Frances White's debut is a locked-room mystery on a magical ship full of uncertain alliances, deadly vendettas, and a sassy and flamboyant main protagonist who just might become an unlikely hero and save the kingdom.
To honor Concordia's thousand years of peace between its twelve provinces, the emperor's ship sets out on a voyage to the sacred Goddess's Mountain. The twelve heirs of Concordia are aboard, each with a special magical power (a Blessing).
All except one, that is. Ganymedes Piscero is, as always, a general disappointment: a class clown lacking in magical ability. But he's determined to keep that fact secret.
His lost love is on the ship (with his fiancé), along with many Blessed who detest him--whether because of his lower-status province or his sassy, irreverent, devil-may-care manner.
When a magical heir is killed--and while the passengers scramble to make sense of it, other deaths follow--Ganymedes (rudely nicknamed "Fish" because of the main export in his province) is suspected of foul play. He's innocent, but without magical protections, he is in terrible danger of being picked off next. Can he become the hero he'll need to be to save them all?
Various characters aren't who they seem, sometimes impersonating others, which makes it difficult to identify what's occurring (and requires a lot of retroactive explaination), and the story's tension loses some of its power because it's so prolonged.
But the LGBTQ love is lovely. The friendship between Ganymedes and dark-humored 6-year-old Grasshopper is funny and sweet, and I loved his unexpected-hero emergence and his role as unlikely savior. A multi-phased surprise ending is satisfying.
I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book!
If you're interested in other Bossy reviews of fantasy mysteries I've enjoyed, check out the titles at this link.
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