Book Review: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
- Catherine Potter
- Jun 10
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 26
If you're into chaotic queer fantasy, murder on the high seas, and characters with more attitude than sense, then drop what you’re reading and get this book on your bedside stack. Voyage of the Damned is Frances White’s debut, and honestly? It’s a bloody good time.
The story kicks off with a classic set-up: twelve heirs, one luxury boat, and a peacekeeping voyage to a holy mountain. Think The Hunger Games but with fancier robes and way more passive-aggressive banter. Each heir has a magical "Blessing" that basically makes them the Chosen One of their region - all except Ganymedes Piscero. Our main guy. A hot mess in expensive shoes.
Now Ganymedes, or ‘Gany’ if you want to pretend you're friends, didn’t inherit a magical gift like his half-siblings, because, well... his dad got around. Without a Blessing, Gany’s technically useless, but if anyone finds out, his whole province could be wiped off the map. No pressure.
So, he does what any self-respecting, slightly unhinged 20-something would do: he fakes it. His genius plan? Be so annoying, so insufferably chaotic, that the others write him off and boot him from power. Simple, right? Except then someone gets murdered. And then someone else. And now it's less "pleasure cruise" and more "who’s-next" as Gany scrambles to find the killer before someone figures out he’s got less magic than a wet sponge.
This book is campy, clever, and deliciously dramatic. Think Knives Out meets Red, White & Royal Blue with a little bit of Cluedo thrown in for good measure. There’s banter, betrayal, unhinged flirting, a little romance, and a whole lot of dead bodies.
What makes it sing is the tone - Frances White knows exactly what she’s doing. The characters are bold, messy, and absolutely fun to hate (and then accidentally fall in love with). And the mystery? Surprisingly twisty. I changed my suspect three times and was still wrong. Rude.
If you’re into fantasy with flair, queerness without the trauma porn, and stories that don’t take themselves too seriously, until they suddenly rip your heart out, Voyage of the Damned is your next obsession.
Grab a drink, pretend you’re on a luxury vessel (or at least sipping a Bloody Mary at Hugo’s in Manly) while people are silently plots your death, and enjoy the cruise.
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