This book was really good! I especially liked Dee and how sarcastic he is. I found myself chuckling because of him several times, he’s quite a deep and complex character and I love that about him. I did genuinely really like this and the writing was great which is a bonus’.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for
an ARC.

The cover and synopsis of this book really drew me in, and it definitely did not disappoint!

I really loved Dee, I thought he was very sarcastic, funny, and relatable! He was so easy to like and helped with the flow of the story.

The other characters in Voyage of the Damned are also very interesting. There are 12 characters involved and throughout the book we are in such close proximity to them — White managed to write them all very cleverly. Each character is unique in every way and it was great to watch them all interact with each other and different scenarios.

There is never an unnecessary or dull moment and the mystery of it all was such a page turner.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for this ARC !

When I saw the cover, then read the synopsis, I knew I wanted to read this book! It checked so many things I like. And I wasn't disappointed!
Dee, the main character, is fun, touching and has a lot going on in his head and in his life. I found him to be a well developed character, rich and interesting to follow as he tries to understand what's going on on the ship. The others characters are interesting too, even if they can seem a bit archetypal at first. But under that layer, they're not, and it's awesome. Grasshoper is my favorite after Dee. There is touch of romance too, present but not overwhelming the rest of the story, which is also a good point ! This romance passes through some hardship and twists, in a nice, surprising way.
The plot is quite simple on the surface. The Blessed of the twelve provinces are reunited on a ship in order to go to an important moutain. Murders start to happen. They have to be solved, and Dee needs to survive. Under that quite simple idea, we have to navigate to politics of the Empire and the relationships between each provinces, suspect everyone (or not) until we can understand what is really going on there. The story has some really nice twists and turns that I didn't see coming (but hoped they would come in a way or another. also, I don't read that many murder mystery, so my deduction skills aren't on point). The author managed to disseminate clues throughout the story, so the reader can pick them up and try to piece them together. I some point I got a piece of the answer to the mystery, but lacked the other. The reveal was nice.
The universe is interesting too, even if it seems a bit archetypal and simple. Each province has an symbolic animal, a type of environment (desert, rainforest, mines...) and give something to the Empire that is more or less unique to them. It didn't bother me because it fitted well with the story and was managed well enough. It's a bit like a video game with different region that contrasts sharply against each other, it has it's charm.
The moral argument through the story (I won't tell them here as not to spoil), are also well managed, present but not overly so. It's balanced and serves the story.
A great experience, that I would gladly reread one day !

Thank you to Francis Whyte and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book the story is set on a ship. 12 blessed rulers to be have to undertake a pilgrimage to the mountains. The main character Dee has a secret everyone on the ship is blessed but he is lying and isn’t blessed. He tries to alienate himself to keep his secret safe but when one of the 12 is dead he investigates the murder meaning he has to get closer to his fellow travellers.
I thought Dee was a brilliant character, he was sarcastic, funny and full of self consciousness. He was so relatable and you couldn’t help liking him. The other characters has differing personalities and we’re well developed. I especially loved the bond with Dee and grasshopper. I felt I understood each character as the book progressed. The story building is really interesting and I hope there is a second book to delve more into this world. I have given this 4 stars only because I guessed the whodunnit halfway through. It was still a page turner but I would have liked more of a shock at the end.

Voyage of the Damned is the debut novel from author Frances White. It is a lgbtqia+, mystery, fantasy standalone story that is scheduled for release on 18th January 2024. A big thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph Publishers for providing me with an early copy of this novel.

Voyage of the Damned follows protagonist Ganymedes Piscero (Dee), heir to the Fish Province, as he's trapped on a twelve-day voyage with the eleven other heirs of the kingdom. But not all is as it seems, everyone has a secret close to their chest - including Dee - and when a beloved heir shows up dead, Dee must fight all his self-doubt to find the murderer before it's too late. White's beautiful world of Concordia simply blends magic gifts, corrupt politics and an incredibly humble hero in a smooth combination of wonder.

I'm going to start this review by talking about the characters in this, as every part of Voyage of the Damned that is so uniquely great, is down to the beautiful protagonist White has created. Dee is a simple boy, with no ego and no aspirations for his life, in fact, he honestly resents it and everything about it. Now, I know a lot of other novels also follow this angle, but the difference with Dee is his lack of self-confidence, worth and motivation. I know that sounds incredibly morbid but White presents Dee in a way that is just stupidly relatable for all of us struggling to understand how to get on with adult life. I know I've definitely experienced every single feeling we see Dee go through and I don't think I've ever read a novel so human to me. Within a few lines, Dee had me giggling and I instantly loved him. I could already tell the kind of person he was and this only grew deeper as the novel progressed.

The other characters in Voyage of the Damned also deserve a huge applause. Writing a novel where 12 characters are in such close proximity the entire time must be so hard, and White just delivered. Each character is unique in their temperaments, motivations, and behaviour, and it's wonderful to see how they all interact and deal with these different types.

There is not a moment in this novel that feels out of place or pointless. The world-building is seamless and logical, making it easy and even fun to learn the ins and outs of these new strange societies. Dee being so blasé and witty in his delivery and the way that important information is delivered piece by piece means that you don't even realise the world-building is happening until it's all just there in your brain. The murder mystery element of the plot is also fantastic, it had me guessing at every turn. I thought I had my suspicions but then I'd get more info and change my mind. The fact that every character also has their own life-changing secrets means you can never quite determine whether you're witnessing something related to the murders or not. It works perfectly to establish that balance of trust and untrustworthy with practically every character you meet.

The pacing of the novel goes hand in hand with the plot but it is just so perfect. There is never an unnecessary moment and yet there is still plenty of time to experience everything. From love to comfort, intrigue to anger and even stress. It's all there just waiting to be delivered in an easy manner and filling you to the brim.

There were so many emotions throughout this novel and I was genuinely shocked by quite a few situations throughout. There is a moment where we get to see some vulnerability of a character, and I was so ready to learn more about them and loving them and then BAM, bad things happen. Also, the simple way love is presented in Voyage of the Damned is beautiful, it is a simplistic but natural progression of getting to know someone and just unintentionally falling, and falling hard. It was just the best warm vibes.

The ending of the novel was a little predictable I must admit, but then what isn't these days? I feel like we all know the protagonist is gonna be important so it's not a surprise when they are. I also found the epilogue a little cheesy but after the drama and the intrigue keeping me on my toes throughout the novel, I'm totally here for a little bit of cheese and resolution. It means I can walk away content and happy, so I can't be mad about it really.

Overall, Voyage of the Damned is not just about the mystery, it's about experiencing that want to live and knowing that everyone deserves a chance to live equally. That moment in life where you can acknowledge that yes, it's shit; yes, you've done wrong; yes, you might not feel worthy but you realise you deserve a life and it's a life deserving of laughter, love and more. And, you not only want that for yourself but for everyone despite what prejudices you have seen since birth. That's what struck me so hard with this book and what I will always carry with me having come away from it.

Anyone looking for a thrilling "who done it" mystery this book is a winner. I would also recommend Voyage of the Damned to people that aren't massive fantasy nerds but want a little bit of magic and a bit of an intro to the genre. I think the novel is better suited to YA and older readers just because of the concepts and the situations we find within the story. I will definitely be recommending this book to many people upon release.

Have you ever wanted the Twelve Districts, but with more anime hair and peppered with humor?

This book started out with a very fun, tongue-in-cheek tone. We meet Ganymedes, aka Dee, a heir no ruler envisages passing their domain to: good-natured but averse to responsibilities, plagued by self-doubt and hiding a secret that makes him unworthy in his own and, he assumes, in everyone else’s eyes. Dee is trying to escape a voyage that is sort of the rite of passage for the next generation of rulers after they all manifest their Blessings. Naturally, he is forced to go despite his best efforts. The voyage will involve (a lot of) murder, romance, self-discovery and a sizable dose of found family - which are all good things, but their execution varies. The things that worked well are, for example, Dee’s voice remains kind and humorous throughout (even if he is a very sentimental person), and the murder plot itself is not that easy to unravel. I can also roll with anime hair and mascots, even though I don’t necessarily understand why every part of Concordia sports landscapes and weather conditions that are so radically different from its neighbors - kind of like those sectors in the Catching Fire arena: you cross the border and boom, it’s a whole new world. I could argue that nature doesn’t work that way, but it’s a fantasy world with superpowers so the argument is moot.

As the book progressed, it started losing momentum for me: first when Dee spent a lot of time in his head. I also definitely didn’t need to learn every heir’s backstory in such amount of detail. But my biggest problem was probably the resolution, which felt rushed for events of such magnitude and contained way too many things I found hard to believe or justify (I have a bullet list of questions, but that would be giving away spoilers, so let me leave it at that).

There are definitely good things and nods to very important ideas in this book, like perpetuated xenophobia and a general discussion of otherness, or the fact that even god-like powers are not enough to remake a world in one day. And in the end, maybe it’s the number of ideas and the scale of each of them that resulted in the story turning out messier and more superficial than I would prefer.

3.5 rounded up to 4. My thanks to #NetGalley for an early copy of #VoyageoftheDamned

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I enjoyed the unique concept of this book, which is a fantasy/mystery whodunnit death cruise. Characters were well developed, especially the main character Dee who has very relatable issues, The politics of all the provinces and other worldbuilding was handled very well. There were lots of twists and turns and the ending was very satisfying. Very impressive for a debut author! Recommended for those that like mystery / fantasy and the found family troupe.

What a fantastical fantasy adventure. This was a great read and one that was not on my radar originally. Unique concept and great execution. I loved reading this one and I highly it.

Voyage of the Damnd was on my most anticipated reads of 2024! Who wouldn't love the sound of 'Agatha Cristie if she wrote fantasy!' What a fantastic tagline.

I did enjoy Voyage of the Damned following Dee on his disaster voyage for 12 days cooped up on a ship with eleven people who cannot stand the sight of him. In this aspect, I think White has written a very similar tale to Gideon the Ninth and both have familiar themes.

I did read Voyage of the Damned in a couple of days and the plot makes it difficult to put down but I found the writing style slightly jarring and I think the characters needed to be a little more fleshed out, especially the side characters. However, our main three, Dee, Wyatt and Grasshopper, were so delightful that by the 50% mark, the writing had faded into the background.

I think for a debut I am very impressed and will be keeping an eye out for more of White's work

A mind-blowing murder mystery on a ship full of magical passengers. If Agatha Christie wrote fantasy, this would be it!

This was a lot of fun, well written with interesting characters, magic and mystery, a little long for my liking but otherwise I had a good time with this

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc