Review: Immortal War by Justin Somper

Title: Immortal War
Author: Justin Somper
Genre: Juvi, YA, sixth in series, action, adventure, romance, supernatural
Star Rating:  5/5 stars

Taken from Goodreads, "A bloody war is raging across the oceans, with the Pirate Federation and the Nocturnals allied against the renegade Vampirates led by Sidorio and a heavily pregnant Lady Lola. Meanwhile, Connor and Grace Tempest each have their own important roles to play- He as a pirate warrior at the heart of the battle, she as a powerful healer working with the war-wounded. As the twins face their greatest challenges yet, old allies and former foes return for the ultimate battle..."

I started this book with trepidation.  I loved the first five books in the 'Vampirates' series and knew full well that this was the last full length adventure I'd get to spend with Grace, Connor, Lorcan, and the rest of the Pirate and Vampirate crew.  Now that I've finished it, it is with a touch of sadness and a whole lotta love that I write this review.  I'm going to keep it short and sweet because I don't want to go into heavy spoiler territory by accident!  (It's just *that* good of a series!)

Justin Somper has crafted an epic finale to the series that started very simply with a book about two fouteen year old twins who were forced down two completely different paths.  'Immortal War' has everything-- action, romance, humor, and very readable battle scenes.  That last one is a huge thing for me-- I usually don't read books with heavy action scenes and if they're in a novel I'm reading, I usually just skim the passages.  I didn't do that with 'Immortal War'.  Better still, with so much happening to so many characters at one time, I still found it easy to understand what was going on where and to whom.

The big finale seemed a fitting send off to the characters I've grown to love.  Most loose ends are tied up.  Some are surprisingly left open making me wonder if we'll be seeing a few more novellas or even a companion series.  (Please, Mr. Somper!!!)  There are a ton of secondary characters who still have stories to tell and I, for one, would love to hear them (*cough*cowboy*cough*).

If you haven't read the 'Vampirates' series, go to your local library and tell the librarian you want to read 'Demons of the Ocean'.  You won't regret it.  And to those who have read the series and are putting this read off till 'next time', make 'next time' today.

I'm very happy I decided to follow Grace and Connor on their journey.  I have to laugh at myself-- I was hesitant to start this series back in the day.  'Vampire pirates? What are these authors going to think up next?', I said to myself.  But the beautiful cover and intriguing concept eventually won me over and the hardcovers now sit proudly on my bookshelf, ready for when I want to dive back into the lives of the Tempest twins.

'Immortal War' gets 5 stars and is available online and in stores.

Vampirates Play?!

I just finished reading 'Immortal War', the sixth and final installment of the Vampirates series by Justin Somper. While searching the authors website, I stumbled upon this little nugget of information.  It's old news, but I felt I should share it with you anyways!



It seems like a stage adaptation of 'Demons of the Ocean' has been touring theaters in the UK since October!  From the trailer, it looks like lots of fun.  This is the kind of theater I'd do if I were an actor.  My hope is that this one day gets to the States-- I'd love to see it! My other hope?  That this makes its way into the land of musical theater.  The story and characters in this series totally lend themselves to the musical format-- and I would pay good money to hear Lorcan sing!

What books do you think should be adapted for the stage?  Share your thoughts!

2010 Highlights-- A Year in Review

2010 has been quite a year, hasn't it? Who would have thought this little blogging adventure would become what it is today? It's kind of amazing. 2010 has not only been a year of discovering new hobbies, but also a year of some great reads and some excellent opportunities.

Here, dear readers, is Brooke's Box of Books 2010 Highlights-- A Year in Review.

First Book Read in 2010:

'The Seven Rays' by Jessica Bendinger

My Favorite Debut Novel or Stand Alone Read of 2010:

'Hex Hall' by Rachel Hawkins

Runners Up:

'Knightley Academy' by Violet Haberdasher

'The Grimm Legacy' by Polly Shulman

'Birthmarked' by Caragh M. O'Brien

'Tigers Curse' by Colleen Houck

'Nightshade' by Andrea Cremer

'Matched' by Ally Condie

Best New Book in a Series of 2010:

'Empire of Night' by Justin Somper

Runners up:

'Guardian of the Gate' by Michelle Zink

'Spirit Bound' by Richelle Mead

'City of Ships' by Mary Hoffman

'Mockingjay' by Suzanne Collins

Most Irritating Read of 2010 (aka The Book I Read Like There Was No Tomorrow, but Wanted To Ring the Characters Necks Half the Time):

'Torment' by Lauren Kate

Runner up:

'Spells' by Aprilynne Pike

The 'At Least I Tried To Like It' Book of 2010:

'Shiver' by Maggie Stiefvater

Runner Up:

'The Dark Divine' by Bree Despain

Last Book Read in 2010:

'The Iron Queen' by Julie Kagawa

And there you have it-- my favorite and not so favorite reads of 2010.  In total, I will have read 63 new books this year, which is roughly a book a week.  Geez Louise!  That's quite a bit, I think!

Now that you've seen my list, I want to know what you think of the slew of books that came out in 2010...  What was your favorite?  What was your least favorite?  Share your comments below!

Review: Empire of Night by Justin Somper

Title: Empire of Night (Vampirates Series, #5)
Author: Justin Somper
Genre: Juvi, Supernatural, Action, some G rated romance,
Perfect for: Readers who have read the first four titles in the 'Vampirates' series.

*Note:  This review has minor spoilers, because, well, the fifth book of a series is hard to review without giving away something!!!  You have been warned!

"Twins Grace and Connor Tempest, still reeling from the recent discovery of their true parentage and its explosive implications, are thrust deep into the heart of the conflict between Sidorio, dangerous Vampirate, and the Pirate Federation. As old friends and foes are thrown together unexpectantly, the twins find their allegiances shifting in ways no-one could ever have imagined... Join the Tempest twins in this fifth dramatic encounter as they battle for the empire of the Vampirates." - Summery taken from Vampirates webpage.

Had you told me Sidorio would become a family man after my original introduction to the Vampirates series, I would have bet you ten bucks you were wrong. Then, upon reading 'Empire of Night', you would be ten bucks richer. I'm usually pretty good at guessing plots, but this book kept surprising me!

Let's talk character development... So good. In fact, it was so good that I found myself talking to the book-- scolding characters for their actions, asking why they were doing this, or how they could even consider that! And I'm not talking about just Connor and Grace-- I mean the whole cast of characters.

While Connor and Grace do a lot of changing and growing during the course of 'Empire of Night' (due to the fact that they are dhampirs aka half vampire), the growth of the secondary characters is one of the many strengths of this novel. Characters like Jez, Bart, and Johnny are fleshed out even further than they have been before. Johnny, especially! I have to admit, I love Johnny's character, even if he's working for the wrong side. His dialogue with Lorcan at the end of this novel is fantastic-- I laughed quite a few times at the exchanges, especially Johnny's comment about Lorcan knowing Grace since she was a baby. Great stuff.

The great thing about the characters in this series are that none are inherently completely evil. Yes, Sidorio is not a good role model and is for the most part 'bad', the way he instantly cared for Grace and Connor touched me a tiny bit. And his wife, Lady Lola, however bad she is, has some great scenes in 'Empire of Night'. I could go on, but I won't bore you with the awesomeness of the rest of the cast, as I'm sure if you have read the series, you already know...

Onwards to the story... It was certainly unexpected. Like I said in my opening, this plot totally snuck up on me. The story is focused heavily on the twins, Sidorio, Lady Lola, and their Vampirates crew. We see some of our old favorites, like Lorcan, Darcy, or Mosh Zu, but they aren't featured as heavily in this title as in past books. Funnily enough, keeping with suit, while Connor and Grace are the closest they've been for a long time, they still hardly interact with eachother. It was a bit odd at first, to tell you the truth, but they each had their own roles to play, so I guess it made sense. Again, chapters pretty much alternated between Connor and Grace's POV and, to my surprise, I found both very interesting. To an even great surprise, I found myself thinking that Connor, yes Connor, was playing his role far better than Grace! I seriously wanted to ring her neck a few times during 'Empire of Night'.

Someone on Goodreads mentioned that the book was 'stressful' and I totally 100% agree. Stressful in a good way-- a very good way. The story was so addicting and the characters were so compelling that it was pretty easy to sink into this title and not come back up until I was completely torn apart by the action, romance, and tragedies found in 'Empire of Night'. Yes, there are all three in this title. And all three are done very well.

Word to the wise-- if you haven't read any book in the Vampirates series, do not read this one. Start with the first book, then continue on through the rest and till you get to this one.

So far, I must say this very well could be the best of the series thus far. They just keep getting better and better.  All in all, this is a fantastic edition to the Vampirates series!

Review: Black Heart by Justin Somper

Title: Black Heart
Author: Justin Somper
Genre: Juvi, Supernatural, Action
Perfect for: Reader who have read the first three titles in the 'Vampirates' series.

Connor and Grace have seen and done a lot since that fateful night in which they found themselves rescued by different ships. Where Grace has found a deep connection to the Vampiriates' ship, Connor has fallen just as much in love with being a pirate. Now, with their mothers ghost alive and walking, the twins learn the answer to the question they have asked themselves since the beginning-- What is their connection to the worlds they are becoming more and more attached to and what does that mean for their future? Major revelations are revealed that will draw you even further into the 'Vampirates' series!

'Vampirates', as a series, is one of my guilty pleasures. I just really enjoy the characters, dialogue, storylines, and settings-- which is funny, because I typically don't read 'pirate' books! 'Vampirates', somehow, has sucked me in from book one, page one. Book four, 'Black Heart' is no exception. In fact, I think this is one of the best in the series-- especially when you get into the second half of the book.

As usual, the chapters are broken up so we see an equal amount of Grace, Connor, and secondary characters. Also as usual, I loved Grace's storyline. You can definitely see how different the twins really are as this series grows. Grace's storyline had a good mix of revelations, action, and romance.  Lorcan is fantastic, as always.  He and Grace's relationship has evolved well over the series thus far and I am interested in seeing it evolve even more.

Connor's storyline, in the beginning went a bit slow for me, but picked up toward the middle and sailed smoothly along to the end. This didn't surprise me, as I usually find Connors storylines a little bit less engaging. I was surprised at the fact that I was so drawn in to Connor's storyline towards the end of the book, however. I wasn't shifting pages to see when I'd get back to Grace's storyline, like in the previous books.

I don't want to spoil, so I will only say that I love the fact that we finally know who's connected to who and why Connor and Grace are so special. The revelations make me wish I had the money to order book 5, 'Empire of Night', right off of Amazon UK, but I think I'll just have to wait till the US release date of August 2010.

Enjoy the read!!!  And if you haven't picked up this series at all, look for 'Demons of the Ocean', book one in the 'Vampirates' Saga.