I really enjoyed this rather unique locked-room fantasy murder mystery. A strong read that held my attention throughout.. The cover is stunning too

Magical blessings combined with a thrilling murder cruise, oh go on then!

Voyage of the Damned was a unique combination of genres that seemed like they wouldn’t work but they really did. There was so much to like about this book and it was hard to believe it was a debut.

The world building was detailed and the writing was great. I loved the snarky humour and dialogue throughout. I also liked finding out about each blessing and how the magical system in the book worked. Plus the mystery element kept me guessing. Some things I saw coming and others I definitely didn’t.

The characters were fleshed out and had enough depth the make them interesting, although there were some I would love to have read more about.

But of course Dee stole the show. A different kind of hero but a hero nonetheless. I liked that he was constantly underestimated and disliked by almost everyone but didn’t let it change him, he stayed true to himself and was happy to show the others he didn’t care about their opinion of him.

If that hasn’t sold you on this book yet, did I mention the story is colourful, gay and there are magical dragon butlers - come on what more do you need.

The only reason it wasn’t a 5 star read for me - the pace was a little slow at times. That’s usually a personal preference though so if any of the above sounds interesting, I’d definitely give this a go.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Do you ever read a book and instantly need to re-read it? The moment I finished Voyage of the Damned, I flipped right back to the beginning because, honestly, I couldn’t decide whether what I’d read was ridiculous or brilliant. I can say now that it’s a happy combination of both.

Dee is the perfect protagonist for this story. His internal monologue is relatable and emotionally devastating, but he’s also genuinely funny. The combination makes him easy to root for, and I’d happily read a series of books about Dee’s adventures. The romance didn’t win me over immediately (which was probably because I have a cold heart. And I was distracted by all the murder and plot twists – and holy moly are there plot twists!), but his friendship with Grasshopper had me from the get go.

There are clearly strong influences from anime/manga and video games (e.g. Danganronpa), so this would be the perfect book for a Japanese pop-culture fan – especially one that wished anime was more inclusive.

‘I felt it instantly when I saw him - that thread which connects his heart to mine'

Themes:
Murder mystery
Cosy fantasy
Hidden identity
Magic
Reluctant allies
Conspiracy
Romance

Content warning: amputation, suicidal ideation, and self-harm

Synopsis:
Each heir of the 12 provinces of Concordia is graced with a unique magical ability, except Dee. Dee joins 11 blessed heirs of Concordia on a 12 day voyage to the Goddess' Mountain. Soon after departure, someone is murdered. Dee must unmask the killer before everyone on board ends up dead.

My thoughts:
A perfect blend of murder-mystery and fantasy. Frances White has written a tale with a. very unigue, memorable and fully developed cast.
My favourite character apart from the MC is Grasshopper, she is the most adorable, amusing and realistic fictional 6 year old. The MC is kind, charming, ridiculous and relatable; he had me cracking up on every other page.
The world and magic system is fascinating and done so well. It’s fast paced at the start and the end.

This is a standalone murder-mystery fantasy, full of heart breaking and laugh your arse off moments, with a twist!
Everyone needs to read this book! Highly highly recommend!
#voyageofthedamned

What can I say? I was obsessed with this book. When I wasn’t trying to feverishly guess the murder in this most exalted of sub-genres – a fantasy murder mystery – I was being emotionally battered by some of the most honest, perceptive and real character work I’ve come across in any genre.

Honestly? It is ridiculous that this book is a debut, because on three key areas – worldbuilding, (murder) plot and honest, deeply moving character work – White knocks this out of the park so hard they’ll still be searching for the ball when we colonise Mars.

Let’s start with the worldbuilding. The premise of this book is fiendishly simple – twelve magically powered (and rarely straight) people on a boat are killed one by one – or as White herself puts it, “a magical gay mystery cruise”. But the world around that is – or at least it should be – monstrously complicated. The Empire of Concordia is split into twelve provinces, each named after an animal (Dragon, Tiger, Bear, you probably don’t need me to keep naming animals). The leaders of these provinces have “blessings”, i.e. magical powers that can be anything and that they pass onto their children. The provinces all have very different climates – desert, arctic, jungle etc. – and also different political power dynamics (to cut a long story short, half are weak, the other half are dicks). The young leaders on the boat – all headed to a mountain where the most powerful leader, the Dragon, will receive her own ultimate blessing – all have different personalities and endless secrets.

Basically, the amount of information here is staggering, but the first 15% of this book is a textbook study on how to get across SO MUCH worldbuilding in a way that doesn’t feel complicated or excessive. By a quarter of the way in I could easily tell you about each and every province and that is more impressive an achievement than however the hell the pyramids were built.

Then there’s the main character whose eyes we see the whole story through, Ganymedes, better known as Dee. Oh man, Dee. Not content with giving us one of fantasy’s great murder mysteries, White offers up one of fantasy’s great protagonists. Dee is an utterly hilarious but also heart-breaking whirlwind; if you don’t get a little water in your eyes, I don’t believe you. Dee hails from one of the weaker Southern provinces, Fish province, who are considered weak, poor scum by most of the arrogant Northern provinces. But Dee is unwilling to bend to these bullies, and makes an alliance of the weaker provinces to find out who is killing their way to power. He is a chaotic detective who it is impossible not to root for.

On a political level, White uses this story to show how the strong bully the weak, and this offers some meaty colonial themes for our own world. But this is not the simple analogy you might think; even the bullies turn out to have their own heart-breaking origins; even the strong turn out to have been tragically forged by their own weakness; twisted by their own pain into being a villain.

But on a personal level, Dee is a marvel too. He has a secret that is destroying him, and this is a book partly about how hiding your real identity can grind you down. Given that Dee is Bi, and a majority of the book’s characters are at least one of the letters in LGBT, this obviously has real relevance for those communities, but it also offers a textbook case for anyone on how the seemingly confident can lack self-esteem, and how you can be weakened by the secrets that mistakenly shame you.

White wields this powerful lesson like a scalpel; 70% of Dee is hilarious, larger than life chaotic – half of his proclamations had me shrieking with laughter – but the other 30% is heart breaking, and more so for how quickly it follows the humour. Humour and personal grief are difficult to meld well in writing. For White, it is seamless. There is also a great (gay) romance for the ages entwined among all the satisfying murder – never has the message about the power of someone seeing you for who you are been so keenly felt. This book will break you a thousand times and mend you all over again.

Finally, there is the murder mystery itself. To do a fantasy murder mystery that works is a challenge akin to threading the eye of a needle in the middle of an earthquake. Fantasy readers expect worldbuilding and character arcs as well as the complex, clockwork plot that murder mystery fans expect. Yet White has achieved maybe the best example of this cross-genre I’ve ever seen. I approached these murders like a man obsessed; I was so confident I’d guessed the twist, and I was so wrong, so utterly, utterly wrong. Speaking as someone who is currently writing their second fantasy murder mystery, I genuinely do not know how she did this. She must have given over most of her abode to post-it notes and paper string, either that or she’s a genius. At this point, I’m tending towards the latter.

You have one task in January. Read this book. It may well turn out to be 2024’s landmark fantasy.

The 12 heirs to the 12 provinces are on board a ship, completing a 12 day pilgrimage before they take up the mantle of leadership back in their respective homes. But on the first night, one of them winds up dead. And only one of the remaining 11 couple possibly have committed the murder.

This is a brilliantly twisty mystery with a fantastically original magic system. I loved the fantasy element, but the murders were the most gripping part of this book. A really strong book that I couldn't put down!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

With Voyage of the Damned, White has created something that will stick in my mind for a long while to come. This is a fantastically written, captivating fantasy murder mystery with a protagonist that chiselled a place for himself within my heart.

I was fascinated by the world-building here, with the different provinces and their own Blessings. This was such a fascinating and rich mythology, matching with the personal characteristics of many of the characters. The whole concept behind the Blessings is also so interesting and weaves into wider conversations around identity, power and colonialism in the book.

The mystery aspect of the book was also fantastic. This feels like a three-dimensional game of chess with layer after layer of secrets and deception going on. It is a locked room style mystery on a boat travelling onwards, even as the bodies start to pile up. White packs these pages densely with twists and betrayals and reveals that leave you reeling. At the same time, this is also a deeply detailed character study of Ganymedes and his discovery of his own place in the world. His voice was hilarious, charming and bombastic, but also showed a scared and vulnerable person always cast aside and mistreated. I laughed with him and I followed him into the darkness, one so recognisable to so many queer people.

This has such a fantastic core plot about being proud of yourself, learning to love yourself and come into your own power - however that may look. It is dark and goes to some difficult places, so please be aware of trigger warnings before reading. However, it is a story of self-acceptance and joy amidst the bloodshed and death. There is light and there is love here despite it all. In fact, the romantic subplot was brilliant, with some gradual building chemistry and cracking dialogue. I also really want to highlight the theme of found family and Ganymedes’ relationship with Grasshopper was one of the highlights of the book for me.

In short, Voyage of the Damned was the queer Death on the Nile esque fantasy murder mystery I needed in my life.

Without a doubt one of the best books I've read in the last year!
Dee is an everyman hero - a little overweight, a tendency to rile people up the wrong way, constantly feeling unworthy, and left behind. Despite that, despite some depressive episodes, despite betrayal by the man he loves, he is kind - offering a friendly hand to people who are struggling, trying to see the good, and offering protection where it's needed. One of my favourite heroes, and with an absolutely stellar sense of humour.
Part murder mystery, part fantasy, part coming of age story...with a lil dash of romance...Voyage of the Damned is definitely one of.my recommendations for 2024.

{AD|GIFTED} Gay murder mystery cruise with magic (and dragon butlers)!

I was lucky to receive an eARC of this book and decided to read it based on it being a potential pick for a couple of book boxes. I wasn't sure what to expect from the cover - maybe a historical fiction mystery like The Devil and the Dark Water? Having read the book, the fish cover fits much better but it doesn't tell the reader a lot going in.

This is a bold, exuberant story with big characters, a locked-room murder mystery, queer rep, and romance. But it's underpinned by an unforgettably incredible main character, Dee. Compared to the other Blessed who have inherited magical gifts, Dee is rather ordinary. And yet, it's his ordinariness that makes him extraordinary. Filled with self-loathing, Dee masks his true feelings with outrageous humour, mockery, and deflection. His search for identity and acceptance mimics the ship's literal journey, and I couldn't have wished for a better ending for him.

As the Blessed are murdered one by one, I was beginning to suspect almost every character. The twists of the plot are intricately plotted and I was gripped from beginning to end. I guessed one plot twist but that was it and I didn't get as far as working out how it happened so it barely counts.

The friendship between Dee and six-year-old Grasshopper was my favourite element of the story as it was so sweet. Which worked even better when Grasshopper kept spouting hair-raising opinions that terrified others. The romances between Dee and Ravi and Dee and Wyatt are both beautiful. I was heavily invested in both as I just wanted Dee to be loved and valued for everything he is.

I look forward to re-reading this one and appreciating it even more since I raced through it towards the end.

This was such fun. It was a real rollercoaster keeping me guessing right to the end. A really entertaining book.

I'm not usually into murder mysteries, but with the added fantasy vibe I was keen to give this one a try.
Very much enjoyed this book! Would read from this author again for sure!

Voyage of the Damned is a book that started so well. Or, rather, reasonably well. Enjoyably enough well. And then it went rapidly downhill.

When it was going well, it felt a kind of lighthearted mystery (albeit with a fair amount of gruesome murder). The main character is, in the nicest way (also known as I’m failing to find the words I want), a bit of a loser, but sympathetic enough for it. He has no friends, he’s keeping a secret (that he’s not actually the heir to his father), and all he wants is to be released from all responsibilities. Instead, he finds himself on a murder cruise, where every one of the other heirs seems to be dying. Including his ex-best friend.

Like I said, it was all going fine for about the first quarter. But then the middle section was, to be blunt, so fucking boring. There was a lot of repetitiveness. People kept dying, the investigation wasn’t going anywhere, the main character felt like he was being needlessly self-pitying for a lot of it (this was, it has to be said, where my sympathy and patience suddenly ran out). There was no tension and no drive to it and, really, it felt like the only way this would be solved would be because no one would be left alive except the murderers.

In fact, the only way anything came out at all was the stupidest deus ex machina-esque twist that I have read in my entire life. In the interests of not spoiling anything however, I’m going to take this at a different angle. I think the underlying issue here was a failure in worldbuilding. It was weak and generic and that meant that the twist when it came felt less something that made sense within the worldbuilding and more a “oh this can happen now” twist. It’s not clear how these “blessings” (that give heirs to regions a specific magic power, but manifests uniquely to them) really work. There’s no apparent limit on the level of power they could have. Which, I think, is where the nature of my problem with the twist lies. A fantasy magic system where there are no checks on the power just leads to stuff like this. Really the fantasy elements in this book only seem to be there as a way for the characters to deus ex machina their way out of a hole. The investigation is going nowhere. The main character is in no way capable of solving the murder himself, even with the friends he has. In fact, he basically doesn’t solve the murder! It solves itself for him!

The more I read of this book, the more frustrated I got. I had this theory from the start of the who and why, but that was blown out of the water pretty quickly. I do think, though, that it was a better mystery plot than whatever the hell this was. It’s not like this couldn’t have been done well, but here, it absolutely wasn’t done well. And the second aspect of the twist? Just as frustrating as the rest of it! All of it coming down to just how poor the worldbuilding was. And also, it has to be said, how little interest I had in any of the relationships the main character had.

I mean, I had little interest in any of the characters full stop. They were one-note, completely flat and uncompelling. If, on occasion, they showed a little bit of personality or interestingness, it soon disappeared, swamped by the main character’s mediocrity. If the characters had been remotely intriguing, then perhaps I wouldn’t have minded the lack of worldbuilding effort (after all, this is a character-driven story for the most part), but alas. They were as bland as the rest of it.

So, in conclusion, I have to ask exactly why the comparisons to Murder on the Orient Express (besides the obvious, murder cruise/murder train ride) because, oh boy, Agatha Christie this is not.

Five Stars!
Did I have any idea who the murderer was? No. Did I suspect everyone, including the 6 year old child? Yes. Did it go the way I expected it to? Also no.
This is a tightly plotted, intricate and intriguing novel that not only is huge amounts of fun, but also tackles some very important questions around wealth, class and status, and the pervasive, poisonous idea of worth being decided by birth.
It's also absurd in the very best way, with puns galore and a point of view protagonist with Opinions. Also - bunnerflies...
If you like you fantasy mixed with mystery, your magic mixed with class warfare, and your jokes terrible but adorable, this is the book for you.

We need more fantasy murder mysteries. This one was great and wasn’t just And then there were none, which I am always on the look out for when publishers put “like Agatha Christie” in the description (seriously it happens a lot). Also it is a diverse murder mystery so A+

I really enjoyed this book. It has really feisty, vivid, unique characters who all feel really well developed and chaotic af. Ganymedes is just an idiot (said in the most loving way possible), a chaotic bisexual, and kind, which I really needed.

The mystery was unique and kept me hooked. I did made some correct guessed (logged with my best friend as per usual), but they were executed in uniquely different ways than I thought which left me laughing and happily intrigued. Well worth the read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Think Death on the Nile but make it magical.

I adored this book MUCH more than I thought I would going into it! Our MC's humour, sass and character just took this book to the next level. I mean how can you not root for the funny, queer and sarcastic underdog? Voyage of the Damned is filled with murder and mystery but also found family, loyalty, identity and humour this book brought me immense joy, whilst stressing me the HELL OUT. I mean I was constantly worried for this cast of characters!

Voyage of the Damned is a whodunnit but make it magical. Because if there's one thing more difficult than figuring out a who dunnit its when all the suspects have magical but unknown magical blessings! The twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat, whilst Dee and the found family he has drawn to his side will make you smile.

An excellent take on the detective story, with a great cross-genre debut. Part ‘And Then There We’re None’, part fantasy epic, part star crossed love story. Loved it.

This was a passionately endearing story that was filled with all sorts of emotion. I recommend this for fans of both genres!

I am not typically a fantasy reader but I was hooked by this pitch as being Agatha Christie adjacent! This was such a fun ride and I can't wait to read the next in the series. More murder mystery fantasy, please!

Death on the Nile meets fantasy and a smug, bastard, funny queer underdog protagonist you can’t help but root for.

The twelve heirs of the providence’s board the Dragon's Dawn ship to travel to the mountain where the Blessing was first bestowed, to give thanks to the Goddess, united once more.

Each blessed is graced with a unique and secret magical ability known as a Blessing. Except Ganymedes, ‘Dee’, a bastard who is forced to lie to everyone about his absent Blessing by his father.
Aboard, the beloved heir is murdered and everyone is a suspect as the murderer strikes again and again.

This is such a fun story filled with immature jokes, found family, longing, queerness, identity, class, loyalty, and discrimination.

Dee is a master of puns and also seems to draw the lost, abandoned souls to him (think Six of Crows). This includes a sickly boy and a six-year old hyper girl.

’We're a package deal.’
‘We're a swarm!' Grasshopper leaps in place.
‘I guess I have a way of picking up strays,’ I say with a meaningful look.

This is a locked door Murder mystery with magic, complicated families, and an empire set to falling apart with rising tensions and a ‘Bandage’ border set to be overrun.
It deals with topics of castes, expectations, disabilities, and prejudices.

Loyalty also meant hate. Indiscriminate, unquestioning hate.

And THAT TWIST? I thought I knew what was coming and thought I’d be kinda disappointed, but whilst I predicted some things, there was something that totally took me by surprise happened and I was like WOAH.

The perfect blend between light-hearted moments and hard-hitting character insights.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for providing an arc in exchange for a review!

I was surprised with how much I loved Voyage of the Damned!
It was an absolute delight to read and I really liked the writing style.

The book also had some great characters! I especially loved Dee as I thought he was a lot of fun and quite sarcastic. I really found him quite relatable.
I was also a big fan of how unique Voyage of the Damned was as I've never read a book that was both a murder mystery and a fantasy.

I definitely highly recommend you check out this book as you won't be dissapointed!
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.