Vampirates : Demons of the Oceans

by Justin Somper

14 year old twins, Connor and Grace Tempest are devastating when their father, the lighthouse keeper of Half Moon Bay dies. Alone in the world, except for each other, and now penniless, they rejected the town people's attempts to force them into a life of drudgery. Taking their father's yacht, they sail off into the unknown and right into a destructive storm.

Their small vessel sunk, the twins are picked up by two very different ships. Connor ends up on the pirate ship, The Diablo, captained by Molucco Wrathe. Due to his athletic and cheery nature Connor soon fits in and finds friends among the pirates, but his sister is never far from his thoughts. Sure that Grace is still alive, despite evidence to the contrary, spurred on by the strange ship he saw and an old sea shanty his father used to sing, Connor convinces the pirates to begin a search for his sister.

Grace wakes to finds herself aboard the strange Vampirate ship. Looked after by Lorcan, a young looking vampirate, she soon adapts to life on the ship. In an attempt to keep busy Grace begins to collect the stories of each of the vampirate’s crossing over, including the dangerous vampire Sedorio. Strange visions of Connor, give Grace the surety her brother is still alive. But what will it take to reunite the twins?

Part of my 100+ reading challenge

Fairest

by Gail Carson Levine

 

Aza is a foundling.  Brought up in an inn in Ayothra she knows she is different.  Her adopted parents have always treated her as one of the family, but Aza knows she is hulking and ugly.  Her only redeeming feature is her marvelous voice, but even that is not so wonderful among a people of reknowned singers.  That is until she learns to immitate and throw her singing voice, a talent she calls illusing.

When fate gives Aza the opportunity to go to court for the King's wedding, despite her looks, she jumps at the chance and when good fortune calls her to the attention of the new queen, Ivy, and they become friends Aza is on cloud nine.  But when Queen Ivy discovers Aza's illusing, she forces Aza to sing for her, a ruse that is soon discovered and the blame laid at Aza door.  Aza flees for her life into an adventure of self discovery and self worth.

Read by Full Cast audio, this entertaining and inventive twist on the beloved Snow White story is packed with adventure, song and a little romance. Aimed at an older audience than Ella Enchanted, yet set in the same world, Levine's fans will find a few familiar faces woven into a tale of the magic mirrors, dwaven people and  complex palace intrigue. Interlaced with wonderful Ayortian songs making this audio book a delight to listen to.

Part of my 100 + reading challenge

Coraline

by Neil Gaiman

This deliciously creepy tale begins with Coraline and her family moving into an old house made into apartments. Upstairs lives an old man who claims to have a mouse circus and downstairs are two old ladies who once “trod the boards” on the stage and their old Highland terrier. Exploring the apartment on a rainy day, Coraline finds a mysterious locked door. When her mother unlocks it all they find is a brick wall to the empty apartment next door, but Coraline is woken up in the night by a scuttling noise that leads her back to the door. This time when she opens the door she finds a dark passageway that leads to another world that is creepily familiar. Here she finds people just like those living in the house, including her “other mother” and “other father”, the only difference is the big black buttons they have instead of eyes.

Determined to keep Coraline on their side of the door, the “other mother” kidnaps Coraline’s real parents. Now, Coraline, with the help of a seemingly disinterested talking black cat, must use all her wits and courage in a terrifying game to win back her parents and her freedom.

This dark tale infested with eerie and memorable imagery, is also full of wit and charm which takes the edge off of the terror and yet provides just the right amount of scare for reading under the covers at night!

Read by the author, whose wonderful voice and expression gives life and chilling character to the story.

Part of my 100+ reading challenge