, both as warriors and potential soulmates, is central to the story, and their chemistry will keep you hooked.

Though there are a few repetitive details (Pax’s eye color is mentioned a lot), and the romance isn’t as spicy as her contemporary novels, the heart of the story shines through. I found myself completely drawn in by Aria’s journey and the battle against the Kruen.

Overall, Vision of Darkness is a promising start to this new dark fantasy series. I can’t wait for Book 2—I need to know what’s next for Aria and Pax, and I’m eager to dive deeper into the mysteries of Tearsith and Faydor.

This story tackle heavy themes, including the depths of human evil, mental illness, and trauma. While the story has a slow start and a very slow burn in terms of romance, it’s worth sticking with it.

Thank you, Valentine PR, for the early copy in exchange for my honest review!

Visions of Darkness is a fantastic page turning romance written by A.L. Jackson who usually writes contemporary romance and she is very good at it. This is a fresh, page turning, consuming fantasy read.

I Really Enjoyed reading this one and Highly Recommend it to all readers.

Something truly different. A unique story about the battle between good and evil evil. After an initial slow start it was hard to put done.

This is an enthralling romantasy blending dark fantasy and forbidden love. Aria and Pax, soulmates known as Laven, fight evil in Faydor, a nightmare realm threatening the human world. Their deep connection defies the rules, risking everything to protect each other. Aria’s battles leave real-world scars, leading to heartbreaking misunderstandings, while Pax’s troubled past makes him her fierce protector. The story is a perfect balance of action, emotion, and romance, with a slow-burn tension that kept me hooked. Aria’s journey of discovering her powers and their forbidden bond made this a powerful read. The gripping cliffhanger left me eager for more. A must-read for romantasy lovers craving adventure and heartfelt connection.

When Aria falls asleep she gets pulled into another realm. At a young age she got paired with Pax, her protector in this realm where they face darkness and it's their job to be the light and fight off the evil. In the waking world they are never supposed to meet and are both meant to live normal lives. However, on the eve of Aria's 18 birthday her two worlds collide and her and Pax get thrust into darkness neither of them expected.

I loved this one! Very unique and different than other fantasies that I have read. The story was really interesting and engaging and I could not put it down! It was suspenseful and so captivating! I really liked both characters and the overall story! And the ending!!! I cannot wait for the next book! Truly an amazing debut fantasy from Amy!! Id definitely recommend this one! Thank you so much AL Jackson for an ARC and ALC I loved this one!! Cannot wait for the next book! 🫶🏼🖤

🖤 Romantasy
🖤 Fated Mates
🖤 Forbidden
🖤 The Chosen One
🖤 Morally Grey MMC
🖤 Only One Bed
🖤 On The Run
🖤 Touch Her and Die
🖤 Two Worlds Collide

⭐️⭐️⭐️️⭐️/ ️🌶️🌶️

I have been a fan of AL Jackson’s romances for a long time. When I saw she was going to venture into the fantasy world, I couldn’t wait to read this book! She blew me away! Everything we love about AL’s storytelling abilities is present in this book. Everything we love about her romance writing skills is present in this book! The fantasy elements were beautiful, layered, and complex and made it hard to put down.

Aria and Pax are amazing MCs. They are both earth dwellers who enter a land only accessible by their dreams. Here they learn how to fight, learn about Valeen and Faydor, and learn in the world of Tearsith, they are soulmates. Their bond is so strong that they love only each other, even on earth, where they are forbidden to meet. They remain faithful only to each other, knowing they may only ever meet in their dreams. When these two are together, the emotion seeps off the pages. It is so easy to feel how these two yearn for each other and what they mean to one another.

In their dreams, life is almost perfect. In real life, not so much. Aria’s parents think she is hurting herself; as injuries inflicted in their dream world cross over into the real world. Pax’ father was abusive towards him, so he ran away from home at a young age. As they continue to live in the two worlds, Aria begins to grow more powerful. So powerful she can’t keep her secrets hidden any longer and is committed. Pax, even though they are not to meet in the real world, will not let his love suffer in a place like this.

This story is about two souls being so right for each other and so deeply in love they put everything else at risk to be together. How far are you willing to fight for the people you love with your whole heart, whole soul, whole being? Pax and Aria prove they are willing to go to the ends of both the real world and their dream world for each other. A beautiful story with powerful MCs, amazing side characters, and a journey that is beyond epic!

As always, review any author notes before reading.

Tropes:
🥀Morally Gray MMC
🖤Forbidden Love
🥀Touch Her and 💀
🖤Coming into Powers FMC
🥀Close Proximity
🖤Secret World

Visions of Darkness is an enthralling romantasy novel that pulls you in right from the start. It's about Aria and Pax, soulmates who team up against evil in the nightmare realm of Faydor, though they've never actually met in real life. By day, they're just regular people dealing with their own issues, but by night, they become fierce warriors. Aria is the tough, empathetic type, and Pax is your classic morally grey hero who'll break any rule to keep her safe when their dream world dangers start leaking into reality.

The book is packed with action, a tantalizing forbidden romance, and sky-high stakes that kept me turning the pages. The world-building is rich and immersive, setting up a deep, complicated, and downright risky romance between Aria and Pax. Their connection is magnetic, and as they fight off dark forces, resisting their growing attraction gets tougher. If you love stories about fated mates and epic adventures, this book won't disappoint you. The cliffhanger ending will leave you eager to grab the next book and discover what happens. Overall, I enjoyed this read. I have some lingering questions, but I hope they will be answered in future books.

Thanks to A.L. Jackson, Montlake, NetGalley, and Valentine PR for the gifted eARC. Opinions expressed are my own.

This book had me in a chokehold the entire time. The storyline was so original and so good. I love Aria and Pax so freaking much. Though it did feel a little more YA ish (that doesn’t bother me). It also had very light spice and the characters were young (22 and 18) so if that bothers you here’s your warning. Also holy fucking cliff hanger!!! I cannot wait for book 2 I can’t believe it ended like that! I think AL did such an amazing job telling this story and the world she created was so interesting and the characters were so good together. It had a couple touchy topics so read the trigger warnings but if the blurb interests you give it a read and I hope you love it as much as I did!

Review: I loved this book. This book follows Aria and Paxs. This is a dark romantasy. This is A.L. Jackson’s first romantasy book. I loved the world building. This book was unique and full of adventure. I loved the mystery aspect of the story. I loved the character development throughout the book. That ending has me reeling. I really enjoyed the storyline in this book. I hope there is another book in this series! Every night when Aria goes to sleep she slips into a different world.I can’t wait for you all to read this story.

Favorite Quote ““A long time ago, I gave up on the idea of there being any beauty in this life. Gave up on the idea that I would ever experience any of it. I was wrong. So fucking wrong. Because there’s you, Aria. There’s you. And there could never be anything more beautiful than that”

Visions of Darkness is a dark romantasy. This story gripped me from start to finish!

Aria and Pax are soulmates, but only in their dreams. Their war is waged within the dreamlike realm where they fight the wickedness that infects the minds of the vulnerable. But the gruesome wounds inflicted by the Kruen remain even in the light of day. They have been chosen to battle the evil of the world but their fight must remain a secret.

Aria becomes more powerful than anyone ever expected. She is what they call a “Valient” and she has the ability to battle the evil in the daylight as well as in sleep. Her newly awoken power has made her the target of the evil plaguing the world.

Pax breaks the sacred rule to never meet his Nol (soulmate) in the real world. This man is so selfless, and he basically says “consequences be damned” because he refuses to leave her, even when the elder Laven warns him of repercussions of his actions. He refuses to let anything happen to her, and he is willing to give his life for hers.

They are forced to run from the wickedness that chases Aria, but when the threat targets her family, she is forced to return and face the destruction that the darkness has caused.

The concept of this book was so interesting and the characters were captivating. It was different from anything I’ve ever read. It’s fantasy that crosses over into the real world. Such a wild ride!

Thank you A.L. Jackson and Valentine PR for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy!

4⭐️ | .5🌶️
•forbidden love
•romantasy
•boy OBSESSED
•soulmates
•slowest burn EVER
•bad boy x good girl

✨ 𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ✨

𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗔.𝗟. 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀𝗼𝗻

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘:
🖤 urban fantasy
💭 forbidden romance
🖤 fated mates
💭 two words collide
🖤 morally grey MMC
💭 only one bed
🖤 on the run
💭 open door romance
🖤 dual POV

𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗥𝗕: Aria lives her life normally within society while she is awake, but lives a totally different life while asleep. When Aria falls asleep, she falls into a whole other realm called Tearsmith that she has been chosen for. Tearsmith is actually her sanctuary, but while there, it is Aria’s duty to enter Faydor, where she is to fight off the Kruen. The Kruen are threats to the human world & provide vulnerable humans with nothing but viscous & cruel thought. Within the realm of Tearsmith, Aria has a Nol who is her fated mate named Pax. Aria & Pax are only allowed to be together while in Tearsmith & Faydor. If they find each other in the human realm, it can lead to trouble. However, when Pax feels that Aria is in danger, there is nothing that will stop him from protecting her.

𝗠𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦: I truly enjoyed this first ever romantasy by Amy! I loved the uniqueness of the story with the escape to a completely different realm while asleep. Pax is the ultimate possessive & protective fated mate. There is absolutely nothing that would ever stop him from making sure that Aria is safe. I loved the forbidden aspect & all the angst & tension between them. Pax’s f*ck it moment was inevitable with how much Pax & Aria feel for each other. This one does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I am excited to see what happens next in the series!

Aria & Pax

I am and have been a HUGE fan of Amy's books since I rediscovered my love of reading a few years ago. As a romantasy fan knowing that Amy was taking a stab at writing one was incredibly exciting. The cover of this book is absolutely STUNNING and I think my overall excitement had me both over-hyping the anticipation of what was to come while also being afraid I wouldn't love it as much as I love her contemporary romantic suspense novels. And I do have some mixed feelings-I rated this a 3.5 but rounded up because I love A.L. Jackson 🤷🏼‍♀️

The entire premise of the story was so unique and had so much promise. I loved the idea of people not necessarily being inherently bad, but succumbing to these shadow-like demons whispering the evil thoughts into their minds and encouraging them to pursue heinous acts, while select humans travelled to a different realm in their sleep to fight off as many of the evil shadow-demons as they could. It was interesting and captivating and could be interpreted as a unique spin on mental illness in some senses.

I adored Pax's fierce longing and desire to protect Aria above all else. The angst and undeniable connection between them was palpable. It is common for Amy to write protective MMCs, but what I really liked was that even though Pax was not a fan that he couldn't be the one to vanquish her enemies in the end, he respected her decision and helped Aria execute the plan she put in place even though it put her in danger.

Pax and Aria have had a connection since they were little and while forbidden, they developed feelings for one another they knew they couldn't act on. That said, I would have loved for more on page romance. I gleaned the insight to their connection, but given they were on the run and fighting for their lives during the day, then supposed to be fighting demons in their sleep, there wasn't a ton of room for romance beyond what was implied. Additionally, because there was so much going on and everything was happening so fast, there wasn't a ton of character development.

Overall, I really liked the story and I truly believe it has so much potential as a series, however I would have loved more character development, on page romance and less telling and more showing of some of the things taking place with the other characters. I have some serious suspicions about the rules they are required to follow and am hoping that more comes to light around their validity in future books! That said, I will absolutely continue reading the series and would love if we got more information and backstory on some of the side characters too.

Thank you so much to A.L. Jackson, NetGalley, Montlake, and Valentine PR for the ARC.

Pax and Aria are the perfect match - born to fight the Kruen while they sleep. It is against the rules to meet in the real world. But a lot of things were not supposed to happen.
The Laven are only supposed to be able to bind and remove Kruen in Faydor - but Aria can dust them in the real world. Ghorls are not supposed to be real - no one has ever seen one in recent memory. But one is after Aria. What are they going to do?
I am obsessed with this! The world building is so good, the torture of the rules keeping them apart, the suspense of being the run. That ending!!!!
Main points:
❤️ Dark Romantasy - Paranormal
✨ Star crossed Fated Mates
❤️ Dual universes
✨ Chosen One & Protector
❤️ Don't touch her
✨ Cliffhanger
❤️ Found family

Wow! I absolutely loved this book. Amazing characters and wonderful plot. Very beautifully written and easy to read.

Aria Rialta lives in two worlds. By day she is a normal girl, but at night she is a warrior, that saves people. Her parents think she’s unstable.

Aria desperately wants her Nol, her soulmate, Pax, but know it’s impossible for them to be together, or is it?

Overall I loved this book very much. If you’re looking for a forbidden, dark romantasy then you’re going to love it.

2.5 ⭐️ 2 🌶️

😮‍💨 that was a tough one to get through.

Let me just start by saying that the synopsis of this sounded amazing and like something I have never read before. Aria is struggling to make her parents believe that she’s not hurting herself. In truth she travels to a world (Tearsith) while she sleeps and helps battle the demons that inhabit people minds in the human world. Those battles leaving scars on her the next day. But she’s not alone, there are others out there who are like her. All pale with grey eyes who travel to the same realm every night. But there’s one person she years to see more than anyone, Pax, the boy who’s always been there for her. And he’s not gonna let anything happen to her. Especially as the two worlds seem to be colliding and rules have to be broken.

But getting to understand all of that within the first 20% was extremely difficult. It switches from first pov to third when she enters Tearsith and there are a few chapters where it switches within. So trying to understand the world it’s building is confusing at first. And unfortunately it only slightly gets better. After deciding to finish it, I’m left with almost the same amount of questions as I started with. The concept was there, it just didn’t click for me.

Tropes:
•dual realms
•battle of good/evil
•fated mates?
•graphic violence

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦."

Ok, I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but I’m so glad I signed up through @valentine_pr_ on a whim! I truly haven’t read any romantasy like this before! And the fact that it’s @aljacksonauthor first romantasy book?? I’m impressed. I was confused for a bit of this but is it really good fantasy/romantasy if you don’t think “wtf is going on” at the beginning a few times 😂 I did not expect the cliffy!! Now I (im)patiently wait for book 2!

Thank you @aljacksonauthor & @valentine_pr_ for the early copy!!

OKAY AL JACKSON!! We see you!! Romantasy moment and I’m here for it.

I thought this book was so elegantly written. I felt like I was living in this world with Aria and it helped me really see this Romantasy and be immersed.

Aria and Pax were so good together. They had some tortured moments for sure but the struggle made the romance that much better - THE TENSION! The depth of the characters, the double life, the connection, I had so much fun.

It was action packed, had a good ol’ cliffy and I can’t wait to gobble up the next one! Thank you so much to the author and Valentine PR for the ARC!

This is my first romantasy of the year and what a good start!

“Visions of Darkness” has everything that I think anyone who is not used to reading fantasy would love: the world building is really easy to understand as well as the powers and everything in between. It’s dual POV and undoubtedly well written.

I love this couple so much, especially how loyal, protective and fearless Pax is - if you, like me, completely love a boy obsessed and protective, Pax will take over your top book boyfriends immediately.

One of my favorite things about this story was seeing Aria so loyal to her own family. The way she loves them and trying her best to be the best possible to all of them is heartbreaking and brough to this story a deeper meaning.

My favorite thing about this book was by far the writing. There’s always something so poetic about A.L. Jackson words: the way she describes love and how the main characters see each other is mesmerizing and made me love them even more.

I am really excited to read about them and I am hoping and praying for a book two in this series!

A spellbinding story!

I have to say I was not prepared to be pulled into an overpowering, intense and intoxicating fantasy world in the blink of an eye, that had me on the edge from page one.
Visions of Darkness is the first romantasy by A.L. Jackson, bringing us the story of Aria and Pax.
Introducing a dream like world where evil is defeated before it corrupts the real world more, with a race of supernatural beings destined to protect. A story filled with power and a purpose, of two worlds ready to collide, of two souls tethered in both worlds, a forbidden relationship and an overpowering touch of darkness that will leave your heart in your mouth.
I do have to say that at the beginning it had me a tad confused but as the story unfolds I couldn’t put it down and then the twists and turns they had to confront along their journey until the very end and the cliffhanger left me only wanting more.
So if you are looking for a fantasy world to loose yourself into, be prepared.

This was such an interesting concept and I don’t think I’ve read anything like it! This was a sloowwwww burrnnnnnnn. I was literally yelling at my kindle “JUST KISS ALREADY” 😂 I think this was a great start to the series and the cliffhanger has me wanting book 2 asap!