I liked this! I will admit, it took a longer time than expected to get the characters and their responsibilities straight in my head (admittedly, not 100% sure I ever got there), but I loved the central duo. Interesting world building, and if this is part of a series, I'll be very intrigued as to where this goes.

In The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett delivers not only a deviously plotted murder mystery in a fantasy setting, but in Ana and Kol, two of the most gloriously realised fantasy characters I'd met for a long time.

The book imagines a complex, sprawling Empire, dedicated to defending its territory against incursions by massive creatures from the deep ocean. Every year, the seawalls grow larger. Every year, more massive "bombards" are constructed, more soldiers thrown into the fight.

Nor are the Titans the only enemy. This is a world that wants to kills you, a world prone to plant-based "contagion", made worse by human tinkering and genetic experiments - like the one that has resulted in the death of an aristocrat, a death we see Kol making his way to investigate at the start of the story. This will bring him into conflict with a haughty family, a conflict around which much of the rest of the story revolves. This is a hierarchical world where massive accumulations of wealth exist and where patronage in the Legion and the regional administrations is a fact of life. Kol and his boss Ana have to contend with this, and it's only the tip of the politics that is behind events here.

Closer to home, another fact of Kol and Ana's lives is her condition. Ana is neurodiverse in a way not precisely specified, and which doesn't necessarily map onto categories we're familiar with, but one of the results is an extreme sensitivity to stimulation such that she needs to spent time isolated - for example shut in her travelling trunk - rather than risk being overwhelmed. When we meet her at the start of the book it's soon established that she hasn't left her home for some months. This condition seems related to her ability to process huge amounts of information - there were definite Sherlock Holmes vibes somewhere her, I felt. All of this makes Ana'a and Lols task of investigating crimes harder and easier: generally Ana will send Kol to gather facts which she them draws inferences form, but in such a hierarchical world that can put him in danger and the gem for them is rather up when news of a new crisis requires the two to travel to another city on the edge of the Empire.

How they tackle that - and the mutual support and understanding needed, which necessarily places a lot of weight on Kol's junior shoulders - is a vital and absorbing part of this book.

But it's all vital and absorbing. Strongly recommended.

I've just finished The tainted cup by Robert Jackson Bennett and really really loved it. This is my first read from author although I heard so many good reviews about his previous series. So I jump into this one totally blind and zero expectation. And I am amazed...

Both main characters are loveable and quirky with witty banter. I instanly draw into their characters since begining. The contrast between Ana and her assistant Dinios create interesting dynamics duo. Dont forget about mixed biotech medieval worldbuilding. It is so intriguing, unique and blood chilling in the good ways. And i really like the classic procedural investigation plotline inside fantasy element. It is soooooo good. This book dont offer much magical element or fantasy creature. But the plot offers more political intrigues and conspiracy at government level. The Leviathans only get small mentions at here and the seeds of young love... I would love to see more at next installment.

Now I'm hoping to find similar fantasy books with detective elements when waiting the second book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodderscape from Hodder and Stoughton Publisher for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting Publication : 6 February 2024

Sorry for the delay in posting my review for this one. I read the book a couple of weeks ago but thought I’d posted a review and hadn’t.
I really enjoyed this book as it was a perfect blend of murder mystery and fantasy.
The world building was fantastic and gave me a rich world to enjoy. The world building really did pull me in and I felt immersed in the world.
The plot was a good and steady pace and I found that it jumped straight in with no slow build up which is something I truly enjoy.
I felt this book was refreshing and I felt that it was something I haven’t read before.
I found the characters to be well written and had a good depth to them. I loved the side characters too. Our two main protagonists had such a great vibe and I found the duo to be well suited.
Having not read anything from this author before I look forward to seeing what comes next!

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This post is a month late. I read this book in Feb, my first novel of RJB. I really enjoyed it. It is a perfect blend of Mystery and Fantasy.

I wanted to try a new sub-genre in Fantasy and gave this book a shot, and it turned out great for me.

The book opens with a classic murder mystery with few clues about who could have committed the murder.

Our main character, an apprentice Investigator, Kol, arrives at the crime scene to etch everything into his memory.
He is an engraver. Engravers have a good memory. They attain their abilities through grafting and suffusion, much like others in the Empire. During the investigation, he finds a contagion that killed the officer quite painfully, with a tree protruding from his body.

His major clue was the contagion that once destroyed a sector infected by it. He recounts all of this to his reporting officer.
While they both try to solve the case, ten engineers at the sea wall protecting the Empire from leviathans end up dead, leaving the wall vulnerable to breach. The wall holds, but the people not so much.


Let me tell you, the book knows how to play with your mind and keep you second-guessing about every move of our characters.

Kol was a brilliant guy who never let dyslexia stop him from being an investigator. He was quick-witted and never backed down from a challenge.

Dolabra was his eccentric mentor, whom people were wary of but respected for her intelligence.

She and Kol made a fabulous team. No matter how ahead he was, Dolabra was one step ahead of him, and this dynamic persisted till the end. When they were working on case, they’d steal the show.

What was unique about the book was the world-building. There were contagions that killed people who inhaled its spores. There were a set of people with augmented abilities such as the engravers(one who had perfect memory), linguas (human Duolingo), spatiasts (someone with accurate comprehension of space) etc.

The Empire mostly employed soldiers, apoths, investigators, etc., who augmented their abilities cerebrally through grafting and suffusion. It was a way to alter one’s abilities synthetically. People who undergo suffusion become a better version of their old selves permanently. It was interesting to see it play out in the book.

There were a few things in the book that left me with questions and lacked clarity. Otherwise, anyone looking for a Sherlock Holmes fix but in a Fantasy setting should read this book. It has a refreshing world with unique abilities and characters.

4⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the review copy!

The Tainted Cup is a mix between Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie but with a touch of fantasy. A murder mystery woven together with a tale about giant serpents/leviathans and monstrous plants.

I am not an avid reader of mystery, but do enjoy reading it on occasion. When I read The Tainted Cup's synopsis, I was immediately intrigued. After reading this book, I would like to have the ability of an engraver. That particularly was so interesting. Imagine smelling a vial and being able to recall every single memory associated with that scent.

It took me some time to get into the story, as I tried to understand the different job titles and to get a feel for the new world. But once I understood it, I found the story interesting. Ana Dolabra is definitely an unusual investigator and she kept Din on his toes at all times. The duo worked well together to solve the mystery, and what a mystery it was indeed.

Some of the scenes were described in vivid detail and I could easily imagine the scenario. I think fans of murder mysteries will have a great time reading this as the story is unpredictable and even draws the reader in. At times I forgot I was reading and when I had to return to reality, a fog of this world surrounded me.

- Poison
- Deadly plants
- Giant serpents
- Murder mystery
- Quirky investigator
- Magically altered people

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

final rating: 3.75/5☆

thanks to netgalley and Hodder and Stroughton for the e-arc!

i don't think i've read a lot of fantasy in my time. is this fantasy? probably low fantasy, or many scifi with the augmentations. either ways i wasn't sure what to expect about this one, having picked it for two reasons 1) holmes and watson style mystery and 2) pretty cover. this one surprised me quite a bit.

(spoilers ahead)

perhaps because i am a cynic now, i find myself nitpicking when the reviews are great. the book jumped right into the mystery. it is atmospheric as our protagonist Din examines and engraves all the details of a murder scene, someone with plants growing out of him, to report back to the investigator who's not there. i thought it would be a more simple mystery of who-dunnit as we see the banter between Ana who is kind of a misfit mentor and the more emotionally repressed Din.

as the mystery unveils and shows a lot more at the start, corruption, a long held secret cure for the dapplegrass and the demise of Oypati, i find myself getting more and more intrigued as more layers and suspects are added on. from the obvious first poisoner they thought of from the start, to the twitch assassin to even the corrupt investigator revealed at the end. and each supporting character, though feeling a little segmented in their roles and specific scenes, felt brought to life in a much much bigger world alluded in the book that i know will probably be explored in further entries to the series.

a great start, lots of well written action and dialogue, and many many things that blow your mind.

(cross posted on goodreads)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

The Tainted Cup is the perfect blend of fantasy and murder mystery. It's set in a world where plants are the centre of technology, and while this took a while to wrap my head around (as well as the character names, titles, and ranks), I came to really enjoy how fresh and unique the setting felt! The world-building is so vast and immersive. The story didn't feel like it started slowly as the first book in a series often does, and I definitely think this helped me understand the setting much more quickly.

I grew attached to the POV character (Dinios) immediately, and while I initially had my reservations about Ana Dolabra, she soon became one of my favourite characters. I do think the mystery wrapped up in a way that left me a little dissatisfied, and the twist near the end was pretty predictable. Having said this I really enjoyed the writing, characters, and setting, so will definitely keep an eye out for the sequel!

Robert Jackson Bennett’s newest release follows assistant investigator Din as he assists the rather eccentric Ana Dolabra with investigating the murder of a high imperial officer. The murder is very unusual as he is killed when a tree erupts from his body. As Ana and Din investigate they find themselves wrapped up in a mystery far larger than they thought. With secrets at every turn will they be able to uncover who is responsible and at what cost?

Robert Jackson Bennett is one of those authors that I’ve always wanted to try but just hadn’t gotten around to picking up yet. I’m now kicking myself for having waited so long because this was such a gripping read. The story is set in such a unique, fascinating world and Bennett does a terrific job of bringing Daretana to life. I found it so easy to get completely caught up in the story and the setting felt so vivid. I’m so intrigued to see more of the world and the leviathans in the subsequent books in the series.

The Tainted Cup really did feel different to anything I’ve read before. It’s a murder mystery wrapped up in a fantasy novel. It was well paced, with plenty of surprise twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. It has a very Sherlock and Watson feel to it and I was fascinated by how Ana deduced things about the murder. The story is definitely a clever one and it has made me so desperate to go back and read more from Robert Jackson Bennett.

Ana and Din are well crafted characters and I really liked their dynamic. Din is very much the suffering assistant and Ana is brilliant and full of witty banter. I loved seeing how she would manipulate a conversation or situation to uncover the answers she needed. I can’t wait to read more of their adventures. If you’re looking for a fantasy tale that’s fun, full of mystery and incredibly gripping, you won’t want to miss The Tainted Cup.

I loved this book, a murder mystery set in a political high fantasy world, all the ticks.
It's been a while since I've read a book quite like it, you're thrust straight into a strange world with little preamble and it takes a minute to get your head around the strange names and politics. I don't say it often but I think this is one of those where you would benefit from an audio book alongside just to hear the names pronounced as they should be.
I really appreciated the depth of the world building and the different characters you get to meet through it, so many times I laughed aloud at one character in particular, and the mysteries and twists meant you never knew what was coming next. I'm hoping that this is the start of a series as I need more from this world and the characters.

This was fun but a little bit underdeveloped. I loved the word-building, with the monstrous sea-beasts, the everpresent threat of contagion, the magical adjustments that people make to enhance their various powers, and so on. But the ideas felt a little too telly and not enough showy. People's enhanced powers always felt directly relevant to the plot, rather than simply existing as part of the world; and the fears of contagion were expositioned at us, and realized when it was plot relevant, rather than shaping how people lived their lives and built their society in a more fundamental way. I was a little reminded of Kameron Hurley's bug-based science fantasy in her God's War trilogy, but where she deeply evoked her world in a very visceral way, this story felt too surfacy. It was fun. It was inventive. But I don't see myself eagerly waiting for the next installment in the series.

I’ve a really soft spot for well plotted murder mysteries in SFF settings. There are a handful of authors that have managed to provide outstanding reads in this sub-genre – Katherine Addison with The Witness for the Dead and Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Relentless Moon both come to mind. But to be honest, I wasn’t expecting anything of that calibre when I opened up this offering.

So you can imagine my joy when I rapidly realised that this is an absolute gem. Din captured my heart from the outset – which is a feat with a character so genetically altered. In the past, I’ve often found it difficult to fully bond with protagonists who are so radically different. But Bennett depicts Din as young, uncertain and constantly worried that his guilty secret will be discovered. So the sudden change in his demeanour when he is at a crime scene or taking witness statements is refreshing and gives us the sense that underneath the vulnerability is a thoroughly capable young man, who pays close attention to all those pesky details that make such a difference in this sort of story. Pairing him with highly eccentric and capricious Ana is a stroke of genius. They make a quirky Watson and Holmes couple, with Ana being slightly unstable, but possessed of the gift of making clever, intuitive leaps based on all those clues lesser beings don’t pay attention to, or even see.

The plot is also beautifully handled. What starts out as a single, rather gruesome murder steadily expands to become a plot that endangers the whole Empire. I loved the ongoing danger posed by the leviathans and how their very existence has altered the environment. All in all, this is a triumph.

I couldn’t put this one down and read waaay into the night to discover who did what to whom – and came away with a massive book hangover that had me dreaming of Bennett’s world for the rest of the week. That doesn’t happen very often. The plotting, the unique world and the stresses it puts on all the main characters, the two main protagonists and the risks they are facing – all this added up to an outstanding read that will stay with me for a long time. Very highly recommended if you, too, have a weaknesses for exotic murder mysteries. Or if you are a SFF fan. While I obtained an arc of The Tainted Cup from Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10

You always worry when an author starts a new series and whether it will live up to his pre ious classics. However, with this new series opener from Robert Jackson Bennett, I shouldn't have been worried. An absolute classic!

A thrilling murder mystery set in a high fantasy world
Robert Jackson Bennett created a dark, intriguing world, perfect to dive into: A land with enormous sea walls to protect the people against the giant leviathans who rise in the "wet seasons". So it has an "Attack-on-titan"-feel to it.
In this setting our protagonists Ana and Din, a Sherlock/Watson-duo, stumble upon a remarkable murder mystery, that is much more complicated and intertwined than it seems...
It was so much fun to read about the charming characters and the way the mystery was resolved was really satisfying.
I was especially enamoured with the incredible world and hope to visit it again soon!

As either a fantasy or a mystery story, this would have been on of the most unique books in either genre, but to combine both makes it one of the most eccentric and engaging stories I have read in a long while. This is so well worth the time and effort (because there will be effort involved) and I can't wait to see where this series goes.

The mystery and setting are both excellent, but I absolutely adored our two main characters and the dynamic between them. Can't wait for more, this book is SO well worth your time.

AGAIN, ANOTHER MASTERPIECE FROM ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT. ALWAYS ASTOUDING. ALWAYS IN AWE OF HIS WRITING AND WORLD-BUILDING. SUPERB!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think I liked it? I’m still unsure. I loved the premise and the characters but something felt off, unsure on what though.

Will be doing a re-read later this month to give a proper review - expect edits.

The Tainted Cup is the first book of the Shadow of the Leviathan series. I thought this was a fantastic introduction to this universe and the world is such an interesting one. The characters are well written and the plot is compelling throughout. I highly recommend checking this book out. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

What an amazingly well crafted world. It was beautiful and vibrant and full of life. And just so well crafted. I love the botanical descriptions and how everything felt so beautiful and alive but so deadly all at once.
The pace was quite even throughout and managed well, and kept the plot turning over well.
I am no good figuring out murder mysteries, but once the ending was revealed it all made sense and all the breadcrumbs left throughout came together well, so I imagine if that's your thing and you're the next poirot you'd really enjoy figuring this out so much!
I just really enjoyed this. I like the characters, both main and side ones, they felt well described and I was invested in their stories. And I cannot stress how much I loved the flora and fauna descriptions and how amazing it was. It made the book feel alive! Definetely worth a rea!

I think I liked this book, but I think I would have liked it more if I hadn't gone into it expecting a murder mystery and had anticipated simply a fantasy novel. Don't get me wrong, there's a murder and people trying to solve it, but a key part of a murder mystery - for me - is that I can take on the role of detective myself. This is so much harder to pull off in fantasy because the reader needs be informed of things that only exist in the fantasy world to truly be able to take part. And I think this book was unsuccessful in doing that. There were multiple times where I simply could never have guessed something because I just did not know it existed (the initial contagion, types of human augmentations are the main examples). I am also begging the author to use real-world terms where possible - the use of "span" for lengths was deeply misleading to me, and meant I was unable to connect something else, too. I will say that despite this, I was not particularly surprised by the ending. It felt fairly obvious to me.

Which leads to my other main issue: Ana Dolabra. As much as I think she was unique and enjoyed her overall interactions with other characters, it was difficult to believe in her genius. The first reason for this that her connecting things we have no way of knowing doesn't feel impressive as a reader, so we are left to simply rely on it from the other characters' reactions. The other is that, again, I don't think the dots were particularly hard to connect in terms of the motive behind the murders, yet we're told it's complex and that everyone is impressed with Ana. I may not have known the hows - because I don't know the world well enough - but the whys were fairly simple. I also don't mean simple in the sense that they weren't compelling - I think it all made sense and was a good story - but merely that I take issue with it being presented to us as difficult to solve.

I also regularly found myself infuriated by Ana for her always seeming to know everything but never telling anyone at the time. It is simply no fun to try and figure out what's going on when you already know one of the characters knows and is just withholding it.

If I had been rating this purely as a fantasy, it would have done so much better. The world-building was unique. The titans, the augmentations, the empire and how it operates - all of this I found fascinating. I also enjoyed Din as a character, as well as many of the others.