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In *Voyage of the Damned* by Frances White, the unlikely hero is a chubby, bisexual young man who masks his insecurities with humor. Ganymedes Piscero, known as Dee to his friends, is the heir of the Blessed in Fish Province, the lowest province in the empire of Concordia. The Blessed of the twelve provinces of Concordia serve as avatars of the Goddess, each wielding a unique magical power to support their province and protect the empire from the outcast Crab people. The provinces are named after mythical animals integral to the empire’s origin story, with the emperor carrying the Primus Blessing and representing the Dragon Province, the pinnacle of Concordia’s hierarchy. The Primus Blessing maintains the magical barrier, known as the Bandage, that keeps the outcast Crabs from invading Concordia.

During the ritual pilgrimage aboard the emperor’s ship, the twelve Blessed journey to the sacred mountain so the emperor’s heir may ascend to the throne. However, tragedy strikes when the heir is murdered, and her death is only the beginning.

Dee, determined to uncover the murderer and bring justice to the victims, faces numerous obstacles: the prejudice, suspicion, and rivalries of the other Blessed. Despite Concordia’s national origin story, which claims it to be a land of harmony and peace, the empire is rife with jealousy, power struggles, and corruption, with the hatred of the Crab people as its only true unifying force.

Exploring themes of found family, self-actualization, and the value of honesty, kindness, and compassion over rank, power, or wealth, the story weaves a compelling narrative that works both as a murder mystery and a fantasy novel. Its depiction of a diverse range of intersectional identities is both refreshing and welcome.

Fans of T.J. Klune and Leigh Bardugo will find much to enjoy in this cross-genre tale of found family, queer joy, and adventure.

I had very mixed feeling about this book. I was into the world building, setting, and the murder mystery itself, but the author's tongue-in-cheek voice was very grating and sometimes made it hard for me to enjoy those things. All in all, the story was good enough for me to keep turning the page, but I can't say that I loved it. This might also be due to a generational gap though. This definitely felt written for the Gen-Z/Tiktok generation.

Firstly, I'd like to thank the publisher for the eARC Netgalley of this book.

I LOVED THIS!!!

Let's just say that if you mixed an Agatha Christie type murder cruise but made the characters magical, diverse, queer and sassy, you'd get this book! I personally found the voice of the narrator hilarious but also very relatable at times. We get to see inside a character who, to the world, appears to not care about anything, but to his core is hurting pretty deeply inside. I really enjoyed how we got to get an inside look into many of the characters during the investigations.

The magic/fantasy aspect of the book was very unique to me as well. I kept finding myself trying to guess what kind of world this takes place in, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it, however it kept me intrigued throughout. There were a few instances where I thought the timing/setting was a bit iffy (i.e. poutine and "walking away from an explosion" mentions).

Regardless of any of my concerns, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would honestly love more on Ganymedes!

I loved this book! A fantasy mixed with a murder mystery on a boat?! Yes please! This book felt like I was reading Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie with a queer magical fantasy twist that I was here for every moment. Fascinating characters and great world building!

I really wanted to love Voyage of the Damned because a magical murder mystery sounded awesome! Unfortunately I struggled to get into this :(

To be honest, I did not love this when I started it. I think it may have been Dee's voice - he grated on me at the beginning. That being said, I am SO glad that I stuck with it. He definitely grew on me, and I found myself rooting for him at the end. The cast of characters is fun and mysterious. They all have layers, and though some seem to fit a typical archetype, they reveal depths as the plot thickens. This was a fun closed circle mystery, and the two side-kick type characters are so lovable. This was a solid four star read for me. If you like a murder mystery with some magic sprinkled in, then this is definitely a worthwhile read.

This book has such a diverse set of characters - charming, unlikeable, annoying, compassionate, morally correct, and morally corrupt. The author did a beautiful job of really showing what it means to be human, and what it means to have emotions that aren’t necessarily something to be proud of. It was truly a beautiful story.

As a romance reader, it's so nice to sometimes read something new where "romance" is a subplot or just an element. This book was so beautifully written. ✨

I felt truly part of the "Voyage of the Damned" because this journey was filled with mystery and thrills, and you had to put your detective hat on for this one! 🕵️‍♀️ I kept reading just because I needed to know how everything tied together. The world is magical and straightforward, with 12 provinces and each "blessed" aboard the Voyage for 12 days. After the first night... everything changes. 🌙

If you like Clue and the "Murder on the Orient Express" vibe, you will adore this story, especially with the LGBTQ+ representation! 🏳️‍🌈

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing & Netgalley in giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book had it all!
•Fantasy world & magical cruise
•Murder mystery
•Suspense
•A little sprinkle of romance
•Comedic relief

It was such a fun read and I’m so glad I snagged it on NetGalley! There was such an array of characters and their personalities very much embodied their home providence. The MC Dee was hilarious and very relatable. His commentary throughout the book had me laughing.

The murder mystery is very slow burn, but it gives you plenty of time to learn about the potential suspects and their possible motives for the murders. I was not expecting the reveal and was shocked by the reasoning behind it all!

I very much enjoyed the world of Concordia and how each providence embodied a different animal and had a certain role in the running of the whole land. I felt like it was easy to put together and I appreciated the maps to help keep everything together!

Definitely recommend if you are looking for a suspenseful & magical adventure!

This book was a hoot. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but I enjoyed it so much.

Frances White has created a complex world filled with magic, murder, social hierarchy, and betrayal. Every character in the book is well-developed, even if they are dislikeable, which makes it a pleasure to read.

This book might not be for everyone. It has both modern and historical elements, and there are many characters to keep track of, which can be confusing. It's also very weird - with some corny dialogue and cheesy plot development - but that's also its charm.

Although it's not a very serious read, the author addresses many important issues and injustices in the story. I found it wonderful. The book is set in a diverse LGBTQ+ inclusive world, and the way the author incorporates diverse characters and relationships is extremely well done.

The ending completely surprised me. I thought I had the story figured out multiple times, only to have the rug pulled out from underneath me.

I will always love a read with an unlikely hero.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Twelve Blessed set sail for a special celebration with the Emperor. Each Blessed represents a specific province and carries a unique Blessing, a talent endowed upon him or her to help their people. But from the first night on the ship, things go terrible wrong..

Only one Blessed feels he is there under false pretenses. So far, he hasn’t received a Blessing and he is determined to hide it from the others. Ganymedes Piscero comes from the Fish Province. He is looked down upon by his peers, the butt of practical jokes and nasty teasing. His only friend and love is Ravi, another one of the Blessed and Ravi is behaving strangely.

Ganymedes finds a friend in the midst of chaos when one of the Blessed is murdered the first night of their trip. Realizing his life depends on his ability to unmask the killer, before he becomes the next victim, he proceeds with more maturity and intellect than he ever has in his life!

At once, rowdy, raunchy, and arrogant, the Blessed are an unlikeable group. Even Ganymedes, the main character, remains hard to identify with throughout most of the book. It is only his interactions with his fellows that shows his humanity and humility.

Screaming for this release to finally hit the US! I have been wanting this since it went into a UK book box and it was just gorgeous and I needed my hands on it. The story DOES NOT DISAPPOINT! It is everything I could have hoped it to be and more. Find yourself lost within the pages and just escape. Can we possibly get more?!?! Cause I want MORE!

Actually quite good. I was surprised about the cast of characters. Also the twist with one of them was crazy. The ending I didn't see coming as well.

Voyage of the Damned absolutely lives up to the hype! Dee is living a lie and has for many years, but do to politics and family pressure is forced to interact with the very people who are most likely to find his lie. His strategy is to make them hate him so much that they force him to leave his position, thus saving him from the politics. Unfortunately, his plans are derailed when the princess of his nation is mysteriously murdered while at a summit. He now has to work to determine who the murderer is, all while keeping himself and his newfound friends alive. Absolutely wonderful book and I wish I could go back and read it again for the first time!

It took me awhile to get into this book. It is very different and the characters are other worldly. At its heart, however, it is a book about love and hate, good and evil, rich and poor, and what envy and jealousy can do to us and those around us. It provided an interesting insight into what it means to be human - both the good and the bad - and in the end how courage in who we are and love for others can make any world a better place.

I had so much fun with this. It took me a little while to get used to the world and voice of the narrator, but I was soon caught up in the mystery. The Agatha Christie-with-magic comparisons are fair--there's a cast of twelve twisty people with tangled motives and unknown magic (they're the heirs to the provinces of Concordia, and each one has a Blessing of magic, except our narrator Dee), they're trapped together, and convenient little dragon-servants make sure they're fed. And the bodies are starting to pile up. Dee may hate almost everyone on that boat, but he can't condone murder. Once the first body shows up, it's nonstop until the end of the novel.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my free earc in exchange for an honest opinion.

Voyage of the Damned follows Ganymedes (Dee) who is one of twelve Blessed traveling on a mandatory bonding voyage. The point of this voyage is to foster relationships between each Blessed in order to ensure unity, as each Blessed will lead a respective province. Then Blessed start getting murdered and Dee is left to try and figure out who is responsible.

Although this is listed as an adult fantasy novel, it reads as very YA. A lot of this has to do with being stuck in Dee's POV, who purposely tries to be as annoying as possible. I did not find him funny at all in the beginning but then he became so ridiculous that it swung back around to being ironically funny.

I have seen this compared to Agatha Christie and I just don't see it. People get murdered and there's a mystery, that is about the only thing that they have in common. I think Christie necessarily had to be more considerate with her murder mysteries because she couldn't rely on magic to fill in plot holes.

I sensed the ending fairly early on into the book, and it still left me disappointed. I am really not a fan of one character just magically resolving every political problem that has been plaguing a country for like 1000 years. Yes, it's a fantasy novel, but it just strikes me as so unrealistic that it pulls me out of the story.

I'll give it three stars because the murderer was genuinely surprising to me and because Dee ended up endearing himself to me by being so stupid.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This book is really captivating me beyond my imagination with a lot of fantasy thing ever. I like to read through this book and I hope you can get the enjoyment, too.

A queer locked-room murder mystery in a fantasy world?? Um, yes please. Add to it an all too relatable self-deprecating main character and I am completely on board (quite literally - it’s set on a magical ship).

I’m almost at a loss for words with this one. I was so invested and it just kept pulling me in the more I read. I mean, anytime there’s a fantasy world I’m all in, but the world building in this story felt so well-balanced to me. It was well paced and was just so fun in a way some fantasy worlds are not. It felt real and tangible, like something I wanted to slip into and be part of. The author gave me enough to feel satisfied yet left me wanting to know more and more.

The murder mystery component was absolutely insane, but in the best way. It was baffling to me as a reader. I couldn’t for the life of me figure it out. I so desperately wanted to know what was happening, who was doing it, and most importantly, why. I didn’t expect it to turn out the way it did. In fact, I was so surprised I believe there may have been some yelling involved. I was left guessing up until the end. Even when I thought I finally knew, I truly hadn’t the slightest clue what was coming next.

The character development was beautifully paired with the plot. Each character was so utterly themselves, complicated and oh so human. They were each written in a way that made me feel as though they could’ve been peers of mine. They were just so real. Some I loved to love and others I loved to hate. And the personal drama and tension were palpable.

In the end, what was a very fun and engaging queer murder mystery became a lovely journey of self discovery and acceptance. One fueled by the unconditional love of others, but moreover by realizing one’s own inherent worth was there all along just beneath the surface.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. I truly loved every second of this book!

This book was engrossing. The world building was fantastic and original. The story was tight and complete and ended satisfactorily. I would definitely read from this author again, especially in this world if that is a possibility in the future. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this digital arc.