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rainbowbrarian 's review for:
Voyage of the Damned
by Frances White
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to @Netgalley and @htpbooks for giving me the eARC for this US release.
When I saw this on Netgalley marketed as a queer murder mystery set on a fantasy cruise ship, I was hooked. This is a political fantasy story with a queer romance woven through it. To mark a thousand years of ‘peace’ the country of Concordia launches a 12 day ocean pilgrimage to a mountain shrine. Aboard are the 12 Blessed, people with a special magical blessing who lead their provinces. But when Blessed suddenly start turning up murdered, Dee Piscero, of the much maligned and totally disrespected Fish clan, makes it his mission to figure shit out.
And Dee was awesome. Dee is hilariously snarky and even though he doesn’t think he’s smart or worthy, he actually IS. It’s a great journey through the story as we see him start to step into his own power and confidence. He’s a plus size love interest and his size is only ever shown as a positive. He knows he’s sexy as hell and his body is part of his appeal.
I could not have predicted how this mystery would turn out. Every time I thought I had a clue something would come along and smash my theories. It was delightful. Great dialog and banter and I loved the setting of the story aboard a fantasy cruise ship with tiny dragon stewards!
Read This If You - like a good murder mystery, like queer folks upsetting the status quo, have ever wanted to give the finger to corrupt authorities, have ever given your heart to a sad lost boy inside a cave while sharing your secrets. Or just want to read the story of the boy who did.
When I saw this on Netgalley marketed as a queer murder mystery set on a fantasy cruise ship, I was hooked. This is a political fantasy story with a queer romance woven through it. To mark a thousand years of ‘peace’ the country of Concordia launches a 12 day ocean pilgrimage to a mountain shrine. Aboard are the 12 Blessed, people with a special magical blessing who lead their provinces. But when Blessed suddenly start turning up murdered, Dee Piscero, of the much maligned and totally disrespected Fish clan, makes it his mission to figure shit out.
And Dee was awesome. Dee is hilariously snarky and even though he doesn’t think he’s smart or worthy, he actually IS. It’s a great journey through the story as we see him start to step into his own power and confidence. He’s a plus size love interest and his size is only ever shown as a positive. He knows he’s sexy as hell and his body is part of his appeal.
I could not have predicted how this mystery would turn out. Every time I thought I had a clue something would come along and smash my theories. It was delightful. Great dialog and banter and I loved the setting of the story aboard a fantasy cruise ship with tiny dragon stewards!
Read This If You - like a good murder mystery, like queer folks upsetting the status quo, have ever wanted to give the finger to corrupt authorities, have ever given your heart to a sad lost boy inside a cave while sharing your secrets. Or just want to read the story of the boy who did.