I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley.

I adored this book! Can’t recommend it enough. Murder mystery in a fantasy setting with botanical murder weapons, augmented humans and leviathans threatening to breach city walls! Oh my word it was such a wonderful and exciting book!

This felt like Sherlock Holmes in a dark fantasy setting. It was such an exciting and compelling murder mystery and seeing our main characters use their augmentations to solve a very complex mystery was fascinating. Din who is our main character is an engraver, augmented to have perfect memory recall. However he’s hiding a secret difficulty with reading and writing and a fear that he’s lose his post if he’s found out. I loved the way this was told from Din’s perspective and the student and master relationships. It allowed us to learn along with Din as his phenomenal mentor already deduces things and deals them out only when they’re ready. It reminded me of the Justice of Kings and the relationship between Helena and Vonvalt (which I absolutely loved!)

The looming threat of the leviathans added just the perfect tension to the murder mystery, making for such a race against time to uncover a complex web of past hurts, ambition and grudges. This was absolutely brilliant, I just loved the setting and the menace in the seas so much! It just made the book feel like danger was constantly looming.

I loved the human augmentations and the way we see this manifest in different characters throughout the book. Having the main character as an engraver with perfect recall was genius and I loved how this was used to pull the rug out from certain characters when they were caught lying! The added layer of Din having difficulty reading and writing but manifesting rare abilities in other ways made him feel so human and empathetic. It really balanced out his abilities whilst providing sensitive exploration of the experience of people with dyslexia.

I haven’t read anything by this author previously but I’m so excited to go look through their earlier work after reading this! I absolutely loved it!

The Tainted Cup follows Din and Ana as they work on cases together. From the very first page, we are presented by their first murder case and its uniqueness got me hooked right off the bat. A man discovered dead with tree sprouted out from his body, never to be seen before. Din's method of investigating is also one I have never come across that I was curious to know in depth. I love their interaction when they are in the same room, I find it hilarious and I keep craving for more. However, the book fails to keep me engaged and I soon lose my focus due to the pacing. It might be just me though, as I see many others are liking this book fine, I probably will give this book another try because I really want to like it.

Murder mystery and fantasy in one book? YES PLEASE! I enjoyed reading this book so much! The world building was just great and structured very well, which made the whole mystery plot even better. I also loved the few romantic crumbs the author left for us readers and ate them up longing for more! The characters were amazing and quirky.
If the blurb speaks to you or not, pick up this book!

I love when a book has me pestering my friends, telling them about plot devices and tropes I discover I love when reading. This did that! I love a murder mystery. I love fantasy. I ate this up.

I know everyone says attack on titan vibes but I would also say if you like the Roman Empire then this is also for you (I for one have other civilizations I much prefer, but I did immediately recommend this to my friend studying Roman roads). There is something about investigating a murder in a structured empire setting that really gets you hooked. The cogs are misaligned and you want to know how to set it right.

I loved the rep in this book too. Din has dyslexia and Ana is neurodivergent. It is all well handled and I enjoyed their frank discussions and sass.

PS, the romantic subplot is more a subplot of a subplot but I loved every fucking minute of being drip fed the small interactions between Din and the potential person (I don't want to tell you who so you can be like ohhh am I seeing this?? too), Sometimes less can be more and these small scenes have turned it into fullblown ship. I will be looking for and if not writing the fanfic myself if needs must.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A massive fan of RJBs stories and this is no different. The worlds that are made here are so simply unique and the magic system is top notch. Another brilliant start for Bennett

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I very much enjoyed this! This was a murder mystery in a fantasy setting, I've read a couple of these in the last few months and hope this sub-genre continues to expand. The world the author has created is so imaginative and written in a very immersive way. The characters were also very well written, and the relationship between Ana and Din was wonderful. Highly recommend.

Over view

This story was an amazing surprise and kept me hooked from the first page. Sherlock Holmes/Knifes out set in a high fantasy sci-fi setting. From the world-building to the ‘who don’t it turned full-blown conspiracy plot, I couldn’t put it down until every mystery was uncovered and solved.
The world-building was phenomenal and even though this story took part in only two locations the world felt wide and complicated leaving me itching to explore the universe of this story.
I’m very much looking forward to anything else set in this universe if there is more to come. I’ll be talking about this story for a long time to other book lovers. 5 stars.

Plot

There’s no better way to get a reader interested straight away than to drop them straight into a murder mystery. Detective Dinios Kol has been sent by well-known crime-solving detective Ana Dolabra to be her eyes and ears on the scene. This being his first murder under the detective he’s a little awkward in his bedside manner but he collects all the information from the disturbing scene with the help of his augmented brain which has been altered to remember everything he sees and hears.

The progression of the plot is steady and allows the reader to experience the investigations as they occur and experience the mysteries naturally. Although I couldn’t guess the answers to all the puzzles presented none felt too complicated and very natural. They were mostly helped by the POV style of writing Din, as he was used as the reader's eyes and ears, also, to make the reader feel like they were shadowing the detectives throughout.

Characters

As a first-person narrative, it was wonderful to be taken along from a rookie investigator, being introduced to the new concepts gently from the perspective of someone feeling a little out of their depth. Although, being from a POV we get little of Din’s internal dialog and motivations, leaving the reader feeling a little self-insert at times. His personality did shine through more as the story progressed and Din started to feel more comfortable in his new role and relaxed around his new eccentric master.

The reader gets to know Ana Dolabra, on the other hand, very well from the get-go. Rumors of being exiled for making too many enemies in the capital are completely believable with her seemingly erratic actions.
Throughout the plot, you learn to trust her completely and understand that whatever she has planned, she has her reasons and will always come out on top.

The Tainted Cup is the first book in a new series by Robert Jackson Bennett. It follows Dinios Kol who works with Ana Dolabra as they investigate a crime. An imperial officer has been killed after a tree erupted from his body. This is a detective novel in a fantasy world. Unfortunately I have to DNF this at 24%. I read this from the 4th January to 6th January. It’s my first DNF of the year and I really wanted to love this but it’s just not working for me. The world building hasn’t been done very well at 24% in and I don’t have a sense of the characters. I just don’t want to finish this but I don’t think it’s a bad book just not something for me.

Din is the assistant investigator for the ludex, the imperial administration responsible for managing the high courts and delivering justice throughout the Empire. His master is seen as insane, cultivating a gift for inciting rage through her non-stop curiosity and quirks.
The mystery starts with an investigation of the death of an important engineer, teared apart from the inside of his body from the growth of large clutch of trees.

I loved the worldbuilding Bennett is so well known for!
Plants grown and augmented for different purposes, flesh altered for improvements…
Not to mention, every wet season, the great leviathans silently approach the coasts to face the bombards and ballistas of the Legions and the great walls of the Engineers which are the only things keeping them at bay.

I am always a sucker for the mentor troupe. Especially considered insane mentors who seem to know everything. I have high hopes for this partnership.

Also, the subtle acceptance of neurodivergence, queerness, being different. THIS. This is how you do it, flawlessly incorporating it without drawing undue attention to it.

”The person an enhancement is paired with is just as important as what enhancement they get. And we get some say in what kind of person we are, Din. We do not pop out of a mold. We change. We selfassemble."

Exploding plants, enhancements, leviathans, murder, poisoning, secrets, corruption….

I would recommend The Hexologists for the mystery aspect, the Art of Prophecy for the inordinary mentor, and Foundryside for the world building.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for a review!

I’m in the minority here by not enjoying this book. Nothing grabbed me, I was bored and found it a real slog
Unfortunately I had to dnf this

A big thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book!

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is truly something special. The story is pitched as a Sherlock-esque novel about a detective and her assistant trying to solve a series of very odd murders. While this is a very very good description, it's not where the author took his inspiration from - he credits the Nero Wolfe and the Hannival Lecter books.

The story follows an engraver called Dinios Kol (a human altered to remember everything he sees) as he is apprenticed to an investigator called Ana Dolabra. Ana is such a fun and unpredictable character and her mind creates connections between information that nobody else realises is significant.

The story starts after Kol is sent to view a murder scene that is so bizarre that only Ana would be able to solve it This murder is the catalyst that shoots them into a web of deeper secrets bigger than either of them can imagine. Trying to stay alive with massive beasts attacking the walls, poisonous politics and a possible contagion in the air, this story keeps you invested in the plot until the very last page.

I absolutely loved this book and I can't wait to read more of these characters in the future. But for now, I'm going back and reading the Foundryside series by this author as well.

I was so lucky to get my hands on the ARC of The Tainted Cup, this has been not only my last read for 2023 but definitely one that deserves a spot in my top 3 for the year.
The murder mystery/fantasy mix is so refreshing, and even (as far as I understand) this is only the beginning of a new series, the book is fully enjoyable as a stand alone (thank you so much for that Robert Jackson Bennett!).

The empire is shadowed by a recurring danger - Enormous Leviathans coming from the sea during the wet season. In order to keep them at bay the empire has structured itself around a complex political hierarchy and built tall walls meant to prevent any breach of the creatures. Plants are everywhere and used for everything - they are used for buildings, to create everyday objects, to provide cures and enhancements for the inhabitants of the empire, and much more.
In this setting, we get to know Din, an engraver (someone able to memorize at verbatim what he sees and hears) employed by a quirky and incredibly talented investigator, Ana.
We find them in the third ring of the empire, a place usually kept away from most of the high life happening in the inner rings, yet something is about to break their third sector bubble, bringing them to the heart of the action.

A thrilling and tantalizing appatizer that makes you hunger for the rest of the banquet.

Bennett's worldbuilding is immensively immersive; his narrators always the best tour guide no matter how wild/unique the whole thing is. And it was a wild ride, creepy even, in a plant-based environ where everything can literally break and kill you; let's not mentiont the giants in the room.

I still don't know what to feel about our investigator, Ana, but I enjoyed being in Din's head very much. He is my favourite blend of a lovable and capable MC, who just wants to do the best thing and survive in a world that is, once again, out to get everybody. His directness is the perfect balance to the enigmatic Ana. The romance, while brief, was lovely (and gay!).

I really annoyed the city books and hopefully this could be the start of a new series, great story with well written characters and world building

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the ARC !

"The tainted cup" was one of my most anticipated read for 2024, so I was delighted to get approved for an ARC. The cover, the blurb and the few reviews I had seen had all made me curious about this murder mystery fantasy, a genre I am liking more and more as time passes.
I'll start with the worldbuilding, the biggest strength of this story in my opinion. It's original, new (at least for me), full of wonder, lulinous and dark. Reading about a world where plants and fungi have so much space delighted me, as well as all the alterations side of the world, nearly SF but remaining well in the realm of fantasy. The political organisation was also well managed and interesting. The world is delivered bit by bit, never overwhelming but still dense enough to be a thrill to discover. It gave such a lush, full, marvellous vibe of a world, not nice but so interesting with the Titan's threat and the intriscasies of a world build around their existence and the power their blood gives.
Let me pursue with the characters. The story is told from Din PoV, a young altered man who has the ability to remember things to perfection thanks to the alteration he received. He is quite standoffish, quiet and really observant, the perfect assistant to Ana, the lead Investigator, easily overwhelmed by the outside world and a tad mad. The duo functions really well, I liked both characters, their dynamic and how the mystery is resolved thanks to both of the contributions. The neuroatypicals representation was, I think, well manage and allowed a great interplay between the invesitgation and a bigger, political and social side held within the story. Seeing Din grow, becoming more confident (and having a little fun time with a secondary character, a casual queer representation, I can't say how much it delighted me), was really all I was in for, along the resolution of the murders' puzzle.
I wasn't excpecting to like it so much and for it to be such an easy and fun read, I now want more of that world. Since it is not yet possible, I'll start another series by Bennett.
Great discovery, really !

Thank you for the advanced copy.

this was such a fun read! a Sci fi whodunnit, what's not to love?!

the taunted Cup follows an investigator and her series in a world which is at threat from contagions and big huge water beasts known as the titans.

it was so much fun and the representation was wonderful!

hope this becomes a series