This is AL Jackson’s first fantasy novel and i think she did a really good job of setting up what is sure to be a great series! This is a an urban fantasy, so it’s perfect for new fantasy readers! Mostly set in our world, so there is no intense world building!! It was exciting and kept me engaged throughout. Aria is just coming into her powers and Pax’s unwavering need to protect her, along with their long time connection set up what is bound to be a scorching fantasy romance!!! I’m excited to see where this one goes, as it ended on a pretty good cliffy!

🎧The narration was fabulous with both Teddy and Victoria. I’m so happy I got the chance to listen to this, because I felt it really added to the story! Teddy never fails and Victoria, who is new to me, did a great job!

I have to admit I overall thought this book would be darker. Maybe it was just the title. Overall it was very enjoyable. I tackled this in one day and was not disappointed. I wish I picked it up sooner and will be recommending it.

OMG So good. I absolute love AL Jackson for Romance and now for Romantasy.
This is a slow burn so be prepared but once you get into it you will need to know what happens.
Love love love this

I did like this book, but I didn’t love it. I really enjoy A.L Jackson’s writing and have been trying to read her back log of books. I was so excited for this, it sounded incredible and it was good, I just found it very difficult to follow along with the world etc. one minute I thought, cool this makes sense I get it now, and the next I was fully confused again. It felt like there were a few plot holes / it was a bit over the place.

But in saying that, I did genuinely also enjoy it! It had a lot of potential and I would love to still read the next book in the series when it comes out because I truly think it has potential

I’ve been a long time fan of this author! I was so excited to learn that she had a fantasy debut coming out. This book is a slow burn, with almost Romeo & Juliet feel to it and very interesting twist on fighting evil. Lots of world building in the beginning, but don’t worry the story picks up. I can’t wait for more.

The premise of this is SO UNIQUE and I am here for it!!! The main characters are Laven, who basically fight the evils of the world while they sleep (that’s a very crude summary, but hard to explain ). I loved the idea that people’s poor decisions, dangerous and cruel choices are because of the evil that the Laven fight. You gotta read it to really understand what I’m saying! Lol.

When I heard A.L. Jackson was writing a romantasy I was so excited because I’ve read and loved several of her contemporary romances. Unfortunately, this book just didn’t live up to my expectations. The pacing was all over the place and I didn’t connect to either of the characters. I don’t think I’ll be reading the next book in the series.

Well....it's official. I officially am obsessed with this series and need more immediately. I don't tend to gravitate towards paranormal romance but I love everything that Amy writes so I jumped at this one...and I'm so glad I did. It was absolutely bingeworthy! I couldn't stop listening to this book and I need the next installment immediately!

What you'll get:
- Fated Mates
- Touch her and d!e
- On the run
- Forced proximity
- Forbidden love

Wow, this story was very different than anything I've read so far. Most fantasy delves into similar experiences and leaves little to imagine. Aria is a young girl who lives in two different realities. One when she sleeps her spirit enters a world called Faydor where she fights Kruen. In this reality, she has a destined love interest Pax who are only supposed to ever be together in this alternative world. When Aria awakes she is just a normal girl living a normal life with normal parents. The problem is that any war scars she receives in Faydor come back with her when she awakes. Her parents can't possibly believe she is living in two worlds and chalk it up to self-harming where they end up doing the only thing they think can help her which is… you guessed it! The crazy house. This will ultimately be the worst decision they could have made for her and now you have to see her tap into powers she shouldn’t have in the real world as well as forbidden boundaries being crossed. This book will continue to have you creeped out as well as keep you on the edge of your toes.
 
 Another point I would like to add is this story IS told from FIRST and THIRD person POV’S which was the only thing a little confusing in the beginning. That was until I realized the author used this to her advantage to tell two different worlds in such an amazing way. The first-person POV comes from the present time when Aria is awake and the third-person POV comes when they are in the alternate reality of FAYDOR. Hope this helped anyone else who might have been wondering.

Overall great plot, strong characters, and a nail-biting experience!

I really liked the jump between worlds and the shift was made easier since they were in different POVs. I enjoyed this book but after a while I started to have trouble staying focused and invested in the story.

I listened to the audio version of this book, narrated by Victoria Mei and Teddy Hamilton. They both did a great job voicing these characters.

I enjoyed this audiobook! The story was really good, I wanted a bit more backstory but I did like the idea, speed of the story, & romance.

The narration was great and voices were cast well! I would definitely recommend this book and audiobook to my audience!

𝔙𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 𝔄𝔲𝔡𝔦𝔬𝔟𝔬𝔬𝔨 ℜ𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔢𝔴

Author: AL Jackson

Narrated by: Victoria Mei & Teddy Hamilton

Couple: Aria Rialta & Pax Morrison

Tropes:
▪️Fated Mates ⁠
▪️Forbidden ⁠
▪️The Chosen One⁠
▪️On the Run⁠
▪️Morally Gray Hero ⁠
▪️Two Worlds Collide⁠
▪️Only One Bed⁠
▪️Ultimate Touch her and 🔪Protector ⁠

Review: 𝔙𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 captivated me. Amy truly blew me away with her foray into romantasy and the narration for this book just elevated it into the stratosphere. Victoria Mei and Teddy Hamilton were outstanding as narrators for Aria and Pax and they were truly able to transport you to another realm as the MCs battled it out for their HEA and to save the world. The way they were able to being both of them to life in ways that made you feel every emotion between the MCs had me full of every emotion and wishing that these two MCs did not have such a hard journey to their HEA at the end.

Teddy and Victoria were in sync as they narrated through the story and I found that I was never able to favor one over the other. Victoria emoted for Aria in ways that brought out small details that were overlooked while reading but were so much more important to the audio version of the story. Teddy also was able to suck me into Pax’s story as he narrated the ups and downs this man goes through to save Aria and be the ULTIMATE protector. Amy really did wonderful with choosing the voices for these two and I only hope that she continues to dive into this world of fantasy and romance with more of these characters!

Rating: 100+; 𝔙𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 blew me away with the narration from Victoria and Teddy and I can only hope to see more inside this wicked realm of magic!


Thank you Amy & for the eALC!




🖤𝔙𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 - 𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 𝔅𝔬𝔬𝔨 𝟏 - ℜ𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔢𝔴🖤

Author: AL Jackson

Couple: Aria Rialta & Pax Morrison

Tropes:
▪️Fated Mates ⁠
▪️Forbidden ⁠
▪️The Chosen One⁠
▪️On the Run⁠
▪️Morally Gray Hero ⁠
▪️Two Worlds Collide⁠
▪️Only One Bed⁠
▪️Ultimate Touch her and 🔪Protector ⁠

Review: AL Jackson did more than just dip her toe into the realm of romantasy with 𝔙𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰! This book had me captivated from the first time we meet Aria and Pax and kept me enthralled until we see them get a well earned and very well deserved HEA at the end. 𝔙𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 had everything I love in romantasy and to top it off Amy also delivers one of the best parts of the book in the form of Pax Morrison - the broody, quiet and uber protective fated mate. His fate and identity had me questioning everything I knew all throughout this book and there were times my heart truly hurt for him and for Aria as I was reading.

𝔙𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 was a different type of fantasy and the way Amy was able to balance Aria as she became entrenched more and more in the fight against evil. This book was truly different than all fantasy books I have read in the past and Amy was able to not only provide an original fantasy but grip us with a meshed version of real and dream since Pax and Aria are fated mates destined to fight alongside one another but also face the fact that they may never meet face to face awake. The concept that Amy introduces in this book put me through the wringer because I constantly was aching for Aria and Pax to reunite while awake but then was also hoping they would find solace together while battling the evil in their sleep. The way Amy drew in the encroaching Evil in the real ‘waking’ as it set it sights on Aria also had me enraptured since I was waiting for the other show to drop as the worlds began colliding.

Aria was a true warrior in this book and was titled “the Chosen One” but Pax was the MC that drew in my attention the most. He embodied what it meant to be her protector and Amy really went all out devoting his character to Aria in this book. Everything Pax did was for her and I felt myself fall in love with him over and over as he battled his way through Kruen and the realm of Faydor by her side. The concept that Pax’s touch can kill anyone by the slightest brush also had me guessing at what Amy would do to keep the angst and tension high as the spark intensifies between them…and I can safely say I was NOT ready for how the forbidden aspect of their romance would play out.

While their romance was forbidden, Pax and Aria had one of the most beautiful connections I have ever read in a darker romantasy. These two embodied the meaning of fated mates and meeting the other half of you soul in a way that left you feeling warm and happy but also angry that they had so many hoops to go through within the ever changing romance between them. Amy was able to capture the soul-deep bond between them in varying ways but the way Pax was always in tune with Aria’s feelings, thoughts and actions had me swooning every time.

𝔙𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 has been one of the best fated mate romances I have picked up in a while. Everything from the fated bond, the soul-deep connection and the way these two seem to be able to overcome each pressing obstacle in their fight against evil while together had me rooting for Pax as the real and ream world began colliding in this book. I know that these two had such a grasp on me that I was sad to end the story but am extremely excited to expand upon the world of Faydor!

𝔙𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 was a step into the Darkness series and I never knew what Amy was going to do next. The world, the magic, the aspect of falling for your fated mate that is the ultimate forbidden love. Everything in this book had me anxious for more and the devastating and pulse pounding cliffhanger at the end left me hoping Amy steps into the Darkness again!

Rating: 100+, Perfection. Sheer utter perfection wrapped up in one broody, uber protective MMC and a fiery, magic defying fated mate bond that captivated me from the first chapter!


Thank you Amy & Valentine PR for the eARC!

I’m so excited about AL Jackson writing a Romantasy series!

Expect 👉🏼 YA Romantasy, Mulitple Worlds, Forbidden, Soul Mates, Cliffhanger

Pax and Aria are soulmates. They understand one another like no one else does. They have found their person, they’re partner, the one the fight evil with. But they can only be together when they’re asleep. They’re forbidden to know each other when they’re awake, no matter how much they need each other.

I flew through this audiobook. I’m desperate for book 2. I have so many questions and I cannot wait to see where this story goes. I’m so intrigued by these worlds and to learn the consequences of what transpired in Visions of Darkness 👀

Victoria Mei and Teddy Hamilton did an incredible job with this book 🎧

4.25/5

4⭐️ 2🌶️ 4🎧

Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Narrators: Victoria Mei + Teddy Hamilton
Narration type: dual
Writing perspective: first person, dual POV
Standard length: 10:11
Listening speed: 2.5x (immersive)
Listened via: Netgalley
ALC provided by: Netgalley/AL Jackson

Tropes: romantasy, fated mates, forbidden, the chosen one, on the run, morally grey MMC, only one bed, touch her and ☠️
Relationship dynamic: MF

📖 I love diving into a new romantasy world, and this was fun since it was Amy’s fantasy debut! The world building and concept was really interesting! Aria and Pax had such a strong bond and I love how devoted they are to each other. A possessive and protective MMC is the best. I am excited to learn more about their other world and especially see where we end up since we have a cliffy at the end!

“I will always come for you.”

“You are what my heart knows.”

🎧 This audio was a fun listen. I’ve listened to Victoria a few times in other fantasy series and she gives a solid performance with dynamic emotional range. In this case I thought she seemed a bit more mature/sophisticated sounding than I would have expected for an 18 year old but it didn’t necessarily take away from the listening experience. While Teddy typically sounds the same to me, not varying his vocal performance much from role to role, he still can be a bit of a chameleon in terms of age and type of character he plays, so this worked for me! He sounded like a protective 22 year old guy head over heels in love with his fated mate.

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!

I listened to the audio and enjoyed it! Narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Victoria Mei who were both great for the characters! 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

What a rush! A.L. Jackson’s first leap into romantasy, “Visions of Darkness”, is a total win, and I couldn’t put it down. I don’t usually read fantasy, but this book just changed that!
Aria and Pax are soulmates who fight evil together in the dream world of Faydor, but they’ve never met in real life. By day, they’re dealing with messy lives, but at night? They’re unstoppable warriors. Yep, destined to be together. Aria? She’s fierce, empathetic, and determined! Pax? Oh, he’s the ultimate morally gray hero who breaks all the rules to save Aria when danger creeps into the real world. Forbidden love? Check. High-stakes drama? Double check.
The world-building is stunning, the romance is deliciously angsty, and Pax is the ultimate protective hero (seriously, swoon). That ending? Let’s just say I’m officially dying for book two. I need answers, I need closure, and I need more of this incredible story. A.L. Jackson has mastered the art of storytelling, and I am 100% here for wherever this series goes next. Book two, where are you?! If you love forbidden love, fated mates, epic world building, this is a must-read!

🎧 Audiobook Review:
Victoria Mei and Teddy Hamilton absolutely nailed it! This was my first time listening to Victoria Mei, and wow—she brought so much depth and emotion to Aria’s character. She totally stole the show with her passionate, heartfelt performance.
Teddy Hamilton? Perfect as Pax. He had the broody, angsty, protective vibes down to a science. And let’s talk about the Kruen—those voices were chilling!
If you’re thinking about grabbing the audiobook, do it! You won’t regret it. These two brought magic to an already amazing story!

Thank you @aljacksonauthor and @brilliancepublishing for the gifted ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.

An AL Jackson contemporary fantasy?! Color me intrigued! I was super excited to dive into Visions of Darkness and even more excited to get my hands on the audio- Teddy Hamilton playing a fantasy protector? YAS. AL brings her trademark angst emotion and intense chemistry to a forbidden romance that takes place in two realms- as we follow the journey of two magical protectors who quite literally slay evil thoughts. It’s immersive and unique- and a solid start to a series that could be quite addictive.

The premise of this was creative- a bit of a sandman type dream walking vibe but with dragon slayer vibes, if, of course, you slay the tangible representation of darkness/evil. Heroine Aria is a high schooler trapped between both worlds. In her human world, she’s an outsider in her own family who can’t make meaning of the life she says she lives at night. They make assumptions about her mental health and do harmful things to her with good intentions- like having her committed for what they see as self-harm. She’s isolated and judge by her own family, and gah I felt that it in my bones.

But her other being is equally isolating. She’s a Laven, and in a dream state she goes to Faydor in Tearsith where she fights Kruens (kind of dark thinking) with their partners called Nols. Nols protect and fight with Lavens, but they can only interact and be together in Tearsith - which is hard for Aria since she’s madly in love with her protector Nol, Pax. He longs for her too but he knows they can never be together- until Aria finds herself in grave danger in the mortal realm and Pax breaks all rules to save her.

Truth be told, I’m not a huge heavy fantasy person, and this one seemed more light touch. And, it was. So much so that I’m not even quite sure I fully understand it- information is pretty heavily laid at the outset and then from there most of the story is in the human world with a monster hunting them. It doesn’t FEEL very fantasy because so much of it is just them on the run and Aria having intrusive thoughts that are basically her hearing darkness trying to harm others. On one hand, the diet-fantasy lover in me appreciated that, on the other I found the world building to be a bit lacking. The characters, the other realm, the monsters themselves were not heavily described or constructed. I found myself at the end feeling like I still didn’t quite understand this world…and a huge part of that is that they spend very little time in it, with the focus monster on what ARia hears and the forbidden nature of their dynamic.

Narratively, there are also some interesting choices I think some may not enjoy. Because the worlds themselves are super clearly delineated in terms of how our characters experience them, AL uses 3rd person POV for one and first for the other. I think it’s a clever and interesting narrative choice, though I’m not quite sure how effective. I think in text it might work better- for audio it was a little disorienting.

But, the characters and the action itself are great though. I do think the pace felt a bit slow in place, but it takes a minute for these to truly end up in the same space, and the burn is even lower from there. I had calibrated my expectations to this being more like AL’s other works in terms of spice and romantic progression…and that was not the case at all. This definitely reads and feels much more like YA- especially Aria’s perspective. She turns 18 in the book and is really inexperienced- both in relationships but also as a functioning adult in both worlds. So, I had to recalibrate my orientation to this story, and once I did and started to consider it a YA, I was able to sink into the story more.

There is lots of angst, Pax and Aria definitely have that forbidden but sweet/innocent longing vibe, and Pax is utterly delicious as protective and possessive book boyfriend. The relational side of this story really excelled, it’s more the fantasy dynamic that I wanted a bit more developed. I'm not even confident I explained it correctly in this review because it still feels so hazy to me. At this point, truthfully, the fantasy element and plotline itself I’m not quite invested in, but I am all in on these teenage angst.

I consumed this on audio and I absolutely think that’s the way to go- both performances were stellar. Teddy Hamilton brought lots of growly possession and altruistic hero swagger to Pax, and newer to me Victoria Mei brought all of Aria’s exuberant try hard compassion and vulnerability. I’ve always find AL’s writing style lends itself well on audio, and I definitely think the audio enhanced the story and kept it moving for me more than I would have with eyeball reading.

There is a cliffhanger, and I’m invested enough in Pax and Aria as characters to want to dive into the next (hopefully with the same narration). Definitely curious to see where AL will go from here!

Audio Rating: 4
Story Rating: 3.5 (rounding up)

I could not stop listening to the audiobook!! I was so intrigued, wanting to know that's going to happen next. That ending though?! ⁣
⁣
Aria and Pax are in two worlds, one when they're dreaming and reality. When Aria's dream world collides with her reality and danger comes after her, she has no choice but to survive. Pax was her fated mate in the dream world, but in reality, he's not. He's forbidden to get together with her in reality, but he went against it and helped her. What's going to happen when danger chases them everywhere? And there's a possibility that them being together in reality can cause them to die? ⁣
⁣
You guys heard it lots of time. I'm someone who loves a protective hero so I immediately love Pax. Lol I swooned so many times. I do have to say, it's definitely a slow burn. The beginning was quite slow for me, but when I got into it, I couldn't stop listening to the audiobook. ⁣
⁣
If you're debating if you should read it because you're not a romantasy girl, don't be scared. It's romantasy set in the modern times so there's not a lot of words that will be confusing. 🥰

this is one of my very first romantasy books that I have ever read! and first off, I love Amy's writing and I was so excited to see that she was writing a romantasy. I had no expectations going into this since I don't usually read this genre, but I have to say that I really liked this one. once the romance set in I really got into it and it really kept me on my toes. I liked Aria and Pax- I love the "it's always been you" trope and I think that this was done very well in this book. there were a lot of twists and turns in this one and it had me engaged. I definitely finished it wanting more and am curious to see if there is more to come!

read if you like:
- romantasy
- fated mates
- suspense
- it's always been you

"I think you're beautiful. And if I dreamed, I would dream of you."

Ooooo the dangers of this dark romantasy left me breathless as Aria and Pax fought against them every day of their journey while denying their attraction. I loved how unique this story was, and how Pax didn't hesitate to cross realms to save her despite the risk of everything. I loved the magic system and respected the author for bringing awareness to issues such as suicide and mental health.

A fantastic story I won't soon forget!

This was such a unique concept for a fantasy romance! I honestly didn't look at what it was about going in, just saw A.L. Jackson and romantasy and knew I needed to read haha and it didn't disappoint!

I loved the setup of this being an urban fantasy but still having a fantasy realm in their dreams. And having elements of the dream world leak in to the real world was perfect and helped bring everything together. I felt like the fantasy elements were easy to understand and I enjoyed the overall arc of the story!

I will say I didn't expect our FMC to be just turning 18, but I think it made sense with her story. My heart hurt for her and her situation with her family and I thought the mental health aspects were handled really well. And of course, I loved her relationship with Pax!

They are the definition of soulmates but yet, it's completely forbidden for them to be together! I have some theories about this...so I am definitely curious to see where the series goes and if I'm right haha but you could feel the love and chemistry between them and also I just loved how protective Pax was of her. This was definitely slow burn and was not as spicy as a typical A.L. Jackson romance, but I think it made sense with the plot.

I will say that some things seemed a little too flowery/cheesy for me and there were a few predictable things. They didn't really take away from my enjoyment necessarily, but this felt more like a solid four star read to me versus something higher. But the audio, especially with Teddy Hamilton, was great and I am excited to see where the series goes!

Thank you so much to A.L. Jackson, Valentine PR, Brilliance Publishing, and Netgalley for the eARC and ALC!