Reviews

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

irreverent_reader's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.75

erinp08's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad 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

4.0

shelves_of_anna's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

Finally a book that could pull me out of my reading slump 😭 I loved every second of this and I couldn’t put it down when I got to the end. I can’t wait to see where else this author goes in their career!! 

megatza's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 Ganymedes Piscero isn't anything he should be. He's heir to a Blessed legacy...but it seems the Blessing passed over him and perhaps went to a bastard half sibling instead. His fsther has sworn him to secrecy, and so he's been lying for 10 years to everyone - including the Emperor - about his ability. Only one other person knows; his best friend (and former lover) Ravi. Now on a voyage with the other Blessed heirs getting ready to take up the mantle of leadership, heir after heir turns up murdered. And Ganymedes needs to figure out who killed the Dragon and Ravi before the murderer gets him too.

Voyage of the Damned has a me-problem. It reads like YA and the fantasy elements felt underdeveloped to me. Plot holes abound, so if you like solving mysteries, this may leave you gasping for air like a fish out of water. That said, for those who like a plot that moves and an incredibly inclusive cast of characters, it could be an easy to digest fantasy for a lot of readers. The worldbuilding is a low lift, and I think it's easy enough for a novice to enjoy and not be confused. I'll always root for more inclusive fantasy writing with queer mcs of all sorts, even when those books are not for me.

Thank you to Harlequin for an eARC for review. Voyage of the Damned is out 8/20. 

cherylg123's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

tnapoliament's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-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

3.5

ebrood's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

emsmeat's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious 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

3.75

Finished last night and have been sitting on my rating. This was probably my book of the year for the first 80%. Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile/Murder on the Orient Express meets Gideon the Ninth (which I hilariously did not like but loved the goofiness in a different setting). There are some of the most beautiful romantic quotes I have ever read in this book, along with a bit of self-acceptance. It's diverse (though there is some discourse about whether this is problematic) and I enjoyed the representation. BUT the main character made a very out of character choice at 80% that heavily impacted the end of the story and seems untrue to the character. And that is super frustrating because it totally tanked what was otherwise a very good book for me. I am landing on a 3.8 due to the ending, but I may change my opinion still. Worth considering but can't necessarily recommend.

rachelfsreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mona_monty's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book. Magical murder mystry is my favourite genre.

I loved how unserious the mc was most of the time but also the grief bubbling out despite the humour.
I noticed some reviews mentioned that they did not like the on the nose humor of the book but that was the best part for me. Every book has a different degree of seriousness and this one is very low on the scale. If you are fine with it then please go for it.