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When I first picked up Demons of the Ocean, the first book in Justin Somper’s Vampirates series, I was intrigued. When I moved on to the second book, Tide of Terror, I was held in suspense. Now, after reading Blood Captain, the third book in the series, I’m completely hooked.
Blood Captain picks up shortly after Tide of Terror ended. Realizing that their lives are headed in different directions, the 14-year-old Tempest twins have gone their separate ways. Grace has returned to the Vampirate ship, The Nocturne, and Connor has returned to life on The Diablo.
Determined to help her friend, Lorcan, who was blinded while trying to save her, Grace journeys with him to a place called Sanctuary—a zen-like retreat where vampires are taught to let go of their hurts and control their urges.
Connor, meanwhile, faces new challenges aboard The Diablo. First, there’s Moonshine Wrathe, the captain’s nephew, who holds some kind of mysterious grudge against Connor. Then there’s the return of his old friend, Jez, who wants to begin a new life on the Vampirate ship. And when another raid doesn’t go as planned, Connor suddenly begins to reconsider his life as a pirate.
At the same time, there’s a new threat on the seas. As it grows in power, it lurks quietly in the background, waiting for the right moment to strike.
The third book in the Vampirates series is the longest yet—weighing in at a hefty 570 pages—but it’s also the strongest. The first book set the stage and established the story, and the second book introduced the conflict. Now, in the third book, the real action—and drama—begins. Though Blood Captain has its share of sword fighting and pirate adventures, the swashbuckling action takes a backseat to the characters and their stories. Somper continues to develop the characters, with both twins facing moral dilemmas and personal challenges. Connor discovers that a pirate’s life isn’t all fun and games, and Grace learns that Lorcan isn’t telling her everything. Just like normal teenagers, they struggle to figure out who’s trustworthy and who isn’t—and although they’re sometimes frustratingly naïve (especially Grace), you’ll love them more and more as you get to know them.
While the third book answers a few questions, it also asks a few more. Most importantly, it brings up the question that has haunted readers from the beginning of the series: Who are these kids? Though it’s been suggested that there’s something special about them—that some of the characters know more than they’re letting on—a mysterious revelation at the book’s end suggests that there are a whole lot of answers to come in book four.
Since the twins are separated again in book three, Somper once again picks up his back-and-forth style, telling their stories in alternating chapters—most of which end with a cliff-hanger. So while you’ll want to know what happens to Grace, you’ll have to read the next chapter in Connor’s story before you can get back to her. Then you’ll want to know what happens to Connor—but you’ll have to read about Grace first. And that just makes Blood Captain even more of a frantic (and highly addictive) read.
I highly recommend checking out this powerful pirate adventure. Just be sure to start with the first book in the series and work your way up.
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