Visions of Darkness

Darkness, Book 1

By: A.L. Jackson

Narrated by: Victoria Mei, Teddy Hamilton

Destined to be together, forbidden to love, two lost souls fight evil in an everyday world that belongs to the night. A dark romantasy by a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.

My life is a nightmare. I’m tormented by the evils I’ve seen, but still I hunt. Kill.

My only comfort is Aria, my forbidden soulmate, whom I meet each night to fight an unseen war. When that war spills over and endangers her, there is nothing that can stop me from finding my love.

Giving in to our blazing attraction could be the death of us, but with one brush of her hand, I’m willing to break every oath I’ve made.

I’d burn the world to protect her from the evils that hunt us.

Because for one moment of loving Aria? I would gladly give my life.

©2025 by A.L. Jackson Books Inc. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Swoony romantasy.”—Booklist

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Bold New Voice from AL Jackson – A Captivating Start to an Engaging Series!

AUDIOBOOK

The audiobook performance is a mixed bag. The male main character's narration is strong and perfectly suited to the tone of the story. However, the female narrator’s voice sounded way too mature and, at times, overly theatric for the 18-year-old main female character. Unfortunately, this frequently often pulled me out of the story because it was so distracting.

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STORY

AL Jackson delivers a refreshingly distinct narrative voice in this compelling series debut!

With her trademark emotional depth and immersive character/world-building, Jackson once again proves why she’s a powerhouse. What sets this novel apart is its striking tonal shift—much darker, grittier, and more visceral than her previous works—yet it’s a risk that pays off brilliantly.

Venturing into a mysterious new world with a cast of young adult (by age) characters, Jackson crafts a story that is both haunting and interesting. The dialogue is sharp and the character arcs thoughtfully developed. While stories with such young main characters aren’t typically my preference, the authenticity and nuance Jackson brings to these characters within the story made it work.

Overall, this is an exciting evolution in AL Jackson’s storytelling. I’m really forward to the next book in what’s shaping up to be a standout and exciting series.

5/5 for the story. Super fun story!!!

Epic Journey

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.

Narration:
Victoria Mei and Teddy Hamilton delivered amazing performances. They transported me right into Aria and Pax's world and really brought the characters to life. Their performances allowed me to feel the passion, tension, and emotions elicited by Aria and Pax's epic journey. I highly recommend reading and listening in tandem.

I don’t read romantasy but I did and it was great!

This is what I wanted in a dark romantasy! Also teddy Hamilton..:that is all.

Wow what a book

I’ve been listening to A.J. Jackson books for over 10 years and loved them all. I had no idea what to expect from this book but I knew she wrote it. Fantastic narration to I’m looking forward to the next book 😊

Visions of Darkness

Visions of Darkness is the first book in the Darkness series. This book is about Pax and Aria and is told from both of their points of view.

Aria and Pax are both part of the Faydor where when they fall asleep they go to this other world and they are soul mates in this world. However, in during the day they should not be together or the Kruen who go after the them will attack them.

When something happens to threaten one of them, the other one decides they will do anything to save their soulmate. There were so many twists and turns I didn't see coming, and I loved every minute of it.

I can't wait to see what happens next in this series.

Unique romantasy!

When Pax and Aria fall asleep they enter the magical world of Faydor where they are bound together to protect each other and fight against the evil Kruen. Pax and Aria are strictly forbidden to be together in the waking world. But when Aria finds herself in danger Pax doesn’t hesitate to break the rules and protect what’s his.

A.L. Jackson did not disappoint with her first fantasy romance! This story was creative and interesting. It’s dangerous and suspenseful with lots of action. It’s also super angsty and definitely a slowww burn. And as someone who gets easily lost with complicated world building, I found this to be fairly easy to follow and not too overwhelming. Just fyi, this does end on a cliffhanger. I am anxiously awaiting to see what happens as this story continues!!

🎧 I really enjoyed the audio of this. Victoria Mei and Teddy Hamilton were amazing!!

Cliffhanger!!!!

Gosh darn it I thought this was a standalone! Book is slow starting but man it sure picked up! Loved it! But that ending grrr!!!! Great work building and story was so different

Blew me away!!

AL Jackson brought her writing game up to a whole new level with Visions of Darkness. This book had all the angst and passion that you always get with her books but with the addition of a paranormal twist. I was so pulled into this story that I couldn’t put it down. Pax and Aria’s connection was like no other. I can’t wait for more!

Awesome romantasy story different than the others!

I loved this book! Finally something different and not the same old over-told romantasy story. A breath of fresh air. I enjoyed it so much I finished it in half a day! Definitely plan to purchase a copy.

I loved this romantasy!!

I love Pax and Aria so much!! This book had me hooked from the start. I haven’t read a fantasy book with this particular world, it was AMAZING! The world created in this book was fascinating. I have precisely read books from AL Jackson and I knew she would slay a fantasy romance book.

The narration was perfect. The narrators flowed perfectly together. Teddy and Victoria did a fantastic job.

And the end!? I can’t wait for the next one.