It is officially October which means it is mere days until the best holiday, the most joyous time of the year. Of course, I am talking about Halloween.

In the spirit of the holiday (and let’s be honest, I read spooky books all year round), let’s look at some of my favorite recent reads that are perfect for this time of year. The first of which is Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper.

Sometimes when you reread your favorite childhood books, they do not hold up over the years and can leave you feeling disappointed. This is not one of those books. It is just as much fun for my almost thirty year old self as it was for my 11 year old self.

Not only do we have vampire. Not only do we have pirates. But we have VAMPIRATES a.k.a. vampire pirates a.k.a. pirates that are also vampires.

This is one of those concepts that sounds good on paper but is so rarely executed well. And Somper executes it to perfection. The world building is great, the characters are great, even the villains are great. And it manages to still be spooky. The tension is developed in a way that no matter your age, you feel the suspense.

I will never not love this book. If you haven’t read this series, you should definitely check it out by clicking the link below.