Title: The Revelation of Light and Dark
Series: Chronicles of the Stone Veil, Book 1
Author: Sawyer Bennett
Release Date: 9th February 2021

An epic love story weaved within a fantastical journey of human and otherworldly, The Revelation of Light and Dark is the first book in the Chronicles of the Stone Veil series, a paranormal romance/urban fantasy.

BLURB:

I always knew I was different.

From a young age, my mind has been plagued with things only I could see. Some hauntingly beautiful, others completely terrifying. Never knowing if these visions were real or just hallucinations, I learned how to lock them down and ignore them. I learned to take solace in the relative anonymity of city life and find peace in the rainy days my city of Seattle is known for.

But just when I think my life is getting on track and my dreams are achievable, a moment of weakness causes me to learn a hard and fast lesson.

My entire existence has been a lie.

Now I’m faced with a new reality that’s as implausible as it is fantastical. Filled with realms and veils, light and dark, fae and daemons, gods and angels—things I don’t understand but am forced to acknowledge. It doesn’t help that the man teaching me about my unique gifts is the gorgeously handsome Carrick Byrne, one of Seattle’s richest and most powerful men. He intimidates, annoys, and intrigues me all at the same time. I don’t trust him and yet there’s no one else to help me.

No longer certain who to put my faith in, what to believe, or how I fit into it all, one revelation is clear…

The world as I know it will never be the same again.

The Revelation of Light and Dark is book one of the Chronicles of the Stone Veil series and is best enjoyed if read in series order.

Caroline's Review
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Wow! It's been a while since I read a PNR. I found this a fascinating and absorbing read, as the author introduces us to Finley Porter, Carrick Byrne, and the people who live in every-day Seattle and other realms. The author skilfully paints vivid pictures with her words of the scenery and the true fantastical faces of the daemons and fae who inhabit the city.

"Why does he hate me? And, at the same time, why do I fascinate him? Conversely, why do I seem to have a pull toward him?"

Finley Porter has grown up suppressing and ignoring the hallucinations and feelings she gets when she encounters certain people for fear of ridicule or, worse, incarceration. When she meets the beautiful, enigmatic Carrick Byrne, it's hate at first sight - at least on his part. It's baffling and oddly hurtful. When she finds out that he holds her future in his hands in more ways than one, she resolves to put aside his singular attitude towards her in a bid to forge her financial future, as well as find out more about herself.

"You know she crossed your path for a reason?"

This story was a gradual building of the background about Finley, her family, her work and her discovery about life forms that are distinctly not human. There are tons of question arising out of this first book in a series of five novels. First and foremost for her (and me!) is who and what is Carrick Byrne? There is certainly a frisson between them but he is closed off and gives nothing away about himself. I'm almost certain there is a deeper connection between them that has yet to be revealed. Most the chapters are written in Finley's POV but we also get a couple written in Carrick's POV-third person. He is certainly a mysterious character and I can't wait to find out more about him, but also the unravelling of him because I'm convinced that he will become unravelled at some point. Finley herself is a huge mystery on her own. I loved her character - she was spunky, feisty and resourceful. She had a big heart and plenty of courage. I admired her enormously. By the time I finished this story, I was already fully invested and so excited for book two!