I love when authors combine two different genres into one book. If you love mystery combined with fantasy, then you are going to like this book. Think Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes placed into a fantasy world. The Tainted Cup is definitely stronger on the mystery side, but it has characters that have grafts that give them exceptionalities. Mix in some biological science, a corrupt society, with a huge Leviathan, and you have an interesting book.

The story is told through the point of view of Din, an Engraver, who remembers everything that he sees. He has been assigned as an assistant to Investigator Ana, who has been assigned to solve the mystery of the murders that are happening in the Empire. Ana's sarcasm and wit (with a huge potty mouth), cracked me up.

Although this is the beginning book of a series that was published in February, 2024, the book does wrap up nicely. I'm glad it didn't leave me hanging. The book is well-written and moves along nicely.

I gave this book four out of five stars. I'm not a huge fantasy fan, but if you are, you will enjoy this book even more. I was given this book for my honest review.

This novel takes two of my favorite genres and molds them together in to something wholly new and original.

Part Victorian mystery and who-done-it, part fantasy. Blend them together and you get a story I hoped would never end!

Murder mystery but make it fantasy ✨

I was hooked from the very first chapter!I like how we started with a murder case, which is quite unusual. A spore capable of growing and causing your body to explode?

The concept of the world is fascinating—the Titans and the "alterations"!I believe the world could yet be explored further. But it could be intentional; I believe RJB tried to make it more like a murder mystery book.

I enjoyed Din and Ana's banter, and I want to know more about their secrets! Especially Ana. I truly want Ana's point of view so that I can grasp her thoughts.

Robert Jackson Bennett has created a fun murder mystery fantasy!

I love books that have an assistant to a detective, and especially love when the assistant is confused or concerned by the behavior of the detective (think early Sherlock stories or especially the show on the BBC). Add magic to that and a plot to take down an empire? I am all in.

I enjoyed Bennett's Foundryside books, so it came as no surprise that I loved The Tainted Cup and devoured it in a couple of days! Also, hardcovers with no dust jacket are fantastic, beautiful, and look great on a bookshelf.

Another reviewer nailed it when they said "it’s like Knives Out but if Knives Out was set in a fantasy world and Benoit Blanc was an old woman who had hired the most disaster bisexual to be her eyes and ears." Agatha Christie meets Sherlock Holmes - sprinkle in magic and very well developed characters. Fun and disaster across every page kept me reading and intrigued.

I loved every minute of this story and I can't wait to continue the series. RJB might have just worked his way as an auto-buy author for me.

Can we talk about this cover?? STUNNING. It instantly caught my attention and made me want the book. I know they say don't judge a book by its cover but.......

I’m so obsessed, I can’t believe this book is going to turn into a series and I’m going to get even more stories just like this OMG!!!!!!!!!!!

I am SUCH a thriller/mystery girlie and I’ve been obsessed with Sherlock Holmes since I was 12 years old. The way that the author melded such amazing fantasy details and war and politics with the fantastical oddness of a Sherlock Holmes/Watson character set was absolutely awesome. This may end up being one of my favorite books of the year – Sherlock, plant magic, leviathan monsters, war conspiracies, technical calibrations to personalities…..I just can’t get enough. Thankfully, this story didn't end on a cliffhanger, but it did leave me craving more.

This is my first book by the author, but I will be diving into their previous releases so quickly as I loved the easy writing style and smooth tones in this book. (Beware if you are turned off by swearing as one of the characters drops the F bomb every 2 minutes in the beginning of the book – it tapers off as the book continues on.)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine / Del Rey for an E-ARC copy of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Del Rey for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review. (Publish Date: 06 February 2024)

“The Tainted Cup” by Robert Jackson Bennett immediately caught my attention with its alluring cover art and the promise of a detective duo out to solve a murder mystery with a sci-fi / fantasy twist.

Dinios Kol is a new assistant to Ana Dolabra - the most sought-after detective in Daretana. Din is young, naïve, and eager to try to impress his new boss by going on her behalf to a murder scene. However, this isn’t just any scene. A tree has somehow erupted and grown through a high imperial officer’s body. Din is an Engraver – someone who uses vials to associate memories with an aroma. The method was fascinating, and I couldn’t get enough of it throughout the story.

Ana Dolabra is similar to Sherlock Holmes with her eccentric ways, but she’s also one of a kind in her own right. She has white hair and yellow eyes, frequently wears a blindfold to force the use of her other senses, doesn’t leave her house and heavily relies on her assistants for information, and she has a knack for being able to solve impossible cases. I loved seeing a woman in this dominant role, and really enjoyed reading the master and apprentice relationship evolve between Ana and Din.

Overall, I was captivated by the story and would highly recommend it to any older teen or adult wanting to read a great murder mystery with a sci-fi and fantasy twist.

When a gruesome murder occurs in the canton of Daretana, Ana and her apprentice, Din are called in to investigate. Being an engraver, Din is skilled at remembering every detail of a crime scene. When it is determined that a contagion was used to murder the victim, Ana and Din must travel to the borders to interview suspects and are faced not only with deceptions and the possibility of becoming targets of the murderer themselves but also with the impending attack by a giant leviathan from the sea.
I do enjoy fantasies that involve world building and even blending with aspects of a crime thriller/murder mystery. However, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. I think the titles and names of the too-numerous characters just became too confusing. I appreciate that the first book in a fantasy series has to involve some world building to set the stage but I didn't really like any of the characters. I would have liked less complicated world-building and better character development.

Robert Jackson Bennett just seems to keep hitting the nail on the head. This book was hard to put down, each chapter finished just encouraging me to find out more and try to crack the case. A good mystery with interesting characters that I would recommend.

Just a great and engaging read!!!!
A wonderful blend of mystery and fantasy that fully immerses you into the world and the characters. Such a unique fantasy world that only scratches the surface. Leaves you wondering and engaged til the end. The mix of story of the case at hand and the impending threat of leviathans with underpinnings of corruption greed and murder. Don't want to say too much of the story as its a murder mystery but if you love a who dunnit alongside fantasy its a wonderful book to read. Seems like it a continuation series and if that is the case can't wait for it to find out more about the world and the great characters the author has provided us

The Tainted Cup was such a fun read! Going into this book, the premise of fantasy meets murder mystery tied in with political intrigue had me excited…and it was done superbly. This might be my favorite fantasy murder mystery I’ve read thus far. To add to that, there is a very endearing mc and a highly amusing, eccentric deuteragonist. I adored the dynamic between the two of them.

Even the other characters had such a distinct voice and personality - which added further dimension to the overall novel. All elements of this story were well balanced, which can be a risk when trying to combine different genres. Bennett did a fantastic job of creating such an interesting world with a fascinating magic system. The lore and history was intriguing as well yet none of these aspects overwhelm the reader. The mystery continued to be the main focus and the pacing was perfect. As a reader, there was no lull or slow patch in the plot and you’re wholly engaged till the end.

Only minor thing I’ll say is that some of the clues were a bit obvious but perhaps it wasn’t meant to be an overtly complicated whodunnit. However even then, there were details that were unexpected.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was that kid reading my dad's compendium of Sherlock Holmes stories in tiny print when I was in middle school. I loved the cleverness, the strangeness of Holmes and the down-to-earth doctor who explained his wild mind to us the reader. I thought they were perfect in every way, and went on to read Agatha Christie, and really so many mysteries. Then I got super into fantasy novels. Dear readers, if you're anything like me then this book will just hit perfectly. It's murder mystery, a sleuth too smart for her own good, an assistant who is more than just that by far, and of course the whole thing is wrapped up in an inventive new world that is unique and interesting and drawn out just enough for us to understand the machinations of the plot. Five stars, I absolutely adored this and think you might, too!

Meh, the dialogue and general writing style immediately made me realize I was reading words on a page and not existing in another realm, which was highly unfortunate.

The worst part about this book is that I can't consume the sequel immediately. This book has me in a chokehold. This book is my favorite book so far this year and will probably be in my top five in December. I've been looking for this book in stores to buy a physical copy even though I already read an ARC and I don't ever do that with books I've already read. I LOVE.

There is so much about this book that's going to appeal to such a variety of people. There's a mystery at the heart of the plot that is well-thought-out and twisty, a Sherlock Holmes-level detective with a sense of humor to die for, BIG MONSTERS, politics, a very interesting magic/worldbuilding systems, fantastic writing.

I also cannot give enough praise to authors writing a series who keep their plot arcs confined within a single book. Of course, there are overarching plot points and themes that will weave all the books in the series together and compel you to want to read the next book, but the mystery and inciting incident in this book has been solved. I have answers and I can find peace in waiting for the sequel.

Absolutely cannot recommend this one enough - might become a go-to recommendation for me. A real real great time.

This fantasy introduces a really entertaining pair of detectives in an intriguing world that is constantly under threat from leviathans. It also faces the normal societal threats from within like corruption, political scheming and murder. Now the master detective Ana and her young assistant Din are called to investigate the gruesome death of a man when a tree suddenly burst from his body. This death is just the beginning of a plague.

Ana is brilliant, acerbic and eccentric. Din is naive, inexperienced and unsure of himself, but he has very useful skills. Since Ana generally refuses to leave her home, Din does most of the investigating and reports back to Ana, who ties all of the clues together. I’m glad that this book is the beginning of a new series by this author, because I liked this world a lot. And I loved the pairing of Ana and Din. 4.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Thanks to Ballentine and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

This book had really interesting world building and characters, but let's just talk about the murder that opens this book. Wow. I want to see how this gets dramatized, it just feels like it could be so cool. I really liked a lot of the characters and they different types of people, but the main mystery of how people died and the eventual unraveling were really fascinating and I can't wait to read more about the central duo. I'll definitely be picking up the second book to see what the author does next with this world.

I really had a great time with this book! The mystery elements kept me highly intrigued and the twists and turns were great at keeping me on the edge of my seat.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book!

I was initially intimidated by the length but the writing makes it feel like a breeze. The worldbuilding is handled well and the puzzles are intriguing. There's even a good amount of dry humor sprinkled throughout.

I am honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed this. The worldbuilding is very creative and I kind of wish I could see Bennett's graphic novel version of this. Murder, poison, monsters, and more await you in this romp of a book. A great one for mystery readers who like their characters to remind them a bit of Holmes ;)