Vampirates is a series of books by British author Justin Somper about a set of twin children, Connor and Grace Tempest, who get separated at sea and are picked up by two very different ships.
The year is 2512 and the Tempest twins, Grace and Connor, decide to escape their small town of Crescent Moon Bay after their father's death.
Despite her initial fears, she grows to enjoy the company of her new peers, especially Lorcan, Darcy Flotsam (the ship's figurehead, who comes to life at night), and the mysterious captain.
Connor Tempest: introduced as an athletic boy who excels in sports, he appears slightly less intelligent that his sister.
Although he is initially preoccupied with finding his sister, Connor quickly settles down into life aboard the ship, and becomes a prodigy in the eyes of the captain, Molucco Wrathe, and his crewmates Bart, Jez, and Cate.
First introduced when he saves Grace from drowning, he is described as having an "Irish brogue", with blue eyes and black hair.
The donors are fed a special diet of high-nutrient food, so that the vampires require less to survive.
Although he appears kind and trustworthy, he is revealed to be manipulative and selfish, ensuring Connor signs his articles before experiencing any other life away from the Diablo.
[3] Cheng Li – introduced as the deputy on the Diablo, she later gets her own ship, the Tiger, given to her as a gift by the Pirate Federation.
[4] Bartholomew "Bart" Pearce – a twenty-two-year-old pirate aboard the Diablo, he quickly strikes up a friendship with Connor, even donating his clothes and bed to him when he first arrives.
He constantly flirts with his fellow crew member Cate, and later on in the series, it appears they are in a budding relationship.
[5] Cutlass Cate – notoriously the best fighter on the Diablo, she is also the battle strategist, and later in the series, others come to hire her services.
Johnny Desperado – a former cowboy, often referred to as a vaquero on account of his Mexican heritage, he is a vampire staying at Sanctuary.
However, he flees Sanctuary with Sidorio after his tea is spiked with blood, and aboard the prison ship, he becomes close friends with Jez Stukeley.
Sugar Pie – a waitress at Ma Kettle's Tavern, she is attractive and feisty and is known to comfort Connor and various other characters throughout the series.
She seems to have a close relationship with Molucco Wrathe, and the two often flirt and hint at previous times together.
Dexter Tempest – the twins' father, he was the lighthouse keeper at Crescent Moon Bay but died at the start of the first book.