Such a fun read!! Magical murder mystery on a ship… what more could you want! I loved this so much and can’t wait to get the physical copy! Will definitely be recommending to friends/followers.

i LOVED this book. taking notes on what would come next is one of my favorite things with mysteries and this book was PERFECT for that. i had so much fun reading it and truly enjoyed it so much. reading through dee’s pov and learning and growing with him was incredible. overall this book was a BLASY and so so much fun, not to mention the incredible rep

i received an ARC for free in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers this Arc.
I sadly had to DNF this one, I really tried to get into it but I just don't think I'm the demographic. It's not marketed as a YA but it really comes across as one. The writing and characters feel too young for what the story is trying to convey. I feel like this book could have really benefited from being a YA and finding the right audience. Also the Kindle edition is very messed up and not formated right. It's not a terrible story but it's not for me. Since this was a DNF I will not be posting reviews on my social media or Goodreads as I don't feel it's fair to give a review for a book I didn't fully finish.

DNF at 35%. Incredibly disappointed in this one. I had enormously high hopes due to the comps (The Locked Tomb) being slung around and instead found this to be literally unreadable with an MC straight out of a Cathy comic strip of the 90s (so edgy to have an overweight MC! Better make sure you have him talk constantly about food! Have him wake up in a big pile of cookies! Like, I am sorry, but what the actual fatphobia is this). This is not to even touch on all the other unlikeable characters, the clunky exposition, the cheerfully lisping murder baby inexplicably attached to the MC, or the corny "and then there were none" mystery setup. I was trying desperately to slog through this and then remembered other books exist. Zero stars. Oh and to make matters worse the Kindle edition from Netgalley was formatted so weirdly that it was actually not just difficult to read because it was bad, but because any lowercase "F" had a double space on either side of it.

Voyage of the Damned was an absolutely delightful read. I completely charmed by the characters— Dee’s sense of humor really resonated with me, and his adorable sidekick, grasshopper, was, well… adorable. The locked-room(esque) murder mystery kept me guessing the whole time! Using girl math, basically I guessed 100% of what happened in the book, but also because I literally threw out every theory imaginable at some point. I thought the author did a great job of sort of leading you to the correct answers, but also misdirecting away from them. You’re left with an ending that makes sense and is almost like DUH, but also one that is still surprising. The book itself is just straight up fun, and then trying to solve the murder adds an additional layer of fun on top of that. It just felt like I was 8 years old and mixing fun dip with pop rocks. 10/10 would recommend.

Voyage of the Damned
By Frances White
3

I read this in about a day and a half because the murder mystery aspect of it had me hooked! There were a lot of cool aspects to this book but also a lot of things that weren’t super clear and that just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t distinguish any of the Blessed until they were literally all dead and I totally forgot they even had different hair colors. I was not a fan of Ganymedes, I didn’t like the tone of the narration at all or him as a MMC. I also think that some of his characterization was bit aggressive, like the emphasis of his size and love for food felt like the author didn’t like him either. Grasshopper was the brightest spot in this book! I love her and her poofs!

The plot twists at the end were pretty interesting, I had some suspicions that were sort of proved right. But after the final reveal, I feel like it ended too fast and too slow at the same time. I was a little surprised to see this shelved as an adult fantasy because it did not read like that at all and it’s not for the lack of spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this gifted arc!

I received this as an arc read from Netgalley and the publisher. Thank you so much for allowing me to read it!

That being said the book does have its issues. I wish Goodreads and other sites allowed half star reviews. It feels like a 3.5 star read. I had fun reading it and enjoyed the murder mystery party mixed with a 'Fruits Basket' zodiac type tale, but the world building and writing was difficult to read and follow at times. The characters were not that deep, nor wholly developed. It WAS nice to see the LGBTQIA+ representation but it could have been so much better. I felt left wanting more details. Also being an overweight person... this book felt more like a fatphobia thing, than sympathizing with it... I did not get the vibe the author was going for with that. The ending also just felt so quick. Like band aid, its done, we'll figure the rest out later. There is a romance but no spice. Which is fine I don't need that in books for them to be good. The book also feels more like a younger read, than the audience it was selected for. Idk I'm having trouble even putting into words what could have been done better, like it's ALMOST there. It felt like we read all the major plot points but with none of the good stuff in between that makes me LOVE the characters or world. I always try to leave constructive but considerate criticism. With all that said, I do see potential from this Author in the future and I did have fun read

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an ARC of Voyage of the Damned.

I found that I really loved this story from the very beginning. Dee's character is fairly hilarious throughout the book, while also dealing with some heavy issues of feeling inadequate, disappointment from his parents, and contemplating and attempting suicide. The book's main focus is Dee's character and how he deals with the lie he has been living with for years, but we also get a great murder mystery. White does a great job of laying out the 12 different characters from the Provinces of Concordia, and keeping you invested in each of them, all while feeling like you can't trust any of them, at the same time.

The best part of the book, for me, was the relationship that forms between Dee and Grasshopper. I just could not resist the cuteness of Grasshopper. She is a loveable, wild six year old, that comes to depend on Dee and makes him part of her Swarm. And speaking of cuteness, I also loved the idea of the dragon apparition servants. Such a fun, imaginative part of the story and I just wanted to hug and squish one of the dragons!

There is also a lot of political power at stake in the book and secrets from every Province's Blessed. The 12 provinces are supposed to be committed to working together to uphold the unity of the kingdom, but we find that most of the characters have agendas of their own, that aren't necessarily good for the entirety of the kingdom.

Most of the characters in the book are a little older...20+ (Grasshopper being the youngest)...but I felt like they did read more YA, than what I expected from the book. This was my first time reading a book by this author, and I was definitely pleasantly surprised with the story. It gives you a mix of different characters and personalities, political intrigue, murder mystery and fun, all in one book!.

I really enjoyed this book. It was engaging and an interesting read. I really liked the narrative. I will recommend to my friends.

This was just…okay. super middle of the road for me. didn’t seem all that, adult or high fantasy. very YA vibes and childish POV’s and writing. The world building was again, just okay. I just was not all that interested in the characters or the story, but I’m not mad I finished it. I probably wouldn’t suggest it though. but hey I love a queer book with a bit of mystery and magic soooo, that could be a huge selling point for a lot of people!

I am so conflicted on this book, I don’t even know how to start this review. So let’s start with the good!

The premise was a knockout. Fantasy Agatha Christie-esque locked room mystery? Hell yes. Fantastic representation, across the board.

… and the bad. I thought there was absolutely no reason on earth this book needed to be 500+ pages. I love what the author was trying to do with this story at the heart of it, but absolutely there was waaay too much going on for it to come together for me. The world building felt confused, and despite the page length, never fully fleshed out. I found myself a little meh about the insta-love, but when I found out what was really going on, I audibly groaned.

Ultimately, I think the hype + my expectations for this one were just too high to be met. I’m clearly the outlier, but if this also missed the mark for you - you’re not alone!

3.75 stars, rounded up to 4

<b><i>Sometimes all is takes is one person to make you believe you’re worthy of something.</b></i>

Voyage of the Damed follows Ganymedes “Dee’s” journey, who embarks on a trip with 12 other “blessed” individuals on the emperors ship, but he has been keeping a secret of his own.

The world building was different than any other fantasy book I have ever read. I loved the murder mystery aspect of the book — and I 100% did not expect that ending, which is always a good thing.

I did find that the middle of the book was a bit slow and repetitive, and I did find myself skimming through some of the parts, hence the 3.75 star rating.

I’d still recommend this to anyone who loves a good murder mystery, but it does have some darker themes, so make sure to check trigger warnings.


NetGalley provided this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Ok, listen, is this book perfect? No.
Did that take away from me loving it? Also no.
The World building confused me, as in, the literal explanation of the world. Bears in the desert and Dragons being weak? Seems a little off, but, hey, you do you.
Dee resonated with me from page one. I have struggled with inner demons my whole life and use self-deprecating humor as a defense mechanism. It was so easy to see myself echoed in how he spoke to others. And Grasshopper? The way he protected her, stood up for her? Love, love, love.
I think a large point of this book is, in fact, that nothing and no one should be taken at face value. Dee proves over and over again that a person's worth is not in how you look or what you can do. It is shown in how you love and protect those around you, no matter the cost.
This book is a lovely fantasy murder mystery that surprised me with a couple twists towards the end. Dee and Grasshopper are endearing, and the bits of romance between Dee and Wyatt are tooth-achingly sweet. While not perfect, it did not fail to make me giggle, purse my lips in frustration, and wish I had my own dragon to summon for a plate of dumplings.

If this book was categorized as a YA novel I think I would rate it higher. I had many questions about the setting and was confused by some things. I also think TikTok hyped it up a bit too much. I loved fourth wing and that was also hyped up on TikTok so I went in expecting to love this. I was misguided. This one was just not for me.

I got this as an ARC from NetGalley

What a wild voyage!! I enjoyed reading every second of this book! It was witty and fast-paced and there was so much intrigue!! I'm slightly side-eyeing the romantic reveal there near the end -- I feel like there should have been more signs and/or realizations in there for them. But if a gay murder cruise with lots of mystery sounds good to you? well sign yourself up for this read!

Okay. When I read a fantasy book, unless stated otherwise, I believe them to be in medieval-ish times. This book starts by mentioning things that are not even invented/founded until the mid 1900’s and found it to be a little confusing and off. I just think the world building was inconsistent and hard to follow through and just didn’t feel well thought out. I think the story had a lot of promise but there were so many inconsistencies for me that I felt as if it really turned me off to the book.

🤍🩵 Voyage of the Damned ARC Review 🩵🤍

Thank you so much to Frances White and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Voyage of the Damned is a standalone fantasy novel. Tom celebrate peace between the provinces, every year the twelve heirs gather for a voyage on the emperor’s ship. But this year, things go horribly wrong. When an heir is unexpectedly killed, everyone on board is a suspect and Ganymedes is determined to discover the truth

This was such an interesting read! Ganymedes was a really fun character and I enjoyed their humor throughout this story. The world building was super unique and I enjoyed the magic system that was created. It had a lot of twists and turns, which sometimes left me a little confused but overall made for a fun fantasy mystery

Overall this was a four star read for me. I enjoyed the characters and the story! This book did have some darker elements, so please check triggers if you’re sensitive. This book did have a queer romantic subplot and YA levels of on page spice, so overall one flame for spice

If you’re a fan of fantasy books with murder mysteries, unique magic systems and intriguing world building, then absolutely pick this one up!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for free in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t know where to start with this book. I loved it. The representation of ethnicities and genders was very appreciated. Mystery with a hint of sci-fi and magic, chefs kiss. Every time i thought I’d had the killer figured out, something happened to change my thought process. All of the reveals left me shocked. I think I gasped or said “NO” more times in the last 1/3 of the book than I have in a very long time.
The cast of characters was definitely a great mix of personalities as well. Dee’s determination and love for Grasshopper were some of my favorite parts of this story. One of my favorite reads of the year for sure

Fantastic fantasy novel! Join the twelve blessed of Concordia as they make the pilgrimage to the sacred mountain. The problem is that as soon as their vessel sets sail, bodies begin to pile up. As the twelve day voyage progresses, more and more blessed die. Ganymedes (our main character and underdog) attempts to solve the mystery and find out who or what is killing the blessed.

The only thing that I found a little too trite was the ending and how nearly the author wraps things up. I don’t think the ending would actually go down the way the author wrote it. However, I truly enjoyed all of the plot twists and this was a wonderful mystery/fantasy novel.

This book was SO. MUCH. FUN.

I am KICKING myself for not reading this back in January when it was published in the UK. This is for you if you love:

~Knives Out/The Glass Onion
~Agatha Christie/Locked Room mysteries
~Magic, dragons, and magical politics
~Queer AND disability rep
~Witty and hilarious MCs

Dee had me cracking up the entire book, and I found the mystery aspect of this extremely well done! Dee didn't set out to be a detective, but he ended up becoming one out of a desire to avenge is friend. I loved the way the relationships were developed between characters, the way we got Dee's inner monologue and anxieties without it being overbearing or random, and his relationship with Grasshopper is adorable. The romance aspect of the book was there, but not overdone and (in my opinion, anyway) didn't rely on stereotypes to progress things.

I honestly don't have a single bad thing to say about this one. I was hooked from the beginning, and devoured it every second I had time to read. If you watched Knives Out and wondered what Blanc would have been like in his 20s and in a fantasy setting--you're going to LOVE this one!