I wish I could say this is the first audiobook I’ve acquired solely because the narrator is an actor from Our Flag Means Death, but that would be lying.

Anyway, in Voyage of the Damned by Frances White, Ganymedes Piscero is resigned to a terrible few days: as the heir of Fish Province, he must go on a traditional journey with the other provinces’ heirs to the Goddess’s Mountain. The problem, however, is the fact that unlike the rest of the heirs, Ganymedes has never received a Blessing, the magical ability inherited by one heir each generation. Well, and the other problem of the fact that no one likes him. And the other problem of heir starting to drop dead under mysterious circumstances. As the murders continue, and the stakes get higher, Ganymedes realizes that he’ll have to catch the killer before it’s too late for him, and for, possibly, the entire empire.

Firstly, I have to give a shoutout to the narrator, Nathan Foad. He’s incredibly talented, creating so many wonderful and distinctive voices for the characters, and the story is just so fun to listen to because of this. I need more audiobooks narrated by him immediately, please.

Beyond this, this book was a pleasant surprise. The worldbuilding is quite intriguing, with twelve provinces in a specific hierarchy and each with their own contribution to the overall empire. I also liked the lore about how Blessings work; all this information is worked into the narrative in an organic way for the most part, and affects the plot in interesting ways. And having the provinces organized in this hierarchy makes for complex dynamics between characters, and makes Ganymedes (from the lowest-ranked province) a sympathetic figure.

Ganymedes—or Dee for short—is also an entertaining protagonist. He has so much sass and dry wit, but also can be so kind. Sometimes he’s a lot to handle, but his bond with the youngest heir, Grasshopper, is absolutely adorable. His protectiveness of her, and their near-instant alliance against the bigger, tougher heirs, is amazing. I loved their dynamic, and how their personalities played off each other.

As for the other characters, it’s an excellent cast (even if everyone’s names are pretty ridiculous, calling back to their province’s animal symbol. But at the same time, this does make it easy to remember where everyone is from). I liked Dee’s ally-friend-love interest Wyatt well enough (though maybe it was simply the novelty of hearing Foad use an accent from the American South for the character?), and several of the other characters were intriguing. Nergui and Cordelia stand out, as does Ravi. But really, this is Dee’s and Grasshopper’s show.

However, regarding the romantic subplot, it was far from my favorite part of this story. I think that one of the characters involved lies so much, does some pretty awful things, and breaks the other’s trust far too thoroughly that any lingering romantic feelings aren’t that believable to me. I mean, after all that, he’s just forgiven with basically no consequences? At the very least, I think the other person should have held him accountable, even if he still did love him. Perhaps he could have said that while he wanted them to be together, the other person would have to earn back his trust over time? I don’t know, it just bugged me.

(I’m being vague about who is who to avoid spoilers, since there is a bit of a twist involved.)

Speaking of twists, the mystery itself is quite good. The Agatha Christie feel to it all—elements of And Then There Were None paired with Murder on the Orient Express—makes for a tense tone. And it was hard to predict what was going to happen, and who had done it, though there are clues and foreshadowing. It’s well done overall.

In the end, Voyage of the Damned exceeded my (almost nonexistent) expectations. The characters are so entertaining, even if their dialogue sounded incredibly modern and slightly out of place in this magical world. The love story is lackluster, but the mystery and setting makes up for it. And I liked Dee’s journey from apathy and no regard for his own existence to wanting to live, fighting for his life and the lives of those he cares about. I’ll definitely look for more books by Frances White going forward! And if you decide to read this book, listen to the audiobook!

Voyage of the Damned is available now!