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Book Review of Afterlight (Dark Ink Chronicles, Bk 1)

Afterlight (Dark Ink Chronicles, Bk 1)
reviewed on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


Where to start? I wanted to like this book, but honestly I thought it was pretty terrible. The plot was a mix between the movie the Lost Boys (ironically mentioned in the book) and something out of the Twilight Series. The characters werent particularly likable or well developed. The heroine of Afterlight, a tattoo artist named Riley Poe, is a self-proclaimed badass who uses the word "wicked" way too frequently. Repetition and overused slang that sounds forced and ridiculous was a theme throughout the story. I kept reading hoping the book would get better and live up to some of the good reviews, but it didn't and was a struggle to finish. I wouldn't have minded the unoriginal plot as much if a) the author had used a thesaurus and didn't use the same phrasing over and over, and b) the book had a better editor that cut out all the run on sentences and overuse of semi-colons. Sincerely, this book had more semi-colons than any other I have ever read. Why even two stars you ask? Well, it wasnt the most terrible book I have ever read, I did finish it, but the saving grace was truly the fact that the some of the scenes between Riley and her love interest, a vampire named Eli, were sexy and believable. Their interactions were some of the only bright spots in an otherwise lackluster story. Ive read a lot of urban fiction and paranormal romance, and this is not one I would recommend. Needless to say, I don't think the story was strong or interesting enough to warrant a series, and will not bother reading the next installment.