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bookwyrmknits 's review for:
Voyage of the Damned
by Frances White
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My feelings about this book are kinda all over the place. I didn't want to stop reading the book, but I didn't exactly like it. I cared for very few of the characters, but I wanted to know what their secrets were. I liked some parts of the prose and disliked others. I'm glad I read this as a group read-along with discussion questions, though, because that gave me something to focus on other than my annoyance at the main character and meant I never even considered DNFing the book.
THE BAD:
To start with the things I didn't like, I have to start with Dee. I did NOT like him as a character. I started to like him more than at the beginning (where I, along with just about everyone else, hated him) but I never actually liked him. Plus, his sense of humor clashed so very hard with what I think is funny. (Except the surprisingly fun puns he sweet-talked Tendai with.) I got (and didn't like) wannabe Hunger Games vibes from this book between the numbered provinces, the kill-or-be-killed mentality, and the Grasshopper / Rue similarities. I also didn't like the resolution to the mystery, but won't go into why due to spoilers.
Oh, and side note: I don't care that the main character is supposedly 22, this does not read like an adult book. I might class it as New Adult instead of YA, but it really doesn't feel like a book aimed at adults to me. Everyone acts too childish for that (and only the 6-year-old gets a pass on acting childish).
THE SO-SO:
I was interested in how / why each province had a "look" to it, so that you could tell who was from where by looking at them. The realm didn't look that obviously separated in all places (with some exceptions), so I wonder why the people were so drastically different. I also was really interested in the Crabs and what's happening on their side of the border, but since this isn't that story I didn't get any of the answers that I wanted.
THE GOOD:
And let's close with the things I actually liked about this book: some of the side characters were great. I really liked Shinjiro from the start and came to really like Tendai and Newgüi. I liked the worldbuilding concept with the different provinces having their own Blessed and each with their own power. Not enough on the "I liked it" side for me to say I liked the book, but at least I had fun with my overall reading experience.
THE BAD:
To start with the things I didn't like, I have to start with Dee. I did NOT like him as a character. I started to like him more than at the beginning (where I, along with just about everyone else, hated him) but I never actually liked him. Plus, his sense of humor clashed so very hard with what I think is funny. (Except the surprisingly fun puns he sweet-talked Tendai with.) I got (and didn't like) wannabe Hunger Games vibes from this book between the numbered provinces, the kill-or-be-killed mentality, and the Grasshopper / Rue similarities. I also didn't like the resolution to the mystery, but won't go into why due to spoilers.
Oh, and side note: I don't care that the main character is supposedly 22, this does not read like an adult book. I might class it as New Adult instead of YA, but it really doesn't feel like a book aimed at adults to me. Everyone acts too childish for that (and only the 6-year-old gets a pass on acting childish).
THE SO-SO:
I was interested in how / why each province had a "look" to it, so that you could tell who was from where by looking at them. The realm didn't look that obviously separated in all places (with some exceptions), so I wonder why the people were so drastically different. I also was really interested in the Crabs and what's happening on their side of the border, but since this isn't that story I didn't get any of the answers that I wanted.
THE GOOD:
And let's close with the things I actually liked about this book: some of the side characters were great. I really liked Shinjiro from the start and came to really like Tendai and Newgüi. I liked the worldbuilding concept with the different provinces having their own Blessed and each with their own power. Not enough on the "I liked it" side for me to say I liked the book, but at least I had fun with my overall reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt
Minor: Self harm, Sexual content, Death of parent
CW note: the self-harm is due to circumstances other than depression (almost more of a truth-or-dare thing) but it still happens.