I ended up DNFing this....I just couldn't get into it and struggled relating to the characters. I struggled with the setting and the relationships the characters had with each other and their surroundings.

Voyage of the Damned is an engaging blend of fantasy and mystery that pays homage to classic whodunits like Agatha Christie's Murder on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express. Set on the emperor's ship during a twelve-day voyage to the sacred Goddess's Mountain, the story thrusts its characters—and readers—into a tense game of survival and suspicion. The premise is simple yet effective: heirs from the twelve provinces of Concordia, each with a unique and secret magical ability known as a Blessing, are trapped on a ship with a murderer in their midst. As the body count rises, everyone is a suspect, and no one is safe.

At the heart of this bloody sea-bound tale is Ganymedes Piscero, an unexpected protagonist who breaks the mold of traditional heroes. He is not graced with a Blessing like his fellow heirs; instead, he’s a class clown and slacker, seemingly ill-equipped for the dangerous mystery that unfolds. But it is precisely his lack of status and his self-deprecating humor that makes Ganymedes such a compelling character. As someone who is often underestimated, he uses his wit and compassion to navigate the treacherous waters of suspicion and deceit, particularly in his heartfelt interactions with Grasshopper, a character whose relationship with Ganymedes adds emotional depth to the story.

Francis White does an excellent job of crafting a closed environment on the ship that still allows readers to get glimpses of the broader fantasy world of Concordia through the diverse characters and their intriguing Blessings. The setting’s confinement only heightens the suspense and sense of claustrophobia as tensions rise and secrets unravel. Each heir’s unique magical ability adds a layer of complexity to the mystery, keeping readers guessing not just about the identity of the murderer but also about the true nature of each character’s powers.

While some characters are mere flashes in the story, serving more as plot devices than fully fleshed-out individuals, Ganymedes shines as the unexpected hero of this tale. His journey from a perceived failure to someone who must rise to the occasion and solve the murders is both entertaining and poignant. His humor and empathy make him a standout protagonist, capable of carrying the story on his shoulders.

Overall, Voyage of the Damned is a captivating read for fans of both fantasy and mystery. If you enjoy murder mysteries with a magical twist and a dash of self-deprecating humor, this book is well worth the voyage.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

And Then There Were None meets a queer fantasy murder cruise with a splash of romance! In a world where heirs of provinces are gifted with powers known as "blessings" the heirs must embark on a twelve day voyage to the sacred Goddess's Mountains to maintain peace. Yet this year's heirs are different... one of the heirs does not have any ability. Ganymedes Piscero "Dee" to his friends, is the least liked heir and the disappointment amongst them, and he lied to the emperor about his powers. Yet things only get worse for Dee as the moment they get on the ship they were excited to meet their beloved, Ravi, heir to the Crow province only to be given the cold shoulder and to find that he is engaged to someone else. Dee is crushed... and then the heirs begin to be murdered one by one. Dee is determined to solve the mystery and save the heir to the Grasshopper province, a young girl. Dee finds himself being helped by the unlikely Wyatt, the sickly heir to the Bear province... yet is torn between his love for Ravi as well. Can Dee figure out who is the murderer before he is next... and when the truth comes out an he handle the repercussions of it? This was definitely an interesting ride that had a wild ending that just went from 0-100. The story had a slow build and the middle part definitely felt a bit dragged on but the ending picked up. Dee was an interesting character and the romance in this one was a bit twisted but I enjoyed it. It definitely had a "Death on the Nile" vibe (I adore Agatha Christie) and this was an enjoyable read in the end. It wraps up everything perfectly fine and overall, if you like fantasy murder mysteries then I'd absolutely recommend it!

Release Date: August 20,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I enjoyed this one! I’m a huge fan of Agatha Christie and love her locked door murder mysteries so having that element combined with a fantasy adventure was a winning combo for me.

I always love a good underdog character so it was very easy to root for Ganymedes, who is the most unlikely of heroes and just too funny and adorable for words.

I enjoyed the fast pace of the story, the world building, and the extensive and diverse cast of characters, although I did sometimes get confused as to who was who for a while just because there were so many.

All in all though, a wonderfully entertaining read!

Allll the stars!!! I loved this hybrid queer/fantasy/mystery so much. A week later and I’m still thinking about these phenomenal characters. Dee and Ravi’s story was endearing and touching. I’d also like a grasshopper to hop in and out of my life, thank you. This debut author has gained an auto buy fan!

For a thousand years there has been peace in The United Empire of Concordia. To commemorate the occasion, The Blessed will embark on a ceremonial twelve night seafaring pilgrimage to Goddess Mountain. Each of the twelve provinces is represented by an heir gifted with a unique and secret magical power, a Blessing. Our MMC, Ganymede “Dee” Piscero, of the Fish province is forced by his father to pretend that he has received his Blessing. Dee has tried and failed to escape this fated journey, and instead turns to humor, self deprecation and plain old fun ridiculousness to keep the others off his fishtail and discovering his secret. But the Goddess herself would never have predicted the mayhem that ensues as one by one the heirs are getting picked off. Loves and lives are lost, power plays and stratagems unfold, secrets are withheld and revealed. With nothing to lose, Dee will pair up with a six-year-old Grasshopper sidekick to find the killer before more bodies pile up.

Pitched as a “gay magical mystery cruise,” you better believe you’re in for a wild ride in Frances White’s Voyage of the Damned. I was thoroughly entertained by this closed room (ship?) mystery with loads of humor, heart and representation. Grab a copy if you’re in the mood for an unlikely hero, fantasy-mystery mashup, mischief and mayhem.

⚠️ violence, mental health issues, suicidal thoughts, suicide

Many thanks to the author @FrancesWhiteAuthor, @HarlequinBooks and @NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Voyage of the Damned takes readers on a magical murder cruise—a blend of Agatha Christie and fantasy.

Pros:
Entertaining Narrator: Ganymedes, our unlikely hero, brims with snarky comebacks and nuanced layers.
Wholesome Message: A fat bisexual protagonist from the least respected province teaches us about self-belief and helping others.

Cons:
Narrative Tone: The tongue-in-cheek humor occasionally misses the mark, leaving some readers annoyed.
Setting Confusion: The world-building could use more clarity; at times, it feels like a puzzle missing pieces.

Despite its joyous moments, Voyage of the Damned sails with a few leaks.

The problem with reviewing mysteries is that only so much can be said in order to not reveal plot twists and, possibly, who did it. With Voyage of the Damned, I think I can sum it up this way and still keep it vague, but informative: If you swirl Death on the Nile and And Then There Were None, threw in a young child and a bit of a twisted gay romance, and chucked in some interesting and somewhat useless powers, you’d end up with this novel. I found this to be fun and amusing, and Ganymedes (Dee) was certainly quite a character, but it reeks so much of Agatha Christie’s concepts and twists I’m not quite sure I understand why this was a sensation (unless you’re an absolute fan of Christie’s novels), and I was severely missing the fantastic atmosphere she has in her novels.

Concordia has existed in tentative peace for a thousand years, each province ruled by an animal (from Dragon up at the top down to the Fish at the bottom) and led by the one person in each province who holds a Blessing from the Goddess. This year, the twelve heirs are setting off on a twelve day voyage to the Goddess’s Mountain, where they will become the new leaders of their respective province. Ganymedes wants to do anything but get on that ship as he’s living a lie: he does not have a Blessing, but his father is passing him off as the heir as Dee is the only legitimate child. Unfortunately, Dee is caught just in time and forced aboard a ship with the eleven other heirs, all of whom hold him in disdain while also barely tolerant of each other. The atmosphere is immediately tense, and doesn’t get better when an important heir is found dead, and things get worse as the body count rises. Even though he doesn’t have a Blessing to protect him, he is protecting the six-year-old Grasshopper heir and will do anything to keep her alive, even finding out who has been killing the heirs, putting his own life on the line.

Voyage of the Damned is a fun locked room mystery set aboard a magical ship where the only beings on board are the twelve heirs and their respective dragon servers conjured by and attached to the Emperor, whose magic also powers the ship. Like Death on the Nile, this novel is set on a ship and, well, the rest of it just might have to do with the spoilery parts. Like And Then There Were None, each character has a secret and they start to be killed off one by one. I’d like to say Voyage of the Damned is a brilliant mash-up of Christie’s novels, but it lacked the same atmosphere and storytelling I’m used to finding in a Christie and Christie-esque novel, reading more like a fantasy where a bunch of people hate each other and someone starts killing them off. That isn’t to say this isn’t fun and Dee isn’t a fantastic main character, but I was just expecting something more and this fell short of that.

Concordia is a fascinating world, albeit a bit simple, full of caricatures and stereotypes. The Dragons are always on top with the most powerful magic and they rule Concordia. The Tigers are always fierce and the Blessed serves as the Dragon’s protector. The Bunnerflies are kind of flighty monks who also serve as the continent’s spiritual heart. The Ox are strong and protect the Bandage, which keeps the kicked out Crabs from coming back in. The Ermines reflect their habitat: cold and inhospitable where only the strong survive. The Tortoises are wise and bookish. The Fish are at the bottom and provide food while being happy to be stepped on. Initially, it sounded like a lot to keep track of, between the province placement and what they give to the empire, who the Blessed is and what their power is, and who tolerates who. But since the Blessed were mostly consistently referred to either by name or province, it was surprisingly easy to keep most of them straight. It didn’t really matter in the end, anyways, as so many of them end up dead and practically forgotten. There’s some great background, history, and mythology given to this world, and it’s quite accessible, which was nice, but lacked the complexity I prefer in world building.

Dee was a delight. I adored him. He made this book for me. He was so much fun to get to know and follow around. On the surface, there isn’t much to him. He’s kind of a flamboyant dumpling who comes off as incredibly confident in who and what he is. Digging deeper, though, there’s a wealth of insecurities. He feels like he half hates who he is, but is resigned. He wants to have fun and eat all the food, and has to dig deep to find the courage to do what he knows he has to. He’s actually quite smart, but just doesn’t have the deep confidence. Pair him with the young Grasshopper, and I fell in love with him. He has such a big heart, and has lived with so many hurts. I loved watching him take care of Grasshopper, and the bond they form is incredibly heartwarming that it makes other moments hurt so much. My one issue with Grasshopper, though, was that she felt younger than six. Her speech and behaviors reminded me of when my daughter was four, but she was cute anyways, and I could feel as protective of her as Dee did.

Dee also finds himself paired up with Wyatt, the Bear Blessed who is terminally ill. Even though Dee’s heart longs for Ravi, the Crow Blessed, Ravi is engaged to Cordelia, the Tortoise Blessed after her beloved brother’s unfortunate death she’s still grieving. Dee and Wyatt were sweet together, even if I thought Wyatt’s feelings towards Dee were a little sudden considering his massive crush on the Dragon Blessed. Still, it was fun watching them have fun together and take care of each other so the other wouldn’t die. They depend on each other, and, while Dee is torn between Wyatt and Ravi, they really form a fantastic team. As I mentioned earlier, this is a bit of a twisted romance, but that gets spoilery. I wasn’t a huge fan of it, and it really made me question the key players in several ways, but I guess it worked.

It was fun going on this voyage with the twelve heirs. They were all fascinatingly drawn, if a bit one note. I loved that they all hated each other, or most of them, anyways, and were forced into forging alliances. The fun part was uncovering all their secrets, and what their Blessing was. Some made more sense than others, and one just felt so outlandish I’m still puzzling over how it’s a relevant Blessing to Concordia, how it could possibly help. But this is a fun read with interesting characters.

Voyage of the Damned is an amusing locked room mystery that nicely blended in fantasy and romance. I loved that it didn’t feel romance heavy as the mystery definitely took the forefront. I loved all the survival instincts that were woken up and what they forced the characters to do. There were some mild surprises, but I felt most were confined to the characters being surprising than the story being so. As fun as this is, though, it didn’t blow me away, I don’t think it’ll stick too hard to me, and I’d rather read a Christie novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

A wild mix of generational magic, political machinations, and "who done it" mystery... All wrapped up on a magical ship on a magical journey. Giving this a 4.5 out of 5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

To say this story was a WILD ride is somehow the most accurate description. Despite being YA, it managed to keep me guessing throughout even as some threads were cut and new ones kept showing up. Quickly learned to not get too attached to any of the characters, but this was exceedingly difficult as each character was very nuanced and interesting. I wanted to learn more about so many of them, but I have to admit there is a big soft spot for the enigmatic child that is Grasshopper as well as our MC, Ganymedes (aka Dee). Dee reminded me a lot of myself and I feel that many a reader will feel the same way.

My only qualm is that the ending felt very sudden and left me wishing for a more complex resolution.

Overall, really fun read!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade for the ARC! #Netgalley #VoyageoftheDamned

The largest provinces all have a ruling delegate, “ The Blessed” who has inherited a special power. Once per year the 12 Blesseds are made to take a 2 week cruise (voyage) called The together. However Ganymedes doesn’t have a Blessing and has been lying to his people and the emporer to protect his father and his province. He is the only heir but has illegitimate siblings that could have received the blessing but wouldn’t be accepted. He tries to create such an uproar that he is relieved of his duty for this and is left alone. The plan goes well until Blesseds start dying including the secret love of his life, Ravi. In order to avenge Ravi he and a couple other Blesseds form a group to stay alive and solve the murder mystery and find out why. Many lessons of humanity, respect, love and friendship are interwoven through this fantasy whodunnit that are great reminders for us in our everyday lives with great twists at the end!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for a digital ARC!

This book had fantasy, political intrigue, mystery, and romance—what a combo!

The story takes place entirely on a ship headed for a sacred mountain where the blessed of each province spend intimate and intensive time together…which leads us to a complex locked room mystery.

I had a lot of fun learning about the different Blessed characters and their abilities as well as the descriptions of each Blesseds’ province, I loved how each province was based on an animal and some of its characteristics (tortoise, fish, ox, ermine, spider etc). I do wish we had some more scenes sprinkled in of the blesseds’ experiences in their provinces and more of what each province landscape was like.

Our MC is the blessed from the fish province and is keeping quite a big secret from everyone. I enjoyed the MC for the most part but at times his tone sounded younger for a 22 year old and his ongoing comments about his body and self-image wore me down.

The plot picks up quickly and we are chaotically thrown into solving a murder mystery as one of the Blessed is murdered on night one of their journey. And the murderers don’t stop with just one.

Although messy and pretty convoluted at times it was fun to be in our MC’s head as he’s trying to solve the mystery.

I LOVED the Grasshopper—star of the book imo!

The ending felt rushed and didn’t quite work for me…it felt like too much was trying to be done all at once.

All in all I enjoyed the story and the complexities of this fantastical world and its people. I’ll definitely be reading from this author again!

You can also find my review on Storygraph!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Ok I’ve heard such mixed reviews on this book but I actually really liked it! This felt very much like a fantasy, queer, Death on the Nile.

Obviously it’s a serious topic book with murders going on but Ganymedes brings the lighthearted antics and bits of comedy out. And who doesn’t love grasshopper as the cute (maybe psycho, definitely a bit scary) sidekick. I personally felt like this had a great mixture of serious and fun with a sprinkle of romance in it.

4/5 stars for me and I would definitely recommend this one.

What a completely WILD and utterly unexpected ride this was!

If someone told me to imagine a queer, satirical take on an Agatha Christie mystery, but make it fantasy and with all the future leaders of the fantasy world stuck on a boat, this is exactly what I’d hope for. This is whimsical and zany in a lot of moments but also so sinister in others, the mystery really does grab your attention and leave you guessing at quite literally every turn. I’m not kidding when I say that I saw NOTHING in this book coming (and I loved it!)

Because this is such a ride, it’s hard to review more specifically without spoilers but: I loved Ganymedes, Grasshopper, and their crew so much. I loved the magic and the world Frances created (even if I found myself getting lost sometimes, but intricate world building really isn’t actually that important in a story like this one), I loved the twists and turns and loyalist were constantly being tested. I really felt like this mystery unfolded for me perfectly in time with how it did for the characters.

If you’ve ever wanted a mashup of these genres, and you also like your books heavy handed on the humor, definitely definitely pick this up. I had a blast, and couldn’t put it down because it felt like a new detail grabbed my attention at the end of every single chapter. Thank you so much to Harlequin and NetGalley for this eArc!

I’ll be honest, I went into this read somewhat in the dark. The girls over at @htphive spoke SO highly of this book; I only knew that it was a “magical gay murder mystery cruise” and that was enough for me to give it a shot! That being said, I’m SO SO SO glad I did!!
I immediately fell in love with the snarky, yet hilarious main character, Dee. There was just something so refreshing about his inner monologue and the way he interacted with those around him- a cast of fellow characters you’ll love, hate, and constantly question as the days of the cruise dwindle.

It’s hard to believe that Voyage Of The Damned is Frances White’s debut novel; the plot twists, representation, and character arcs are spot on. I cannot recommend this book enough!
••••••••
A huge thank you to HTP Books, NetGalley, and Frances White for allowing me to read an ARC of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was phenomenal. I loved the found family that was created as Dee took on the mantel of figuring out which of his peers was picking them off one by one. It felt like a mix of The Hunger Games and an Agatha Christie novel. The world building was easy to follow, the humor provided a great respite when the story got a little intense and the themes of love and belonging melted my heart.

I'm a sucker for locked room mystery, whether it's on an isolated island, a boat with no escape, or an actual locked room. This fits the murder on a boat category but in a fantasy setting. Twelve young people from 12 different provinces who've inherited magical powers are on 12-day cruise (lots of twelves!). Once they to get to their destination, they'll be made "official" representatives for their provinces. Except one of these young people, Ganymedes, doesn't want to be there, does everything he can to miss the boat; when he doesn't, he attempts to disgrace himself so he doesn't have to included as one of the twelve. Then the murders begin...

This was a fast and fun read with twists and turns I didn't see coming. I actually got frustrated when life got in the way and kept making me have to stop reading. I wanted to know who was killing people!

However, none of the characters were written with any depth. There was the angry one. The strong but not-so-smart one. The sick one. The small and fragile one. And this goes on for all of the characters except for Ganymedes "Dee." Dee has more detail to his character but not much. We know he falls in love fast, isn't considerate of others, gets his feelings hurt easily but acts tough, and enjoys food. (He's often described negatively by other characters because of the amount of food he eats and his weight. This description and use as a character "trait" is still, unfortunately, a far-too-common occurrence in young adult and adult books that needs to stop.)

I would give "Voyage of the Damned" a better rating if I had a better understanding of who the characters were and why most of them did the things they did.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

On a twelve day cruise to the Goddess’s mountain, each of the 12 provinces sends their one blessed (well, so far as most of them know)
It starts out with normal bickering and antagonizing between them, but the stakes go up when the first body appears

I don’t want to do too much of a recap, because I think it’s better to go in with less details, but the easy sum up of Magical Gay Murder Mystery Cruise absolutely fits. And sometimes comparisons don’t hold up, but I think saying it’s as if Agatha Christie wrote a progressive fantasy novel fits too.

Following Dee, delightfully irreverent and hiding a secret, trying to solve the murder(s) while still keeping his own secrets was super interesting.
Loved - and slightly feared - the six year old Grasshopper.
For people that claim each of the provinces has an important purpose, the effects of a class system (also with classes inside of classes) were frustrating - which they *should* be seen that way, I think.
Motives get muddier with each murder, and I was totally captivated through to the end.

This is one of those books it is totally okay to be drawn to over a pretty cover - and this edition is *gorgeous* - I thought the story was just as great as the packaging!
This is definitely on my list of books I’ll happily reread in the future
(Few for suicidal ideation)

I wasn’t sure where this was going to go but I quickly fell in love with the characters and story. It’s fun, light, escapism reading at its best!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I enjoyed the mystery portion a lot! It’s one I would recommend to my fantasy friends for sure!

I’m realizing more and more I love a good locked door style of mystery. There are so many fun and interesting twists in the story and while I did guess one part of the whodunnit, I did not see some other things coming.

Like the blurb says this truly does feel like Agatha Christie writing a fantasy mystery story in all of the best ways. Additionally, this story is very much a gay mystery cruise which is the best vibes (minus all of the murder).

The magic system with the blessed is interesting and limited in a good way. There is a pretty interesting twist related to the system too.

Thank you to @_mira_books_ @htpbooks and @netgalley for the eARC! All thoughts are my own.