Author: Frances White
Rating: ⭐1.5 / 5
Medium: Hardcover
Length: 464 pages
Genre: Fantasy Thriller
Synopsis
For a thousand years, Concordia has maintained peace between its provinces. To mark this incredible feat, the emperor’s ship embarks upon a twelve-day voyage to the sacred Goddess’s Mountain. Aboard are the twelve heirs of the provinces of Concordia, each graced with a unique and secret magical ability known as a Blessing. All except one: Ganymedes—class clown, slacker and all-around disappointment.
When a beloved heir is murdered, everyone is a suspect. Stuck at sea and surrounded by powerful people and without a Blessing to protect him, Ganymedes’ odds of survival are slim. And the bodies keep piling higher…
My Thoughts (Spoiler-Free)
In theory, a murder mystery with fantasy elements should be right up my alley. Plus, we have an underdog story, as the narrator and main character, Ganymedes lacks the blessings his peers share. In theory. In practice, I found it very hard to make it through this book. While it might seem like a generally well-liked book, there were several points where I considered DNFing it and moving on. But my curiosity about the mystery, and to see if it was worth it, kept me going.
I think my biggest issue with the book, that all the other issues stem from, is that it very much reads like a young adult book, maybe even a borderline children’s story, if you take out the swearing and the mildly explicit parts.
The worldbuilding is very simplistic and almost juvenile, dropped on us in giant info-dumps. There are twelve provinces, each named after an animal. And each has one specific purpose, stereotype, geography and climate, with stark divides between even neighboring ones. For example, Fish province is where the beaches are, with people who are nice and generous, living in their little houses, and catch fish for the rest of the empire. Literally right next to it, Ermine province is the cold, harsh tundra, where the people are tough and mistrusting, and hunt mammoths for food. The differences are so sharp, the author might as well have said people from each province all have different hair color. Oh wait, that’s actually how it is. This level of simplicity and excessive detailing is not something I expect from an adult fantasy.
The characters don’t make it much better. Each is a stereotype of their province with a blessing that goes with it. Some are more interesting and complex than others, but we spend most of the time with Ganymedes. People may disagree, but I really disliked his character. His brand of sarcasm and attempts at humor and the overall frat-boy narrative tone were really not my vibe. Like the worldbuilding, he comes off as very juvenile, despite being in his twenties.
I did like some parts of the magic system. Having one “blessed” from each province, with a unique power that’s very personal to them is a good concept. The actual thriller/mystery elements are passable. Some parts are predictable but there are some good tense moments in the book. But overall, it was a rough read.
Spoilers Ahead
There’s barely any actual detective work involved in getting to it. Things unfolded exactly how they would’ve if Ganymedes wasn’t there at all. Anytime he needed information, someone conveniently was around to give it to him in exchange for a favor. Even the realization that it was obviously Leorfic killing off the heirs to the lower provinces he very openly hates only came when he tried to actually kill Ganymedes. Anyone else we could’ve suspected had just died off by then anyway. And then Ravi revealed the rest.
And I’m not even sure where to begin when it comes to Ravi and the ending. The twist was the worst part of the book. Not only did the book never address the conflicted romance elements, and how easily Ganymedes moved on from Ravi to Wyatt, and then right back to Ravi but then we are supposed to sympathize with Ravi? Ravi was going to kill an innocent, sick heir (who conveniently had already died to his sickness before Ravi could slice his throat). He also let the other heirs die. And he was going to let millions other die. All so the popular kids like him slightly more. Disappointing.
Kavi Reads 
Leave a comment