I enjoyed this unique story. It’s a dark romanstasy, which I don’t read much, but this one hooked me. Aria is a young woman who fights in a fantasy land every night in her dreams, along with her soulmate, Pax. Aria and Pax were great! Pax was so good and loving to Aria, and just a perfect book boyfriend. Yes, they were fated mates, but he really went above and beyond to protect her. With Faydor being dangerous, it was vital for them to work together. I look forward to more of this series.

Thanks to author A.L. Jackson and Valentine PR for the arc.

An incredible story that drew me in immediately and created this world where the main characters are living double lives that keep them on the edge. Aria and Pax live their every day mundane life in the real world yet at night in their dreams they are fighting a war no one else knows about. They are tethered together deeply like soulmates but more and they always have each other’s backs, but in the real world if they are together things start to happen creating intense moments. This story will leave you with questions but loving every second you get with these characters, but dying to know what’s going to happen to them next with great world building and amazing characters.

NEW FAVORITE BOOK ALERT 🚨‼️

Omg y’all I don’t even know where to begin with this review. I absolutely devoured this book on audio!! This story was just so unique I could not stop reading once I started. Our FMC, Aria enters the world of Faydor every night to fight a war with others, including Pax. Well when Aria needs help in the real world, Pax is determined to find & help her. I’m not kidding when I say I’ve never read anything like it.

If you know me, you know I have a deep love for Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and Aria REALLY reminded me of Alex from Ninth House in the BEST way. And Pax was just the perfect MMC, he was so down bad for Aria I was absolutely giddy while reading.

This book will definitely be my new obsession & I cannot wait for book 2!! 😭🖤

Wow. I honestly have no words for how incredible AL Jackson’s first Romantasy novel is.

This book is truly unlike anything I’ve read or heard of before. The plot line was incredible. It was unique and captivating from the start. I was completely enthralled with Aria and Pax’s story from the minute they’re introduced. The concept of a dream world that’s an actual reality is pretty amazing.

I went into this book completely blind and was so pleasantly surprised. Aria and Pax are the definition of twin flames. They will always find each other, in this life and the next.

I cannot wait for more Romantasy from AL Jackson. And the way this book ended… i hope we’ll see more of Aria and Pax!!

🖤Morally Grey MMC
🖤Forbidden
🖤Touch Her and 💀
🖤On the Run
🖤Close Proximity
🖤Romantasy

✨“Make no mistake, I would break every fcking rule in this world and in that one to keep you safe.”

Ohhh my heart! I recently devoured the newly released Visions of Darkness by @aljacksonauthor and this amazing dark romantasy brought all of the feels that my heart craves! This was my first read by A.L Jackson and it will not be my last! 💜💜💜

✨I was immediately drawn into Aria and Pax’s story! The unique magical elements, the dark history plaguing their dream world and the evil they battle together, the entwining of their souls, the angst, longing, and forbidden drive to seek out one another’s souls was everything!

✨I started Visions of Darkness as an e-book and finished the story listening on audio as I followed along 🎧💜📖 and both of the narrators, Victoria Mei and Teddy Hamilton were fantastic!

✨Morally Grey & Protective MMC
✨Dark Romantasy
✨Touch her and ☠️
✨Heroine coming into her powers

Wow! Visions of Darkness is a mesmerizing dark romantasy that pulls you into a world where love and danger intertwines in the most captivating ways. A.L. Jackson is use to emotional tales but she takes this book to a new level with both a haunting and beautiful story of a land called Faydor and the love between Aria and Pax. Aria, a young girl who is caught between two realities: the ordinary world she lives in during the day and the nightmarish realm she travels to when she closes her eyes at night. In Faydor, she is destined to fight the sinister Kruen along side her Nol, Pax, her true soulmate, the stakes are high and the tense is visible as Aria navigates her nightly battles while trying to maintain her grip on reality. The relationship builds between Aria and Pax when they break all the rules as Pax comes to save Aria from a fate she had no idea existed. Their relationship is a forbidden one that brings tension, desire, and an ever-present danger that surrounds them, making their connection feel both urgent and passionate. I love A.L. Jackson's vivid descriptions and intricate details that brings this realm to life, as a new reader to romantasy she has a way of luring you in and keeping you there forever. With the relatable characters, a rich imagined world, and a story that keeps you guessing, this book is sure to captivate you from the first page. Whether you are new to this genre or an avid reader you will enjoy A.L. Jackson's new land of Faydor.

Visions of Darkness was unlike any Romantasy I’ve read before - and I LOVED it for that. It had all of my favorite tropes: fated mates, forbidden love, and an irresistible hero whose touch could kill.

The dual-reality concept, blending modern life with the dark, war-torn realms of Tearsith & Faydor was so immersive and fresh. Watching Aria navigate these two worlds - the one she was born into and the one she was chosen for - was gripping from start to finish. The slow-burn romance between Aria and Pax was PERFECTION. It was deliciously torturous in the best way. When those floodgates finally burst open, it was worth the wait. The world-building was rich and atmospheric - making the creeping tension between realms feel so real. Aria’s struggle with her hallucinations bleeding into the waking world added an extra layer of suspense that kept me on edge.

Overall this story had me hooked with its high stakes, sizzling romance, and unique take on battling inner & outer darkness.

This was so so good!
The characters are so cute and they deserve each other! I love this author and everything she writes

The start of a dark romantasy series from AL Jackson, an author I love when it comes to her usual contemporary romance, but unfortunately, Visions of Darkness just didn’t do it for me as the story featuring Aria Rialto alternated between her life with her family during the day where she was just an average girl albeit one with suspected mental health issues to the dream world….. or rather nightmare world of Faydor where she spent her hours of sleep battling the Kruen, beings who fed off the sins and cruelties carried out by humanity. In this world she had a soul mate, Pax, but they were forbidden from meeting in reality as it would be catastrophic but when the line between Aria’s two worlds blur and her parents have her committed, Pax would do whatever he had to, to rescue her.

For me, the overall flow of the story felt slow, and I struggled to finish reading this book. Its plot was ultimately about a battle between good and evil with the scales balanced in favour of evil as the fate of world rested in the hands of a handful of people barely out of their teens and who received no appreciation for what they did night after night because everyone thought they were mad. There was nothing engaging about it and I didn’t even care that it ended in a cliffhanger. I can't help but feel Visions of Darkness was geared more towards the YA market, whether that was because of the ages of main characters I don’t know. I do know I just didn’t care what happened to Aria or Pax so its not a series I will be continuing.

"sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴍʏ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. ᴍʏ ᴇᴄsᴛᴀsʏ. ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛɪᴏɴ."

OH MY GOSH..... WHAT DID I JUST READ!!! I'm not a Romantasy reader. In fact, this was one of my first books, but Amy is one of my favorite authors, and I'll read anything she writes, so read I did and to say I was consumed by this story is an understatement!!! As I was reading, I felt like I was watching a movie. I could see it all play out, and that is what made me fall even more in love with this story.

"ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴀᴅ. ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴠɪsɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏ. ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ. ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴍᴇ, ɪᴛ's ʏᴏᴜʀs.”

Aria and Pax may have been a forbidden love through the eyes of their Laven family, but in their hearts, their love knew know bounds and that they were fated to be together. The evil these two endured was small in comparison to the scars upon their bodies from the evil they fought to save those in need. Watching the bond and love between Aria and Pax grow was a beautiful journey that I didn't want to end.

"ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴡʜᴏ ʜᴀᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʟᴇғᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴀʀᴋ ᴏɴ ᴍᴇ. ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴀs sᴄᴏʀᴇᴅ sᴏ ᴅᴇᴇᴘʟʏ ɪɴsɪᴅᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪғ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴇxɪsᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ. ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴏɴ ᴍʏ sᴏᴜʟ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴsᴄʀɪʙᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʙᴇɪɴɢ."

Holy hell, that ending, ahhh, I need more!!! I'm excited to see what happens next. Bring on book two!!!

Visions of Darkness is book 1 of the Darkness series by A.L. Jackson. This is a new type of book for this author and I don’t normal read fantasy romance but as usual this author outdid herself. This is Pax and Aria’s story. I loved this mix of real life and dream world. There is lots of mystery and action that keep you hooked. I really loved this book and can’t wait for the next one.

4.5 Stars

Imagine going to sleep and waking up in another world where you are one of the chosen to fight dark entities, along with your soul-chosen partner. That is the story between Aria Rialta and Pax Morrison. A.L. Jackson delivered a thrilling dark romantasy of sacrifice and forbidden love that had me in a complete chokehold.

A.L. Jackson's introduction of the worlds of Tearsith and Faydor was very descriptive, and I was drawn into the contrasting landscapes. My heart beat erratically as Aria struggled with the aftermath of her battles and the growing tension with her parents in her waking reality. I felt her devastation and hopelesnness at being misunderstood. Enter Pax. This man was lethal when it came to Aria, and I was here for it.

I loved the connection between Aria and Pax, which could not be denied even as they struggled against their undeniable attraction. There was so much tension and angst, and A.L. did a wonderful job of portraying their forbidden romance, making their intimate moments that much more intense. I loved the way they were both willing to break the rules for each other and face whatever may come.

This book had me enthralled, and the twists had me on the edge of my seat. And that cliffhanger left me in utter shock. The next book can't come soon enough.

This book delivered all the shadowy, possessive MMC vibes, reluctant hero moments, and star-crossed lover tropes in the best way possible. The connection between Pax and Aria is so expertly written and had me falling for these two characters. I’m a sucker for the “I would do anything for you” trope, and this story delivers it perfectly. Beyond being an incredible romantasy, the audiobook narration was absolute perfection! If you’re a fan of One Dark Window with added spice, then this book is a must-read.

*Thank you to A.L. Jackson, Montlake and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

Truly blown away by this book. This book has one of the most unique plots Ive ever read. Read the blurb because I am certain I cannot explain the premise and do it justice but in short, this is a modern romantasy book with a twist that had me hooked from the prologue. Aria and Pax are mated & spend their sleeping hours fighting evils in the human realm, with no contact while awake.

AL Jacksons writing is perfect for fantasy in my opinion, her usual flowery writing style flowed super well for this book.

Pax and Aria have such a beautiful relationship, the take on fated mates was one I havent read and I ate up. the longing and angst these two had, it was so sweet. The spice was minimal but very similar to how she usually writes it.

Pax is perfect, like so scrumptious if you love a grumpy, broken male main character with a serious protective streak. & Aria our misunderstood but strong female main character was the perfect mixture of soft and strong!

I couldn't put the book down and I cannot wait for the next one ( that cliffy is going to haunt my dreams). There were a few moments that the story dragged just a bit to long for me personally but other than that I have no complaints.

This is also a perfect romantasy book if you prefer light spice!

4.5/5 stars
1 spice

Forbidden love
Modern fantasy with a twist
Protective male main character

"I was created to take care of you Aria, and I would never turn on you"

"You were the truth inside me when I never knew what was real. My hope. The hollow place inside that only you could fill,"

This is the first book by this author I’ve read and I loved it. I can’t wait for the next book.
This is so different from anything I’ve read.
Aria and Pax met as children while they sleep but what goes on is not really a dream because once they grow up they start fighting things the other world they go to. But once they wake up they have proof that it’s not a dream and they don’t have mental illness.
Pax and Aria also look different than the people in the world they live in while awake. They look like those they know in the world they go to while sleeping.
Pax must choose what he’s going to do once he finds out that Aria’s life is in danger. Will he defy it all to join her in the daylight to keep her safe or listen to those that have taught them everything they know about their night world.
This is a must read. I absolutely loved this book and that cliffhanger oh man. I was nervous wondering what would happen towards the end. I can’t wait to find out what happens to Aria, Pax and everyone else.

I think I would consider this more a paranormal than fantasy??? And while that part confused me a bit, the romance was in true A.L. Jackson style and I’d expect nothing less.

Soulmates in Two Realities…

Aria is living in two different realities. By day she's part of the human world where she can't help feeling so different from her normal family and those around her. By night she enters the shadow world of Faydor where she fights alongside others of her kind to protect unsuspecting humans from the Kruen who feed thoughts of evil and chaos into their minds.

When she wakes up from battles baring the scars and injuries from her fights, her parents think she's hurting herself and losing her mind. The one true good thing she has to hold onto is her soulmate and partner in this shadow war, Pax. They are forbidden to meet in the waking world. But when Aria is in danger Pax is more determined to find and protect her than he is to follow along with rules that make no sense for them.

Together they take on a cross-country journey to put distance between them and those out to get them. But there's a darker more powerful force in Faydor working to come after them in both the waking and shadow worlds. As they work to uncover more history about their kind and how to stop those after them, they also find it harder to resist the pull of their soul bond. Aria must figure out what her newfound powers mean and how she can use them. And they both have to figure out what they are willing to risk for each other.

I absolutely loved these two together. The whole concept of these dual realities and their overlap is so good. The fierce and protective bond between Aria and Pax is everything. This is a great start to this new dark romantasy series and I can't wait to see where it goes.

Ok so I don’t normally read fantasy but I absolutely loved pax and aria story.

If you’ve followed this author you know she brings emotional love story, but this one is so beautifully written 😍🥰🥰

At first I was iffy when she switched to this genre because I was so used to her writing other stuff. However she hit this one right on the nail. Was so beautifully written.

Imagine knowing your soulmate you can only see in your dreams you’re never meant to see in person. Imagine by day you’re human and trying to figure life out and hide the wounds you carry. While yearning for your love. Then by night(sleep) your in tearsith where you’re fighting to help keep the human race safe.

What happens when the unexpected happens? Will they. E able to survive?

I loved Pax and his need to protect Aria, if you read Amy before then you should have expected nothing less.

Amy keeps you intrigued with this slow burn emotional story. She did a phenomenal job in this new genre.

She left me wanting so much more.

The way this book sucked me into a new world within our world.

Aria was a girl with what everyone thought was a vivid imagination. When in reality she went to a different world while she slept. She was chosen to help the human world defeat their demons that plagued their minds everyday. It was a lot to ask of a child to keep this world a secret as no one would understand. So when she started to get wounds on her body that she couldn’t explain to her family, naturally they thought she was harming herself and thought she had mental issues with all the talk of her “imaginary friends and world” she went to every night. I wanted to hate her family but I got where they were coming from and they thought they were helping her from a place of love.

I wanted more Pax lol. He felt like he had so much more to give but I know his whole rule in life was to protect Aria and keep her safe. I loved their connection that called to one another. I felt like they needed to cross that line they were told never to cross. I felt that Aria needed to cross it to help her find her strength and that their bond was so strong together she needed it to fight.

But can we talk about that ending!!! Omg I need to know what happens next!
.
.
.
4️⃣.5️⃣⭐️
🌶️
🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻
9/10 recommendation

Unique. Captivating. Stunning. Ethereal. Emotional.

Those are just a few of the words I'd use to describe Visions of Darkness, the romantasy debut of author AL Jackson, who I've come to adore the past year. This is a book that's been in the works for a long time for Amy and I just have to say, she truly gave us a story for the ages that I know I'll never forget.

Our MCs, Pax and Aria, are special. When they sleep, they go to another realm and at a young age find themselves each other's Nol (soulmate). In this realm they face darkness. So much darkness. It's their job to be the light. And when they awake, they live their "normal" lives on Earth -- but for each of them, and those like them, there's really never any kind of normal, is there?

It's when worlds collide that our story really picks up -- details I won't spoil but that I was absolutely obsessed with from moment one. The premise of this book is so incredibly unique - like nothing I've read in the genre before. And these characters embed themselves into your heart quickly.

As with any new fantasy/romantasy book, there's some time spent world-building at the outset, which can be challenging to get your arms around, especially if you haven't read the genre before, but I think Amy did an amazing job explaining things in a way that flowed. It was truly like she was not just telling us but rather SHOWING us…a sign of a strong storyteller. I also appreciated that chapters on Earth were in first person dual POV and chapters in their dream state were in third person…a writing device that really helped my brain distinguish between the two worlds.

Our MCs brought all the emotions out in me. I was anxious and unsure at times of what would happen next and my heart raced more than a few times. I was also both heartbroken and excited throughout the book and the journey it takes us on. This one was a big winner for me. In concept, storyline, writing style and execution.