I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was the other week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about. All of today’s books come out on the same day: 18th January 2024!
First up, I’d like to talk about Helle and Death by Oskar Jensen. Thank you to Viper Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
A snowstorm. A country house. Old friends reunited It’s going to be murder.
Torben Helle – art historian, Danish expat and owner of several excellent Scandinavian jumpers – has been dragged to a remote snowbound Northumbrian mansion for a ten-year reunion with old university friends.
Things start to go sideways when their host, a reclusive and irritating tech entrepreneur, makes some shocking revelations at the dinner table. And when these are followed by an apparent suicide, the group faces a test of their wits… and their trust.
Snowed in and cut off, surrounded by enigmatic housekeepers and off-duty police inspectors, not to mention a peculiar last will and testament, suspicion and sarcasm quickly turn to panic. As the temperature drops and the tension mounts, Torben decides to draw upon all the tricks of Golden Age detectives past in order to solve the mystery: how much money would it take to turn one of his old friends into a murderer? But he’d better be quick, or someone else might end up dead.
Publication Date: 18th January
TW: death, murder, body, sexual harassment, stalking, sexual assault, sexism
My Thoughts:
Helle and Death is an atmospheric Golden Age style mystery with a distinctly Dark Academia twist.
I really enjoyed the kind of sarcastic, jibing tone that runs throughout this book. It is very much about the facade of keeping up appearances and complex, fraught and messy relationships. This group of university housemates are entangled in various ways and caught up in the past. Now, they’re older, grown apart and brought back together in the most mysterious of circumstances. All of this works for such a classic set-up and I loved following the sleuthing. The twists and turns add a thoroughly modern gloss on the story though. On one hand, it is a painstaking love letter to the specific tropes and ideas of the classic locked room mystery – complete with isolated mansion and snow storm to boot. However, it is also quite a knowing book, well versed in those same tropes and complicating them at times.
Torben Helle is a fundamental part of this. I found his narration funny in that blunt, direct way but also the emotional side that poured through, particularly in regards to one character. He is just that bit of an outsider to the group. Some of this is self-styled and some of this is true. In particular, I enjoyed how perceptive and detailed he could be, but also how just oblivious he was at other times. It was often very much seeing the wood for the trees. This allows for Jensen to take us down some excellent rabbit holes and drive up that tension. With no escape available, all the pressure trapped in that house just builds and builds.
Helle and Death is a suspenseful, rich and snowy mystery that blends tropes of Golden Age locked room mysteries and trappings of the Dark Academia genre.
Next up, I’d like to talk about The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson. Thank you to Gollancz for hosting an ARC giveaway at YALC, where I was lucky enough to get a copy!
6066: In Emperor Thracin’s brave new galaxy, humans are not citizens but indentured labourers, working to repay the debt they unwittingly incurred when they settled on Gahraan – a desert planet already owned by the emperor himself. Asha Akindele knows she’s just another voiceless cog working the assembly lines that fuel his vast imperial war machine. Her only rebellion: studying stolen aeronautics manuals in the dead of night. But then a cloaked stranger arrives to deliver an impossible message, and her life changes in an instant.
1812: Obi Amadi is done with time-travelling. Never mind the fact he doesn’t know how to cure himself of the temporal sickness he caught whilst anchoring his soul to Regency London, the one that unmakes him further with every jump. Or if the prince he loves will ever love him back. Or why his father disappeared. He is done. Until he hears about the ghost of a girl in the British Museum. A girl from another time.
When Obi’s path tangles with Asha’s and a prophecy awakens in the cold darkness of space, they must voyage through the stars, racing against time, tyranny, and the legacy of three heroes from an ancient religion who may be awakening, reincarnated in ways beyond comprehension.
Publication Date: 18th January
TW: murder, mass murder, human trafficking, child abuse, sexual assault, slavery, physical violence, imprisonment, kidnapping, childbirth, discrimination, childhood abandonment, graphic description of injury
My Thoughts:
The Principle of Moments is a fantastic sci-fi, time-hopping adventure that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout.
This is like taking the best bits of Doctor Who and Star Wars, mashing them in a blender and combining them with a wholly original and highly entertaining tale.
Obi and Asha are incredible protagonists, caught up in a whirlwind of chaos and the question of destiny looming large over them. They are so well-developed over the course of the story and their interactions had me beaming from ear to ear. Initially, we get thrust into their individual narratives, giving us a good sense of their own desires, obstacles and motivations. Of course, when the stars align and they collide, we are in for one hell of a ride from there. Their relationships are also well-executed, with plenty of chemistry and charged dialogue.
However, I also adored how we focused on several types of relationships from familial to platonic, as well as a core focus on finding your own family and romantic relationships too. There is a strong throughline about creating your own family and battling the weight of fate and legacy. With the worlds they inhabit, Obi and Asha bear a lot of trauma on their shoulders, which deeply informs how they navigate the world. This was nuanced and sensitively written.
The world-building was so expansive and rich as well. With the rest of the trilogy on the way, I was enjoying picking up breadcrumbs and seeing the bigger picture start to form around this great story. Just know that Jikiemi-Pearson has me rooting for her all the way.
The Principle of Moments is one of those books you should be reaching for if you love epic adventures stories stretching over time and space. This is a book with a lot of heart, brilliant characterisation and plot twists galore.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Voyage of the Damned by Frances White. Thank you to Michael Joseph for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
To mark the thousandth year of peace in the Empire of Concordia, the emperor’s ship embarks upon a twelve-day voyage. Aboard are the heirs of the twelve provinces of Concordia, each graced with a unique magical ability known as a Blessing.
Except one: Ganymedes Piscero. When a beloved heir is murdered, everyone is a suspect. Stuck at sea and surrounded by powerful people, odds of survival are slim.
But as the bodies pile higher, Ganymedes must become the hero he was not born to be and unmask the killer before he ends up the next victim of their bloody crusade.
Publication Date: 18th January
TW: attempted genocide, war, death, murder, gore, violence, hanging, racism, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self-harm, grief, death of a loved one, homophobia, parental neglect, bullying
My Thoughts:
With Voyage of the Damned, White has created something that will stick in my mind for a long while to come. This is a fantastically written, captivating fantasy murder mystery with a protagonist that chiselled a place for himself within my heart.
I was fascinated by the world-building here, with the different provinces and their own Blessings. This was such a fascinating and rich mythology, matching with the personal characteristics of many of the characters. The whole concept behind the Blessings is also so interesting and weaves into wider conversations around identity, power and colonialism in the book.
The mystery aspect of the book was also fantastic. This feels like a three-dimensional game of chess with layer after layer of secrets and deception going on. It is a locked room style mystery on a boat travelling onwards, even as the bodies start to pile up. White packs these pages densely with twists and betrayals and reveals that leave you reeling. At the same time, this is also a deeply detailed character study of Dee and his discovery of his own place in the world. His voice was hilarious, charming and bombastic, but also showed a scared and vulnerable person always cast aside and mistreated. I laughed with him and I followed him into the darkness, one so recognisable to so many queer people.
This has such a fantastic core plot about being proud of yourself, learning to love yourself and come into your own power – however that may look. It is dark and goes to some difficult places, so please be aware of trigger warnings before reading. However, it is a story of self-acceptance and joy amidst the bloodshed and death. There is light and there is love here despite it all. In fact, the romantic subplot was brilliant, with some gradual building chemistry and cracking dialogue. I also really want to highlight the theme of found family and Dee’s relationship with Grasshopper was one of the highlights of the book for me.
In short, Voyage of the Damned was the queer Death on the Nile esque fantasy murder mystery I needed in my life.
A Short Book Lover 
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