Customer Reviews

Vampirates 4: Black Heart

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Picking up where book 3 left off, teenage twins Grace and Connor are shocked to have their mother back from the dead. Grace is thrilled, but Connor doesn't' wants to distance himself from the Vampirates. Meanwhile, Sidorio and his new crew of ruthless Vampirates are out, leaving a trail of death and destruction. But they aren't the only ones. A mysterious crew of beautiful vampire women appears and seems to be even more evil and deadly than Sidorio's.

Connor joins up with new Captain Cheng Li who receive orders to hunt down the Vampirates, one-by-one. Connor feels a little conflicted since his sister is very close to several of them. Connor knows not all of the vampires are evil, but how can he convince his superiors?

Grace and Connor's mother has returned mysteriously. But doesn't have much time left. Grace slowly learns the true story of her mother meeting her father and what happened surrounding the event of the twins' birth.

This is a decidedly darker and more intense installment than the previous. More gruesome death and suspense surround the evil Vampirates. In each book, Connor and Grace are gaining wisdom, new skills, and changing a bit as they get older. Some of the mystery surrounding the origins of the twins is a little predictable, but nonetheless is dragged out long enough to create a lot of suspense and expectation. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I still believe each book is gets better than the last in terms of adventure and character interaction.

I'll be waiting with high expectations for the next installment. Connor and Grace seem to have exciting destinies. Fantasy fans, both young and old, need to check out this series. It definitely remains one of my favorites.

The fourth installment of the Vampirates series is by far the best. The author whisks the reader away into a world of danger, romance, and a new age. It mainly focuses on Conner and Grace Tempest, twins who have lost their dad and ran away from home, who were seperated in Demons on the Ocean and their trials and sucesses abourd either the Pirate ship of the Vampire ship. This book is slightly darker than the first few but it reveals many secrets and answers alot of important questions. Personally I am very excited to read the fifth installment, Empire of Night! :)

Black Heart is the fourth book in the Vampirates series and the best one yet!. Somper just gets better and better which each book. Without ruining the series for new readers, I'll simply say that it's an adventure-packed tale of vampires and pirates. Each chapter is told from a different perspective which gives readers insights to every aspect of the story, allowing you to see the inner workings of each key character. Nearly every chapter ends on a cliff hanger, which makes it a very fast read since you're rushing to see what happens next. Full of twists and turns and huge revelations, Black Heart never bores you for even moment.

On top of his excellent storytelling, Somper also impressed me with his immaculate research. He incorporated loads of real vampire history and folklore into this story, which made this history buff very very happy.

Overall, I loved this book and I can't wait to read the next one. The series may be geared for ages 9-12, but in spite of that it can be enjoyed by any age. I highly suggest checking out the Vampirates series.

I have not read this book myself (yet) but my Grandson loved it. He has read all but the last one and wishes for more.

The fourth installment in the Vampirates series is just as good if not better than the previous book. This book is mainly about self-discovery for Connor and Grace, but mainly Grace because Connor is not yet ready to accept who he is. Grace, on the other hand, is completely ready to embrace who and what she is. Since the beginning of the series, Grace has always known where she belongs, and Black Heart only confirms this more. Connor, on the other hand, seems to have doubts where he wants to be. He knows he wants to be a pirate, but he does not know what type of pirate he wants to be. That is why he decides to join Cheng Li's crew.

I really enjoyed the little twist about the twins' past. I would not call it shocking because I kind of saw it coming. I also like Somper's take on vampires. I do not want to give anything away, but there is a certain ritual mentioned in the book that I thought was very original.

I found the "bad" vampirates, Jez and Johnny, to be really interesting. I do not think they are completely evil, so I am definitely curious where their paths will lead. The main villian, Sidorio, seems to have lost his touch, and he is not as evil as he used to be. I found him to have gone soft.
Like the other books, Black Heart does have a cliffhanger ending. I really want to know what will happen next. There are so many questions that have been left unanswered, so I am looking forward to reading the next book when it is released later this year.

My 8 year old niece reads these with her mother and they both thoroughly enjoy them. She wants to read everyone that comes out.

The only reason why I finished reading Black Heart was because of Lorcan and Grace's mother. It's not the worst book I've read but it's certainly not a great book either. I found that I didn't care for anything that happened at the academy or anything that happened to Grace's brother Connor. I also never really identified with any of the characters and some of the things that happened just didn't seem to flow with the characters or the story.

Having said that the book is entertaining at certain points, and perhaps I'd give it a 2.5 if it was available.

WOW! this is the one we've been waiting for. All the questions FINALLY answered. Only to create a set of new ones. I got started reading this with my son. Now that he's older it is our "thing to do" together. We share books. He did not like reading harry Potter (of course after I bought the full boxed set!) We both loved the Twilight series. As a parent, I think they're great. Peer pressure, making good independent decisions, those first puppy love feelings and those type of things are all woven into the story. As a reader they are just plain FUN! Can't wait to read number five.

The Vampirates series has been the best of many series. And after reading this one, it stays true.

For people that are not familiar with this series...

Main Characters: Conner and Grace
Summary of Plot: Conner and Grace's father dies, therefore the orphanage wants to take them in. Conner and Grace dont want this so they sail away on their fathers boat. Suddenly a storm destroys their boat and each kid is found by two different ships. On Connor's ship, he learns and becomes a pirate. But on Grace's, its a whole different story...

I recommend this book, because the author is someone who has a great imagination, and it is something that we need in days like ours.

Vampirates 4: Black Heart