I have a much needed 3 day weekend this week, so I’ve been spending my extra time cleaning, reading, and lounging around in my pajamas all morning. The only disturbance to my peace was spilling coffee in my carpet this morning! After much blotting and scrubbing, I’ve avoided a nasty stain. Now I just have to remake my coffee…
It’s the 4th week of The Voyage of the Damned readalong, and the mystery is nearing its end. Either Dee will catch the murderer, or they will succeed in killing off all the Blessed! It’s time for my final predictions before I finish The Voyage of the Damned and finally find out who’s behind all the murders.
For those just tuning in: Ariana with The Book Nook is leading this year’s Wyrd and Wonder readalong of The Voyage of the Damned by Frances White: a magical cruise ship murder mystery. You can read my answers to the first 3 weeks questions here:
Wyrd and Wonder is an annual month-long fantasy celebration held every May. This year’s hosts are Imyril with There’s Always Room for One More, Lisa with Dear Geek Place, Jorie with Jorie Loves a Story, Annemieke with A Dance with Books, and Ariana with The Book Nook.
Voyage of the Damned Readalong Week 4 Questions
1. We finally get a bit of insight into Tendai and the politics of Elephant province. How does that affect your theories and views of Concordia?
Now it makes sense why Tendai and the other upper Blessed hate each other. Her backstory definitely makes her more sympathetic, but based on the ongoing pattern in the story, I’m worried she’s next on the murder’s hit list! Seems like every character we start to learn about dies.
2. What are your thoughts on the relationship between Dee and Wyatt, and Dee’s lingering feelings for Ravi?
I feel like Dee and Wyatt’s relationship took a weird turn in this section. We went from “I hate you” to “we’re allies” to “maybe I’m in love?” to “I’d kill for you” a little too quickly for my taste. Maybe Tendai is right and Dee should be more suspicious of Wyatt’s change in feelings, but I also think it’s possible the romance is just being forced into a story it doesn’t fit into.
It makes sense that Dee would still have lingering feelings for Ravi. Ravi was Dee’s first love that he never got over, who was then murdered before Dee got full closure over Ravi moving on without him. If anything, it’s odd that Dee fell in love with Wyatt so soon after. Maybe it makes sense when you consider everyone is trying to cope with their peers being murdered around them. I think with the way this story started, no romance would make more sense.
3. What do you make of Grasshopper’s revelations about the Crabs and Lysander?
I was surprised Lysander died fighting crabs. I was expecting something more sinister like him being murdered. Finding out Lysander wasn’t perfect and hated the Crabs same as the other providences made him more interesting. His relationship with Leofric also makes more sense after learning he died fighting Crabs. It turns out they both had the same beliefs.
4. Dee finally confronts Negui, and things take an interesting twist regarding the Spider Blessed, with everyone’s secrets getting spilled. All your thoughts on this please!
Ah! I should have predicted that as soon as we learned enough to sympathize with Nergui, he was going to die. It’s how every other death happened on the ship, but I was still surprised!
I knew Nergui had something up his sleeve besides murder, and his plan to reveal everyone’s secrets if he was killed was genius. It made so much sense for his character. I love that he gave Dee every opportunity to escape his secret being revealed. Dee, who feels so inadequate for his lack of blessing, was never going to reveal his secret on his own. I was disappointed, but not surprised when he ran from Nergui when given the opportunity to open up. I think this story would have been so different if Dee had been brave in that moment. Tragically, Nergui might have survived if Dee had trusted him. I love that Nergui got his revenge in the end.
The only thing that disappointed me in this section was that Dee left before we heard everyone’s secret! I also feel like Nergui knew Dee’s darkest secret but not anyone else’s. Leofric and Cordelia were tormented by the secrets Nergui revealed about them, but they weren’t devastating like Dee’s secret.
5. Alight folks we’re in the home stretch and two more people have been attacked. It’s time for final predictions before we each the end next week!
So Dee has finally figured it out. Wyatt killed Ravi and Nergui in passion out of jealousy over Dee, and Leofric murdered the others using his tiger blessing. Case solved? Maybe. There’s still a lot of space left in the book, so I predict there are more twists to come. I still haven’t given up hope that Cordelia is the murderer. That was my original prediction and I’m sticking with it until I read the last page and know without a doubt I’m wrong.
Do you think Dee has this case solved? Or is there something else going on?
Comments
3 responses to “Voyage of the Damned Readalong Week 4”
Well, there’s at least a little mystery still to solve: we don’t know Cordelia’s Blessing yet, right? So you can still hope that she’s behind the murders since we don’t know what she can do. 😉
I also wonder what would have happened if Dee had trusted Nergui. Though I’m glad he didn’t, since that would have been really out of character for Dee, I feel.
Yes! We’ve found out everyone else’s so far it seems like. Hers has to be something surprising.
Trusting Nergui for sure would have been out of character. I think it was hard because Dee went in to the conversation afraid of Nergui so I already knew what decision he was going to make even if I felt like it was a mistake!
I agree about Dee! I knew he wasn’t trusting enough to open up to Nergui. I’m still really curious how Nergui’s actions would have changed (if at all) had Dee trusted them, though.