Book review
Written by Justin Somper
Simon and Schuster paperback
Release date Out now

After discovering the truth of their parentage, Connor and Grace are sent undercover to learn the Vampirates' plans...

Usually if the next book in a sequence immediately reverses the ending of its predecessor, you feel cheated – but the immediate resurrection of Lady Lola Lockwood at the start of Empire of Night is exactly what the Vampirate saga needs, as the power-obsessed pirate queen tries to take charge.

There's a definite feel that the story has changed up a gear, as both the Tempest twins deal with the revelation that the would-be Vampirate King Sidorio is their true father, making them dhampirs (half-mortal, half-vampire). It adds a new twist to every relationship that the twins have made during the previous four novels, as well as making them question themselves. Throughout the book, the analogy between a vampire's need for blood and other more earthly addictions is made more obvious as both twins fight against their cravings.

Where the previous book occasionally sagged under the weight of back-story contained in it, this ramps up the pace, as multiple new allegiances are formed between the various parties keen to maintain, or take, control of the world's oceans. No character seems safe: more than one series regular bites the dust this time around at the hands of the vampirates, and more twists are promised in the next volume. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 7/10
Justin Somper continues to deliver swashbuckling fun.

Click here to read an interview with Justin Somper.