This book was not interesting to me, and I didn't get into it. It wasn't for me. I'm sorry, I didn't like it.

Murder mystery that's also a fantasy...set on the sea? Sign me up, please! This book was an enjoyable read and I will definitely be recommending it to my customers who want something unique to read.
What I liked:
- Felt like a traditional mystery book, but the magical characters added a fun element
- Did I mention great characters?
I will read more from this author someday.

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White is a captivating blend of fantasy, mystery, and humor that kept me engaged from start to finish. The story follows Ganymedes "Dee" Loveage, a witty and self-deprecating heir faking his magical Blessing to conceal a family secret. When a celebratory voyage for the empire's heirs turns deadly, Dee finds himself in the midst of a murder mystery where everyone is a suspect.​

The novel's strength lies in its richly diverse cast of characters, each with unique abilities and secrets. The interplay between them adds depth to the narrative, making the mystery all the more intriguing. Dee's character is particularly compelling; his vulnerability and growth throughout the story are both heartwarming and relatable.​

While the world-building is imaginative, introducing a queernormative society with magical provinces, some aspects felt a bit underdeveloped. However, the engaging plot and character dynamics more than compensate for this.​

The pacing is steady, with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. The blend of humor and suspense is well-executed, providing moments of levity amidst the tension.​

Overall, Voyage of the Damned is an impressive debut that offers a fresh take on the fantasy genre. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy character-driven stories with a mix of magic, mystery, and heart.

This book had me hooked for the first half. However, after 50%, I lost interest in this book and I did not feel the urge to pick it back up. I would recommend this book to others though because the plot and tropes might interest them even if I dnf-ed it.

What a book! I will be recommending this one to all my friends. A fantasy world creativity designed with humor and a mystery. I loved D. He has enough snark and charm to be anyone's best friend. He is our main character and is a member of the "blessed". Humans who have received a blessing from the goddess. There is one per province of the land. There are 12 provinces. These 12 blessed end up on a voyage that will last 12 days (each day to highlight a province). During this voyage murder happens and the locked room mystery begins. With the inventive characters, humorous dialogue and unique world, the story moves at a fast pace and keeps twisting. Just realize you will learn to love a piss fish by the end. Don't pass this one up. It's a fun ride and completely unique stand-alone story. And if you are an audiobook person, then this story will be even better, as the reader does the entire cast of voices and they are all different. a true talent!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback

This was such a unique read, I really enjoyed the plot. I haven't really read anything like this before. Definitely recommend if you like fantasy with a bit of thriller in the mix!

I'd say 3.75 rounded up to 4⭐️
the concept/premise of this story was super unique, and i haven't read anything like it before.
i think the execution could've been done a little better but i ended up falling in love with the main character and i needed to know what happened, especially after the 20% mark. it's kind of like agatha christie's and then there were none but quirkier and with a more fantastical element.
the ending threw me for a loop too & honestly i still remember the plot even months after ive read it.

Voyage Of The Damned
Frances White
3.75⭐️

Pub Date: 8/20/2024

I have mixed feelings about this book, mostly veering towards the positive. It reminds me a lot of Chinese mythology/zodiac where there are 12 animals and a diety. But this one took it to a different spin. So the uniqueness is there. I like the world building- legends/history of the world, they were intricate but still concise. The characters were a mix of likable and not, some where very whiny and truly annoying. I switched between audio and digital for this book. I initially was a bit annoyed at the narrator but it got better as the book went on- able to differentiate the voices but for some reason, I didn't vibe with it too well.

The plot was good- 12 blessed heirs to their kingdoms on a pilgrimage. But they were getting targeted and murdered along the way. Who, and why? So much conspiracy and betrayal. I enjoyed how it all unfolded. It was hard to make theories because the author cleverly "hid" their blessings/powers. So there were a lot of things that I didn't see coming. The representation in this book is very diverse. This is also a strongly political book (albeit a fantasy one) that talks about socioeconomic standing and discrimination. Those parts, I very much appreciated. It added to the charm of the book. There were parts of the book though that did drag a bit. The ending was satisfying but felt a little rushed (?). I'm still processing it. Overall, I like the plot, I enjoyed it. It's very entertaining. Definitely a good read.

Thank you @netgalley and HTP @htp_hive for a gifted e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
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Ganymedes has to fulfill his family obligation and join the kingdoms other heirs on a cruise to a sacred mountain. He has a big secret though. And when people start dying he is thrust into a role he does not want- playing detective.
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I did the audio for this one and that was really the way to go because I’m not sure I would have gotten Ganymedes name right otherwise. So I got all the pronunciation down, thanks audiobook.

I have to say the narrator for this book was AMAZING. All the voices for the different characters made it sooooo easy to keep track of, and really helped nail down their various personalities. And there were loads of personalities on the murder cruise, let me tell you.

The world was a fantasy world and the building was done in such a fun round about way that it didn’t feel like info dumps. I loved this world and would love more set there.

The mystery was veeerrrrrry intriguing and I was held rapt to hearing every second of it.
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4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The book was not for me at all. I wanted to like but it fell flat to me. I don’t think I am really the target audience for this book

Fantasy meets murder mystery meets sweet romance.

The Empire of Concordia is comprised of 12 provinces and one person from each is “blessed” with a magical ability. 12 Blessed heirs are on a voyage to the seat of magical power, the Sacred Mountain, but death strikes and all Blessed on board are suspects. An unlikely hero from the lowest ranking province, Ganymedes, a queer, flamboyant, chubby boy who uses humor and sarcasm to deflect, takes on the role of reluctant detective to find the murderer before more Blessed are targeted while battling his own inner demons.

Despite this book taking me forever to get through (something about the writing would put me straight to sleep each night) the last 30% of the book made this a great page turner. Not overly complex world-building, a fun cast of characters and a hero who uses humor to deflect, I gave it a solid 3.5 but rounded up for the snarky comments. The sweet romance gave this book more depth than I was anticipating. Honest, pure and unbreaking, the love story was a delight!

I love this cover and enjoyed Voyage of the Damned as well. This was such an enjoyable book to read and I recommend it!

This genre mash up was excellent. We have a greater fantasy world that is explained, but we don’t see a lot because all the characters are on a boat and people are getting murdered! So this is really a murder mystery that takes place in a fantasy world. And oh yeah, there’s a romance subplot too. Each character is a representative of their region, chosen because they have been blessed with fantastical gifts. Some of them are keeping what those gifts are a secret and all of them have other secrets. They just have to make it to their destination.

I liked the fantasy aspect of this the most. The world is cool, the gifts are cool, the lore is good. I liked the murder mystery; there were great twists. I had a real love hate relationship with the romance aspect of this. But overall I enjoyed it and wanted more of this world!

Not for me but also not very good. Clunky, lacks execution and the characters are flat. I was interested in the summary but there was just nothing holding it all together. It also read like YA but it’s to my knowledge meant to be adult?

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

FANTASY MURDER MYSTERYYYYYYYYY is my new favorite genre and while it may not be for everyone, this book got me reading at 2AM

I was initially intrigued by the premise of this book, but I loved it even more than I thought I would! Dee was just such a fun and relatable character. There were so many times where I literally laughed out loud from his internal monologue and all of the other characters were great.

I loved the way the mystery slowly unravelled through the course of the book. There were so many twists and turns that I genuinely didn’t see coming and just seeing each layer of this mystery peel back was so fun and satisfying to experience. I also loved the casual representation in this book and how different sexualities and ethnicities were included so easily and it just wasn’t a big deal. It seems like it was just very easily part of this world and I really love that.

Overall this one gave me something I thought I was missing, I felt like I was in one giant book escape room and I loved it. If that's the vibe I think this will do GREAT. I loved the main character and how many little nuances this had as well. I think this takes a lot of focus to get through but in such a fun way!

Murder mystery but make it fantasy and make it take place on a magical ship. Heck yes! The protagonist, Ganymedes/Dee is an unlikely hero who struggles with mental health but cares for others deeply.

I received this as an ARC (thank you netgalley and the publisher) but don't worry, I'm late so you can read it already! This is one of those books I wish I hadn't put off for so long because the vibes were vibing. The writing wasn't always perfect and I think some of the characters might annoy some people but I think the plot makes up for it. If you can't decide if you wanna read a thriller or a fantasy book, look no further! I think you'll enjoy the ride.

editing to add that I think this could be advertised as YA with a few sentence changes, maybe even as is, and would be received better.

I wanted to love this book and thought the concept was fun and interesting but it fell flat in execution. The information could be overwhelming at times and it read as a YA book even though it’s listed as adult. I love a good mystery but unfortunately this one just missed the mark