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jennderqueer's review against another edition
5.0
A locked-room mystery on a magic ship with 12 angry noble scions who mostly hate each other. Hilarious and twisty-turny. I was absolutely wrong about who the murderer was.
daredeviling's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book has a beautiful cover, but they say not to judge a book by its cover, and that definitely applies here, because the book itself was sort of shit. I agree with everyone who has said that this book reads more YA than adult fantasy. The characters are mostly supposed to be young adults, but I literally imagined all of them as teenagers because that was how every single one of them acted. And not even well-written teenagers, tbh - because none of the writing in this novel could be considered good. Readable, but it was definitely not great prose.
The main character was annoying as shit and I just could not root for him because he thought he was funny, but I just found him to be an annoying and obnoxious asshole with the humor of a teenage boy. The child character (who was supposed to be 6) talked like no 6 year old that I've ever met, and I literally could not stand her. Lowkey wanted the murderer to off her so that I wouldn't have to read about her anymore. The rest of the characters read like a laundry list of DEI checkboxes that the author went through to make sure that she got inclusive points without doing the work. Disabled character? Check. Asexual, non-binary character? Check. Asian character? Check. Oh, and they all have different colored hair to distinguish which province they come from. What the anime/manga shit is this?
That's a nope from me.
The worldbuilding was incredibly weak as well. There were a lot of holes in the world which I will not reiterate here, and the whole thing felt like a blatant ripoff of the worldbuilding in The Hunger Games (12 districts = 12 provinces, and the child character was very Rue coded, but way dumber and more annoying, imo). The power system didn't really make a lot of sense and just seemed really surface level and...dumb, to be honest. And we know very little of the world at large, which feels like it is important in a supposedly "adult" fantasy novel. Even many YA fantasy novels have richer worldbuilding than this book did. And there was so much info dumping. Has this author ever heard of "show don't tell"? Because it doesn't seem like it.
As far as the mystery itself, it was fine, but that's about all I can say for it. Fine. This book as marketed as akin to Agatha Christie, but I've read her books, and that is just a blatant lie. I'm not sure who read this book and thought, "Ah yes, just like one of the greatest mystery writers who ever lived." That person needs to reread some Agatha Christie novels. As with the worldbuilding, everything was solved via the villain monologuing in the end. The main character spent more time moping around and stressing about his romantic life than solving the crime, honestly.
Don't even get me started on the romance, but I don't really care about romance generally, so I won't really get into it. (But basically it felt like the superficial nature of teenagers falling in love and at no point was I invested or did I care about any single part of it.)
I gave it 2.5 stars because I at least was interested enough to find out what happens in the end I GUESS. But I doubt I will be reading this author again.
The main character was annoying as shit and I just could not root for him because he thought he was funny, but I just found him to be an annoying and obnoxious asshole with the humor of a teenage boy. The child character (who was supposed to be 6) talked like no 6 year old that I've ever met, and I literally could not stand her. Lowkey wanted the murderer to off her so that I wouldn't have to read about her anymore. The rest of the characters read like a laundry list of DEI checkboxes that the author went through to make sure that she got inclusive points without doing the work. Disabled character? Check. Asexual, non-binary character? Check. Asian character? Check. Oh, and they all have different colored hair to distinguish which province they come from. What the anime/manga shit is this?
That's a nope from me.
The worldbuilding was incredibly weak as well. There were a lot of holes in the world which I will not reiterate here, and the whole thing felt like a blatant ripoff of the worldbuilding in The Hunger Games (12 districts = 12 provinces, and the child character was very Rue coded, but way dumber and more annoying, imo). The power system didn't really make a lot of sense and just seemed really surface level and...dumb, to be honest. And we know very little of the world at large, which feels like it is important in a supposedly "adult" fantasy novel. Even many YA fantasy novels have richer worldbuilding than this book did. And there was so much info dumping. Has this author ever heard of "show don't tell"? Because it doesn't seem like it.
As far as the mystery itself, it was fine, but that's about all I can say for it. Fine. This book as marketed as akin to Agatha Christie, but I've read her books, and that is just a blatant lie. I'm not sure who read this book and thought, "Ah yes, just like one of the greatest mystery writers who ever lived." That person needs to reread some Agatha Christie novels. As with the worldbuilding, everything was solved via the villain monologuing in the end. The main character spent more time moping around and stressing about his romantic life than solving the crime, honestly.
Don't even get me started on the romance, but I don't really care about romance generally, so I won't really get into it. (But basically it felt like the superficial nature of teenagers falling in love and at no point was I invested or did I care about any single part of it.)
I gave it 2.5 stars because I at least was interested enough to find out what happens in the end I GUESS. But I doubt I will be reading this author again.
amyregina's review against another edition
4.0
3 .5 (rounded up) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much to Penguin Randomhouse and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.
I really liked the whodunnit aspect of this book, something different for fantasy at the moment and the world building and magic system was quite unique as well.
I think the build up was better than the conclusion for me, the last part of the book wasn’t as engaging or exciting.
Thank you so much to Penguin Randomhouse and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.
I really liked the whodunnit aspect of this book, something different for fantasy at the moment and the world building and magic system was quite unique as well.
I think the build up was better than the conclusion for me, the last part of the book wasn’t as engaging or exciting.
kennedyisreading's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
A solid 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
I had such a fun time with Voyage of the Damned. I immediately felt I could relate to Ganymedes (aka Dee) with his feelings of not fitting in, being the odd one out, and having to lie to everyone about this magical power he was supposed to have (masking, anyone?)
Dee’s growth throughout the book was, in my opinion (and without giving away any spoilers) *chefs kiss.* I love watching a main character prove everyone absolutely wrong for their assumptions and prejudices.
I also super enjoyed the cross between fantasy and murder mystery. As someone who almost exclusively reads fantasy, it was a fun way to try something a little new.
A solid 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
I had such a fun time with Voyage of the Damned. I immediately felt I could relate to Ganymedes (aka Dee) with his feelings of not fitting in, being the odd one out, and having to lie to everyone about this magical power he was supposed to have (masking, anyone?)
Dee’s growth throughout the book was, in my opinion (and without giving away any spoilers) *chefs kiss.* I love watching a main character prove everyone absolutely wrong for their assumptions and prejudices.
I also super enjoyed the cross between fantasy and murder mystery. As someone who almost exclusively reads fantasy, it was a fun way to try something a little new.
hobackbookclub's review against another edition
3.0
I have.... so many thoughts about this book. First, this was advertised as an adult fantasy?!?! ADULT? It read VERY very YA. And that's not necessarily a bad thing! It was just so.. unserious, even though there were serious themes throughout, it was far from adult.
Next, it has nothing really to do with the book at all but I was annoyed that so many people were rating this book poorly because of the narrative tone being humorous and not at all serious. Personally, at the start, I found that really refreshing. Especially because most of these other readers are totally down to read Brandon Sanderson describe in detail that the king is shitting corn down the latrine, but they freak out when White's narrator mentions poutine and hot dogs. Like that's the extent of your suspension of disbelief.
Anywayyyy. With that being said I have my own issues with this book that are totally valid.
First, if this book was everything BUT the romantic storyline, I would have likely given it 5 stars. I have yet to read a queer love story that isn't written like a middle school romance. If anyone has any that aren't so infantile... I'll take recs.
I don't know.. I also just had a hard time relating to the main character because of how much he literally LOATHED himself. I understand self-loathing can play an important part in a character arc but it got really, really, really old and then ALL THE SUDDEN at the end, he's confident enough to literally change the world within about 2 paragraphs. Speaking of not being able to relate though, has this author never heard a 6 year old speak? She writes this 6 year old girl as if she's a feral toddler banging her fists on doors and using like 2 word sentences ("Gimme sweets!"). She could have been such a useful character had she actually behaved like a 6 year old.
and one last thing but this is like.. a semi-spoiler so DON'T READ PAST HERE IF YOU CARE:
But this whole time Dee's personality has been that he doesn't have a gift. And then all in the span of a couple paragraphs, he gets his gift of breathing under water?! And he's like all the sudden like "oh I was scared of water but also didn't care if I died by drowning but now I ~*care*~ so I got my blessing" and then it is literally mentioned once more and never again. In my opinion it's the most pointless blessing he could have gotten because what would he do with it? Swim under water and ask the fish to come out nicely? Also, it would have been WAY better had he not gotten his own blessing! He would have learned that he's fine the way he is which is what his BF was trying to tell him this whole time. So frustrating.
Even though I think this book could have benefitted from being like 100 pages shorter, I am happy that it's not a series (I don't think anyway) because the ending was nice and fluffy. I wanted to like it more.. it's just hard to enjoy when you don't like any of the characters.
Next, it has nothing really to do with the book at all but I was annoyed that so many people were rating this book poorly because of the narrative tone being humorous and not at all serious. Personally, at the start, I found that really refreshing. Especially because most of these other readers are totally down to read Brandon Sanderson describe in detail that the king is shitting corn down the latrine, but they freak out when White's narrator mentions poutine and hot dogs. Like that's the extent of your suspension of disbelief.
Anywayyyy. With that being said I have my own issues with this book that are totally valid.
First, if this book was everything BUT the romantic storyline, I would have likely given it 5 stars. I have yet to read a queer love story that isn't written like a middle school romance. If anyone has any that aren't so infantile... I'll take recs.
I don't know.. I also just had a hard time relating to the main character because of how much he literally LOATHED himself. I understand self-loathing can play an important part in a character arc but it got really, really, really old and then ALL THE SUDDEN at the end, he's confident enough to literally change the world within about 2 paragraphs. Speaking of not being able to relate though, has this author never heard a 6 year old speak? She writes this 6 year old girl as if she's a feral toddler banging her fists on doors and using like 2 word sentences ("Gimme sweets!"). She could have been such a useful character had she actually behaved like a 6 year old.
and one last thing but this is like.. a semi-spoiler so DON'T READ PAST HERE IF YOU CARE:
But this whole time Dee's personality has been that he doesn't have a gift. And then all in the span of a couple paragraphs, he gets his gift of breathing under water?! And he's like all the sudden like "oh I was scared of water but also didn't care if I died by drowning but now I ~*care*~ so I got my blessing" and then it is literally mentioned once more and never again. In my opinion it's the most pointless blessing he could have gotten because what would he do with it? Swim under water and ask the fish to come out nicely? Also, it would have been WAY better had he not gotten his own blessing! He would have learned that he's fine the way he is which is what his BF was trying to tell him this whole time. So frustrating.
Even though I think this book could have benefitted from being like 100 pages shorter, I am happy that it's not a series (I don't think anyway) because the ending was nice and fluffy. I wanted to like it more.. it's just hard to enjoy when you don't like any of the characters.
rammyvet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed this book, an absolute delight. It combined self deprecating humour, well thought out and iconic characters, and a fantasy murder mystery all together. I did not have the highest of expectations which may have helped but I devoured this book and enjoyed it immensely. Would highly recommend.
pagewanderer_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was such a fun time!! I ate this up. Dee was the perfect flawed/unreliable narrator and if you like dry, self deprecating humor, you will love him. There were quite a few twists that I did not expect and the ending was tied up in a nice neat bow, but honestly I would read more of this world if they write a sequel!
peregrine's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was very stupid in many ways, but I had a fun time reading it and that trumps all else. I liveblogged it to the group chat so we could tear apart the nonsensical worldbuilding and character motivations and that added a full star to the experience, highly recommend. The other thing that enhanced my enjoyment was pretending that none of the characters were older than about 18 and that it was intentionally written as a YA; their behavior was pretty plausible that way, whereas I couldn't buy any of these people as full grown adults.
Nathan Foad was unironically a really good narrator though! This seems to be the first audiobook he's done and I hope he does more in the future.
Nathan Foad was unironically a really good narrator though! This seems to be the first audiobook he's done and I hope he does more in the future.
lalala123987's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kanncarlson's review against another edition
4.0
If a fantasy and a locked-room murder mystery had a baby that would be this book. I listened to the audio and I would recommend it with some caveats. The narration was great and I think added a lot to the story. However, there were SO many characters and the world was complex enough that I wished many times throughout the book that I had a character list and a map. I am going to take a look at a physical copy to see if that's included. If so, a combo of audio and visual reading might be the way to go. This book was funny. Mostly. However, the main character is trying to make a nuisance of himself and sometimes it made him a nuisance to be as well. It was just like a class clown that just doesn't know when to stop sometimes and also really dislikes themself. I liked the messaging in the book around caring for those who don't have as much power as you. There were some parts of the book that dragged a little for me but I think that was mostly when I was feeling confused about who was who and what their significant traits were. I liked the way things wrapped up in the end. I also thought the last sentence was pretty great. I wish I could talk to Frances White and ask some questions about that. If you want some more details about what this book is actually about...
The story is told in a land that is divided into 12 provinces each represented by an animal from folklore and, of course, there is a hierarchy based on the animal's role in the land's origin story as well as the province's power and money. Dragon is at the top and fish is at the bottom. Each province has a scion that is granted a power from The Goddess. These gifts are highly prized and guarded and "the blessed" are involved in rituals etc... throughout the provinces. Of course, the higher ranks get more opportunity and are more lauded than the lower provinces. The 12 Blessed are embarking on a ceremonial journey on a boat all together for 12 days. This boat is reserved for them and magical servers all powered by The Emperor. The story is told from the perspective of the Blessed from Fish Province. However, this guy. Oh man. He is a lot. He doesn't feel like anyone takes him seriously at all so he doesn't take himself seriously either. For a variety of reasons, he doesn't feel valid in his position and wants desperately to get out of it. He thinks the best way to do this is be as infuriating and annoying to the other Blessed as possible in hopes they will essentially kick him out. He starts his antics but, soon into the voyage, there is a significant death. Odd things and more murders start happening from there. Fish teams up with Grasshopper and they work together to solve the murders. It really did feel like a murder mystery but with magic. I would recommend giving this one a read if any of this sounded appealing to you.
The story is told in a land that is divided into 12 provinces each represented by an animal from folklore and, of course, there is a hierarchy based on the animal's role in the land's origin story as well as the province's power and money. Dragon is at the top and fish is at the bottom. Each province has a scion that is granted a power from The Goddess. These gifts are highly prized and guarded and "the blessed" are involved in rituals etc... throughout the provinces. Of course, the higher ranks get more opportunity and are more lauded than the lower provinces. The 12 Blessed are embarking on a ceremonial journey on a boat all together for 12 days. This boat is reserved for them and magical servers all powered by The Emperor. The story is told from the perspective of the Blessed from Fish Province. However, this guy. Oh man. He is a lot. He doesn't feel like anyone takes him seriously at all so he doesn't take himself seriously either. For a variety of reasons, he doesn't feel valid in his position and wants desperately to get out of it. He thinks the best way to do this is be as infuriating and annoying to the other Blessed as possible in hopes they will essentially kick him out. He starts his antics but, soon into the voyage, there is a significant death. Odd things and more murders start happening from there. Fish teams up with Grasshopper and they work together to solve the murders. It really did feel like a murder mystery but with magic. I would recommend giving this one a read if any of this sounded appealing to you.