Afterlight (Dark Ink Chronicles #1)

Mar 25, 2011 Maja rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, paranormal-romance, huge-disappointment, cover-lust

This is a great example of how a perfectly good idea can be ruined with lousy writing. I chose Afterlight because I was in serious need of some vampires, and because the main character is a tattoo artist. I adore tattoos (I have three myself) and I honestly thought it would be a fun read. I was SO wrong!
Elle Jasper’s writing is a slow torture – the first 50 pages of her novel are completely useless, they serve no purpose at all. Riley is drinking tea, walking her dog, describing her driving sk...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Ariana rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampire, paranormal-romance, swapsies

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 15, 2011 Francesca the Fierce ~Eyelet Ecstasy~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: series-dark-ink-chronicles, books-read-2011, witches-shaman-magic, vampires, genre-paranormal-romance

This review was posted at Under The Covers

3.5 Stars

Riley Poe is pretty kick ass! She has turned her life around and gone from being a junkie and being completely in with the wrong crowd and doing the wrong things, to going to college, owning a tattoo shop and being a well known artist in Savannah. This in big part thanks to Preacher and his wife who took her and her brother Seth in and helped her along just a bit so she could find her way after her mother was killed.

The premise for this book is...more This review was posted at Under The Covers

3.5 Stars

Riley Poe is pretty kick ass! She has turned her life around and gone from being a junkie and being completely in with the wrong crowd and doing the wrong things, to going to college, owning a tattoo shop and being a well known artist in Savannah. This in big part thanks to Preacher and his wife who took her and her brother Seth in and helped her along just a bit so she could find her way after her mother was killed.

The premise for this book is Riley's brother, Seth and his buddies apparently release two brother vampires who were captured centuries ago. While doing that these vampires make the teenagers into their minions, and they slowly begin a transformation to becoming vampires which will be complete when they make their first kill in about a month's time.

Riley never knew these creatures of the Afterlight existed but as she sees the changes in her brother and worries about him, Preacher takes her to meet the Dupres. The local family of vampires, who centuries ago made a pact with the locals they wouldn't drink from a human or harm a human as long as they were supplied blood by other means (i.e. blood bank bags). Preacher also confesses that she has a rare blood type, which is like a magnet and a drug to vampires, and that he has been giving her special herbs her whole life to mask that blood so no vampires would be attracted to her and killer her.

The Dupres assign their oldest son Eli to watch over Riley while she helps them infiltrate in Savannah's underground, which she used to be a part of, in order to recapture these two rogue vampires before the full moon so that her brother can be saved and not turned.

Except the magnetism and attraction Eli and Riley feel for each other has nothing to do with her blood and everything to do with her.

It took a while for me to get into this book. I had a bit of an issue with all "Twilight" type references. I felt like I was reading an adult (and at times, very adult, much to my liking) version of the Twilight book. To list a few:
- Riley's blood being a drug to vampires, which they can scent and have to show a lot of restraint not to drink from her.
- The pact between the Dupres and the locals and if they were to bite anyone (even Riley, and no, biting doesn't automatically change them into vampires) they would break the pact and they would be executed.
- Josie is the weird, quirky younger sister, and her personality, comments, actions are almost too much like Alice. Almost the whole Dupre family could be characterized with the Cullens.
- The ending still leaves us with Riley being wanted by one of the bad vampires and he's coming back for her. Sounded too much like Victoria.

All of that aside, I will read the second book in this trilogy, I want to see where the story goes from here. This could've been a much better story had the author worked out all the similarities and just made up some other ways to fill in those details, since those things didn't really make the story. My rating might've been different then as the book and the story were not too bad after about halfway through, and I really like the hero and heroine. (less)

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Mar 08, 2011 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-with-reviews, favorites, books-i-own

Rating 5/5 too bad i cant give more than 5 stars

What i love about this site is that you can actually discover new authors and new series and thats what it happens with this one!

This is for sure one of my favourite book i read this year 2011 and a book that i am looking forward to read the second one!

Amazing story line with details that it actually make me beeing there and It didnt tired me at all!

I am not so familiar with Savanah and voodoo stuff but it was a good chance learning about those thi...more

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Mar 07, 2011 M.A. Stacie rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 28, 2011 Anna at Book Lovin' Mamas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Anna at Book Lovin' Mamas by: Michelle Leah Olson

In this first book of the Dark Ink Chronicles tattoo artist and ex-wild child Riley Poe is just a semi normal person trying to live her life and raise her little brother Seth when Seth and his friends unwittingly release 2 very dagerous and very old beings from their tomb. In order to save her brother and his friends from a damned future she must team up with an extraordinary family of creatures of the afterlight, the Dupre's, to stop the evil ones from taking over Savannah and preying on innoce...more In this first book of the Dark Ink Chronicles tattoo artist and ex-wild child Riley Poe is just a semi normal person trying to live her life and raise her little brother Seth when Seth and his friends unwittingly release 2 very dagerous and very old beings from their tomb. In order to save her brother and his friends from a damned future she must team up with an extraordinary family of creatures of the afterlight, the Dupre's, to stop the evil ones from taking over Savannah and preying on innocent people. With Eliqius Dupre and the other Dupres help she reimmerses herself in the dark underworld of Savannah and finds herself in a world of creatures she never knew existed.

My thoughts - This was a really good story with not much to dislike. I absolutely LOVE Riley! I wanted to be her, she was just too cool. With her fuschia streaked hair and her dragon tattoos and her wicked clothes, she was just one of those people you could never forget. And after everything she'd been through in her life she's incredibly strong. I love that she put everyone before herself not caring about the consequenses. And Eli...OMG! The guy was hot and he complemented Riley so well. I can't wait to see more of Seth in the nest book since we didn't get to see much of him in this book what with being with the bad guys the whole time. nd the other Dupres were really cool too. Oh and I can't forget Preacher and Estelle the Gullah couple who helped raise Riley and Seth. Preacher was so interesting.

The only things I didn't like was parts of the writing could have been improved and the sex scenes needed a little work. But since there were only a couple of those it wasn't a big deal. I'm really not understanding all of the really bad reviews like the 1 and 2 star ones. But I guess to eath their own. I personally really liked this book and will definitely continue reading the reast of the books as they come out. I recommend this to anyone who like original vampire books. :)

Interested in my other reviews? Check out my blog: www.diaryofaromanceaddict.blogspot.com (less)

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Nov 09, 2011 Taneika (Flipping Through The Pages...) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, awesome-heroines, cover-love

More of my reviews can be found at Flipping Through the Pages!

I have more positives to say about this book than negatives and as a debut novel – amazing!

Firstly, I love Riley Poe, she is a refreshing portagonist and isn’t weak like protagonists such as Bella from Twilight or just plain arrogant/annoying like Sookie Stackhouse. Riley has turned her life around from being a junkie, trouble making teen who someone who has gone to college and started their own successful tattoo shop. Riley is a big...more More of my reviews can be found at Flipping Through the Pages!

I have more positives to say about this book than negatives and as a debut novel – amazing!

Firstly, I love Riley Poe, she is a refreshing portagonist and isn’t weak like protagonists such as Bella from Twilight or just plain arrogant/annoying like Sookie Stackhouse. Riley has turned her life around from being a junkie, trouble making teen who someone who has gone to college and started their own successful tattoo shop. Riley is a big sister who raises her little brother after their mother passed away and was under the care of an awesome old guy called Preacher and his wife who practice wicked African magic. They helped Riley turn her life around.While Riley has turned her life around she is still a kick-ass female protagonist who thnks for herself rather than for the man who comes into her life, Eli.

The book is generally about Riley’s brother, Seth and his friends who accidently release two evil brother vampires by disturbing “Da hell stone” and due to this, slowly begin a transformation that will make them the most savage type of vampire.

In order to save her brother from becoming a creature of the afterlight, Preacher introduces her to the Dupre family – A local family of vampires (who by the way, are a type of vampire that can go out in the sun) and Riley meets and falls for Eligius Dupre, a hot-tempered, protective vampire who falls for Riley the same. With some hardcore training and dark underground club hopping to figure out where her brother and his friends are hanging out to lure bait for the vampire brothers, Riley Poe, the Dupre family and Preacher man has less than a month to save Seth and as many lives as possible and to try and kill the brothers.

The premise for this book is Riley’s brother, Seth and his buddies apparently release two brother vampires who were captured centuries ago. While doing that these vampires make the teenagers into their minions, and they slowly begin a transformation to becoming vampires which will be complete when they make their first kill in about a month’s time.

The only thing I can think of that I didn’t like about the book was that there was a fair bit of talking about nothing (although its a nice change considering I just finished the Sookie Stackhouse series) and the chapters are really long, however it is still a book that is difficult to put down and will keep you wanting more of Riley Poe.(less)

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Sep 04, 2011 Bastard rated it 1 of 5 stars

http://bastardbooks.blogspot.com/2011...

Updated 9/4/11

I wasn't sure if I wanted to write this reaction, particularly since I don't enjoying shitting on people and messing with someone's livelihood. But on the other hand, I've always been about informing consumers, thus helping them choose how to spend their money wiser. Which leads me to this über-negative reaction to my read of Afterlight by Elle Jasper, first book in the The Dark Ink Chronicles series. This is not something you'll see frequent...more

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Dec 13, 2010 Kt from A Book Obsession.. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hardcopy

Riley Poe, a former junkie, cleaned up her act when her mother was murdered and Riley was left to raise her little brother, Seth. They lived a pretty normal life together until Seth got himself mixed up in some pretty major trouble. In the mess that follows, Riley's eyes get opened up to a whole world she never knew existed as well as some pretty shocking family secrets. She gets saddled with a sexy hunk of a protector. With the help of her protector and his family, it's up to Riley to rescue he...more Riley Poe, a former junkie, cleaned up her act when her mother was murdered and Riley was left to raise her little brother, Seth. They lived a pretty normal life together until Seth got himself mixed up in some pretty major trouble. In the mess that follows, Riley's eyes get opened up to a whole world she never knew existed as well as some pretty shocking family secrets. She gets saddled with a sexy hunk of a protector. With the help of her protector and his family, it's up to Riley to rescue her brother before it's too late and he becomes lost to her forever.

Riley is a really awesome character. She is a tough as nails, no nonsense type of girl. I admire her strength and resolve to keep her life clean to raise her little brother. When he gets into trouble she never once hesitates to do what is necessary to save him, even when it means she has to return the life she left in the past. She also is very loyal to another great character, Nyx, her business partner. Nyx is a bubbly and fun character. She balanced out Riley's toughness with her own bouncing personality.

The attraction between Riley and her protector, Eli, is so incredibly strong. While they both spend a good portion of the book trying to deny it as he could be potentially lethal to her, it was obvious that it would only be a matter of time before they cracked. Be prepared for some pretty steamy scenes between the two. I think as the series goes on their relationship will really deepen, and his fierce protectiveness will only get even stronger. The progression in their relationship seemed realistic and I loved how neither of them could really resist the other at all. I hate a relationship where one character feels much stronger than the other, but that definitely wasn't the case in this book.

This book was a really great start to the series. I really love all of the characters, and the ending only promised so much more to come. All of the characters were really interesting and the plot flowed pretty well. The cover is absolutely stunning and I am really glad the story lived up to my expectations. I eagerly anticipate the next installment and more of Riley and Eli. (less)

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Feb 13, 2012 mrsj rated it 3 of 5 stars

Rating: 3
Not a bad read but I wasn't blown away.
So forgive me if I can't summarize properly.

Riley Poe lives with her younger brother, Seth. She puts her wild life behind, cleaned up good and now owns a tattoo shop named Inksomnia and is a good tattoo artist herself.
She was raised by Preacher and his wife after her mum was killed.

She is a pretty cool, beautiful, kick ass girl with the hair, body and tattoos (beautiful, artistic dragon tattoo at her back, arms and angel wing under her eyes)
She see...more

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Mar 04, 2011 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires

OMG!"Afterlight" is a great book!I haven't heard of this book before a friend from Goodreads told me, and now I'm glad I read it! I love the writing style of the writer and the characters. Riley is a badass woman but deep inside is just a girl who wants to protect the people she loves because she had a rough childhood and now wants something better for her and her brother. Eli is a badass vampire but he is overprotective with Riley and this is totally sexy!I loved the love/sex scenes with Eli an...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Devon rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 9410, romance, supernatural-fic

Wow, that was awful. Where to begin really.... The writing was dreadful! I did not need to be told EVERY outfit she wore (who wears chokers anymore seriously), all the while there was a serious lack of description when it came to emotions or any other important detail in the book. Yes, I get it every man you encounter thinks you're "Damn hot", I just wish that I knew why beyond your badass inks of dragons and long black fuschia streaked hair all tucked into tight skirts and pants.
Note to the au...more Wow, that was awful. Where to begin really.... The writing was dreadful! I did not need to be told EVERY outfit she wore (who wears chokers anymore seriously), all the while there was a serious lack of description when it came to emotions or any other important detail in the book. Yes, I get it every man you encounter thinks you're "Damn hot", I just wish that I knew why beyond your badass inks of dragons and long black fuschia streaked hair all tucked into tight skirts and pants.
Note to the author, why does every situation for Riley need to end up a little rape-y, and why does every random dude she encounters need to grope her. Even when Eli 'saves' her from these encounters, he ends up doing so rather violently and putting them into a situation that seems even more rape-y. I know he's an alpha vamp and they supposedly have all this sexual tension, but it comes off unnecessarily menacing. Most of the time she can't even show off her bad ass fighting skills because the groper in question blends into the crowd, or she is overpowered by supernatural strength/her own stupidity.
I'm starting to become a bit of a stickler for getting the male pov in a romance, even a paranormal one, and in this one Eli's pov would have been a much welcome respite from Riley's terrible first person/sort-of-breaking-the-fourth-wall-but-not-really narration. This is also a classic example of major bad things occurring to our heroine that she forgets/refuses to share with her group of highly skilled and informed supernatural cohorts that could have saved her, and everyone else, a lot of conflict later on in the story. I get that the author wants to drag out the big fight for the conclusion, but the decision to not attack while the bad guys are weak and their little underlings are still far from full strength was illogical and a bad tactical move.
Riley wanted so badly to be a tatted up Buffy, but she comes of as a repetitive, juvenile, victim, who in trying to prove her bad assness (I swear the phrase bad ass is her favorite, as is wicked, and sweet and perv, and a number other annoying phrases), that she ends up almost getting raped or killed or assaulted so many times its comical.
Eli is your typical brooding hero with a pretty gnarly fang-y dark side, but we never get to dig into his angst and all our information is filtered through Riley's mooning and bad adjectives. Just a note, but I HATE it when the author is telling me how I should feel about a situation. I get it, Eli's sexy, something is weird, the vibe isn't right, etc. Use your words author, just saying something is sexy, someone is feeling sad is not enough. I need some subtext, some adjectives, let me do the mental legwork for a bit. The only scenes I thought were well written were Riley's dream sequences, and those were supposed to be the creepy parts. Clearly this book started with the image of Riley and those scenes, they were the only thought out pieces of the whole book.
Author, you can not decide to make Riley a vampire hunter over half way through the book, and then never use her skills. I know its a series, but it was quite the let down. I really want to know what is with the special O positive blood, that was thrown around as something HUGE, but never addressed fully. Again, its a series, but I'm not interested in reading anymore to find out at this point. What is with our vamps, who are two hundred years old and able to blend in well so far, using some of the worst slang, and just generally being idiots. Maybe I'm spoiled by the sophisticated vamps of other series, but one would think that two hundred years would be enough time to mature a bit and gather some skills in blending in to this decade (stop with the peace signs, and no one says sweet anymore). ALSO (I know, everyone reading this is going to kill me for all these little pet peeves), stop telling me what song is playing in the background! It just proves that you have no idea what taste in music Riley might actually have, and what metal/punk/underground clubs would be playing.
All in all, this book came off silly and horribly written. Riley wants to be such a bad ass, but it all comes off as a front. She does not make any smart decisions or come off particularly street smart for an ex-junkie. Bad start to a series with an interesting concept, and some crazy vamp transformations I could get behind. I really wanted to like this, but the writing and several terrible choices made by nearly all the characters left me feeling so frustrated. I should also note that some of the more choice terrible dialogue was read aloud by me to my husband, both of us were cringing and laughing. If I didn't have to read this as part of a class assignment, I would never have made it past the first part (another terrible decision by the author, no breaking sections into chapters but VERY long parts that never really let a moment settle or allow for tension to build, just felt like someone talking on and on and on, rather like me at this point). Avoid this book if you can. (less)

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Jan 01, 2013 Cassandra Frederick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay, so there are some rough spots in Afterlight. I won't lie. The dialogue can be a little awkward at times (I don't know if any siblings call each other "bro" and "sis" as much as Riley Poe and her brother Seth), the book is slow going at first and I feel Riley spends way to much time reminding us what a troubled kid she was (We get it. You were a bad girl back then, Riley). But once you get into the story, that stuff becomes easier to ignore. I started to really get into Riley's character as...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Maggie rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one, seriously

Shelves: paranormal-romance

First off, i would like to state that i don't make a habit of giving up on a book, but i stopped at just a little over half of Afterlight. My review is based off of the first half of the book and why I was pretty much forced to stop reading it. There are little to no spoilers.

Plot: I found Elle Jasper's book to be maddeningly boring and the plot was utterly dry. Half way through the book there was little to no action. Riley hadn't yet gone 'underground' and we hadn't even glimpsed the main antag...more First off, i would like to state that i don't make a habit of giving up on a book, but i stopped at just a little over half of Afterlight. My review is based off of the first half of the book and why I was pretty much forced to stop reading it. There are little to no spoilers.

Plot: I found Elle Jasper's book to be maddeningly boring and the plot was utterly dry. Half way through the book there was little to no action. Riley hadn't yet gone 'underground' and we hadn't even glimpsed the main antagonists, the Arcos. The over all goal of the first half of the novel was to establish a romantic connection between Eli and Riley, if you could even call it that, which brings me to my next point.

The kind-of-sort-of romance: If you're looking for romance, you've got the wrong book. This book is just creepy, like beyond Twilight's i-watch-you-while-you-sleep creepy, though it does have that. All you get is the 'mysterious' draw to the other character ("I don't know what it was about Eli, but i found myself drawn to him"), the 'sexual tension' which gets to the point where Riley blatantly states that she and Eli are going to have sex soon, even though he says no and such repeatedly. It's not romance, it's just creepy. He stalked her before even knowing her 'all for her own protection', and man handles the crap out of her. She touches herself when she knows he's watching for petes-sake! Creeps man, creeps.

The Characters: Riley: Riley is not a protagonist i found myself enjoying. She is very very cocky about both her tattoos, her tattooing skills in general, and her body/over all sexual allure. She just knows she's hot shit and isn't afraid to say it repeatedly. She is constantly bringing up how she came from a shady background and is constantly treating her brother like a shut in because of it. Yes, i realize that she wants what's best for her brother, but in the very beginning of the book she follows her brother and her brothers friends into a grave yard, just to haul him out and drag him back home. Worse yet, she acts like one of those girls. You know, those ones in high school who are completely obsessed with their clique. She is so uber critical and obsessed about wearing ripped pants and seeing men look like those stereotypical goth men, it's annoying. Like, for once can a chick who works at a tattoo parlour wear khakis and polo shirts and not chokers, leather mini skirts, stilettos and a ripped shirt with a bathing suit top under it because, hello, everyone wants to see her tattoos and body, right?

Eli: There's not much to say about Eli except for that he came off as such a creep. He followed her even before she was in danger, was constantly touching her, constantly shoving her up against a wall, and constantly watching her. He let her mess with his appearance, dying and cutting his hair and making him pierce his face, and had nothing to say about it, no complaints (and no backbone). Other than that he seemed like a really 2D character with little to no personality other than "Mmm baby don't tempt me any more, i can restrain myself from drinking your blood but it's hard to restrain myself from taking you like a dog on the floor."

In General: I didn't like the main characters, but the secondary characters were much more pleasant. Preacher and Estelle were enjoyable, and i liked how the author personified their voices. Luc and Phin had more personality than Eli for christmas treessake, and i found myself wanting to know more about them instead.

Most of all it was The Little Things that bothered me. The author constantly felt the need to point out every little motion that Riley was doing- she wasn't finished tattooing the guy, every time she was also handing out the paper work, teaching them how to apply the ointment and such. The author decided to throw in the fact that Riley has special blood and Preacher's been drugging her her whole life out of no where, like she had to make her special and different to make her likeable. And usually i love it when authors put their own twist on vampires, but not these ones. They completely change their appearance and the transition phase lasts a whole month- they just are completely unbelievable.

I suppose i could go on and on but i guess this is already long enough.
(less)

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Mar 25, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review brought to you by OBS staff member Heidi

If it was something bad, then Riley Poe was into it when she was a teenager. She hung out in the dark clubs doing whatever and whoever she had to for her next fix. Until her at the time boyfriend killed her mother as a warning not to leave him.

Her adopted grandfather (as she calls him) and Gullah herbalist, Preacher, helped her turn her life around. He got her clean and helped her open her own business, a tattoo shop called Inksomina, right next doo...more

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Jan 29, 2012 K. Bird rated it 4 of 5 stars

I hovered between 3 and 4 stars with this one, but in the end had to go and give it the 4 because truthfully the author hit the setting and supporting role characters just right.

Savannah, enough like New Orleans to evoke Spanish moss and Anne Rice, but presented in this book as it's very own historic personality. And the whipped cream on top is the Gullah. Denizens of the islands nearby, they developed their own history and rhythm of speech, faithfully (and I've done a bit of research in that ar...more I hovered between 3 and 4 stars with this one, but in the end had to go and give it the 4 because truthfully the author hit the setting and supporting role characters just right.

Savannah, enough like New Orleans to evoke Spanish moss and Anne Rice, but presented in this book as it's very own historic personality. And the whipped cream on top is the Gullah. Denizens of the islands nearby, they developed their own history and rhythm of speech, faithfully (and I've done a bit of research in that area) represented by Preacher and his wife Estelle; the adoptive grandparents of the former ne'er-do-well and now reformed ink shop owner, Riley Poe.

Riley has spent much time and anguish turning herself around, developing her tattoo business, and making a life for herself and her brother after losing her mother under tragic circumstances. But now her brother, Seth, is acting weird, a strange man is stalking her.

When Preacher introduces her to an ancient family, the Dupres, and confesses the special Gullah tea he's made for her every morning is to hide her "special blood type", Riley is awakened into the world of the Afterlight; vampires and magic.

Like I said, the setting and characters are so fun, I had to give this a 4. The ink business, Riley's music taste, the descriptions of Savannah and the Gullah are intriguing. What made my finger hover over the 3 star button was two things. First, although it is an unfair comparison (Riley's NOTHING like Bella) there were too many Twilight-like themes for me to enjoy the uniqueness of this story on it's own merits. I kept getting pulled out of the story with a groan. (Riley's "special blood type", the Dupres in a pact not to harm humans, the angsty self-control of Eli when he's with Riley). Also, the main plot after Riley discovers the Afterlight consists of them basically waiting around and training her to fight. That part of the plot never really made sense to me, although Eli does try to explain to Riley why they can't go after the big baddies until they've "rejuventated" it felt artificial and forced. So why did they spend all that time tracking Seth? Only to have to wait anyway? (they never ended up saving very many people, Eli was alwyas telling Riley "it's too late.") So that kind of irritated me.

But in the end, I kept reading because Riley is so much fun, and she's surrounded by intriguing people; from the Gullah medicine man Preacher, to her optimistic tattoo colleauge Nyx, to Zetty the tibetan bouncer.

This Book's Snack Designation: Cajun-spiced kettle chips for racy flavor, satisfying crunch, and after eating half a bag, a vague queasiness in your stomach. (less)

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Aug 14, 2011 Emily rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 weren’t 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 through...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Book Binge Blog rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, signet, urban-fantasy

I read this a few months ago and then wanted to read it again before the next book came out but then I realized I never reviewed this one after the first time I read it. Riley is a gifted tattoo artist in Savannah, who has made a good name and reputation for her awesome tats and Goth type outfits (I picture Abby from NCIS when I think of her outfits). She has been taking care of her teenaged brother since the death of their mother 5 years ago. After a night of teenage boy mischief, Seth as gotte...more I read this a few months ago and then wanted to read it again before the next book came out but then I realized I never reviewed this one after the first time I read it. Riley is a gifted tattoo artist in Savannah, who has made a good name and reputation for her awesome tats and Goth type outfits (I picture Abby from NCIS when I think of her outfits). She has been taking care of her teenaged brother since the death of their mother 5 years ago. After a night of teenage boy mischief, Seth as gotten in over his head and is now tied to some very old, very bad vampires. Riley has no idea what is wrong with him and enlists that aid of their "adopted" family. They own the medicine shop next door and are part of the Gullah. (I am not sure how exactly to explain them, they are an old superstitious group in the area, mostly descended from slaves brought there from West Africa who held on to a lot of their traditions and beliefs over the years.) They introduce her to the Dupre family who has lived in Savannah for a very long time, about 200 years.

They are vampires who have a pact with the Gullah for blood in exchange for protection. The family is made up of mom, dad, three sons and a daughter. The oldest is the hero of the book, Eli. Eli and Riley are attracted to one another but Riley has a some quality in her blood that is massively appealing to vampires. Her adopted parents have been giving her a special blend of tea to hide it for years. So to be with her Eli has to find and use massive self-control not to bite her every time he is near her. They have one month to protect the city from the minions like Seth that they have enlisted before the two bad vamps come to full power and the Dupres can fight them.

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was good, the love scenes were hot and the characters were interesting to read about. I loved Eli's character and how intense he was. His family was nice and a little quirky, which I liked. Riley's style rocked and her loyalty to her brother was admirable. She was willing to do anything to rescue him and was ready to die to save him. I enjoyed reading her sparring sessions with the family. Though my favorite part was probably still the love scenes. I loved that the story was set in Savannah, I love that area and it is always fun to recognize places you have been when you are reading. Plus the cover is gorgeous; I am such a sucker for a good cover.

The only thing that bothered me in this story was Eli's reaction to Riley's blood was so strong in the beginning and then it seemed to taper off, and that seemed inconsistent to me. Maybe I missed something, but that bugged me. Other than that, I enjoyed it a lot and I cannot wait to read the next book.

I give this book a strong 4 out of 5.

This review was originally posted on Book Binge by Kris.(less)

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Jun 19, 2011 Sheyla rated it 3 of 5 stars

Riley Poe is the owner of a tattoo parlor. She lives in Savannah with her brother Seth. She is a reformed junkie. Her life is very stable.
One night Seth and his friends (all teenagers) enter the crypt were vampires have been resting for years.They unleash two very powerful vampires, the Arcoses. These vampires start using them as minions. Seth and his friends are forced to obey them and take humans to them as new prey and if not stopped the kids will become vampire themselves and will be ruled b...more

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May 18, 2011 Myhotstylist rated it 5 of 5 stars

I must be the odd-ball out here because i really really enjoyed this book!

As far as the grammar usage goes, the author (in my opinion) was trying to portray the characters with deep southern roots. Ie: using words like: dem (them) and dere (there). For me being born and raised in the south, this didnt bother me a bit and only made the characters seem more colorful and alive in my eyes.

On to my review: Riley Poe is one pretty kick-azz character. An ex-wild child, orphaned and now raising her 15...more

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Jan 28, 2011 Catherine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, uf-pnr

The main reason I didn’t like this book is because I have a problem with characters that go on and on about how crap their life is and unfortunately Riley Poe is one of them. I get that the author wanted to establish the fact that Riley has had a hard and traumatic childhood that’s left her scarred and given her a badass attitude, but when it’s being brought up throughout the entire book, any sympathy I might have had for her just turns into annoyance. In fact, this attempt to make Riley a ‘toug...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Kaza rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Riley Poe, a tattoo artist and a former wild child, is a mortal with blood that irresistible to vampires. Riley’s brother begins to turn into a vampire after releasing two powerful and long entombed vampires. To save her brother Riley joins up with the Dupre vampire family to destroy the evil vampires before her brother finishes his transformation.

Review

I really enjoyed Afterlight. I was initially attracted to the cover but was unsure on how good the story would be. I soon realized that this was...more Riley Poe, a tattoo artist and a former wild child, is a mortal with blood that irresistible to vampires. Riley’s brother begins to turn into a vampire after releasing two powerful and long entombed vampires. To save her brother Riley joins up with the Dupre vampire family to destroy the evil vampires before her brother finishes his transformation.

Review

I really enjoyed Afterlight. I was initially attracted to the cover but was unsure on how good the story would be. I soon realized that this was going to be a great series.

The characters are engaging, the storyline is interesting and the romance is full of sexual tension and denied chemistry. Each character has a distinct personality. For example, there is Giles, the head of the Dupre family. He is upfront and doesn't beat around the bush, but he is a loving father and husband. His wife, Elise, seems delicate and too caring to hurt anyone but can fight and defend her family with the best of them. Then there are the Dupre brothers, Seraphin, Jean-Luc and Eligius (also called Phin, Luc and Eli). Luc and Phin are two peas in a pod but Luc is a bit vain in an adorable way, while Phin is a lot more laid back. Eli, Riley's love interest, is really protective of Riley, has a good sense of humor and can be a bit of a badass. The youngest Dupre, Josephine (Josie) is a two hundred plus year old vampire trapped in the body of a fourteen-year-old. She acts like a modern teenager with a healthy dose of mischief and a carefree attitude. Victorian, one of the escaped vampires, becomes obsessed with Riley and shows that even characters cast in the villain role can be intriguing. Finally Riley is really caring and protective but also resilient, determined and tough.

In general, there are a lot of similarities to the Twilight series but it is still a unique story. Elle created a world that was vivid and detailed with character history and context creation. The romance was a little predictable but still really enjoyable.

My rating out of 5

4/5 (less)

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Dec 30, 2010 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars

OMG!! that is what comes to mind after i read this book. I was walking by while at save mart one night and i spotted the cool cover, i finally decided to purchase it and man what a purchase. Definitely for all you vampire lovers out there, this is a adult novel so all you adults that enjoyed twilight this will definitely blow your mind. Eli and Riley Poe are a match made in paranormal romance. They are instantly attracted to each other and at first they deny the attraction till it builds and bui...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, vampire

Let me start by saying how much I love this cover! It's absolutely gorgeous, and I think captures the essence of both Riley, and the feel of the book. It's no secret that I'm totally addicted to urban fantasy... I mean, I really enjoy reading a variety of genres, but UF is my weakness. Love it!

So there's nothing better than picking up an urban fantasy book and getting caught up in the main character's life instantly. Which is what happened to me with this book. I was only a few chapters in when...more

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Dec 22, 2010 Dark Faerie Tales rated it 1 of 5 stars

Quick & Dirty: Unfortunately, this story is not well crafted. The dialog is distracting and repetitive. There is nothing unique or novel to make the story stand out.

Opening Sentence: Afterlight. According to the Gullah, it meant two things. One: darkness or dusk. Two: death, the life after, or beyond. I’m familiar with both.

The Review:

Riley Poe isn’t exactly your model citizen. She has a dark and derelict past. Highly sexed, drug addicted and out of control, Riley finally manages to turn her...more

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Dec 05, 2010 Melindeeloo rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance-vampire, paranormal-romance, vampires

In Afterlight, Savannah tattoo artist Riley Poe has been doing a fine job of raising her teenage brother, when the supernatural aftermath of a teenage prank in a grave yard may very well mean that her brother is lost to Riley forever. But Riley will do whatever it takes to save her brother, even though it means that the very human Riley will be fighting against powerful inhuman forces who view Riley as a tasty prize.

Fans of Twilight are probably not going to agree with me, but I thought Afterli...more In Afterlight, Savannah tattoo artist Riley Poe has been doing a fine job of raising her teenage brother, when the supernatural aftermath of a teenage prank in a grave yard may very well mean that her brother is lost to Riley forever. But Riley will do whatever it takes to save her brother, even though it means that the very human Riley will be fighting against powerful inhuman forces who view Riley as a tasty prize.

Fans of Twilight are probably not going to agree with me, but I thought Afterlight felt very Twilight inspired, yes I know the story which involves some voodoo and the heroine's attempt to save her younger brother when he falls in with the wrong crowd (euphemistically speaking) doesn't seem like it is paying homage to a book which garnered so many new readers for the paranormal romance genre. But there are elements which make its influence felt: Riley's blood is a rare and irresistible delicacy to vamps. There's a `good' vamp family which doesn't feed on humans and a group of `bad' vamps who prefer to drink blood straight from their victims' still beating hearts. Riley is dangerously obsessed with good vampire Eli who is attracted first by Riley's blood, but later fascinated by the women he tries to resist and who he'll likely kill if he succumbs to the passion between them - oh and Eli likes to watch Riley when she sleeps.

Afterlight is sexier than most urban fantasies even though it tries to fit that mold with its first person narration by the edgy, independent, `rebel' heroine Riley. I'm afraid that I just was never able to warm up to Riley. But even though I wasn't that fond of the headstrong leap before you look Riley, I loved Eli. He's a great vamp leading man, mysterious, sexy, and powerful - yet vulnerable in his attractions to Riley. I also really liked his siblings, I enjoyed the brothers' sense of humor and the multi-century-old `teenage' sister was fun too. Actually several other supporting characters deserve an honorable mention as well: Nyx, Riley's upbeat tatoo artist partner and Preacher, a magical herbalist and Riley's adopted grandfather were interesting and their relationships with Riley added to the story too.

Overall, my nits with Afterlight may just be first-book-in-a-series growing pains. Since the book starts out rough and gets better as it goes on, it may very well be that the author may have the kinks worked out in her next book. Riley's story continues in Everdark.
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Dec 04, 2010 Bookaholics rated it 3 of 5 stars

Afterlight by Elle Jasper
Urban Fantasy- Nov. 2nd, 2010
3 ½ stars

Afterlight is a new urban fantasy that readers who enjoy an atypical heroine and mystery will enjoy.

Riley is a tattoo artist who has had a rough life. Now she has straightened up and devotes her time to her job and taking care of her brother. But when her brother is in danger, Riley finds herself trying to save him. As she investigates further, she realizes that her brother is running with a dangerous rogue vampire group and is under...more

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Dec 04, 2010 Lady Rogue rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Riley Poe used to be a troubled teen who lived on the dark side. She kept bad company, did drugs, had casual sex, etc...you get the idea. But, everything changed when her mother was murdered by an obsessed boyfriend. Riley turned her life around, went to detox, and went back to school. Now years later, She was a talented tattoo artist and business owner and lived in Savannah raising Seth, her teenage brother. Riley finds herself once more delving back into the dark underworld, when Seth and his...more Riley Poe used to be a troubled teen who lived on the dark side. She kept bad company, did drugs, had casual sex, etc...you get the idea. But, everything changed when her mother was murdered by an obsessed boyfriend. Riley turned her life around, went to detox, and went back to school. Now years later, She was a talented tattoo artist and business owner and lived in Savannah raising Seth, her teenage brother. Riley finds herself once more delving back into the dark underworld, when Seth and his friends accidentely release two imprisoned dark souls belonging to vampiric brothers, Victorian and Valerian. The blurb indicated that Seth was taken by "sinister cult leaders", I don't think that is an accurate depiction. When I bought this book, I thought it implied more of a human/religious element. In truth, it was neither, it was nothing more than vampire brothers being the sterotypical master vampires. Technically, Seth wasn't taken, he was turned (sort of).

It would take alot of determination, to pull ones life out from the darkness. I have always appreciated that in a heroine and Riley was no different. I also liked the fact, she was loyal to those she cared about, regardless of the circumstances. That being said, I felt the author went a bit overboard with the characterizations. In my opinion, Riley went from a strong, determined, and intelligent heroine, to a sterotypical, annoying, and ignorant female. Sterotypical, because she was suppose to be tough as nails (Although her version of tough was to always go for the balls), she had a chip on her shoulder (She often acted without thinking and had comeback cliche's of "I fear nothing", and "I have done it all before"), was she was OMG unbelievably hott, (so hott, that all males in her presence, felt the need, to tell her, she was unbelievably HOTT!). Her character was annoying, because no matter what the predictament, she always knew the answers or her reasons were more sound than others...even though she didn't have a clue. And when someone tryed to help her, who actually knew what was happening, she refused to listen to them. That is fricken annoying people, I don't care who you are!

I did however like Eli, not only because he was a brooding and sexy vampire that oozed sexy appeal, but he was interesting, mysterious, and had a sense of honor. He wanted to do the right thing, not only for the greater good, but with Riley as well. I can't imagine how hard it would be, to constantly hear other people's thoughts, especially someone like Riley. I also can't imagine how fustrating it would be, to hear the naughty thoughts of all the men who worshipped Riley's hottness. Although, I confess, a couple of my favorite moments involved Eli reading Riley's thoughts and the sexual tension that came from it. Talk about having to fan my self off. Oh did I mention, Riley had a addictive and rare blood type, that was like a drug to him and all vampires? (Twilight Flashback) As far as the remaining characters go, I was disappointed. They felt like cardboard cut outs...very two deminsional. They lacked substance and thier personalities often felt elusive. I wish the author wrote more than one perspective, especially from Eli, Seth, and Victorian point of views. I think it might have made all the difference.

Author Elle Jasper did an amazing job describing Inksomnia's enviroment. It was very realistic and colorful and interestingly enough, it was the only time, the interactions and dialogues among all the characters felt comfortable and fluid. It was as if I was standing amongst all that was happening. The author also does a wonderful job of proving a believable Savannah backdrop. However, there were times, when the story would loose its momentum, due to over description. For example, when Riley traveled from point A to point B, I felt like a GPS was reading me the directions. It was too much and often confusing. As for the paranormal aspect, I was happy to see a unique spin on vampiric mythology. Although, I wish I had more of its historical information, especially where the Dupree's were concerned.

Overall, I am not going to sugar coat it, I have mix feelings about this book, so much so, that I am posting my first ever 1/2 rate. I am torn between liking it and feeling disappointed enough to shrug it off. While the premise was interesting and had alot of potential, its execution was lacking. The author concentrated to much on irrelevant descriptions, such as Riley's fashion and not enough on relevant events, such as the plot. I feel the protagonist should have been more original and consistant and feel the supporting characters should have had a more active role. Furthermore, I wish the author wrote from various points of veiws. I think it would have help with the substance and depth of the supporting characters, not to mention help move the story along. In truth, it wasn't a fast pace and at times, it would loose its momentum...either from over description or lack of explaination. The author could have inserted some answers, to all those lingering questions. Instead, I was left with only my assumptions. By the time I closed the book, Afterlight felt unfinished and left me unsatisfied. But, I am hopeful that the next installment, Everdark will provide this debut author's redemption.

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Nov 23, 2010 Aik Chien 인첸 rated it 5 of 5 stars

What do you get when you combine a kick-ass female with a wild past and a two-centuries-old sexy male vampire originated from France? You get Afterlight, of course! Elle Jasper's debut is wicked cool! In this book, Elle shows readers the darker, creepier side of Savannah, Georgia, besides adding her own touch of Gothic elements in it. You can observe it in Riley's dressing code and fashion sense.

Riley Poe is an amazing heroine. She's spunky, badass, witty and loves her brother a great deal. I'd...more What do you get when you combine a kick-ass female with a wild past and a two-centuries-old sexy male vampire originated from France? You get Afterlight, of course! Elle Jasper's debut is wicked cool! In this book, Elle shows readers the darker, creepier side of Savannah, Georgia, besides adding her own touch of Gothic elements in it. You can observe it in Riley's dressing code and fashion sense.

Riley Poe is an amazing heroine. She's spunky, badass, witty and loves her brother a great deal. I'd really like to see the dragon tattoo on her back and arms if she were a real person. She has a soft spot for her younger brother Seth, whom she cares for since her mother died. She always calls him "my baby brother" and I think that is cute, since I did the same with mine.

When Seth and his friends disrupts an ancient stone in Savannah's Bonaventure Cemetery, they accidentally release two evil, powerful vampires --- Victorian and Valerian, descendants of the Strigoi. Then, all hell breaks loose. The two evil vampires, Victorian and Valerian, are out for blood, and they are using Seth and his friends to do lure victims.

To save her brother from eternal damnation, Riley seeks help from her surrogate grandfather, the Preacher, who is a Gullah conjurer. His grandfather introduces her to the Dupre family, who agrees to aid her in saving Seth. But there's something strange about the Dupres. They possess amazing speed, and they can change into terrifying monsters in a blink of the eye. They are actually vampires. And Eli Dupre, one of them, has been ordered to act as her personal bodyguard. As time passes, the mutual attraction between them heightened.

Eli Dupre is like the perfect guy, he's hot, handsome and protective. But he can be pretty scary too, when he gets angry or hungry. He grows fond of Riley, and eventually falls in love with her despite the fact that they are two different persons from two different worlds.

Elle Jasper is a talented writer. She weaves the tale perfectly, and ends each chapter with a surprise. I was eager to continue reading and stopped only when my eyes cannot resist the urge to rest. The setting is written in detail, giving me a clear mental image of the charms of the historical sites in Savannah. There is a quote that reminds me of Twilight, but that's a small thing. I loved the book nevertheless. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the second book in The Dark Ink Chronicles, Everdark!(less)

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Nov 14, 2010 Fiendishly Bookish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormalromance, vampireromance, vamp-a-licious

Elle Jasper’s debut series, The Dark Ink Chronicles begins with Afterlight, a dreamy, scrumptious read that I could not put down about tattoo artist Riley Poe whose rare blood type becomes the instrument in a complicated triumvirate that plunges her into the middle of two warring vampire factions on the steamy streets of Savannah.

On one side is the heritage of the Gullah, who have protected her most of her life, and masked her blood from any would-be enemies. Aligned with them is the mysterious...more Elle Jasper’s debut series, The Dark Ink Chronicles begins with Afterlight, a dreamy, scrumptious read that I could not put down about tattoo artist Riley Poe whose rare blood type becomes the instrument in a complicated triumvirate that plunges her into the middle of two warring vampire factions on the steamy streets of Savannah.

On one side is the heritage of the Gullah, who have protected her most of her life, and masked her blood from any would-be enemies. Aligned with them is the mysterious House of Dupre, whose family has maintained an almost eternal state of vigilance over the city. Together they must defeat the resurrected threat of Victorian and Valerian Arcos who once left a bloody trail throughout the region.

Afterlight feels like a fully plotted novel, with a sensory explosion at every page turn. Scenes come alive, are rich and meaty, and worth savoring every bit. One can almost inhale the briny air, and sweep aside the Spanish moss. It appears that Jasper’s words are a conduit for all things Southern as well as a setting master: Da Plat Eye, Inksomnia, Bonaventure, and the House of Dupre feel so intensely tangible-and vibrantly real.

Her descriptive scenes exhibit a love for Savannah, its terrain, history, sounds, smells, and the feel of her dreamy town is mesmerizing. It is a perfect setting for Afterlight and Jasper has managed to reinvigorate the paranormal genre inserting the cultural background of the Gullah into the textural fabric of her story. Afterlight almost reminds me a bit of Adrian Phoenix’s Black Dust Mambo, which has the same Southern sinister vibe.

This is one of the freshest debuts that I have come across in a while that gives a reader exactly what they are hankering for. Steadiness, direction as well as plot development, character fleshout are in plentiful supply as is the overall edgy and sexy feel to the book.

But one can also get the sense that things in Afterlight are a bit too easy too, conflicts too easily resolved, or not drawn out enough. Sometimes the erotic draw to a novel can be its overwhelming deprivation between its two leads. Though glimmers of this are present…on the whole it is missing. Jasper leaves us on the proverbial unresolved cliff’s edge, set for the sequel Everdark.

I suspect that more conflict will be in the making for Riley Poe and Eli Dupre, coupled with the overwhelming allure that Jasper has thrust into her novel: Victorian Arcos. Now that is a character that I want to delve into at length. Pardon the pun.J
A Fiendishly Bookish Review and One Grumpy Cat
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Afterlight (Dark Ink Chronicles #1)

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