I thought about this book for a while, as it was a difficult rating decision, that ended up being 4 star rating in the end. The story itself is good and I enjoyed the sleuthing and investigation. The characters were what made the book less great I have to admit. Some felt a bit immature especially Dee as the main character. I would have appreciated a slightly older cast compared to the young adult cast that the book features. On the other hand I think this book would make a great movie though!

Concerning the characters I can say that Dee as the main character somewhat feels very immature to me. He sometimes acts quite adult but then drifts back into more teenage way of acting. His friend Ravi is an interesting character aside from Dee. He seems more mature and interesting. Wyatt is a kind character and means well. He cares for Dee and he’s a good addition to the cast. And last but not least, Grasshopper is very young with 6 years old and somewhat mysterious.

All in all I the locked room mystery in combination with the fantasy element. The book is a good fantasy’s mystery combination.

This is a definite romantasy with an emphasis on the romance. Readers who want something a little spicy (but not too spicy) and who love classic romance tropes, like enemies to lovers, forced proximity/stuck together, and drunken games of 'never have I ever,' will find all that and more here, including a HEA. The other element is the mystery, which is similar to And Then There were None, only on a cruise ship rather than an island. Fans of snarky narrators will enjoy the feisty main character, Ganymedes, who is never without a quip no matter if the situation is a fusty dinner party, or witnessing a murder. The characters, representing the twelve political entities of the fantasy world, are a representation of POC, disabled and LGBTQIA+ folks. This romantasy mystery mashup is for fans of In Other Lands, and would lend itself to YA crossover readers. Fantasy readers who want very detailed world building and magic systems may feel let down. Avid mystery readers may figure out the puzzle early on in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.

This is not a book I myself can recommend.

I read it. But it was a struu6. I could not get past the writing style, and the magic system was poorly developed. I did not connect with any of the characters. The setting was.poorly done.

Sorry for me, it is one star. Wish I could recommend it, but it's a no for me.

A different take on a caste system world where children are given divine blessings tied to the maintenance of their country, including one which doesn’t want to be part of the system, others who believe themselves top of the pile, and all with hidden motives. Locked room aspects, some romance, wild spectrum of characters and more. Took a little to get into, but glad I did

Dee is not the hero that you think of. He is not tall dark and handsome, but he has the most amazing personality.
The characters were well rounded and represented a diverse spectrum of people.
The twist at about the 75% mark floored me.
I have seen other blurbs that have compared this to Agatha Christie and I can completely see why they did that. This is a great murder mystery in a fantasy setting.

Wow this book was so good! I was immediately drawn into the story and the world of this book. The fantasy world is beautifully built and just the right about of corrupt. And then adding in the whodunnit aspect of it??? So good. I was kept guessing until the end and there were plenty of shocks and twists. Highly recommend this book for fans of mysteries and fantasies.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a wonderful epic stand-alone fantasy novel as well as great locked room murder mystery. The magic system was very unique and interesting. In the beginning I found the main character to be whiny and self-centered, however, as the story progressed, I grew to like and respect him. This is a story about discovering your identity and finding your place in the world. While at the same time finding a killer and saving the world.

Thank you to NetGalley for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be released by Harlequin Trade Publishing on 8/20/24!

If Agatha Christie wrote fantasy is how this book is being labeled and to be honest I can see it. The plot was wildly fun and quirky. The characters flowed seamlessly throughout the story. I enjoyed trying to figure out who had dunnit. There is a romance subplot. I truly enjoyed myself

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. The mystery was really engaging and the main character was likable and really funny! I enjoyed the depth all of the characters got and the uniqueness of the blessings! If you want a mix of magic and a good murder mystery I would highly recommend!

A beautiful LGBTQ+ representation of a book wrapped in a mystery at sea. The writing and characters are easily lovable and flow well together. I hope to delve into this world again someday 5/5.

I got most of the way through this book before I had to call it quits. I was so interested in the mystery as well as the really unique worldbuilding, but the dialogue felt off and every conversation just ended up boring me. Of course, it was important for us to learn the dynamics among all of these characters, but I felt like the side characters all blurred together.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a DRC of this book! I requested it on a whim, knowing almost nothing about it if I'm being honest and I'm so glad I did. It has everything I love - magic, brilliant world building, lovable characters (I was interested in all of them, even the unlikeable ones), romance, and a diverse cast.

Twelve magical young world leaders get on a ship powered by their dying emperor for a pilgrimage, except Dee isn't actually magical at all, he's completely ordinary. Each of his cohorts has a role to play in the continued existence of a corrupt empire, but they have their secrets. Dee plans to spend the twelve day journey thoroughly pissing them off. He succeeds, then people start dying.

Mystery is a difficult genre for me to like. I find them predictable and formulaic. I need more out of a story. Voyage of the Damned gave me all the more I could need. To boot, I was wrong about all my predictions, and I love that.

Highly recommend!

The heirs of Concordia's twelve provinces have now all received their magical Blessings and embark upon a voyage to the sacred Goddess's Mountain. But when the heir to the empire is murdered, definitely-not-a-hero Ganymedes Piscero, who has been faking his hereditary Blessing, will slowly have to step up, because that murder was only the first step of a much larger plan - which may or may not involve his longtime crush - and only the first death. The empire is decidedly not as harmonious as claimed. Intriguing world building, a protagonist who grows up a lot, and a darn good mystery.

Amazing book, love the set up of the book and the whole magical ship and magical people. The murder mystery very well done. The writing style was very well done , enjoyed a lot .

Thanks to @Netgalley and @htpbooks for giving me the eARC for this US release.

When I saw this on Netgalley marketed as a queer murder mystery set on a fantasy cruise ship, I was hooked. This is a political fantasy story with a queer romance woven through it. To mark a thousand years of ‘peace’ the country of Concordia launches a 12 day ocean pilgrimage to a mountain shrine. Aboard are the 12 Blessed, people with a special magical blessing who lead their provinces. But when Blessed suddenly start turning up murdered, Dee Piscero, of the much maligned and totally disrespected Fish clan, makes it his mission to figure shit out.
And Dee was awesome. Dee is hilariously snarky and even though he doesn’t think he’s smart or worthy, he actually IS. It’s a great journey through the story as we see him start to step into his own power and confidence. He’s a plus size love interest and his size is only ever shown as a positive. He knows he’s sexy as hell and his body is part of his appeal.
I could not have predicted how this mystery would turn out. Every time I thought I had a clue something would come along and smash my theories. It was delightful. Great dialog and banter and I loved the setting of the story aboard a fantasy cruise ship with tiny dragon stewards!

Read This If You - like a good murder mystery, like queer folks upsetting the status quo, have ever wanted to give the finger to corrupt authorities, have ever given your heart to a sad lost boy inside a cave while sharing your secrets. Or just want to read the story of the boy who did.

What a surprisingly delightful book.

I went into this excited but with my expectations in check and found myself dreading anytime I had to put this book down.

We have a magical!!!! gay!!!! murder mystery!!!! on a ship!!!!!! There murder and intrigue and found family. It's fast-paced, we don't dawdle or drag. I found the world building to be very interesting considering we're stuck on a boat, and all around I had a really good time.

The only reason I'm docking a star is because sometimes the main character grated on me (he's supposed to) but it got a bit tedious at times, but I did really end up enjoying his arc.

Besides that, this was such a fun take on the "locked door" genre filled with so much heart.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Based on the description, I was looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, it was not my type of story. It lacked explanation, depth, and world building. The main character and the story’s point of view really fell short and just weren’t enjoyable to me. A story with so much murder and several ‘twists’, I was expecting more action or suspense, but honestly so much of the story just felt boring. Really just not my thing…

*Received as a free ARC*
So even after reading, I don't know how I feel about the murder mystery bit. It just got SO gruesome. However, the plot and magic system were unique and intriguing. Issues of race and class were woven into the plot, which was queer normative. Honestly, with all the -isms going on homophobia probably would have tipped it over into uncomfortable to read, given the current political climate. All in all, I solidly enjoyed this book. Not sure I'd read a sequel, but I'd certainly read this author again.

Thank you so much to author Frances White, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for this free eARC that I received in exchange for an honest review.

Voyage of the Damned is an absolutely unhinged take on the classic murder-mystery-on-a-moving-boat/train trope. It follows our detective Ganymedes Piscero (aka Piss Fish aka Dee) as he essentially attends a bloody boat ride with people who more or less hate him (not as much as he hates himself) for a whopping 12 days. However, whatever original plans he had for this 12 day cruise ends up utterly out the window once the bodies of his peers begin to pile up.

Another reviewer described this book as a "gay magical murder cruise" (-Julie L, Book Trade Professional) and that is exactly the way that I will be describing this story when recommending it to others. There is simply no easier way to put it. I quite enjoyed this book, as our hero was unlike any I have read of before. Rather than being driven by self righteousness or for the good in the world, Dee here is primarily motivated to uncover the killer after the slaying of the man he yearns for, Ravi. Despite Dee's being quite self loathing, he puts on a silly goofy act for others so not as to reveal his real self to his friends and enemies. When he speaks, it is without a filter which can lead to all kinds of craziness throughout the story.

While I loved the characterization of the main character, I will note that there are some weaknesses in regards to the characterization of the many many additional characters throughout the book. To begin, there were simply so many characters that it did become a little confusing at first to remember who was who of what province and so on. In addition, the characters from other provinces were given the bare-minimum personality wise. I do wish that more time might have been spent getting to know these characters and giving them more time to shine.

Overall, this was a fun read, and I look forward to reading what Frances White puts out in the future.

I am so very excited for this book to be released. The cover is very beautiful and the story is intriguing.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and net galley for allowing me to have this advanced electronic readers copy of Voyage of the Damned