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evarinya's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
2.75
Somehow the most interesting premise managed to end up getting worse chapter by chapter... Similar to the MC, I'm afraid.
I liked trying to figure out the mystery, but then when it was resolved it felt like there was no way a reader (or, well, me) could have actually figured out what happened with the information that was given.
Also there were some really contrived bits I strongly disliked.
At least some scenes were cute and/or funny, though.Grasshopper is actually so cute/funny!
It was cool to see that there was a bunch of diversity throughout the book, but [heavy spoilers]that every genderqueer person died at the end left a really stale taste for me. I mean, great, the woman liking women and two of the gay/bi men survived, but the trans man as well as the nonbinary person died in the stupidest ways (imho)
I liked trying to figure out the mystery, but then when it was resolved it felt like there was no way a reader (or, well, me) could have actually figured out what happened with the information that was given.
Also there were some really contrived bits I strongly disliked.
At least some scenes were cute and/or funny, though.
It was cool to see that there was a bunch of diversity throughout the book, but [heavy spoilers]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and War
amyvbxx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide, Violence, and Death of parent
tinytrashqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
kiwij96's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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
The leaders of the country's 12 provinces find themselves on a murder cruise. I mean, what isn't to love about that idea? Characters with their own strong beliefs and concerns, and heavy on the distrust.
100% check your trigger warnings for this one. However, there is so much to love about this story. It is well-paced and the perfect length for the story to be told. Nothing felt wasted or out of place in terms of the pacing,however, I didn't super love the fade to black at the end of the last chapter. That felt really out of place for me.</spoiler
100% check your trigger warnings for this one. However, there is so much to love about this story. It is well-paced and the perfect length for the story to be told. Nothing felt wasted or out of place in terms of the pacing,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, and Mental illness
Minor: Ableism, Drug use, and Sexual content
lilacverses's review against another edition
dark
funny
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? It's complicated
2.5
I would like to preface this review with (1) my great disappointment that I did not enjoy this book and (2) that my own name is Cordelia, and that will become relevant shortly.
This book should be commended for its bold and wide diversity. Truly imaginative and colorful, this book is perhaps the most inclusive in its characters that I’ve read in a while if ever. However, this book also made me think on at least one occasion how important it is that marginalised perspectives be written by the marginalised, which gave me complicated feelings, since I do think all authors should consider and employ diversity in storytelling as often as possible.
I hated the main character. I did not find them or their voice funny, which this book really was trying to be. I found it similar to bad sitcom humor.
I hated most of the other characters, mostly because the main character whose whole existence is supposed to foil the eleven others, was just as filled with disdain for them as they were for him. Moments of empathy were only found when the veil of archetype/caricature were briefly lifted, but often almost immediately fell back into place. If you’re going to write an ensemble cast, can I suggest making them people? Perhaps not relying on one-note flags to skip the work of characterising? Especially because I could feel reading how much this book wanted to push for its “everyone matters, everyone is human” sentiments, but time and time again characters crueler actions were brushed off as being motivated by nothing but their lack of qualities aside from cruelty. The book seemed in conflict with itself in that regard.
A great way to have dealt with this would’ve been multiple POV, one for each character, sprinkled through our main POV. I’d have loved to see it, the dramatic irony and consequent tension that could have built, on top of really exercising the reader’s own empathy skills throughout! It would have been delicious!
We shant be discussing the worldbuilding. There isn’t much to speak of, anyway.
Generally, I did not enjoy the plot. This I think is not the fault of the book or author. I hate mysteries in books. I hate the way information is revealed, I hate how so often (while specifics remain unknown) I can call exactly where it’s going. However, there was also a big plot twist that made me want to throw my hands up in the air and toss the book entirely. I wish I could say more but out of respect for the pub date and the future readership, I shall say nothing more than “how fucking convenient.”
Really had a hard time with the prose at times. There was a small handful (I think three) really gorgeous lines, like truly beautiful gems of description. These ultimately made me more frustrated because I could taste however briefly the full potential of the author. Could’ve done with a small handful more! Got it, flaunt it, Frances!!! Mostly, thought the mix of “pain in my backside” washed word choice and “fuck this fuck that fuck you” happening really had me confused and frustrated. Also the sexual humor in a literal locked box murder situation was like … “in front of my salad?” But the salad is a mutilated corpse and the fate of an empire.
Finally, I want to briefly discuss the Cordelia. As a character who is not our main character, she is hated, for various reasons, some valid and some less so. As a person called Cordelia, I cannot hide my bias. I wanted to identify with her. And I did, a little. As a Cordelia who, while brunette, generally also identifies as “skinny” and has been called/likened to a “doll” (as our fictional Cordelia has), I just want to say that villainising a character or generally trying to create a sense of audience dislike for a character shouldn’t mean that character is subject to negative comments about their body. I wanted to think this would be something the main character (who is fat) would understand? Especially as he is subject to body comments throughout the book as well? It was just sort of unfortunate to read a book that was so inclusive and about uplifting others and kindness and empathy and then to have the one female character who is explicitly skinny be called “stick” over and over. Yeah, there are worse things to be called, but I’ve only ever been called “stick” and it’s not a compliment! The opposite actually! There are better words and ways to communicate the size and consequent expectations of ability of someone’s body than words like stick. Which the author demonstrated with other slender male characters who got a more favorable opinion from the MC.
All that said, the book is fine. I don’t think I will recommend it with my personal stamp of approval on it, but it’s still better than Fourth Wing, so if you like goofy fun delightfully queer tales with potentially cringey humor, pick this one up! Please read trigger warnings, though!
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book should be commended for its bold and wide diversity. Truly imaginative and colorful, this book is perhaps the most inclusive in its characters that I’ve read in a while if ever. However, this book also made me think on at least one occasion how important it is that marginalised perspectives be written by the marginalised, which gave me complicated feelings, since I do think all authors should consider and employ diversity in storytelling as often as possible.
I hated the main character. I did not find them or their voice funny, which this book really was trying to be. I found it similar to bad sitcom humor.
I hated most of the other characters, mostly because the main character whose whole existence is supposed to foil the eleven others, was just as filled with disdain for them as they were for him. Moments of empathy were only found when the veil of archetype/caricature were briefly lifted, but often almost immediately fell back into place. If you’re going to write an ensemble cast, can I suggest making them people? Perhaps not relying on one-note flags to skip the work of characterising? Especially because I could feel reading how much this book wanted to push for its “everyone matters, everyone is human” sentiments, but time and time again characters crueler actions were brushed off as being motivated by nothing but their lack of qualities aside from cruelty. The book seemed in conflict with itself in that regard.
A great way to have dealt with this would’ve been multiple POV, one for each character, sprinkled through our main POV. I’d have loved to see it, the dramatic irony and consequent tension that could have built, on top of really exercising the reader’s own empathy skills throughout! It would have been delicious!
We shant be discussing the worldbuilding. There isn’t much to speak of, anyway.
Generally, I did not enjoy the plot. This I think is not the fault of the book or author. I hate mysteries in books. I hate the way information is revealed, I hate how so often (while specifics remain unknown) I can call exactly where it’s going. However, there was also a big plot twist that made me want to throw my hands up in the air and toss the book entirely. I wish I could say more but out of respect for the pub date and the future readership, I shall say nothing more than “how fucking convenient.”
Really had a hard time with the prose at times. There was a small handful (I think three) really gorgeous lines, like truly beautiful gems of description. These ultimately made me more frustrated because I could taste however briefly the full potential of the author. Could’ve done with a small handful more! Got it, flaunt it, Frances!!! Mostly, thought the mix of “pain in my backside” washed word choice and “fuck this fuck that fuck you” happening really had me confused and frustrated. Also the sexual humor in a literal locked box murder situation was like … “in front of my salad?” But the salad is a mutilated corpse and the fate of an empire.
Finally, I want to briefly discuss the Cordelia. As a character who is not our main character, she is hated, for various reasons, some valid and some less so. As a person called Cordelia, I cannot hide my bias. I wanted to identify with her. And I did, a little. As a Cordelia who, while brunette, generally also identifies as “skinny” and has been called/likened to a “doll” (as our fictional Cordelia has), I just want to say that villainising a character or generally trying to create a sense of audience dislike for a character shouldn’t mean that character is subject to negative comments about their body. I wanted to think this would be something the main character (who is fat) would understand? Especially as he is subject to body comments throughout the book as well? It was just sort of unfortunate to read a book that was so inclusive and about uplifting others and kindness and empathy and then to have the one female character who is explicitly skinny be called “stick” over and over. Yeah, there are worse things to be called, but I’ve only ever been called “stick” and it’s not a compliment! The opposite actually! There are better words and ways to communicate the size and consequent expectations of ability of someone’s body than words like stick. Which the author demonstrated with other slender male characters who got a more favorable opinion from the MC.
All that said, the book is fine. I don’t think I will recommend it with my personal stamp of approval on it, but it’s still better than Fourth Wing, so if you like goofy fun delightfully queer tales with potentially cringey humor, pick this one up! Please read trigger warnings, though!
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Grief, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
kylosten's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I was ready to give this 5 stars because it was such a fun read up until an aspect of the ending pertaining to the L.I. that I will put in spoiler tag below.
I thought I was going to be lost at first because of how many characters there were (I struggle with remembering names) but the map and list of characters at the beginning helped a lot! I flipped back to both throughout the story.
I thought the way the author gave pieces to solve the mystery was good. Not telegraphing everything too much, but nothing came out of nowhere, either.
The relaxed writing style and angsty MC had me unsure if I was going to like this but it made this really easy to read and I ended up really enjoying it! The angst made sense for a 22 year old who has grown up with trauma.
If you like movies like Clue or Knives Out you'll probably enjoy the vibes of this (if you're also okay with some fantasy mixed in).
The chapters are on the longer side.
Ending spoiler:
I found it really odd the MC forgave the LI for going along with and being ready to participate in a genocide of all the people the MC cared about. It was pretty much completely disregarded and barely acknowledged.
I almost wish the LI would have died even though it would take away from the HEA.
I thought I was going to be lost at first because of how many characters there were (I struggle with remembering names) but the map and list of characters at the beginning helped a lot! I flipped back to both throughout the story.
I thought the way the author gave pieces to solve the mystery was good. Not telegraphing everything too much, but nothing came out of nowhere, either.
The relaxed writing style and angsty MC had me unsure if I was going to like this but it made this really easy to read and I ended up really enjoying it! The angst made sense for a 22 year old who has grown up with trauma.
If you like movies like Clue or Knives Out you'll probably enjoy the vibes of this (if you're also okay with some fantasy mixed in).
The chapters are on the longer side.
Ending spoiler:
I almost wish the LI would have died even though it would take away from the HEA.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content
emmaggedon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Squealing and kicking my feet at this fantasy murder mystery that had It All!
✅ Magic
✅ A protagonist who just wins you over instantly
✅ Brutal scenes but sparingly
✅ Important messages told well
✅ BUCKETS OF SEXUAL TENSION
Just, WONDERFUL. I haven’t done a “one more chapter, won’t do anything else until the book is finished” in a WHILE!!! More Cross Genre PLEASE I’m FREAKING OUT!! For something that could easily have been YA, I think it works so beautifully as an adult novel, and it does not shy away from being one.
✅ Magic
✅ A protagonist who just wins you over instantly
✅ Brutal scenes but sparingly
✅ Important messages told well
✅ BUCKETS OF SEXUAL TENSION
Just, WONDERFUL. I haven’t done a “one more chapter, won’t do anything else until the book is finished” in a WHILE!!! More Cross Genre PLEASE I’m FREAKING OUT!! For something that could easily have been YA, I think it works so beautifully as an adult novel, and it does not shy away from being one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Sexual content and Abandonment
styxx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
inkysplodge's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Self harm, Xenophobia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, and Death of parent
novel_nibbles's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
I absolutely loved huge hearted, funny, flamboyant , body positive Dee. While the book came to a satisfactory conclusion I would happy read a whole series headed by him.
Like all good mysteries, Voyage of the Damned kept me guessing the perpetrator and speculating on how they’d carried out their crimes.
Like all good mysteries, Voyage of the Damned kept me guessing the perpetrator and speculating on how they’d carried out their crimes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail