Dark Vision

Dark Vision #1

by Debbie Johnson

For fans of Kelley Armstrong, Deborah Harkness, and Charlaine Harris comes a tale of magic, love and destiny—urban fantasy from a uniquely British perspective

Lily McCain is cursed. With just one touch she can see a person’s future, whether it’s a good fortune or a terrible fate. Afraid of the potent visions she foresees, she distances herself from the world, succumbing to a life of solitude. But at the touch of a mysterious stranger—who has powers of his own—Lily sees a new, chilling future for one where she is fated to make a terrible choice.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2014

About the author

Debbie Johnson is an award-winning author who lives and works in Liverpool, where she divides her time between writing, caring for a small tribe of children and animals, and not doing the housework.

She writes feel-good emotional women’s fiction, and has sold more than 1,000,000 books worldwide. She is published globally in many different languages, and has had two books optioned for film and TV.

Her books include the best-selling Comfort Food Cafe series, The A-Z of Everything, Maybe One Day, The Moment I Met You, Falling for You and the Starshine Cove books.

She is also the author of supernatural crime thriller, Fear No Evil, and urban fantasies Dark Vision and Dark Touch.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[L.E.Olteano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted on Mar 31 2015 at Butterfly-o-Meter Books:

In a Flutter: Fun & intriguing
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: The rich paranormal world of this series (because after some digging around, I did find out it’s the beginning of a series, yey!) – gods & goddesses, vampires, awesomesauce warriors – wreaks havoc in UK (Liverpool, Dublin), and I really enjoyed it.
Characters: Lily was very easy to like. She’s snarky, has a great sense of humor which she uses liberally to cope with what’s happening to her, and she’s easy to empathize with. I resonated with her on a very deep and personal level, though she annoyed me in places. I would have liked her to be more of a driving factor in the story, but that’s a subjective thing, of course. True, there’s a lot of having to adapt to rapid changes and huge news and all, but I would have loved Lily to respond somehow faster, be more decisive, take matters into her own hands a bit more. Not entirely, of course, it wouldn’t have been that plausible, I’ll grant you that. But I would have loved her to be incisive, I don’t know.
Gabriel was everything I expected him to be, alpha male, supernatural, hot, domineering, and annoying, and kind of cute all in all :) There’s some very interesting chemistry between him and Lily, and I’d love to see how that evolves.
Carmel was also a riot, Lily’s best friend and fellow gang member, so to speak :D I loved her. Luca was also fun, and the whole cast of secondaries was entertaining and quite charming, in a snarky kind of way that I so loved. I’d definitely love to see more of all of them in the future!
Plot: The story was this mix of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I had fun following what Lily went through, and I was so curious to see how things would end. But I can say the urban fantasy side could have used a bit more action, maybe. And the romance side could have used more romantic tension and romantic action, or at least some of it :P Yes, I’m a perv :D There’s more character development revolving around potential romance, making me think of Dark Vision as more of PNR than an UF. A HFN PNR, with potential for the HEA in future novels in the series, if I were to describe it.
Writing: First person, past tense narrative, Lily’s POV. I loved her snarky voice, so I enjoyed her POV.
Curb Appeal: Lovely cover, hooking blurb.

All in all, I’d say I really had fun with Dark Vision and would love to give Dark Touch, #2 in the series, a try. It’s already out, so that might happen sooner rather than later. I suck at reading series, for some reason, lol.
Anyway, I recommend Dark Vision to lovers of UF if they’re not too rabid-action-oriented, and to lover of PNR if they’re cool with fun stories and enjoy romantic elements rather than full-on romance. This is a kind of in-between sort of read imo, which I think means it could appeal to lovers of both genres. It’s light, a fast read, and entertaining. I say give it a try.

[Bookworman · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - I liked it but didn’t love it.

A little bit “The Dark Tower”, a little bit Harry Potter, with a dash of “Narnia” and “Lord of the Rings”, a pinch of “Twilight”, and a little bit snarky rom-com.

I liked it enough to read the whole book and really loved the main character and her bestie but... but... but... not enough to read Book 2 even though Book 1 leaves the reader hanging.

Blood and guts, some profanity (f-bombs)

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

As soon as I heard about Dark Vision I knew I wanted to read it. I'm a huge urban fantasy fan, it's been one of my go to genres for years and most of my favourite series fall into this category. It's a very US dominated genre though, not that I don't love series set in the US but it does make a nice change to find a book set in the UK since they are so few and far between. Dark Vision isn't just set in the UK, it's also set in Liverpool which is even better - it's nice for me to get that British feel but still be able to travel somewhere I've never been before!

So, I had high hopes for this story but while I liked it I didn't find it wowed me as much as I hoped it would. To start with the positives the Dark Vision has an interesting mythology and it combines all kinds of supernatural creatures and different abilities. It has a very British feel to it and I enjoyed the humour that was scattered throughout the story. The world definitely has a lot of potential and since I believe that this is the first book in a new series (I was unable to find confirmation of that fact) I would definitely be keen to read more books by Debbie Johnson in the future.

I also found Lily's abilities very interesting, she only has to brush up against someone and any skin to skin contact will result in a vision. Lily can't control the visions she sees but they very often show the other person's death or something horrible that they will have to go through in the future. Since Lily has no way of blocking her ability the only way she has been able to control her visions is to avoid touching anyone. As you can imagine having to keep people literally at arms length is not only very difficult but it also leads to a very lonely life for Lily and because of that she's always had trouble making friends. The one person who has broken through her defensive barriers is Carmel and I loved the supportive friendship they have. Too often any other female characters are only there as rivals for the heroine and that definitely isn't the case here.

I was intrigued by Gabriel from the first moment Lily meets him, he's definitely got that mysterious vibe going for him and although you know he is keeping secrets you get the feeling he's got her best interests at heart. What irritated me was the way Lily reacted to him, I could understand her being wary of him, in fact I liked that about her at first, but after he'd saved her life it didn't make sense that she kept refusing to follow his instructions or accept his help. It made even less sense that when she starts hearing voices she immediately trusts a complete stranger - especially one who actually admits he was the one who put her in danger in the first place! Surely if you can't trust the guy who SAVED YOUR LIFE then you're not going to trust the man that WANTS YOU DEAD? Because of her misplaced trust and her refusal to do anything that Gabriel suggests will help keep her safe she is constantly putting herself into danger. I might have forgiven her once but time and time again she ignores advice and puts not just herself but also all of her allies at risk. I find it hard to respect a heroine who acts like such an idiot.

Lily does come a long way by the end of the book though, she makes progress on starting to understand her abilities and she starts to accept the things she has learnt about her destiny. As much as she irritated me for a large chunk of the book I'm fairly confident that she will learn from her mistakes and think before she acts in the future. I have high hopes for the potential romance between her and Gabriel but I really hope that the potential triangle with Luca doesn't continue past this book. So, while Dark Visions may not be perfect it was still a likeable read and if it does turn out to be the first book in a new series then I'll definitely be picking up the next book to see what happens to Lily next.

[Book Addict Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay first things first I wanted to read this book mostly because it was set in Liverpool and to support a local author. There just doesn't seem to be enough fiction set in Liverpool for me. I love family sagas but sometimes I want to read about something in the present day. The book however is fantasy and whilst this isn't my number one genre of choice after reading it I'm glad I did as it just shows you can move out of your comfort zone and still enjoy a book!

I love the True Blood series of books and one of my favourite TV shows is The Vampire Diaries. I did like Twilight but the films just destroyed it for me and Bella's constant me me me also put me off. So I have read and enjoyed books similar to this in the past it's just not a book that I'm an expert in. On Debbie's Amazon page it has a Guardian quote which says: '...a deftly told entertainment that shows there is certainly room in the world for a Liverpudlian Charlaine Harris.' And that's certainly something I would agree with. When I read Luca Veste's DEAD GONE I said I was ecstatic that a Liverpool based book was so good and it's the same here, this was a fantastic read. It wasn't just set in Liverpool however!

I loved Lily McCain, feisty and fearless she's definitely somebody I could be friends with in real life. The book had plenty of twists that kept me turning the pages wanting to read more. There's also humour in the book but alongside that real believability in the characters that she has created. I loved Carmel and Gabriel. It'd be all to easy for an author in this genre to just rewrite characters based on what we've had before but Debbie doesn't do that and has instead created her own, very unique set. Lily and Carmel are very believable, girls who can stand on their own two feet rather than weak, simpering females who need a man to come along and protect them.

Now having read Tom Slemen's HAUNTED LIVERPOOL series since I was a young teenager I know Liverpool is full of ghosts and the paranormal. I will however be especially wary walking around the city at night after reading this book! It was very enjoyable to read a book like this actually set in the city I was born and live, being able to recognise the places. I also never thought I'd read a fantasy book featuring vampires and the like which would have the word scousebrow in it! Hilarious. Debbie Johnson has written a fantastic book here and I personally cannot wait for book two. You don't necessarily have to be an urban fantasy connoisseur to enjoy this book, just somebody who likes to move from their comfort zone now and again and read a great book.

[Paula Woosey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flying Liver birds, goddesses, vampires and rock and roll, Debbie Johnson's debut novel Dark Vision has got the lot ......and there are plenty of laughs along the way. Set in Johnson's home city of Liverpool it's the story of pop writer Lily McCain a young woman cursed by visions of the future whenever she touches anyone. When she meets a stranger in a bar she discovers that she isn't who she thought she was and her life will never be the same again. Get ready to join Lily and her wonderful gutsy sidekick Carmel on a fast ride around Liverpool with a trip to Dublin thrown in. As much comic as horror Johnson's wit and humour make this a cracking read. Amidst the chaos of flirtatious vampires and some pretty fearsome other worldly types she succeeds in creating some believable and memorable characters with real warmth and emotion. If you love fantasy fiction you'll love this. Even if it's not your genre, trust me, you'll adore these charming and funny characters. I look forward to meeting up with them in her next book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dark Series

I loved these books!! Witty and magical,Debbie Johnson is wonderful at bringing her characters to life, I fell in love with all of them and she needs to write another Dark one immediately.

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some really great ideas in this books and somehow the execution was just really clunky. The characters were a little simple and I just wished I'd been reading Emma Newman instead.

[Boneist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this one.

[Zahra Ibrar]

3.5/5

[Pauline Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this for all the wrong reasons. It’s not my usual genre (paranormal urban fantasy) in any way, but... it’s set in Liverpool, and that was a huge attraction. There’s a special buzz in reading a book where the action takes place in Lime Street station, the Mersey ferry, Edge Hill, Sefton Park and even Bidston Hill, all places I know well. So I was prepared to take a punt on this, and step outside my comfort zone for a while. And it almost worked.

Lily McCain is a young woman with a secret: when she touches anyone, skin on skin, she gets a vision of their future. And however horrible it is, she can’t do anything to prevent it. No wonder she avoids contact with anyone, not easy given her chosen profession of music reporter for the local paper, which requires her to spend her time in packed clubs. But then one day a mysterious stranger turns up, tells her that she’s really, really special, so special she’s destined to save the world (or at least be his mate and have his babies), whereupon various other mysterious strangers start trying to kill her. And there’s a bunch about the Otherworld and the High King, and Ireland comes into it somewhere, and... OK, I got all fuzzy about the plot at this point. And really, it doesn’t much matter. There are good guys and bad guys, all right? And all Lily has to do is work out which is which.

There’s a lot to enjoy about this (besides Sefton Park having some kind of magic portal in it, which amused me no end). It’s an easy read, with some great humour, and Lily and her amusing sidekick Carmel are true feisty Scouse birds (when not curled up in wardrobes crying, that is). There are a few quibbles, though.

Quibble number one: vampires, because... no, actually, I don’t need a ‘because’. Just vampires. Ok, they’re background characters, and they have a goth band, naturally, which mitigates the effect, but really – vampires. It’s a testament to the strength of the writing that I didn’t toss the book (I’m SO allergic to the blood-sucking undead).

Quibble number two: scorching hot blokes (and some of the women too). Apart from Lily and Carmel, everyone seems to be impossibly hot and fit and awesomely honed. Which is kind of tedious. I like a bit more realism than that.

Quibble number three: logic failures. Now, I read a lot of fantasy, so I’m perfectly capable of believing six impossible things before breakfast, but the internal logic has to be consistent. And I just can’t accept that Gabriel (the aforementioned High King and Lily’s designated mate) would dump her at age six with one of the least sensible carers in the known universe. That makes no sense. And then only turn up again when there's a crisis looming only days away. She's in her twenties, for goodness sake, surely you could have dropped in a little sooner with the 'By the way, there's something you ought to know...' speech? And then there’s Lily herself. I lost count of the number of times someone said to her: whatever you do, don’t do X. And what’s the first thing she does? Of course it is. It’s a wonder she survived past chapter three.

Now, to be fair, these are all personal gripes of mine, and I’m sure the vast majority of the intended audience doesn’t care about a bit of wobbly logic. The writing is a little uneven – the scene where Lily returns to her nan’s house and emotes all over it goes on way too long, for instance. Plus there are numerous moments where the story felt contrived in order to squeeze in another famous Liverpool location (did we really need the entire history of the Cavern?). Those few quibbles aside, though, the story’s an entertaining read, with some great humour (only occasionally veering off into silliness), with an ending which avoided the easy options. An enjoyable three stars. Recommended for fans of vampires, hot blokes and Liverpool.

[LiteraryLeisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily can't touch anyone, because she's in agony when it happens. With one short touch she can see a person's past and future, which also means she sees their suffering and death. Because of this she hasn't touched anyone in years, she's never had the chance to find love and she also doesn't have many friends. She has one very good friend though, her name is Carmel and she understands Lily better than she understands herself sometimes. They're working for the same paper. When Lily's life changes drastically Carmel is by her side to support her.

Lily is much more special than she initially thought she was. When she touches someone who isn't completely human her worldview changes entirely and she finds out that there are plans for her future made by other people. Something important and huge is going on and Lily is the center of it. She has a difficult choice to make, a choice that will have consequences no matter what she decides. Will Lily be able to shoulder the responsibility she's been given and will she come to the right conclusion.

Dark Vision is a fantastic book about a woman who is more powerful than she thinks she is. Lily is a sweetheart. She can be a bit naïve and isn't experienced when it comes to men. She's also strong and resilient and has a big heart. She's kind and caring and she always follows her intuition even if it goes against instructions she's been given. I loved the way Debbie Johnson portrays her, Lily's thoughts are marvelous and I liked the dialogue a lot as well. Lily isn't afraid to speak her mind, she knows her good and bad features and she can be wonderfully childish and terribly mature at the same time. Debbie Johnson has a great sense of humor that's always present in the background.

Debbie Johnson has created a fantastic magical world. I loved reading about the versatile powers her creatures have. They are all different and they have a unique skill set and distinctive, creative character traits. Debbie Johnson has done a lot of research and it shows. She knows what she's writing about. I'm a big fan of stories about supernatural characters and I really enjoyed reading this one. I highly recommend Dark Vision and can't wait to read what will happen to Lily in Dark Touch, the second book about this fabulous woman.

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://anaslair.wordpress.com/2016/1...

When I began reading Dark Vision I found it a refreshing YA novel. The main character is in her mid-twenties and has developed quite a sarcastic personality.

However, as the story progressed I found myself growing more disinterested in what happened. The premise is never really explained properly. Concepts that could have been engaging were just mentioned and then never picked up again because it became all about Lily. Her witty remarks were a bit much at times, to the point where the lack of interest and blind acceptance of everything that happened was no longer new and uplifting. It was just unbelievable. Same goes for her friend. Who on earth would accept vampires just like that, not to mention all the other stuff?

Lily's thing with Gabriel got so old so fast. Towards the end I just felt like the story was dragging on and on, repeating what had already been told so many times, with all the main character's 'all my life' speeches.

There is an attempt to create a choice out of a situation where there simply isn't one and, again, that got really old after a while.

I just can't say I enjoyed the story, though I did like the Liverpool setting and the main character's humour, for the most part.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

This was not what I expected. I liked that it was set in Liverpool rather than London, which gave it a fresh look, but underneath it was a surprisingly mundane sort of romance, unfortunately.

Lily is cursed. When she touches someone she gets a vision and it is usually a terrible one. As such she had learned to stay away from people, which means that she has a lot of sarcasm (which is nice) but she also makes the same bad decisions in her mid-twenties as any teenager would (not so nice). She also turns out to be a Goddess, and probably has a very important role in something important I guess, because she is being prepared for a choice which is hardly a choice throughout the entire book.

I had the feeling there was an entire world behind the story, but we just didn't get to see it. Instead we were focusing on the maybe-or-maybe-not relationship between Lily and Gabriel. With some vampires thrown in for good measure. I would have liked to know more about the world and the whys, because now if felt mainly like a romance novel and that is not something I would pick up as easily.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Catriona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bit of a breath of fresh air for paranormal romance fans. It's set in Liverpool, the quality and frequency of the swearing is seriously entertaining and our leading ladies are too busy being FTFO to be lusting after our 'hero' or his alternatives (well, most of the time, at least)
In short, Lily has a fate to fulfil that she had no idea about and suddenly 'Gabriel' shows up and she's having visions of popping out his first born. Seriously unhappy about this disruption to a gig she's reviewing, she heads back to the newspaper to find solace and tells night editor Carmel all about it. The freaky doesn't stop, however, and soon Lily and Carmel end up in what is ostensibly Goddess and Champion intensive training; exposed to a world, people and not-quite-people they couldn't have imagined existed. Luckily for Lily, Carmel takes to this new reality with a nod of her curly head and the new dangerous landscape is peppered with hulking eye candy to keep both girls from becoming completely miserable.
This is well worth a read, particularly for UK PNR fans, it is something quite different and is bags of fun.

[Sandra Shennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urban fantasy is my favourite genre and Dark Vision has now become my favourite urban fantasy novel. And not just because it is set in my home city of Liverpool...though I may now pay a little more attention if I come out of a pub after midnight in case a vampire or two are lurking in the shadows. Yes, Debbie Johnson's writing and her characters are so convincing that I could almost now believe that there are Celtic warriors, goddesses and vampire rock bands wandering the city streets. Dark Vision is the story of music journalist Lily McCain who has always been something of a loner - due to being able to see the (often grisly) future of anyone she happens to touch. But when she meets gorgeous Gabriel she discovers that her powers involve so much more than that...and it will be up to her to save the world. The book is fast-paced, funny and just unputdownable. And I haven't even mentioned Lily's hugely-likable ballsy best mate Carmen. I wish I could see into the future like Lily to see what will happen in the next book. It can't come soon enough!

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paranormal urban romance, apparently. Although this was easy to read I found myself annoyed throughout. It's just, so, silly...the humour felt awkward, the vampires felt unnecessary, the gods were stupidly handsome and the heroine was just plain stupid. She should have died, several times over. I didn't like the romance in the story - it didn't ring true and I felt frustrated with the endless 'will they won't they' which was, basically, the entire backbone of the plot.
The heroine just reacts to everything that happens to her by doing the opposite of what anyone tells her to do. She doesn't seem to learn from her mistakes. And she doesn't take control of her own life, she is merely led by circumstance (or experiences weird power surges which seem to be out of her control) and so, unfortunately, she just annoyed me throughout.
I liked the fact that it was set in the UK, in Liverpool. But even then there are US references (to dimes for example) that were frustrating.
Not my sort of book really.

[Lisa F]

First off I didn't finish this and that is mainly down to the main character lily.
what I did read if this book it's has got a decent storyline, I do like the storyline and I also liked most of the characters.

my BIGGEST problem was lily.
I found her very annoying and the whole winding up Gabriel and not listening to him grated on my nerves.
yes I get that you shouldn't trust straight away but she has more reasons to trust him than some bird she meet once in the toilet, yet she let's that sink in more, and agrees with it rather than just sit down and be honest with Gabriel.
Gabriel showed her the future when they touched yet she's still being hard work. quite a few times I was saying to myself he should let them kill her!!!!
For someone who was 26 she acted like 16 year old and as she's the main character and the story evolves around her I couldn't completely finish.

lily aside I loved loved loved Gabriel and caramel :) they were one of the upsides to the story.
I enjoyed where the storyline takes us so for me ill give this two stars

[Karen Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my usual read - I read a lot of heavy historical fact for work so counteract with a bit of easy chick lit to lighten the load.But I am interested in anything set in Liverpool (always fun to spot things you know) and it was this that drew me to give it a go. Well all I can say is that I am glad that Debbie Johnson decided Liverpool as her setting and not Manchester, otherwise I would not have given it a second glance and so never have known the pleasure of this book. I know it's a cliche but it's a true page turner from the very beginning - I couldn't wait to pick it up each day and find out how the story was progressing.I can't wait for the next instalment and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants something a bit different, something original, the right amount of wit balanced with suspense; but with current settings and fully rounded, totally believable suite of characters.

[Rachael Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, loved it, loved it!! What a fantastic debut novel from this brilliant writer. Fast-paced, witty, with a genius storyline, from the moment I picked this book up I struggled to put it down. The characters are fantastic - Lily McCain is the kind of feisty, 21st century heroine we'd all love to be friends with, while leading man Gabriel is a bundle of sexy, romantic masculinity all rolled up into one. Lots of twists and turns and totally unpredictable, with a touch of Twilight and True Blood about it, I predict great things for Dark Vision - can't wait for Debbie Johnson's next offering.

[Tessa Wayland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic. A splendid mix of strong characters, a well thought out plot and description. None ever out shown another.

My personal favourite sceenes were :
- Lily meets God- the emotional reactions to a mundane life were amazing
- Lily almost dies - Even though it was obvious where the scene was heading it was extremely well written
-The Final Chapter - I can't put into words how much I enjoyed this

I've recommended this to my friend, and strongly recommend it to anyone.

[Michelle]

I really wanted to like this book, but it just isn't clicking with me.
For starters I was very disappointed that it's not based in Liverpool, just a fleeting glimpse. Secondly it feels too rushed, one minute she meets Gabriel, then the next she is in Ireland with him, all in the space of a day or two.

[Jo Ashcroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

A breath of fantastical, comedic, vampirical, musical, Liverpudlian, Doc Marten wearing, fresh air. Loved every page, indeed every phrase on every page. I laughed, I cried, I cheered. I cannot wait for the sequel!

[Bonny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darn good read!

This is a new interesting story. The story is well written, the pacing was perfect, and the characters were real . I'm glad about this story and I can't wait to read another book by this author.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent urban fantasy, does not really read as a first novel.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant new series a must read full of humour, great strong female characters loved it so much