WARNING: this book begins with a significant development! Do not read further if you are worried about being spoiled! Short review: The book is fun and worth a read.

Now, with that out of the way, Vampirates: Empire of Night is the fifth book in the carnival ride that is Justin Somper’s Vampirates series. This book begins with a death, which, as we all know from the previous Vampirates books, is perhaps not as much a barrier to continued conversation and scheming as it might appear at first.  Lady Lola Lockwood, recently beheaded by Connor Tempest, is reunited with her lower half and her new husband, and she and Sidorio begin to plan out their new Empire of Night, an Empire that Sidorio wants Grace and Connor to be a part of. Soon after, Grace and Connor, orphaned twins, friends to pirates and a few, select, vampires, and main focus of the series,  are back, and the details they have just learned of their parentage have shaken their world down to the foundations. They have gone their separate ways, Connor to the pirates, and Grace to the pacifist vampires on the Nocturnal, but the twins feel that some deeper destiny is calling them, and that they have a responsibility to those around them to follow it.

Grace’s thoughts turned to Sidorio and his original donor, Sally–Grace’s own mother–and then to Stukeley and his donor Shanti. Both Sally and Shanti had passed on now. Sidorio and Stukeley were forging their own, dark, command. And the Captain was missing.  So much change but, inside Grace’s head, the five of them lingered in the room like ghosts at the feast.

Grace and Connor have choices to make.  As the pirates and the Nocturnals become embroiled in a war with Sidorio’s Vampirates, Grace and Connor receive invitations to live with Sidorio and Lady Lola.  Will they be able to stay true to their roles of spies and fool Sidorio and Lady Lola? Will they begin to give into their dual nature and put themselves, and those they love, in danger? No matter what they decide, neither Connor nor Grace will make it through this experience unchanged.

Somper has done an excellent job in keeping this series fun and engaging. He explores the myriad of ways vampires and pirates could live and interact without it every feeling as if the character development has been sacrificed for the fun that is Vampirates. Although it is always highly entertaining to see which famous artist/chef/historical figure the Vampirates have appropriated for their squad, the focus remains on the lives and emotions of the twins. Grace, especially, is an interesting character. Strong, curious, and kind, she actively tries to create a place for herself in the ever-changing world she lives in.

Both Connor and Grace are trying to figure out where they belong.  Although they rarely get a chance to work together, their emotional bond is still as strong as it was at the start of the series, and it is interesting to watch their different reactions to the events that sweep through their lives. But, even with the depth of the characterization and the careful and well-thought out plotting,  the Vampirates books are, above all, a lot of fun, and this one is no different.

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