This is such a unique book. Some of the humor reminded me a little bit of Running Close to the Wind, but about 1000x more serious. The main character is goofy and outlandish but only to hide deeper pain. I enjoyed the overall setup of the world, with the different parts of the country each having different traits. In some ways I wish we had gotten a closer look at the history of the country, how the bandage was put in, what the conditions the Crabs are subject to are like, and a lot of other details but the book would end up 600 pages long so I do understand why not everything can be explored. I also really enjoyed the murder mystery and investigation element. It was constantly keeping me on my toes and surprising me.

The one thing I didn’t love was the romance plotline; given some of the reveals towards the end of the book, including one MAJOR spoiler, I was… less invested in the romance and honestly a little confused at how it was continuing to move forward. So much was made about Dee being such a good and pure person and then he’s just fine with some really heinous behavior. That was a little tough.

With insistent tongue-in-cheek humor, a cast of unique magical characters, and a mystery that could unfurl in hundreds of way, Voyage of the Damned by Frances White may just be one of my favorite books of all time. Thank you so much to Frances White and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC - I'll be running out to get at least one copy once it is released in the USA on Tuesday, August 20th.

Ganymedes Piscero, or Dee to those who don't find him an insufferable waste of space, has no choice but to embark on a cruise journey with his fellow Blessed, the heirs to each of the twelve provinces of Concordia. They are known as Blessed because of their Blessings, unique magical abilities that mark them as chosen. Problem is, Ganymedes never actually received his Blessing, and all he wants is to be exiled so he can escape his false throne. Imagine his shock when, instead of being the focus for causing a scene, someone else decides to show him up by murdering the most important Blessed in all of Concordia? Jerk.

With emotions spanning from laugh-out-loud funny to gut-wrenchingly emotional, I felt everything under the sun with this one. There was so much to learn about and explore, and Ganymedes is such a complex character that he, himself, doesn't even recognize the extent of his emotional turmoil. I was overwhelmed when I started to process the reality of what went on in his mind which he covers so well with humor. Not to mention the queer romance, and how that weaved its way into the mystery itself. Excellently done. I might cry again.

All of the characters in this book are similarly excellently written to Ganymedes, with a depth and rawness that shook me. Everyone has secrets. Everyone is bearing a burden. And everyone is at risk of being murdered. I can't state highly enough how wrapped up in the mystery I found myself, though I never came close to understanding how it all happened until the very end. For the first time in a long time, I feel tempted to re-read.

Despite a couple of cliched or clunky moments at the end, I will die on this hill: Voyage of the Damned is absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year, and maybe of all time. I want to stay in their world forever, and I hope you'll take the leap if this sounds like a good time to you. I sincerely hope it impacts you in the same way it did for me. Thank you again Frances White and Harlequin. I am so glad I got to experience this joy.

This was a fun read and I enjoyed the idea of the plot. Though there wasn’t really any world building, it starts out really great and drew me in immediately, but it does drag in the middle and almost lost me. Even though the characters are a little older, it feels very young adult, because to me they act like teenagers, but I don’t mind too much, I do enjoy YA. I’d rather them have been aged down though.

I received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I have tried to read this book several times and I cannot get past 10%. Even before the main character goes on a chapter long campaign to make everyone on the cruise hate him I already hated him. I felt like the book/main character was trying so hard to be cool and not caring about what other people think etc. etc. that it was painful to read. If this book was a person I would go out of my way to not spend any time around them.

4.5 rounded to 5

Despite being a debut, Voyage of the Damned already starts off strong with a one-of-a-kind concept (Murder mystery on a boat? That's nothing special, Death on the Nile is right over there. Murder mystery on a boat but make it twelve magical heirs who very much hate each other? Now we're talking!) and that was enough to get my attention.
Dee was the perfect main character, and the first person narration really does him justice; his POV was hilarious, even though the writing could be clunky in places. The plot is both wow and a bit predictable, but still delightful to follow.

This book is just a wild romp through every murder mystery cliche known to man wrapped in a copius amount of funny moments and just a dash of emotional trauma. It was the perfect summer read and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who ever thought "Hey, what if we took murder mysteries and put a laughing track over"?

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.