Voyage of the Damned

"Never heard of this book till Illumicrate sat it on my porch but I read the author's opening and immediately became giddy to start. I just got in a slump after reading an epic harsh fantasy and I didn’t know how much I needed Dee's snide witty banter till he threw it in my face. Bless his heart he is an idiot but in an affectionate way of course lol. This is a locked room, And Then There Were None, Pink Panther murder mystery but the beginning is so hilarious and cheeky that you don't understand how serious the situation is until you are in the thick of it. Still, to be on a ship for 12 days I was pretty sad the sea didn’t come into factor more often. It was just there to be inescapable. And I will say to my detriment that the ending and all the sexual representation were a bit far-fetched. Still, the characters were vibrant and easily distinguishable. And can I just state that I would die for Grasshopper. So to tie up my review the last half of the book went off the rails. Things were too easily explained after the fact. It just wasn't very believable. Also, I enjoyed all the banter but in the end, it felt more YA than adult. All in all, I had a lot of fun with these characters. It was magical, funny, and sometimes sinister. I could not for the life of me figure out the killer. Things just got a little out of hand not that I like neatness it was just too much going on at once to be believed."

"The legends said that before "Concordia" was united, the lands were inhabited by creatures who fell into war with each other, over power and control. Amidst their bloodshed and destruction, their lands had quickly begun to submerge beneath the rising sea water. They would surely drown, right? A collective decision was made to keep the tides at bay, a burden given from the Goddess herself that must be shouldered by all. From one generation to the next, a magical blessing is passed on to the sole heir from each of the twelve Provinces. The traditional voyage upon the "Dragon's Dawn" is scheduled to set sail for the next twelve days to the Goddess's mountain, where it all began. Each day of the voyage is a celebratory feast to represent each Province, starting with the Highest "Dragon Province" to the lowest of the low, the "Fish Province." With "Ganymedes" as the ship's resident class clown with his sense of humor and presence, this party cruise will be entertaining night after night. With a magical ship filled with twelve very diversified groups of individuals, who embrace themselves and their own talents...staying united sounds easy enough, right? Until a murder happens on Day One! So much for a party boat experience, a murder each passing day becomes the trend of this voyage... What happened to unity? Wait a minute, why are they all secretive about their own unique magical blessings, a rather odd taboo topic on a ship filled with only "Blessed." All this hush hush and focus on Provinces' statuses has caused a further division amongst each other... it's no wonder the murderer has literally gotten away with murder! "Goddessdammit!" Will the Ship even make it to the Mountain's shoreline with anyone on board still left alive?!? Francis White has selected "Dee" from "Fish Province" to uncover the true murderer... Can "Detective Dee's Diagram of Deduction" help you follow the evidence and solve this murder mystery in time, or will you too fall victim to deception. "

"This exceeded all my expectations "

"Perfect blend of fantasy and mystery. Plus very VERY gay 💅🏻"

"Absolutely loved the crossover of murder mystery with fantasy. Incredible book, the worst part of it was when it was over."

"White’s debut is a murder mystery/fantasy novel melded together into one – which is pretty much all that really needs to be said in order to convince you to read it, in my opinion; it’s essentially Murder on the Orient Express meets Legends and Lattes, and that’s a one-two punch that simply cannot be outdone. I cannot state enough how much this book lived up to the hype: twelve delightful and expertly written characters aboard an imperial ship as murder – and chaos – breaks loose. Honestly, Dee is one of the best and most relatable characters I’ve read in recent years, and I am an utter simp for his particular brand of charming inanity and adorable anxiety. Cannot wait to add this amazing book to my yearly reread shelf!"