Look, this was my first AL Jackson book, and I know romantasy is not her norm (I’ve seen allll her romance books) but she had me hooked the whole time and I can’t wait to continue this series after that cliffy! She made me a fan!!

What a great first installment of romantasy from AL Jackson! This story centers around Aria and Pax and blends between past and present as well as “visions” and reality. I really loved the way the pieces of the story were intertwined and feel like there is so much more to discover. Aria is a strong female lead in spite of the resistance of her parents. There is definitely more to the story with her father. I enjoyed how the suspense kept building as we progressed throughout the book. Can’t wait for the next one!

So I am not a fantasy reader okay? But A.L Jackson makes me consider becoming one. This is her very first Romantasy novel and it did not disappoint. This book was very unique and well written. Our characters alternate between the real world and an alternate universe when they sleep. I feel like it made it much easier for us readers stepping out of our “real world” settings to adjust to the fantasy world . I would also consider this book very suspenseful as they are on the run from both worlds so to speak, and there’s a lot of what I would consider demonic fighting between the worlds as well. It was almost too spooky for me 😅.

Our characters are fated mates, although it is considered forbidden for them to act out their love for each other. Our MMC is a morally grey hero, who protects our FMC (the chosen one) with every ounce of his being. While the plot for this book was reached, there is a twist at the end that would leave one assuming there would be a book 2 at some point.

Aria and Pax are two sweethearts that are truly meant to be. They knew being together was forbidden, but still found each other and defied all logic and sense. What is love if not defying everything else to be with the one you love?

The whole fantastical elements were mind blowing, but easy to understand for a first time romantasy reader.

And that cliffhanger, please can we have the next book in the series asap!!!

Totally did not expect this kind of book from Author A.L. Jackson.
The story kept me entertained and totally had me guessing on where it would go.
Great start to this new series.

A Vision Unfinished

So, I took a chance on reading a fantasy book, it's been almost 10 years since the last one I read. I have loved this author's writings for so long, I thought I would give it a chance.

The pictures painted of the scenery were vivid, but I felt like I was continuously trying to picture what I was seeing instead of falling in love with the characters and their journey. This has always been a problem for me when reading anything fantasy-related. It is a lot of world-building.

This story follows Aria and Pax and the double life they lead. During the day, they both have relatively normal lives, but when they sleep, they are transported to Faydor where they lead their chosen life as Laven. Their life's mission is to protect humans from Kruen. At the start of the story, Aria is about to be 16 (maturity age for the Laven), but she has struggled all her life with hiding who she is from her family on Earth. When Pax feels that Aria is in danger on Earth, he sets out to find her even though it's forbidden. I loved the connection that Pax and Aria had with one another, but I found keeping track of both worlds was a bit exhausting. And I kept thinking their brains must be severly overworked.

I will say I did not know there would be a cliffhanger, which was disappointing at the end. But I will definitely be picking up the next book because I need to know how their story ends.

This one was beyond amazing! I couldn’t put it down! From the start, it had me hooked! The characters were everything!

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!

I was so excited for this book. The description of it sounded so good and overall had so much potential. I am overall sad on how it turned out. I was ready to DNF after the first 3 chapters. However, I truly wanted to give the book a shot to redeem itself. Unfortunately it did not. The beginning was absolutely confusing and was very hard to follow. The brief explanation in the description of the book on what or who the Kruen are left me so confused when it came time to figuring out what they were exactly. I think that if topics in the book were explained better in the beginning, the book could have been redeemed. I also feel like between the two main characters, the lust between them was too much and could have been without. The whole book it was like this desire that they wanted to be together physically but held back and that it was they only thing they had going for them. Now don't get me wrong that I'm all for smut and sexual tension in books, but I felt that this was not gone about right and was just cringey. I actually ended up skipping a sexual scene at the end because I just simply couldn't do it.

I would also like to touch on that I wish the ARC did have trigger warnings due to a few topics that were included in this book. I want to leave my review spoil free so I won't say here what they were.

Overall, this book had great potential but was executed poorly.

WOW! This was such an interesting storyline. I’ve not read a fantasy with this style of plot.

So Aria has been traveling to a different realm/land while she sleeps. She’s been learning and training to fight off the monsters that cause chaos in the real world.

In the world, they are called Laven and each one is paired with a Nol, a protector. But they are forbidden to meet in the real world. But essentially the Nol is like a perfect compliment for you.
Aria’s Nol is Pax. He’s a little older and very protective of her. But they never go beyond a close friendship because they both know the rules, however that doesn’t stop Aria wanting him from afar and wishing life was different.

But then something happens to Aria that shakes the entire foundation of what they know to be true, and Pax comes to find her. The guy literally drives across the country without rest to get to her!! *Swoon*
They wind up on the run trying to find answers before it’s too late.

They are so sweet together. When they meet, it’s like everything suddenly becomes clear and staying away from each other becomes more difficult as they spend more time together.

This is a slow burn .. like past 70% and it fits with the story perfectly. I would say that the story is a 60/40 split between waking world and the sleep world, Faydor. But we are learning more about the sleep world while they’re awake.

This does end on a cliffhanger, and I’m VERY interested to learn who this person is and why he’s wrecking havoc on the Laven!

Thank you Amy for this beautiful PR Box of goodies. The blanket is insanely soft and cozy, my daughter has already claimed it.

Read if you enjoy✨
Fated mates
Forbidden love

Visions of Darkness is Amy's debut fantasy novel and I was so intrigued from the very beginning. It was unlike any fantasy l've read, with a pretty unique concept.
Without giving too much away, Pax and Aria are transported to their fantasy world every night when they sleep to hunt and destroy demons that attack the humans' minds. Their powers must be kept secret and they are not allowed to find each other in the real world. This all becomes too much when Aria's powers prove to be special and she begins to be hunted while awake.
Fun, unique, with a cliffhanger that will drop your jaw.
Amy's debut fantasy will keep you intrigued until the end!

a.l. jackson has created a dark world that’s horrific and different, set within a modern setting and one that feels refreshing in its newness. visions of darkness blends forbidden romance with slow burn and friends to lovers, making it feel different from what we usually encounter in the romantasy sphere. considering this is jackson's debut romantasy, however i’m more inclined to consider this urban fantasy or urban paranormal, it had one of the most interesting premises where certain people, referred to as ‘laven’, are gifted with abilities to traverse between the dream and the real worlds, accompanied by a ‘nol’ or soulmate who laven are forbidden from meeting in real life, but the execution was difficult to move on from.

for one—this is without hesitation a “me” issue—i can’t stand fantasy elements within a realistic environment. the blending of both reality and fantasy feels chaotic; simultaneously, the worlds felt separated miles from each other, as the laven accessed faydor through dreams, making the real world and faydor distinct realms that overlapped in subtle ways. with the way creatures from the dream world would escape into reality, creating havoc through emotionally vulnerable people, and the laven would sustain injuries in the dream world that would only appear when they woke after long hours of fighting kruen in faydor, visions of darkness was both straightforward and confusing. this book raised a lot of unanswered questions that, i’m assuming, will be answered in the following installments but for the meantime, readers have been left with little information. what kind of frustrated me with this book is that it wasn’t made clear this was to be a series, as it wasn’t marketed as such, so the world-building felt lacking and the time it took to start introducing the information was horrendous. taking into account that most of the fantasy elements originate from tearsith and faydor, it’s natural that the lore will take some time to unfold, but this also limits the knowledge we have and learn of the world and the magic.

♡ aria rialta
considering aria’s eighteen, she’s lived a sheltered and traumatic life within that short span of time. for someone young and still impressionable, aria’s really strong emotionally and mentally having been forced to grow up faster than others due to her situation, but there’s a lot of change and learning ahead for her. she’s been labelled a liar and admitted into institutions against her choice, however she’s one of the most empathetic characters despite everything and it’s refreshing to read about a character who isn’t jaded or full of sass.

♡ pax morrison
much like aria, pax has lived a difficult life. he broods and has become hardened by life, something to be expected considering the mistreatment he’s suffered. with this pax is, without doubt, the epitome of morally grey and “touch her and die”. he will do whatever is necessary to ensure aria is safe and well, even if it means doing questionable things. however, the amount of references to pax’s protective nature towards aria and how he wants to make sure she’s safe was too much and it’s unfortunate because it made him feel flat and dull.

in the end, this book wasn’t for me but if you are someone who loves the following tropes: friends to lovers; forbidden love; soulmates; morally grey male character; “the chosen one”; close proximity and one bed, to name some of them that feature, then perhaps visions of darkness will be for you. as much as i wanted to love this book, the execution was the most disappointing aspect of it. despite this having a promising beginning, the age of the characters and underwhelming personalities made them unrelatable and the lacking world-building made this book difficult to be engaging.

Visions of Darkness sent me on an exciting journey through two interwoven worlds—one mundane, one magical—and left me both intrigued and demanding more. I was intrigued the moment I realized Aria Rialta wasn't just any average girl, but one who battled darkness in the realm of Faydor every night. The illicit bond between her and Pax Morrison, her fiercely protective soulmate in the dreamworld, is portrayed with tangible emotion and a slow-burn intensity that kept me flipping pages.

I liked how A.L. Jackson flawlessly blended dark fantasy and urban reality. The concept of living in two realities is novel and new, and her evocative descriptions of Faydor and the malevolent Kruen create an atmosphere that is both terrifying and exciting. However, I felt that the pacing lagged at times—some portions could have used a little more tightening to keep the energy going.

Overall, Visions of Darkness is a captivating introduction to romantasy that has me eagerly anticipating the next installment. Four stars for a novel that is both thought-provoking and thrilling, with just enough opportunity for development in the world-building and pacing to make future books even more entertaining.

Im not noramlly a romantasy reader, however I really enjoyed this. I have read AL's contemporary works and loved them. This had a unique storyline with a good slow burn.

I have loved all of A.L. Jackson books and this one is no different. Her writing and plots are always perfection. I absolutely love the MMC and the FMC is exceptional and so resilient. I’m not normally one for books ending in a cliffhanger but this one has been totally worth it. Beautiful story with a gut wrenching cliff hanger. Keeping my eyes peeled for the next one!

I’m not a fan of romantasy but if AL Jackson writes it, I’ll read it! This book surprised me in all the best ways possible! It made me fall in love with the characters and connect with them quickly.

Aria is essentially living a double life. While she sleeps, she fights alongside her Laven family and her protector, Pax to rid the world of the darkness that preys on human minds.

In the waking world, Aria and Pax are never supposed to meet. Evil forces will be drawn to soulmates who share space in the waking world, therefore it is forbidden. But when the sleeping and waking world collide, and Aria’s life is in imminent danger, Pax doesn’t question breaking the rules and coming to her rescue.

This book had such an interesting premise and nothing quite like anything I have ever read before. It’s a bit of a slow burn in the first 30%, the story doesn’t really pick up until Pax and Aria link up in the real world. Admittedly, I didn’t feel super connected to the characters despite them being well written. Their bond and chemistry was sweet but I needed more substance.

Overall, I thought the premise was very original and I’m intrigued enough to see where the story goes in the coming books.

Visions of Darkness - A L Jackson

4.5/5⭐️

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Once again A.L. Jackson has done it again with another amazing read! This was one I couldn’t put down and was clicking my kindle so fast to get to what was next. I was instantly consumed into the book and I did finish in one sitting. But I think that may be my favorite way of reading lately. The Romantasy mood this got me in now!! Aria is our FMC and wow that girl had me speechless. She’s a high school senior but also a warrior who fights the evil and darkness. Pax is her protector in Faydor where she’s fighting off the evil. He’s just suppose to make sure she’s safe to do her job without crossing paths. Well that definitely doesn’t stop them. This definitely becomes a roller coaster ride and what a way to have it end!! I can’t wait for the next book in this series. Definitely recommend adding to your tbrs!

📚📚📚
If you like to read:
- Touch her and you 💀
- Only one bed
- Morally gray hero
- Forbidden
- The chosen one
- Fated mates
- On the run
- Two worlds collide
… You should definitely check this out

Such a fun fantasy! I’ve never read A. L. Jackson before, but I will go back and look into more books! The world building was fantastic and so much fun, the pacing was great and I felt interested the in entire book.

The first few chapters I was a little confused but I think that’s normal when you’re trying to understand the new world that the author has created. The book had action, fantasy, forbidden love and mystery. I was totally invested in the story and kept hoping that the main characters get together. I won’t spoil anything but I can’t believe what happened! This book is definitely a 4.5 out of 5 stars.