I bought this for a friend on impulse, because frankly the portmanteau was too delightful to pass up. That dear, she actually read it and gave it back for me to read, too.

"I'll tell you a tale of Vampirates..."

Such is the beginning to a rather blood thirsty sea shanty sung to the Tempest twins, Grace and Connor, by their recently deceased father. How it was able to calm them for bedtime versus raise all their red alerts is beyond me, however it might serve as a good reason behind their ability to cope with the events that were just on the horizon. Losing everything they had on this earth besides each other, they set off to find a new life, only to have it snuffed before they even get started. The mysterious storm that overtook them out of the blue during their escape from dry land was unusual, but what happens to each of them is even more so. For one, it's a pirate's life for them, as they gain their sea legs and never stop searching for their other half; for the other, it's as yet to be decided...if they can manage to survive their savage "hero" and a bloodthirsty crew. Oh yes, my friends...there is MUCH more danger than what lurks in the murky depths below...

I rather fell in LOVE with this story. Grace and Connor are stars in their own right, and their journeys are far from over...but the author set this series up with an incredible cast of characters that are equally charming (well, some are more monstrous, but beauty IS in the eye of the beholder...just don't let some of them ACTUALLY be HOLD anything of yours!) in their own ways that make you want to learn their stories (Grace has the right idea!), and see just what the sea has in store for them! The mysterious captain, midshipman Lorcan, Cheng Li, and the one that we shall not name here that was cast out...all of them are quite obviously going to play integral roles in what's to come, and for that matter what happens here, so yes...I say GIVE ME MORE to satisfy my own book thirst!



*copy received for review; opinions are my own ( )

Fourteen year old twins, Grace and Conner Tempest, grew up listening to their father's tales of a ship of Vampirates sailing the seas. He sung a shanty about the Vampirates to them to comfort them when they were scared. After their father's death, Grace and Conner decide to run away. They steal his boat and set out to sea and straight into a storm. Their boat is destroyed and the twins are picked up by two different pirate ships - one of them by the Vampirate ship. Each child struggles to deal with ship life and with the possible death of their sibling and their undesirable need to continue looking for each other.



I enjoyed this book. It wasn't great but it is a different idea and storyline and a good, if shaky, start to the series.
( )

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean Book Review

by Justin Somper

I'd give this book 4 donors out of 5.



Vampirates...the concept... the title... its one of those things that I wished I had come up with. It's a great concept. I must say, though, that I feel bad for the author. As I gathered my thoughts for this review I took a look at other reviews of the book, and some of them are just cruel. The book was a good book, in my opinion, even though it had a few quirks.

This book has a ton of covers. Perhaps that a function of being originally published in 2005, and refreshing the book cover is a way to make it new again (marketing) and drive sales. Either way, the book has several fantastic covers, and as you know, I love a good cover.

The story follows Connor and Grace Tempest, a couple of humble children that live with their father, who man's the lighthouse. One of their bonding traditions is for him to sing them a shanty as they go to bed. The thing is, its a little bit creepy, as its about Vampirates. Here it is:

I'll tell you a tale of Vampirates,
A tale as old as true.

Yea, I'll sing you a song of an ancient ship,
And its mighty fearsome crew.

Yea, I'll sing you a song of an ancient ship,
That sails the oceans blue...
That haunts the oceans blue.

The Vampirate ship has tattered sails,
That flap like wings in flight.

They say the captain, he wears a veil
So as to curtail your fright.

At his death pale skin
And his lifeless eyes
And his teeth as sharp as night.

Oh, they say the captain, he wears a viel
And his eyes never see the light

You'd better be good, child- good as gold,
As good as good can be.

Eles I'll turn you in to the Vampirates
And wave you out to sea.

Yes, you'd better be good child- good as gold,
Because- look! Can you see?

There's a dark ship in the harbor tonight
And there's room in the hold for thee!
(Plenty of room for thee)

Well, if pirates are bad,
And vampires are worse

Then I pray that as long as I be
That though I sing of Vampirates
I never one shall see.

Yea, if pirates are danger
And vampires are death

I'll extend my prayer for thee-
That thine eyes never see a Vampirate...
...and they never lay a hand on thee.

The children's father abruptly passes away one night and, unfortunately, he has left them with nothing. The children, after listening to the local banker offer to take the children in, or to be forced into the orphanage, decide that their only chance is to steal their father's ship (it no longer belongs to him) and to test their luck on the open seas.

They do this for some time, and get some distance out into the ocean, until a great storm brews and dashes their boat into pieces. The twins are separated, each scooped up by a different pirate ship. One crew consists of normal pirates, and the other, you guessed it, the Vampirates.

The rest of the tale explores each of the twin's experiences on their respective ships, and their efforts to not give up hope of finding each other again.

I felt the quality of the writing was very good, and so was the storytelling, even though the plot seemed to have some holes that could be addressed. The characters were fun, and distinct, even though some of the more critical reviews underscored the characters as something they wanted more from.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but the one thing that I found strange was the ending. The climax built up to what felt like might be an awesome pirate brawl, but it ended up getting resolved by simply correcting a character's identity, and then all was well. It was a little anti-climactic. Overall, though, it was a good read. I'll probably continue on with the next book at some point. Happy reading! ( )

A fun pirate/ vampire YA novel. ( )