This was a very fun read! I went into this with zero expectations but the title and synopsis sounded very intriguing. 'Voyage of the Damned' tells the story of Ganymedes, called Dee by his admittedly very few friends. He's the heir to the ruler of Fish Province, one of twelve provinces of an empire called Concordia and also the most unimportant one. He spends most of the book on a ship with the other eleven heirs, all of whom have not only inherited a title but also the magical powers of their parents, the so-called Blessing. All of them but Dee, that is. When the heirs start dying left and right on their voyage, Dee seems to be the only one interested in finding out what the hell is going on. Murder mystery shenanigans ensue.
Dee is a very fun protagonist who talks to much, is a chubby bisexual boy, is very insecure about his own worth and has very few actual friends and also suicidal tendencies. He's a lot more complex than he seems to be at first, and I really enjoyed following him. The side characters aren't all too fleshed out, but I enjoyed most of them too - especially the adorable grasshopper heir. The plot is engaging, although a little slow-paced in the middle part, and the murder mystery kept me hooked. I got the feeling that anyone could die at any moment, and it kept me on my toes.

It's not a perfect book though and there are some things I didn't enjoy. The writing sometimes veers into ridiculous, and one of the first pages has a line about how "walking away from explosions" is undeniably cool (please don't do this, authors. Pretty sure Dee doesn't watch modern action movies) which made me worry that I was reading One Of Those Books. The prose is rather basic and the humour sometimes gets a little too much and thus becomes a bit unfunny. The world building is also not incredibly well done, there's really not that much to Concordia at all. Most of what we do learn we get told by other characters when they inform Dee about what's happening in their province, and it's a little weird that major empire-shifting events are happening without Dee, as part of the ruling class of one of the provinces (even though officially an insignificant one) knowing any of it.
There's also a rather obvious twist that I was kind of hoping wouldn't happen, but I can see some people really loving it. With that twist comes a revelation that, basically (no spoilers), the murders could have been stopped early on but weren't for purely plot reasons that made no sense. The ending is also rather rushed when compared to the slower-paced journey before.

But still! This was a fun and engaging quick read that made me smile a lot. You shouldn't think too hard about what's happening, and you definitely shouldn't expect a real adult fantasy (this VERY much reads like YA in absolutely every way). You probably won't remember the book in a few years but it's the perfect little getaway for a cozy weekend at home. 3,5 stars, gladly rounding up.

3.5

The concept for this book is brilliant and there should definitely be more fantasy/murder mysteries out there. Agatha Christie meets Sarah J Maas is a mashup I never knew I needed. We’re reading this from the viewpoint of Dee, a twenty-something guy from one of the lower provinces who is treated accordingly. A.k.a like crap. His narration is irreverent and funny although it can wander into slightly annoying occasionally. I really warmed up to him though, especially when he took Grasshopper, a six year old blessed who is equally cute and terrifying, under his wing.

The murder mystery plot was really well executed and had some clever twists I didn’t see coming. The diversity of the characters was brilliant and we had LGBTQIA+ rep as well as disability rep.

My main issue was the fact that it was written very YA and I felt the dialogue and world building was very simplistic. It was sold as an adult book but Dee comes across as a teenager most of the time and character interactions very much read Young Adult. This is just personal preference and maybe if I knew it was more YA going into it, I wouldn’t have had a problem.

I still had a lot of fun reading this one though and it contained my absolute favourite trope ‘found family’ or should that be ‘found swarm’?

"Voyage of the Damned" contains some great ideas. Unfortunately, for me, the whole thing (characters, plot, dialogue, setting) just wasn't cohesive enough to make this an enjoyable read. With an extra 100 pages or so, and some gentle tweaking, this could have been a very good book. I've no doubt plenty of others will get a kick out of it though.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

I enjoyed Voyage of the Damned, even though it was a little outside the books I normally read.

There was great representation of a wide range of people, very diverse in terms of race, gender, sexuality, body shapes, disability etc., and an interesting magical and political world. The story was engaging as long as I could suspend my disbelief and not think about the mechanics of the succession of power too much. I liked the main character and was rooting for him.

I don't think this was an adult fantasy book really, more YA with swearing, but I had a good time.

I quite enjoyed this read! It was so refreshing to read a book not about a special MarySue or fae. It was a mystery read with fantasy woven into it..I can see this being made into a quirky movie since it was so engaging to read!

Absolutely did not expect this to be fun! At the beginning I felt like I'd wandered into such a weird reality, like a Chinese mythology. But this book blew me away with it's characters and the mystery. My suspicious on the murdered were completely wrong but I had fun trying to figure out who dunnit and the motives. Very Agathe Christie-esque murder mystery with a wonderful stage of fantasy at it's base.

Special thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for providing me an advance copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5

Great potential, but poorly executed

Personally, I’ve enjoyed many aspects of this debut. The humour, the romance and the found family were my favourite parts. Objectively, there’s some critique to be made:

My main and biggest critique is the fact that this did not feel like an adult book. The plot, the writing, the magic system, all felt very YA. Which is not at all a bad thing, but I feel the book has been mismarketed as adult (the only adult-level things in the book are the gore and the swear words).

The magic system is very simplistic, and I couldn’t take it seriously when the characters called each other after their Province’s animal instead of their names. Dee being referred to as Fish or Ravi as Crow etc read very juvenile and felt more like rivalling high school teams than future rulers of a country. Dee’s POV was pretty funny and enjoyable, but it was overdone in some places.

That being said, I greatly enjoyed the relationship between Grasshopper, Dee and Wyatt. I love everything found family, and the author really nailed this trope. The romance was also very cute and that reveal at the end was a pretty cool way of handling it. I can't say more about it because spoilers, but it really was the highlight of the book for me.


All in all, I would recommend this as a fun, casual read. For a debut it’s very promising, but still needs a lot of work.

I will start by saying I was given an advanced reader copy in return for an honest review

I was drawn to the book for the cover art and hooked by the blurb.

I wanted to know more about Concordia. I especially wanted to know more a about These so called chosen ones or The Blessed and their powers. Who were they ? Why did they have these powers ?

Then I met Ganymedes Piscero . He wants nothing to do with being blessed. He wants nothing to do with anything accept eating and drinking. So when he fails to escape being on the ship bound for the blessed mountain with all the other Blessed he comes up with a cunning plan. Make them all dispise him and see him as incompetent. That done he will be stripped of his position. That done he will be free to live his life....then the murders start.

Now he has to gather his friends and his wits and hope he can survive .

The story is amazing , the history of the world is deep and beautiful. I found in each of the characters something that I could identify with that made them more real for me.

This is a fast paced read with some moments that make you want to cry and some that will make you laugh out loud. This was a perfect read for a raining Saturday afternoon

With its gorgeous blue and gold cover and a tag line like Magical. Gay, Mystery. Cruise. I could not resist requesting an ARC of Voyage of the Damned, the exciting debut from Frances White. Blending elements of a traditional locked room style mystery with the fantastical worked really well, and I think fans of both genres will find something to enjoy in this hybrid.
As part of a ritual celebration the heirs of each of the twelve provinces of the land of Concordia embark on a voyage aboard the Emperor's magical ship, headed for the sacred Goddess's mountain. Each of the heirs has a unique magical "Blessing" except one, our protagonist Ganymedes Piscero , heir of the lowliest "Fish " province, who is desperately hiding the fact that he has not inherited his father's Blessing, fearing that if it becomes public knowledge his family's position will come under threat. The hope is that on the twelve day voyage the heirs will learn to work together despite some long standing animosities between the so called upper and lower provinces. When one of the heirs dies on the first night under suspicious circumstances, the only suspects are the rest of the heirs since they are the only living beings on board the ship. As the body count starts to mount and the number of surviving suspects starts to dwindle , Dee (as Ganymedes prefers to be known) is in a desperate race to find the killer before he becomes the next victim.
This was such a great read, blending the best of both genres with a well plotted mystery that definitely kept me guessing and a wonderfully diverse fantasy world with great world building and even better characters. Admittedly our protagonist, Dee, takes a little warming up to , but as we learn more about his family history and the lowly position that his province occupies in the hierarchy of Concordia. It was great to see him step up and take on the challenge he was faced with, despite not being what many would consider a stereotypical hero figure. My absolute favourite character however was Grasshopper, the youngest heir and a cute but at times terrifying six year old who believes things are either "to kill" or "to love" and who soon becomes Dee's sidekick, sometimes despite his best efforts.
My first read of 2024 has set the bar very high indeed.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher , all opinions are my own.

Each of the 12 provinces that make up Concordia have played their part in maintaining the peace during a golden era of 1000 years - even if not always contributing, or being perceived to contribute, equally. To celebrate the achievement, the heirs to each of the provinces are invited to participate in a very special journey as the Emperor's ship undertakes a voyage to the Goddess's Mountain.

Unfortunately, that prized era of peace seems about to crash and burn when one of the heirs is murdered on the trip. And so kicks off this locked room mystery on the seas.

All but one of the heirs - the incorrigible Ganymedes aka Dee - has a special magical gift known as a Blessing. Though Dee's lack of one is a dark secret he must keep from the others. Still, their Blessings do not prevent the subsequent murders of other scions on the ship.

So what are Dee's chances? As it turns out, not as bad as you might think because he is about to demonstrate an unforeseen capacity for deductive thinking. After all, it is amazing just how much clarity the imperative to survive can grant a person (particularly without a blessing, thanks to your father's Casanova tendencies meaning it has probably gone to an unknown half sibling!) . And since if ever there was a situation of life and death, this must surely be it...

This is an enjoyable adventure with a murder mystery at its heart and well-developed characters. It is fun to see the reluctant hero forced to step up to the plate, against inclinations he has nurtured all his life. The murders are cleverly delivered, building the reader's curiosity to find out whodunit. And I loved the little Grasshopper girl role. All in all, an entertaining read.

My opinion of this book would remain the same whether I was 50 pages in or nearing its ending; that is, I was 50 pages in and bowed out early. Somewhere between squinting my eyes at the world-building and attempting to t̶o̶l̶e̶r̶a̶t̶e̶get along with Dee, I’d actually reached my limits. Even the promise of a gay murder mystery wasn’t enough.

However, I am clearly in the minority and I’m glad that many others have a much better time on the cruise ship than I did. This book will find its readers among those who are looking forward to a magical fun time and a cast of diverse personalities. I was just in it for that gays and I got that, alright.

https://lynns-books.com/2024/01/04/voyage-of-the-damned-by-frances-white/#comments
4.5 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review : What Can I Say? Briliant

I absolutely loved Voyage of the Damned. I had such a good time reading this, it’s easy to engage with, I loved the MC and it’s one of those books that I just want to give a big hug to. This is a locked room mystery onboard a ship where the body count keeps mysteriously rising. Is anybody safe and will anyone make it to the end of this ill fated journey?

Concordia has lived in peace for over a thousand years. Each of it’s twelve provinces are responsible for providing something either by way of supplies, food and energy, protection and keeping the boundaries safe or the powerful magic of the Emperor who helps to maintain those borders. Each of the regions receives a gift from the Goddess, known as a blessing, only one gift is received to each region (which I guess narrows down on any squabbles between rival blessed) and the gift jumps from the parent to the child – if there’s more than one child there’s no particular way of knowing which child this will pass to which is why our main character is in such bother. His parents had one child only, assuming that kept them safe in the knowledge of who would receive the blessing, however,lets just say the father was something of a lothario and it turns out he had more children than his wife was aware of. This is how the story begins, with the introduction of Ganymedes Piscero, who is about to embark on a journey to the sacred Goddess’s Mountain, absent any form of blessed gift to protect him from the other eleven passengers.

Ganymedes or Dee as he is known, is part of his father’s deception to keep his none Blessed status a secret. Unfortunately the gift Dee expected has clearly jumped to one of his unknown half brothers or sisters. As you may imagine, he’s not thrilled at the prospect of a twelve day journey surrounded by other heirs who he will not only need to con into believing he is similarly gifted, but also putting into place his cunning plan to get the others to have him thrown out of their circle entirely. On top of this, lets just say that not all the provinces share equal status. So, for example, we have the tigers, responsible for protecting the Beloved (the Emperor and his children).

The nature of each province is told through the history of the Goddess and the way her gifts were bestowed so I won’t elaborate on it here. Other than to say that Dee comes from the fish province, one of the lowliest and least respected even though they are effectively responsible for feeding Concordia. I would also mention that the gifts or Blessings differ from generation to generation and their nature is quite fiercely guarded. So, we have a bunch of young people, some acting like entitled a-holes, some trying to curry favour, some really not giving a damn and not caring less about acceptance by their peers and one in particular trying to keep his secret – never quite realising just how many secrets are being kept onboard the Emperor’s vessel. And then the murders begin.

I loved this. The writing is so easy, it’s entertaining, there’s the mystery element and a lot of unusual red herrings bandied around, it’s funny and witty but on top of this the chracters are the key element that really won me over.

Dee is a wonderful character. He has a low self opinion and he’s one of those people who is very self deprecating, he truly doesn’t understand his own worth or see the way others see him. I loved the way he becomes so protective of some of the other passengers, particularly a young girl (6 yo) from the Grasshopper province who is a bundle of energy but also seems to be a target for the murderer, and a boy who is dying from an untreatable disease from the Bear province (who is a source of embarassment to his own family because of his weakness).

I have to hand it to the author. The characters are all well rounded. They all have secrets that haunt them and dictate their behaviour and although some appear to be more well favoured this is a great case for how appearances can be deceptive.

On top of this we have the clever whodunnit element. I was definitely jumping around suspecting the world and his wife with this one and I can’t deny I didn’t see the twist – well twists actually – in the tale. I have to applaud that.

Overall, I’m not going to say much more. I thoroughly enjoyed this. It’s the perfect blend of murder mystery and fantasy and it doesn’t have a tacked on fantasy feel where certain elements have been thrown in simply to garner a particular audience. This book is well grounded, the dialogue is just brilliant, I nearly snorted coffee out of my nostrils at one point (not a pretty thing tbh and possibly tmi), there’s a cosy feel to it (even though the body’s really start to stack up) and I don’t know how the author managed it but it’s also so emotionally satisfying.

Overall, this was one of the last books I read last year and I could hardly put it down.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED is a twisty murder mystery in a fantasy world where twelve heirs who hate each other are sent on a cruise, and things get stabby.

I loved how this book took the tropes of a mystery where the victims are isolated with a murderer somewhere without help (thus bodies pile up and there's nowhere to escape) and brought it into a fantasy setting. Then there's all the political considerations of the fantasy world and the characters' magic. It's a great mash up of the two genres.

It had me guessing the entire time, and I loved the way it ended. It was very satisfying finding out the who and horrifying to discover the why (and then got a bloody fantasy fight at the end rather than a "the suspect is taken away" to further play into the genre mash up.)

Dee is a fabulous hero. He struggles with having any belief in his own self worth, he's the least important of the lot, and he's not a strapping, muscley lad able to hold his own in a fight. He's so relatable for this, and so you're cheering him along his journey (and also his attempts not to die...)

Grasshopper is also adorable. She's a little six year old with a "kill and eat, or love something" mentality. She's bloodthirsty in a very innocent way of not understanding the full consequences of killing something. Plus she's full of love for Dee and you just want to protect her from everything.

In all, a fabulous debut and I look forward to what Frances White writes next.

Voyage of the Damned was a fantastic murder mystery taking place on a cruise. It had interesting characters and the overall plot was intriguing.

Discovering the murderer(s) was fun and the twists were great. Also the worldbuilding was well written, considering it was all portrayed from a ship through Ganymedes narrative and the dynamics between characters. I really enjoyed this with all the plot twists and unique storytelling.

The character work was excellent as each dynamic had something to add to the mystery and murders taking place.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Voyage of the Damned is hands down one of the best books I read last year! A huge thank you to Frances for sending me an ARC, I am beyond grateful!
This book is essentially a locked-room mystery with fantasy elements and seriously has everything you could want - magic, mystery, humor, romance, and even delicious found family vibes.

The plot: Concordia has been able to maintain peace among its provinces for a millennium. To celebrate this remarkable achievement, the emperor's ship sets sail on a twelve-day voyage towards the sacred Goddess's Mountain. On board are the heirs of the twelve provinces of Concordia, each of whom possesses a unique and secret magical ability known as a Blessing, except Ganymedes, who is compelled to deceive everyone about his absent Blessing at the behest of his father.
During the journey, the most powerful heir is murdered and the murderer strikes again and again, leaving everyone a suspect. As the bodies pile up, Ganymedes must step up and become the hero he never thought he could be. Can he identify the killer and their Blessing before he or his friends become the next victim?

Ganymedes (or Dee, as he likes to be called) is an absolute riot. He's hilarious, chaotic, and a total queer underdog that you can't help but root for.
Every character in the book is hiding a deep, life-changing secret, which makes it nearly impossible to tell whether what you're seeing is related to the murders or not. It's a total trust exercise, and let me tell you, I was sure I knew what was going on until I was proven completely wrong!

Honestly, the worldbuilding, plot, and character development in this book are all top-notch. I can hardly believe that this is a debut novel - it's that good!

If you're looking for an engaging read that will keep you on your toes, you absolutely have to check this one out!

A mystery with a main character who is just the best narrator.

I loved the writing and the plot. The characters and back stories unravelled slowly on this cruise ship as the mc's lover is murdered alongside another passenger. Although the plot was cool, the pacing was quite slow. The word pissfish is now permanently engraved in my brain and I quite enjoyed being in the mc's head. The magic system was very interesting and I enjoyed how the story starts off quickly and we get into the nitty gritty bits.

Overall, a fun, niche read with a magical mystery!

Unique Murder Mystery with a twist of Fantasy

I was certainly drawn by the synopsis of this book as well as the beautiful artwork on the cover.

Although I found this novel a little lengthy, I thoroughly enjoyed the fantastical world of Concordia created by the author and the murder mystery voyage aboard a ship that ensued.

I enjoyed the make up of the characters, especially the lead Ganymedes who I came to love the more I read. A great mix of fun, love, relationships, mystery, wit and of course murder.

A very clever debut novel with a hint of magic. Well worth a read.

Thank to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

#voyageofthedamned #franceswhite @michaeljbooks @penguinukbooks

To celebrate a thousand years of peace in Concordia, a ship embarks on a journey to the sacred Goddess’s Mountain. Onboard, the heirs of the twelve provinces, each blessed by the Goddess with a unique magical gift. But one of them holds a terrible secret. Ganymedes, the heir of the weakest Fish province, has no power of his own and has spent his life lying. When the Emperor’s heir dies in mysterious circumstances, everyone becomes a suspect...

Voyage of the Damned is an exciting murder mystery with elements of fantasy. As the characters are stuck on the ship, isolated from the outside world and unable to get off, they soon become suspicious of others and slightly paranoid. The story is full of humour, plot twists, secrets, and political intrigues, as Concordia is plagued by internal conflict, not to mention outside enemies. I found all the characters vivid and fascinating. Also, the author did a fantastic job at inclusion, as we have race, gender, trans, plus size, gay, disability and chronic illness representation. On top of that, it did not feel forced in any way, as all the characters were meticulously crafted.

To sum up, I really enjoyed reading this novel.

Can you call a murder mystery 'feel-good'? I'm gonna. Voyage Of The Damned is the kind of fantasy where even the cruellest of characters has redeeming qualities, everybody cares deeply for somebody.

To begin with I thought getting a grip on twelve different provinces and their twelve scions would be a struggle, but after the initial introduction Frances makes it easy to follow the who's, where's and why's. The entire plot takes place on a ship with only the scions onboard and most are referred to by their province rather than actual names.

I adored main character Dee/Ganymedes aka Pissfish. Entering the stage with the sole purpose of annoying everyone around him, he bares all (quite literally on occasion) with zero fucks given to anybodies opinion. Watching the underdog evolve from wanting to slink away from the world to becoming the hero and protector of it was a joy.

Voyage Of The Damned is quite a lengthy book but the mystery was so well written and the characters so intriguing that I didn't notice the time pass. I will say the ending although heartwarming was silly.

I think White struggled to define the audience for this novel; the coloured hair, rainbows, young characters and animal named provinces gave a juvenile vibe but the language and sexual content was more adult, shutting the book outside of either camp.

White pours emotion into the characters and I laughed out loud several times whilst reading (which is uncommon for me), I thoroughly enjoyed this book as a whimsical twist on a murder mystery. You'll be disappointed if you take this seriously- just have fun.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was a really fun and twisty who-dunnit bottle episode, basically Murder on the Orient Express but with magic. Ganymedes is a great protagonist precisely because he isn't perfect - he gets scared, he gets sad, he gets depressed - but he still manages to do the right thing eventually. I also loved Grasshopper as a character and thw world-building is impressive for a novel that's mostly set on a ship. Very enjoyable, would recommend.