I really like the concept of this book, but it did not hold my attention. It reads more like YA than Adult Fantasy, which I think is because of the main character.

My gods, why did I wait so long to get to this book? I loved this very silly, goofy time of a gruesome fantastical murder mystery with a sprinkle of an adorable lgbtq romance. I laughed out loud so many times at just how absolutely ridiculous this story was, but at its core it was a heart-wrenching story about belonging, grief, finding your swarm, and standing up for your beliefs. This reminded me a bit of Gideon the Ninth but less confusing and without the gaslighting.

I was highly surprised in the best way by Voyage of the Damned, and I will be reading anything Frances White writes from now on!

4.5 stars, because I'm confused how they have glizzy's and poutine in this magical realm. lol.

‘𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙧, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙.’
‘𝙀𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙧. […] 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙄 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚.’

I had no idea what to expect going into this one, and it definitely didn’t grab me early on. There was a lot to wrap my head around in the early chapters, with the Blessed, the Provinces, the mythology surrounding this empire, this boat they are on, not to mention the 12 voyagers on this murder cruise.

But once I hit that 25% mark, it all clicked, and I was in.

The mystery angle definitely hooked me, getting me to theorize on all the possibilities, proving me wrong, and then maybe not wrong??

And I really fell for the main character, Dee. He was so cuddly, and loving, and used all the sarcasm he could to put up his “walls”.

I also really loved the side characters, Grasshopper being my personal favorite! 🥺

It kept me guessing right up until the end, leading up to an exciting climax and a moving ending. Would definitely recommend this one to those who enjoy sarcasm, mystery, and fantasy settings.

Thank you NetGalley and MIRA for providing me an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

What this book is giving:
✅ Adult Fantasy/Mystery
✅ Magical Gay Mystery Cruise
✅ Murder Boat
✅ Blessed
✅ Magic
✅ Detective Dee’s Diagram of Deduction

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5
🌶️½ / 5

I have read a lot of good books this year but Voyage of the Damned has to be in the Top Three so far, maybe even Number 1!
She had me at: “For everyone who has entered a room and felt they did not belong.” And then there’s the map of Concordia followed by the plan of the ship, The Dragon’s Dawn, and finally, a list of the “Blessed” from each Province. Being a Pisces, I was, of course, immediately drawn to Ganymedes Piscero. And he did not disappoint. What a wonderful character. Honestly, most of the characters are well drawn, okay, all. All of the characters are unique. From the blessed of the lowest provinces, Fish and Grasshopper, to the highest, Dragon and Tiger, with the Imperial Heir, Eudora, and her Shield, Leofric. And the eight provinces in between.

What an imaginative world and plot, and the fun in discovering, along with Ganymedes, AKA Dee, everyone’s Blessing. It’s a murder mystery, and a thriller, and a Queer romance. It’s all the emotions. No wonder it’s so highly anticipated.

If you like fantasy mixed with murder and really cool characters who range from a sexual to bi-sexual, this is a must-read.

I'm fairly inexperienced with fantasy, so I wanted to try this book out as an exploration. I'm honestly so impressed. This book was a delightful adventure and I really enjoyed the creativity of the world building. This book is popular on TikTok, but if like me, you didn't know that, I hope you will go into this book totally blind and just let the story wash over you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for my review.

What an intense, sad book that's so much more than just a fantasy murder mystery.

In this book, we learn about an empire made up of 12 lands with their characteristics, challenges, and dux. Each dux is chosen when they get their "power" from the goddess. Once all "Blessed" are chosen, they go on a two-week (ish) boat journey together, separated from the rest of the world.

Pretty quickly we find out that the Blessed are being killed...but by whom? It's only the Blessed on the boat!

The investigation turns into investigations of relationships, societal, and familial expectations, as well as questioning the truth of the empire in which they live. There are wonderful relationships in this story that made me smile and also want to cry. There is also quite a bit of queer representation sprinkled seamlessly into the story, which I appreciated.

3.75 rating
I think this is a very overhyped book in TikTok got into 47% of the book and it just got weird for me. I just did not like it.
The writing it’s good.
The story is good
Just again like I said it just overhyped book, I thought it was going to go somewhere way different when it didn’t.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing - MIRA for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts <3

I was going to DNF in the first 20% but I'm so glad I kept going because by the end I loved it! The world is constantly being built upon from start to finish, which I think adds to the story so well because you get a deeper understanding of the politics involved in the world. I loved the locked room, "Death on the Nile" style of the mystery; the stakes were always rising just a bit more each chapter. I was definitely stressed out!

Ganymedes Piscero is my all time favorite fantasy MC. He's an awkward, funny, magic-less, outsider who can't seem to escape from his own thoughts. As someone who is depressed and has struggled with suicidal thoughts, I thought the mental health rep is phenomenal. I identified so much with Dee. I also loved the bits of romance that were sprinkled throughout. It was so fun!

Honestly, I think authors should take notes on how to make a diverse fantasy world from Voyage of the Damned. BIPOC, queer, disabled, chronically ill, mental health, and fat rep all find there way throughout the book. It was beautifully done.

Read this if you like well-built fantasy worlds, fantasy standalones, queernormative worlds, locked room mysteries, representations of all kinds, and sarcastic MCs.

4.5 rounded up to 5. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly had such a great time with this book! I loved the diverse cast of characters and the representation. Grasshopper can do no wrong in my eyes. I also loved that this kept me guessing the whole time but the ending also didn't feel out of nowhere, I just didn't guess it. I loved the message of believing in yourself especially in situations where you feel wrong just for being different. I enjoyed the magic system and felt that it was very unique. I later learned that this was the debut novel of Frances White and I couldn't believe it. I highly recommend reading this if you're looking for a fantasy intertwined with a mystery.

This was… really difficult to get through.

The setting kept going back back-and-forth as if it couldn’t decide if it was trying to be fantasy and run on magic or be modern. I also was taken almost immediately out of the book because on the first couple of pages a hot dog has mentioned. I’m not sure what that has to do in fantasy.

The book is written in this supposed to be humorous, tongue-in-cheek method where it almost feels like the main character is talking to the audience… and instead of loving it, it was the most irritating thing.

What a fun fantasy novel that takes the reader on an adventure through love, heartbreak, duty, a murder mystery, and finding one’s inner strength.

Ganymedes is the unlikeable slacker. Forced by his family to pretend to have the blessing to save his province from disgrace and exile at the fault of his father, Ganymedes does everything in his power to be ostracized by his peers - the blessed of each province who serve as leaders. As the future leader of the lowest province, only one of the blessed has ever shown him kindness. That kindness quickly disappears once all twelve blessed are joined on the voyage to the sacred Goddess’s Mountain, where the disdain between all the blessed is abundantly clear.

In the midst of this voyage murder is abundant, and Ganymedes and his unexpected compatriots - a six year old girl and the dying boy who used to hate him - he finds himself, comes into his own, and never wavers in his convictions to do right by people, even when they are terrible to him.

Written in a young, borderline insolent, and rude tone without going over the top or crossing into obnoxious, which IMO is difficult to do. I enjoyed the banter between the many characters and the weaving of their individual blessings into the storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to MIRA and Frances White for this ARC.

This book can be summarized in one sentence: “Death on the Nile” is set in a contemporary, magical world with Hunger Games-esque district representatives. It should be sold as a YA fantasy book, not an adult fantasy.

So, truth time: I was super bored for the first 10% of this book. Then, we get to our first mu*der mystery, and things finally start getting interesting. I also quickly fell in love with the found family that started to develop after the first few chapters. Dee, our MMC, who is an outcast due to his lower providence status, Grasshopper, a hyper 6-year-old girl, and Wyatt, the boy on the brink of death, join forces to create a hilarious mystery-solving team.

This book has A LOT of YA romance, so be warned if that is not your thing. There is one fade-to-black scene, and a lot of sexual tension does occur. Also, we are dealing with TEENAGERS, so a lot of the insta-love and relationship dynamics caused me to roll my eyes mainly because of the age demographic of the characters.

Overall, this was not the best writing or worldbuilding I have ever read. However, it was fun in a very cheesy way and it kept me entertained. While the dialogue was cringy at times, the twist was fantastic, and the tone of the entire novel was funny and eccentric. If you are looking for a YA fantasy book that has a solid mystery plot, try out “Voyage of the Damned.”

I had high hopes for this book but found that it just wasn’t for me. I felt that the characters read too young and I might enjoyed this more when I was younger. The magic system was weird and I couldn’t get a good grasp on what was going on. I also had a hard time following the different groups of people and their provinces. Too much going on for me to get into the book.

One-word review: Intriguing
Emojis: 🤔😥🤫

My Top-Five-Style Review:

5. I enjoyed the narration a lot. It’s sarcastic and self-deprecating in a way that kept me amused.
4. I would have loved to see more world-building. I never felt on solid footing with this world or even the characters. Did they resemble the animals they represented, or were they fully human-like? How could things like hot dogs exist in this world that’s nothing like ours? I needed to know a lot more to become fully immersed.
3. The cast is quite extensive, and I often found myself in a state of confusion about who was who and who was in a relationship with whom. This was as disorienting as the lack of world building, and it was a struggle to keep track of everyone.
2. Among the characters, Grasshopper stood out as my favorite. Despite her young age and small stature, she possesses an inherent power and purity that I found truly admirable.
1. The 'locked-room' style mystery in the book was a highlight for me. While the solution to the mystery required a bit of a leap, I found this mystery style to be a fun and enjoyable read.

I loved the ship map at the beginning it sets the pace for a crazy adventure. I took a couple chapters to really get into the world and the lingo.

this book had solid vibes, but i was expecting sooooo much more. the world building is barely existent, and i have no idea how the magic system came to be/how it functions in each province/how they work together to create their nation/etc. there were many plot holes, and the MMC was very unironically annoying. he behaved and talked like a teenager, but was in his 20s. the 6 year old was less annoying than him. this definitely read more like YA than adult.

all that being said, i did enjoy the mystery/murder aspect of the story. this also felt very “coming of age/self acceptance/personal growth & independence” that do very well in YA books. there were some really awkwardly placed sex scenes, that were very closed door after the initial “i felt him harden against me” line, but all the same. the whole plot line with the love interests was very insane, but also on par with the rest of the book

overall, not upset i read this book but probably wouldn’t recommend if you’re looking for an adult high fantasy. thank you to netgalley and the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Firstly, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC. My opinion is my own.

Alright, from the jump, I was leery of this book. Any book I’ve read in the last few years that said “Tik-Tok Sensation” or “BookTok Fave” has been absolutely awful. And this was not the exception to that.

Where do I start? I didn’t even get that far in and I just couldn’t deal with it.

The writing is just, poor. It’s basic, the structure is basic. There’s nothing moving about the prose at all. And it was confusing. This is a fantasy that takes place not on Earth. But we get hotdogs on the first few pages. I figured, okay, I can let it slide. And yes, they were called hotdogs, not sausages. Which to me, would have made sense.

Chapter two, “the only thing cooler than not looking when walking away from an explosion” and I lost it. That’s something that popped up thanks to movies. That’s something that is modern as heck and Earth specific. If the world building had been better and given context for that line, then I would have let it go.

But the worldbuilding is weak, almost non-existent. And so is the magic system. There is no system. It’s just there with no real explanation. Like there’s the Blessed and they get their ability from their parent. Except there are only 12 Blessed, one from each province. And when a child gets their Blessing at as young as 6, then the parent loses their power! And the kid then takes over! So a 6 year old is the one in charge? Yeah, thanks but I’m out.

Also the king’s name is super close to Eugenics which just bothered me. Oh and Blessings are hereditary but only one kid can get it. So the king, I guess practiced Eugenics to ensure his only child got his Blessing.

And having bastards is frowned upon and illegal because way back when, a bastard wound up being Blessed and tried to kill the then emperor so, no wild oat sowing in this world. Because oh no, a bastard might attack or just end up the heir.

It’s just weak worldbuilding, full stop.

Characters? The main character is a 22 year old who makes me think of a grumpy 14 year old and I guess the author thinks he’s funny but he’s not. And anyone who goes “they’re wrong, I’m fucking hilarious.” Isn’t funny. That’s the kind of person who gets mad when they make an offensive joke and says that others can’t take jokes anymore.

There are a lot of things that were wrong for me just in the beginning of this book. I didn’t make it far. To be honest, I have no desire to keep reading and see if it gets better because the beginning is almost painful to read.

Maybe some enjoyed this book but I can’t recommend it. This book needs more editing to tighten the worldbuilding and magic system. Just because a kid gets their power at 6 doesn’t mean that they should just be in charge now.

Look, if you liked this book, I’m glad you found enjoyment in it. Please, continue to. But it just isn’t for me.

It’s getting 1 star because GoodReads requires at least 1 star.

In Voyage of the Damned, Frances White delivers a captivating fantasy thriller set against the backdrop of a thousand-year-old peace. The story follows Ganymedes Piscero, an underachieving heir who finds himself in dire straits aboard the emperor’s ceremonial ship en route to the Goddess’s Mountain. With a beloved heir murdered and every one of the twelve heirs—each possessing a unique magical Blessing—under suspicion, Ganymedes’s lack of a Blessing makes him a prime target. As the bodies pile up and trust erodes, Ganymedes must confront his own shortcomings and become an unexpected hero.

White’s skillful world-building and suspenseful narrative create a gripping atmosphere aboard the confined vessel, amplifying the tension of the political and magical intrigue. Ganymedes’s transformation from a class clown to a reluctant hero is portrayed with depth, capturing his internal struggle and growth. The diverse cast of characters and the intricate murder mystery, blending fantasy with whodunit elements, ensure a riveting and unpredictable read. Voyage of the Damned is a testament to White’s talent for crafting immersive fantasy tales with rich character development and engaging plot twists.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing / Mira for the opportunity to read this book in advance of it's US release on August 20th.
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2.5 stars. I can see some people liking this but unfortunately I do not think this was the book for me. To start I was really confused by the writing style. It felt almost like the sort of the books I read growing up where it was like very tongue and cheek, attempting to break the 4th wall and provide a certain comedic element but it felt quite cringe to me. There were multiple lines I felt the need to re-read because I seriously thought I had misread it because it was just unbelievably goofy. Second thing that I personally struggled with was the entire cast of characters. There is just quite a few of them and we get introduced to them all at once and are given very little to differentiate them other than like some basic things. To make matters even more confusing, there are two characters that have similar names so I was left being confused. I only began to really be able to understand who was who about 60% in. I fear this was just severely overwritten in a way where I was left confused and unsatisfied with the big plot points and bombarded with what I found to be childish jokes. I liked the overall message of the book despite the fact I felt a hard time feeling connected to the main character because majority of the time it felt as though they were just some detached comedian detective.

Agatha Christie meets fantasy in this at sea “whodunnit” featuring a most diverse ensemble to escort you on the journey!

The magic system is so unique in divvying out special abilities to the 12 Province heirs making them “Blessed” in their respective lands with a world dynamic/political system reminiscent to Kung Fu Panda. I really enjoyed the narrator’s laugh out loud pov with just enough breaking of the fourth wall for the reader to feel like they’re caught up in the middle of the mystery. As an underdog type of hero, Dee easily slips under the radar and is able to act as spymaster in unraveling the mystery of who is killing off his fellow “Blessed” heirs of the Provinces of Concordia.

The supporting cast are the other passengers aboard and while there are strained relations between the Province representatives, it’s easy to feel endeared to certain characters like Grasshopper (an adorable but slightly violent six year old) and Wyatt (a chronically ill Blessed heir who is fiercely loyal to those he cares for.)

The romance element was a bit confusing for me at first as it does feel a bit “insta-love” which isn’t a personal favorite for me, but as the story develops, there are a lot of really sweet moments within the romance subplot that were very enjoyable!

I liked the representation featured in this book and am excited for other readers to have the opportunity to meet a relatable character like Dee between the pages!

Representations featured:
— plus size & bisexual hero
— nb/asexual side character
— disability
— chronic illness

Read if you like:
— Murder on the Orient Express
— Kung Fu Panda
— Unique animal themed magic system
— Whodunnit mystery