Firstly, I want to extend my thanks to Net Galley and France White for providing me with an ARC of "Voyage of the Damned." Overall, I would rate this book 3.5 stars.

**What I Liked:**
I found the main character's humor and rebellious attitude refreshing and engaging. The book's complex magic system, unlike anything I've encountered before, added a fascinating layer to the story. Additionally, I appreciated the inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ representation.

**Challenges I Encountered:**
One significant challenge was the multitude of provinces and characters, some with similar names, which made it difficult to keep track of who belonged where. This complexity hindered my understanding of the class system and my connection to many characters.

**Confusion About Blessings:**
I found the concept of blessings confusing. For instance, while dragons received their blessings after the Emperor's death, Fish was supposed to have received his while his father was alive. Moreover, Lysander and Cordelia obtained their blessings while their parents were still alive. This inconsistency left me uncertain about how blessings are bestowed and inherited. Clarity on this aspect would have greatly aided my immersion in the story.

**Conclusion:**
"Voyage of the Damned" offers a compelling narrative with standout elements such as humor, a complex magic system, and inclusive representation. However, the abundance of characters and unclear mechanics surrounding blessings detracted from my overall enjoyment. Nevertheless, I appreciate the opportunity to explore this unique world early, and I believe with some clarification, this book could resonate more deeply with readers.

How to describe this book? It’s an historical fantasy, locked room murder mystery, romance comedy mash up; but put it on a boat, fill it with modern references and make it queer as f***.

If you don’t mind a jumbled world and this description excites you, you will likely love this book!!

Our main character and narrator is an insecure impostor, thrown into a lie that he has a special “blessing” power from the gods by his father for political and narcissistic reasons. Now he has to go on a voyage with all 12 “blessed” (one from each of the 12 provinces) and hope he isn’t discovered as a fake. That is until the “blessed “ start getting murdered one by one, and he has to figure out what the hell is going on!

I had a ball with this book! Most of the humor is found in the MC’s internal commentary. It’s sarcastic and self deprecating but in a refreshing way! The romance is not centered but still vital to the plot and quite heartwarming. If you want consistent world building and depth in the side characters this may not be for you (it is kind of a mess but I’d argue that is on purpose).

What grabbed me the most though was seeing this poor man who has been told his whole life he has no value become a reluctant hero despite his anxieties and learn to believe in himself amidst the mayhem. I’m in 💯 for that!

I’m thrilled Voyage of the Damned will be released in the US on August 20th and there is a cool first edition with sprayed issues available for preorder. So if this sounds like your jam, don’t miss out!

Thanks to @netgalley and @_mira_books_ for early access to an eARC for review purposes.

The emperor's ship embarks on a twelve-day voyage to the sacred Goddess's Mountain to celebrate the achievement of peace across the empire of Concordia. The vessel holds twelve heirs of each province. Each heir, except Ganymedes, has a unique, secret blessing or magical ability. After an heir is found murdered on the ship, everyone becomes a suspect. Ganymedes does not have a blessing to protect him. He must discover the identity of the killer before he is their latest victim.

I do love a zero-to-hero story. Ganymedes "Dee" and Grasshopper's banter was a source of humor and sweetness, like a big brother relationship. It is an extensive journey of self-discovery for our MMC, and he develops depth throughout the book. Initially, he seems shallow and self-serving but becomes a compelling character as the drama unfolds. He spends much of the book struggling with how he sees himself and his value to the empire. Dee's transformation pulls focus on the importance of inner strength and resiliency. All characters deal with some aspect of the expectations and pressures of being an heir.

The book was filled with suspense and unexpected twists. Everyone is a suspect and has a motive. It is difficult to discern who is friend or foe. The setting of the boat creates an isolating sense of danger and no escape. The author does a great job of building tension throughout the story. There were some events at the end that I wish were a little different, but it was an enjoyable read.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing.

MAGICAL GAY MURDER CRUISE HERE I COME.
I've actually been there and back again since I read the UK version BUT it's SUCH A GOOD BOOK.

The characters are all so distinct! I was surprised a few times while reading this. Surprising me is really hard to do since I've been a bookseller for nearly 10 years. I'm a wizened veteran bookseller.

Voyage of the Damned is heartwrenching, heartwarming, heartstopping. It does many things to the heart all at once and I loved every minute of it.

The ending was beautifully done. I felt satisfied with it but there's also room for MORE adventures with the gays! HOW EXCITING.

Thank you so much to Harlequin and Netgalley for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

I am not a huge fantasy reader but this one intrigued me since it was a murder mystery set on a cruise ship. This one had a lot of potential and I love the special editions that are coming out.

Unfortunately, I did not like this book. I found the writing to seem childish almost and it didn't feel like an adult book. I had a hard time connecting with the plot and the characters. I ended up DNFing this one because it was not working for me.

I feel like I never like the hyped Tik Tok books and alas this is the same.

I hope others love this one but it was not for me.

And Then They Were None-style mystery on a magical boat ride with a diverse cast? Yes, please. Voyage of the Damned is surprisingly fun given the amount of murder. Also features: great characters (I would literally die for Grasshopper), just enough worldbuilding, and lots and lots of twists. There was one twist towards the end that I didn't like - it relates to the romance and is impossible to talk about without spoilers - but overall, this was a surprisingly fun ride. I'll definitely keep an eye out for future books by this author.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Delightfully diverse, with a varied cast of characters. This fantasy novel really delivers on it's promise of a gay murder mystery cruise.

This book was an absolute ride. From start to finish it kept me hooked and had me wondering what was going on. Normally, I am quite good at guessing twists or figuring out some of the bigger pieces of the puzzle. This time, though I guessed some of the big reveals, there were many hints I missed when it came to the ultimate twist. If nothing else you will want to read to find out who and why.

For thousands of years the 12 provinces of the Concordia have tried to keep harmony between themselves to protect the border that keeps out their mutual enemy, The Crab Nation. Each Blessed is represented by an animal, with the Dragon being the head and emperor. Each Blessed has a different power bestowed upon them passed from their parent.
Dee is from the lowest province of the Concordia and he's the only "Blessed" who isn't actually Blessed. He's kept this secret for a decade because if the rest of the Concordia finds out it will ruin his province. He's spent most of his life trying to keep his distance from the other Blessed so they don't find out his secret. Including trying his hardest to miss the inaugural 12 day voyage to the Goddess’ mountain now that the 12th Blessed has been chosen. Of course he does end up on the ship and then the murdering begins.

Personally I find murder mysteries most entertaining if I know as little as possible going in. And this one was no different. I saw it was a secluded murder mystery with magic and queer lead and I knew I needed to read it.

I. Was. Not. Disappointed.

I was captivated from the beginning. Dee’s sarcastic, self deprecating-ness and sense of humor drew me to him. And I identified with him more and more as the story went on. If anyone has read the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, Dee is like Lift and Hoid combined. Lift and Hoid happen to be some of my favorite fictional characters so my love of Dee makes sense. Each of the other 11 characters on the ship stood out from each other. I didn’t have any problems confusing them with each other and I can’t always say that when there is focus on a big cast. They all were a varying level of likable and unlikable and it was very well done in my personal opinion. I do have to say that sometimes the information given about characters was at weird times. Or seemed to contradict other things that were said not long before. One example is how many times it was brought up that it was so surprising the Ermine Blessed showed up but then also it was declared everyone HAD to come. But yet still, everyone was so surprised she was there.

Dee’s development as a person over time was amazing. He started out sounding and acting like he never matured past 13. But by the end he grew emotionally and just overall and I absolutely loved it.

The world building was thorough and easy to understand. The only thing I had an issue with when it came to it, like with character information, was sometimes the timing of information about the world seemed disjointed.
The revels to the who-dun-it was laid out perfectly and made sense. Along with character revelations! I had all these “omg that’s why xyz happened earlier!” These were actual out loud exclamations that prompted my kids and partner to ask me if I was alright. (I was but also wasn’t)
Maybe my favorite world building part was how queer identities are absolutely normal. I love when a book has this seamlessly in the world.

The writing overall started out clunky. Definitely written like a debut (nothing wrong with that though!) But over time I think it morphed into something better and better. I absolutely can’t wait for what Frances White has for us next!

My library already has this one on order and I can’t wait to yell (Metaphorically of course, it is a library after all) at everyone to READ THIS ASAP!

Fun and well written whodunit! This was one of my favorite books I've read in a long time. I am a huge fan of mystery books in the vein of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie and I have been a fantasy reader my whole life. This is the first time I have ever read a book that blended fantasy with a whodunit and I thought it was masterfully done! I was a little apprehensive of the main character at first and the first few chapters read as young adult, but I quickly adjusted to both the style and characters and definitely would classify this as new adult literature. The magic system was fun and the world building was incredible. I genuinely wanted to be in this world and hope more books in this setting come in the future!

As someone who loves to ready mysteries in-between books as a sort of literary palette cleanser, I thought this was incredible. I also really enjoyed how the author treats the clues and doesn't overly explain or point everything out for us as the reader. We sort of are genuinely solving the mystery along with the main character. I think the only true critique I had for this book was the main character's name. I mentally gave him my own nickname for the novel anytime his name appeared. I also loved the LGBT+ representation and it didn't feel forced like a lot of modern LGBT+ do. These characters felt real and genuine. If you need a fun quick engaging read, pick this up!

I am obsessed with this book! The writing style was sarcastic and well-written. The characters were sassy and charismatic and I needed more. I would die for Grasshopper. Such a fun murder mystery!

For hundreds of years, Concordia has had 12 Blessed who travel together to complete a pilgrimage. The journey takes 12 days by ship, but this year, people keep turning up dead.

The premise of this book was highly promising, but unfortunately, its execution fell short for me. Had it not been an ARC, I likely would have discontinued reading. The story had an overabundance of characters, each with multiple names and "blessings," making it challenging to follow. The target audience was unclear—too mature for children yet often too juvenile for adults. Despite being marketed as LGBTQ+, the portrayal felt excessive, as nearly every character had a distinct preference, which seemed overwhelming.

There were several redeeming qualities that led to my 3-star rating though. The Grasshopper character was delightful and thoroughly enjoyable. The plot twist at the end was unexpected and well-executed, effectively maintaining suspense with twelve suspects, making the murderer's identity difficult to predict. The conclusion provided a sense of resolution and peace, nicely wrapping up the story. Additionally, Dee’s character arc was well-developed and engaging. While I wouldn't choose to reread it, I am satisfied with having completed the book.

I was not sure what to expect when I started this book. The world-building felt fresh and unique, with a well-developed magic system. Also, the number of characters introduced right away was daunting, taking a few chapters to realize who was who.
But, the work was worth it as the story evolved since there were so many great twists and turns. The mystery was top-notch, and Dee (our protagonist) quickly grew on me. I found the story so satisfying that I might invest in a physical copy soon. I give this book 5/5 stars.


Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review Voyage of the Damned by Frances White. All opinions are my own.

I was hooked into this after reading the synopsis, A Mind Blowing murder mystery on a ship full of magical passengers. If Agatha Christie wrote fantasy, this would be it.
For sure a high claim to be since Agatha is an icon in the book murder mystery genre.
Honestly, I wasn’t too sure what I was going to step into when reading this book. I had a general idea with the murder mystery concept. This book for sure was a breath of fresh air in terms of what I had been reading. The main character was so relatable and so funny that I instantly grew fond of him. I also love that this book has a very wide queer representation.
This book for sure was a pretty wild ride. There was a lot of things that I did not see coming and that for sure was a good thing. I wouldn’t say it was the best book, but it wasn’t the worst. It for sure fell into the middle too high category. There were times where I would’ve sped up and got to point a lot faster. The finale for me felt a little bit rushed and kind of in a sense predictable.
Overall, this book was pretty solid. What I recommended? it was for sure fun book that I feel what resonate with a lot of people who like murder mystery, who done it murder, witty, and relatable, main characters and queer representation.
Thanks to the folks at NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for a copy of this book. My review is a honest reflection of my feelings towards this book.

Not that long ago I read The Tainted Cup and I thought, "Wow, I did not know that murder-mystery-set-in-fantasy-world was the genre I needed". But I figured I'd have to wait for its sequel to get another one. And I could not be happier to be wrong!

Voyage of the Damned is very much a murder mystery that uses the locked room trope. In this case, our entire cast is trapped on a ship together with no way off until they reach their destination. In the nation of Concordia, each of the 12 provinces has one "Blessed", an heir with unique magical abilities. Together they keep the nation safe. They embark on a 12 day pilgrimage aboard a magically powered vessel, and suddenly an heir turns up dead. One by one the heirs are murdered, and it's a race to discover the killer, but our hero Ganymedes is hiding a deadly secret - he alone has no Blessing. He's a fraud, with no way to protect himself aside from his wits.

Ganymedes ("Dee") is a perfect protagonist. Funny and self-deprecating without being obnoxious, incredibly relatable, and he forges unlikely friendships. The pacing is fast and action is non-stop, and the plot was delightfully twisty - I really had no idea who dun it, and kept going back and forth on my theories. In terms of representation, this really knocked it out of the park; we have LGBTQ+ characters and relationships, disabled characters, a mix of gender identities, etc.

It's not perfect. There's a few confusing references that seem out of place for the genre, like talking about hot dogs... Sure, there's no reason a fantasy world couldn't have ALSO invented hot dogs! But it does make you notice and it feels like an anachronism. And we know how the Emperor's Blessing is required to keep the Bandage functioning that protects them from the Crab clan, but... what purpose exactly do the other Blessings serve? They have a tendency to keep them secret, so it doesn't sound like the heirs use them to serve their people, and the Blessing is different for each individual so... what's the point of them, really? Does magic exist in this world in any other form? While this is marketed as adult fiction, it feels like it straddles the line between YA and adult.

The trick is to look at this primarily as a murder mystery in a unique setting with unique characters and constraints, and those nitpicks lose importance. It is absolutely delightful and completely different than anything I've read outside of The Tainted Cup. I strongly recommend this to anyone who enjoys blended genres!

This was such a fun book! It was an interesting take on fantasy but it leans more YA than adult. I enjoyed it, though. The writing was quirky and hilarious. The murder mystery, the tension, the wittiness, the banter, and the found family were enjoyable to read. I was not a huge fan of Dee, but Grasshopper was adorable. I do wish there was more world building and the plot twist was a bit strange. Overall though, it was a fun book to read.

This book was a great debut! The main character in this book was very witty and made the book a lot of fun. All of the characters felt like real people. I love fantasy and mystery books, so a combination of the two made this a fun read.

This was a hilarious romp of a murder mystery! Based on the cover, I wasn't expecting such a funny book, but this one delivered on all fronts. The world and magic system aren't the MOST fleshed out, but that's totally okay given that we spend the entire book on a delightfully campy murder cruise. The twists and suspense were all there, but I was most impressed by the character work her. Dee is a wonderful antihero-turned-hero, and I thought the depiction of his depression, disordered eating, and trauma was thoughtfully done and didn't distract at all from the more absurd elements of the story.

This was a unique book, im still not sure what I really think about it but it was interesting. This is a queer fantasy mystery that takes place on board a boat for a cruise. There are 12 people on this boat who have magic and a murder takes place and the main character is trying to figure out who did it. I liked the main character despite the chaotic narration and pov he was just trying to find himself. I thought the other characters were interesting but I'm still confused about the magic and worldbuilding aspect. My biggest thing about this book is that I was confused for a majority of the book i needed to know more about the world, animals, nicknames, and magic system to grasp what was going on. I really like the main characters' development and emotional growth especially when it comes to love and overcoming heartbreak. The book ends on a cliffhanger and I will say I'm interested in the next book because I need to know who the killer is. Overall this was okay, if you like suspenseful fantasies with a boat trip and lots of chaos you should pick this up. Thank you HTP for this arc.

💀 2/5 💀
Y’all I tried to like this. I really did. If you like extra gore and confusing world building, this may be for you. Comparing this to Agatha Christie if she wrote fantasy is almost infuriating. Let me start by giving two notes on my background, since almost all of you don’t know me, because it’ll help in the context of this book. I have a severe form of vasovagal syncope (I pass out at the mention of any gore), and I have an ongoing eat disorder. This doesn’t include many other aspects of my ✨special✨ brain but they are worth mentioning because if any of these affect you, move along. I almost DNF’d because even with my trained skim reading, I still was overwhelmed by how much this book affected me. Agatha Christie doesn’t do that, I love her books, so definitely can’t be compared.

Now let’s dive into the content, and I’ll do my best not to spoil anything for those who still decide to pick this one up. I’ll start with some positives: there was a lot of emotion in this writing. I was genuinely heartbroken with Dee, started to root for his future relationships with some of the other characters, and then once I hit the end it all went away. It WRECKED me, like wanted to throw the book in the trash, not the good wrecking.

This is where my negatives come in:The writing was a bit immature for my personal tastes. While I, at first, was really enjoying Dee’s banter, it soon became aggravating. Every character was distinct in their mannerisms, but it was like no one connected with each other. Maybe that was the whole intention but I couldn’t possibly get over how no character had a redeeming quality that I could honestly hold onto. Grasshopper was the only true winner here, and she’s 6.

I honestly couldn’t believe the way the author wrote about Dee’s eating habits. The author mentions wanting to be sensitive to those with eating disorders, but in fact it triggered mine. Now, I don’t know if Dee was meant to have an ED but he was described as overweight and many other characters had a fat-phobic tendency towards him. Things that were meant to be funny just seemed uncomfortable and awkward. It’s something that shouldn’t be joked about.

Finally the world building really confused me. I’ve been getting really into fantasy lately and this felt like it should solely be a fantasy realm but their were mentions of very modern day things. Plus, the ship is ran off magic, so why does it have an engine room if its not necessary and can’t be used anyway?? Besides these 12 people holding magic, that they get as children based on a circumstance that happened then, what are their powers good for? The emperor seems to be the only useful one but others have powers that don’t make sense for their province and what they provide to Concordia. I don’t know, maybe I missed a step somewhere but my brain hurt with this one.

Finally, I SUPER mad about the ending. I didn't spoil this when posting my reviews but having Wyatt not be Wyatt ruined it for me. They were building something, it felt good and refreshing after they both just lost people they thought they loved. Turning him into Ravi AND FINDING OUT WHAT HE DID AND HOW HE AIDED, how can you POSSIBLY trust him? UGH. Just -10/10.

I absolutely LOVED THIS BOOK. Billed as a magical gay murder cruise, 100% lived up to that hype. Twelve heirs of magic stuck on a boat with a murder in their midst, and a feral, disaster narrator who you can’t help but love. Voyage has a fantastic and diverse cast, and a locked door murder mystery that kept me guessing at every turn!