Vampirates: Tide of Terror by Justin Somper

Character List (updated list from Vampirates):

Connor Tempest: superstar pirate in the making, enjoys attention from people thinking that he is a superstar in the making

Grace Tempest: 14 year old twin of Connor, desires to go back to the Vampirate ship that saved her

Loretta Busby: Lachan’s wife, wanted to adopt the twins

Lachlan Busby: Direct of the Cresent Moon Bay Cooperative Bank

Sidorio: sent into exile, trying to start a new pirateship, has “big plans”

Cutlass Cate (The Diablo): deputy Captain since Cheng Li left

Cheng Li: saved Grace at Ma Kettle’s hosted the twins at the Pirate Academy, was accused of being a spy on The Diable by Sarakino

Captain Molucco Wrathe (The Diablo): Pirate Royalty does not seem to approve of the Academy

Bartholomew “Bart” Pearce (The Diablo): friend to Connor, has a crush on Cate

Jez Stukeley (The Diablo): offers to fight Captain Drakoulis, begins a new life after his time on the Diable comes to an end

Darcy Flotsam: figurehead of the Vampirate ship “The Nocturne”

Lorcan Furey (The Nocturne): gave Grace his Claddagh ring as a goodbye gift

Narcisos Drakoulis (The Albatross): Captain, claims he is doing the Pirate Federation business

Gidaki Sarakino (The Albatross): Drakoulis’s chosen pirate for combat

Matilda “Kitty” “Ma” Kettle: owner of a tavern

Captain Lisabeth Quivers (formerly of The Passion Flower): red hair, heartbreaker, kept Capt. Wrathe & his brothers in line, teacher at the Pirate Academy, teaches knots

Captain Wilfred Avery (The Barbary Corsair): instructor at Pirate Academy

Commodore John Kuo: Headmaster of the Pirate Academy, offers Connor a chance to join the Academy and the Pirate Federation

Barbarro Wrathe: Molucco’s brother

Porfirio Wrathe: Molucco’s brother, murdered

Captain Larsen: instructor of Pirate Academy

Jacoby Blunt: Year 10 student at the Pirate Academy, finest fighter at the Academy, betrays Connor, but offers to be his friend

Nurse Carmichael: Nurse at Pirate Academy

Captain Renee Grammont (formerly of the Troubador), professor at the Academy

Captain Franciso Moscardo (formerly of the Santa Anna & The Inferno): professor at the Acadmy

Captain Pavel Platonov (formerly of the Muscovite): teaches at the Academy, Russian

Captain Apostolos Solomos (The Seferis): teaches at the Academy

Captain Kirstien Larsen (The Kronborg Slot): teaches at the Academy

Captain Floris van Amstel (The Koh-i-Noor): teaches at the Academy

Captain Shivaji Singh (The Nataraj): doesn’t like Captain Wrathe

Jasmine Peacock: student at the Academy, becomes friendly with Connor

Samara Pescudo: student at the Academy

Lumar: banished from the The Nocturne, going to find Sidorio

Olin: banished from The Nocturne, going to find Sidorio

Mistral: banished from The Nocturne, going to find Sidorio

Mosh Zu Kamal: friend to The Nocturne

Captain Gresham: supporter of Captain Molucco Wrathe

Shanti: Lorcan’s donor on The Nocturne

Book Review/Summary:
Picking up where book 1 left off, you see the twins finding a home on The Diablo.  Grace is wishing herself back to the Vampirate ship that saved her, while Connor pledges allegiance to Captain Wrathe and The Diablo.  After a devastating loss the crew and Grace go to Ma Kettle’s there Cheng Li approaches Grace about her and Connor attending the Pirate Academy.  Grace worried for her brother’s safety, encourages him to attend.  Captain Wrathe gives his blessing for the twins to go for one week.  Of course, this is when the adventures really start.

As a reader looking back it is hard to realize that the entire events of this book take places in just over a week.  It also feel that most of this book is setting up for the rest of the series, or at least book 3.  Sidorio appears to be a minor plot line, but I think the reader will significance will come into play at the end, and hopefully later in the series.

Connor loves the attention he is receiving at The Pirate Academy, and that other well-respected Captains view him as a rising superstar in the Pirate World.  Connor has flashes of himself as a Captain of a pirate ship and that is what he wants.  Grace while enjoying the pirate world, wants to return to the Vampirate ship that saved her and has feelings for Lorcan.  Both of the twins start to realize that they are on separate paths in their lives, but are not willing to let the only family they have left go on a different path than the one they are on.  As the story develops the twins start separating from each other as their paths diverge.  While Grace and Connor recognize they are on different paths it takes longer for them to allow the other one to go.

The book allowed for character development, growth, and introduction of new characters.  The characters have adventures and alliances are being formed and broken.  I feel like this book while a good story, is really the set up for more to come in the series.  A must read for the series, and written at a good pace.  Looking forward to what the future of this series holds.