To give you an idea of how wrong I was in this murder mystery: my main suspect turned out to be the love interest...and I have seen multiple reviews praising him for being the greenest of flags.

I've really been getting into fantasy murder mysteries lately, so The Tainted Cup has been on my TBR for a little while. I didn't particularly enjoy Foundryside by the same author, so I was a little hesitant until I read the first chapter and was immediately intrigued.
Din is an engraver who can remember everything he sees and recall it whenever he wants, and he is working as an assistant to a very eccentric investigator - Ana - when a new murder case arises. It is quickly complicated by politics, and I'm going to be honest and say I didn't completely follow everything, but I understood enough to get the gist of all of the political motivations. Do I think you can accurately predict the murderers? Probably not. I did manage to sort of call a plot twist, but it was based entirely on vibes, and I only saw it about 2 chapters before the reveal. That being said, I did really enjoy just watching puzzle pieces fall into place and there was a bit of action too.
I think the highlight of this, though, is the dynamics between Din and Ana. I didn't realize how fun the eccentric mentor and cinnamon roll assistant could be until I saw the banter and the relationship between these two. Din reminded me a lot of Richa from Empire of Exiles, and Ana is just Ana. I didn't really love any of the side characters, mostly because I was paranoid that they all wanted to kill Din...but now that I know that most of these characters were innocent, book two will hopefully improve my opinion of them.
The Tainted Cup is an extremely twisty fantasy murder mystery with politics, spy antics, danger, and some amazing character dynamics.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

4.25/5

4.2 / 5.0

I really enjoyed the world building in The Tainted Cup by RJ Bennet. The mystical mystery sleuths and quirky dialogue was very creative. I wanted the pacing to move a bit quicker but overall enjoyed reading this.

Until Next Time,
MC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC to review.

Hello Fellow Readers,

I was so excited about this book, I wanted to like it so badly but couldn't get into it. A murder mystery set in a fantasy world is my dream genre-blending but in this case, I just wasn't able to like the main investigator. Ana wears a blindfold and doesn't like to leave the house, so she has Dinios go out to the murder sites. Dinios is an engraver, he uses techniques that allow him to perfectly recall everything he sees and hears, which he reports back to Ana. Had the main investigator just been Dinios and Ana were taken out of the picture I probably would have liked this book a lot more as I found Ana Insufferable (which I think was probably intentional by the author, but in this case hindered the book for me).

Also, there were a lot of things I felt like I was just expected to know, which made me feel like I must have missed something and I even went back and reread a couple of chapters to make sure. The mystery and murder itself seemed extremely interesting, like the fact that the victim was murdered from a tree being grown from within his body is pretty cool but gruesome.

Overall, I know a lot of people like this book but I don't think it was for me.

The Tainted Cup is the first book in a new series, this was a new author for me who I am always willing to give a chance. Fantasy is not one of my favorite genres, yet I decided to give this book a go. In general I found this to be a interesting read even if not one of the genres I enjoy reading. I enjoyed the main character, even though I didn't really connect with the story line. Having said that although not my favorite, I would still recommend to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, I am leaving my review voluntarily.

The first of a series. Not read this author before but am interested to continue in this. thank you net galley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for a review.

Rating: Two Stars

I am really disappointed to say that this was not a book for me. I really loved the idea of it, fantasy/sci fi, world building, mystery solving....but in execution I was absolutely overwhelemed. I had a really hard time keeping up with the world we were in, what the different roles were in this society, and how exactly the world had been built. No matter how much I referenced the map and the military ranks list, I still had no idea what was going on. I personally could have benefitted from a list of the different roles/jobs the people in this society held and what exactly these roles were. On the bright side, I did enjoy the two main characters Ana and Din. I enjoyed Ana's eccentricities and her mysterious ways of solving a crime. The story itself was decent, I was able to grasp just enough to get through the book and have the most basic understanding of the outcome. Overall, this was not a book for me, but I can see why others would really enjoy this world and the unique role of the plants and modifications they gave to society. I do not see myself continuing this series, but I deeply appreciate the chance to read and review this book honestly in exchange for the advanced reader copy. Thank you Netgally and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this opportunity.

This is going to be a favorite book of the year (easiest five-star thus far) and quite possibly of all time. I absolutely loved everything about this story! I can’t wait to continue with this series. This has also prompted me to get my hands on previous series from this author because now I want to read everything he has ever written. I can’t even express to you in words how much I enjoyed this story. It’s exactly the something-new-and-fresh-for-the-genre that we need. Everything was perfection for me. The unique, complex (yet so easily grasped), intriguing worldbuilding and magic system. The loveable, quirky, fun, characters/personalities. The murder mystery, political, doomsday, suspenseful, expertly-paced plot. And the writing was absolutely brilliant, with just the right balance of exposition and reader interpretation. This is narrative craft at its best. Though I never wanted it to end, I couldn’t wait to get to the conclusion, which so neatly tied up the story while leaving the wider world open for more. It’s a definite must-read! I’ll forever be looking for another experience like I had with this one.

This was my first 5 star read of 2024!
Let me start by saying, I've read so many Holmes/Watson type mysteries, there is rarely one that can keep me guessing anymore. The Tainted Cup is very much the exception, and it is incredibly refreshing.

Set in a high fantasy world, the bio-punk type elements are what ultimately drew me to this title, but the perfectly imperfect characters are the reason I stayed. This book opens with a high-profile murder, which sets the tone and gives an idea of the world you're about to enter. Main character Din is an engraver, which means he can remember just about everything he see's and hears, making him key to relaying information to Ana in order to solve a rash of suspicious biological murders.

Ana is the 'Holmes' here, but with a hilariously abrasive personality. To call her an introvert would be an understatement, as she doesn't leave unless she needs to. Instead, she relies on Din for most information, at least until she catches the occasional poor soul in her home like a spider catches a bug in their web: unable to leave until she begrudgingly relents.

A leviathan crashes through an outer wall, setting the rest of the story into motion. It develops in such a way that there are small clues sprinkled in, though you really can't be sure which is important until the end. There is a fairly large and diverse cast of characters, all of which play a role in the goings-on of the empire. Ultimately, I feel there is so much more to this book than can be simply summarized in a few short paragraphs.

What I will leave you with is this: RJB does such an amazing job at ending this story, it makes me want to start over from the beginning. I loved everything about this world and these characters. This closes so perfectly it could be a stand-alone, though I have so much interest in this world, I cannot wait for what is to come next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey & Robert Jackson Bennett for a digital galley of The Tainted Cup in exchange for an honest review.

I've heard nothing but great things about Robert Jackson Bennett so I was excited to give him a try.

The Tainted Cup is the first in a the Shadow of Leviathan Series. If I'd realized it was the start of a series at the time, I likely would have held off on reading it.

I am going to be in the minority on this one, but this just wasn't a book for me. I do believe that the author is extremely talented & that the book was well-written & developed. I can see why so many people love this author. I just wasn't a fan of the story itself.

I read quite a bit of fantasy & I just trudged through this one. I had to make myself read it & anytime I have to make myself do something, I'm not enjoying it. I never really got into the story or cared about any of the characters. I knew at the end that I would not continue with the series. I couldn't care less what happens next. Many fantasy books are just so atmospheric & immersive & I'm left feeling so hungover when I finish them. This was not one of those. I was relieved when I finished.

I am rating it straight down the middle because I know this is just personal preference for me & nothing that the author did wrong.

I really enjoyed this slow-burn fantasy mystery! The central mystery felt like it could fit it perfectly in an Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes book but the fantasy setting really made this feel unique and fun. There was a ton of information to take in and I felt a little lost at times but it all worked out for me eventually. I loved the two main characters and their banter and dynamic!

This is one of the best books I've ever read and it doesn't even come out until next year?? Illegal.

The Tainted Cup has one of the most unique magic systems and worlds that I've seen in a few years. I loved the Holmes/Watson dynamic and method of storytelling and mystery, and I loved the disability representation in the main characters.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

The Tainted Cup was an enjoyable book. The author has crafted an interesting empire, power dynamic and nature of threats. Din, apprentice investigator, is perceived as a dullard and a nobody, and believes himself to be a fraud. However, it turns out that he has one of the rarest abilities possible. He is also someone who genuinely wants to do good and make things better but can, and often has to, bend the rules to achieve the necessary results and meet the demands of his rather unusual and intimidating boss.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is the first book in the new fantasy series Shadow of the Leviathon. When a high imperial officer dies due to a tree spontaneously erupting from his body, Ana Dolabra is called to investigate. But due to her eccentricities, she sends her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din has a perfect memory, so he investigates the suspicious death and reports back to Dolabra. This ends up being a much bigger investigation than either of them originally suspected, and the reader learns a lot about these two investigators as well as the world that they live in. I really enjoyed this story and the characters, and I will definitely be checking out the next book in the series once it is released. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

this was my first RBJ read and all i can say is i want the sequel NOW. it was like a mix of the dynamics of Sherlock & Watson + the eccentricities of Benoit Blanc in Knives Out... but if both were set in a fantasy world with a murder mystery, some legit but enigmatic existential threats, and Benoit Blanc is an old woman in a blindfold who's hired an apprentice detective to be her eyes and ears but it turns out he barely passed his exams but thank god he has a photographic memory.

needless to say, it was a fun, wild, and unexpected read in the best possible way. The plot, the twists, the pacing, the characters and their development, and everything else were so well crafted, I was truly disappointed when I got to the end. But what really surprised me was how well this book represents its neurodivergent protagonists without stating it outright. There's definitely some underlying parallels and subtle commentary about our world and how we treat those who are considered "different".

If you're up for a fun, enigmatic mystery with high stakes and a lot of quirky characters, pick this one up! I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Robert Jackson Bennett has done it again. It was an amazing experience reading this book, I really liked. It's way different from the author's series, but in a good way

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is a high fantasy crime novel about a murder mystery that just keeps getting larger, while destruction gets closer.

What I liked:
* The Attack on Titan vibes. ★★★★★
* The world building was detailed and well made. Bennett put a lot of thought into his writing.
*Ana as a character as well as her's and Din's dynamic.

What I didn't like:
* The book was confusing with too much things to keep track of such as characters, relations, and nicknames (i am terrible at memorizing names). I felt like I should have written notes.
* The romance between Din and a side character was so miniscule that it became unneeded. I love a LGBTQ+ rep, but that wasn't it.

I will still continue this series despite some confusion I had while while reading. I enjoyed my time with A Tainted Cup and look forward to more of it's world.

I also hope for some more character development as I didn't feel like I connected to Din much (and I hope for more leviathans).

“The Tainted Cup” by Robert Jackson Bennett offers a captivating blend of mystery and fantasy, introducing readers to the contrasting personalities of Ana and Din as they navigate a unique and intricately crafted sci-fi dystopian world. Ana’s scandalous nature and Din’s naivety create a dynamic duo that kept me engaged throughout. Bennett’s imaginative world building sets this book apart, offering a fresh take on the genre. As a first-time reader of Bennett’s work, I found “The Tainted Cup” to be a compelling introduction, leaving me eager to delve deeper into the series. Overall, a must read for fans of mystery and fantasy alike.

If you had told me that I would be five starring a murder mystery book with little romance, that borders on fantasy and science fiction, AND written by a man, no less, I might have been a bit incredulous. And then this book happened. And it kept on happening.

There was a lot to take in. What started off as a murder mystery unfolded into something much grander. It involved the political machinations of an Empire that also happens to be facing monstrous sea creatures of calamitous proportions every few seasons. It centered around an eccentric investigator and her trainee assistant and the hazards that come with investigating crimes that seem much more dangerous than what they've signed up for. And honestly, all that chaos melded into one spectacular masterpiece. Don't even get me started on the mushrooms.

The dynamic between Ana and Din was definitely my favorite bits of this book, and Ana is a neurodivergent creature of beauty. I loved her chaotic character the moment she entered the scene. And I greatly respected Din for the fact that in those few months he's known her, he's managed to match her in conversation with the monotone way he speaks and reacts to her chicanery. I felt like this duo was a match made in Sherlock Holmes heaven. And to be honest, the lack of a romance between them--despite the blatant hints of protectiveness between mentor and trainee--really helped in this case.

Can't wait to read the next book! Absolutely devoured this zombie velociraptor murder mystery apocalypse!

I requested this book as background reading for a review we ran on BookBrowse. Sadly, I have not yet had a chance to read it (but hope to); however, our reviewer thought highly of it, rating it 5-stars, and we featured it as our of our four weekly Top Picks across BookBrowse:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/casbah/books/index.cfm?fuseaction=edit_book&book_number=4772

When I heard RJB was writing a Sherlockian fantasy, I knew I'd love it. There was no doubt in my mind that if anyone could pull it off, it would be him. I was right. I absolutely loved the twists and turns this book took. It was fun seeing this from the "Watson" character's perspective. I also really enjoyed that there was this underlying sense of dread from the titans. We never really knew when one would attack making the book have a sense of urgency from start to finish. Fantastic! Can't recommend enough.