The Tainted Cup is a mystery-fantasy that follows a memory-augmented investigator and his eccentric supervisor as they trace a series of murders during a season of environmental catastrophe. I had a great time with this- I found the mystery compelling and the solution believable without the build-up being too obvious. I liked our main protagonist and wider cast of characters, but I'll note that this is not a character and relationship focused book. I felt like the wider world-building was a little light, but I also think it was intentional. There is a lot going on in this world, but the point of this story is to follow the micro-events of these specific crimes to then build into the larger ramifications of the choices of a few people. While I have many questions about the magic and the Leviathans and the social structures, the questions are born out of personal curiosity and investment in the story world, not out of a lack of proper context for the story at hand.
I hope that future books allow us to see more of this world, as I trust this author's inventiveness and thoroughness.

I think the unique take on this magic system of highly augmented humans lies in the fact that every benefit has a blatant cost. A photographic memory eventually drives the owner mad, enhanced size and strength eventually wears away at the person's skin and joints, people deal with shortened lifespans, infertility, etc. While this depiction of "cost" is not unheard of in sci-fi or fantasy worlds, I do feel like this book has a slightly different vibe in that we know this information from the beginning, it is a known and accepted part of their society, and I feel like there are many real-world parallels to disability accommodations and treatments without the analogy coming off as preachy.

My first Robert Jackson Bennett book but definitely not my last. Incredible, tangible fantasy worldbuilding paired with a unique Holmes-and-Watson-style detective pairing. The characters were really vivid and alive, and I need Bennett to do a class on how their brain and craft come together.

A fantasy and a mystery with fantastic world building. That is The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, first in the Shadow of the Leviathan series.

A bigwig in this fictional empire is found murdered, with a tree growing through him. Enter Din, the engraver sent to assess by his boss, the eccentric and brilliant investigator Ana Dolabra. Ana steals the show with her wildly inappropriate language, parading around blindfolded. Din's naivete paired with Ana's bawdiness and expertise make for many laugh out loud moments.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC.

Captivating fantasy/ mystery set in another world (with a touch of romance)! Din is an engraver-a person who has been altered to never forget and have perfect total recall. He also has some severe form of dyslexia which has limited his options. The world he lives in is constantly at risk of having large sea dwelling monsters breach the sea walls and lay waste to the empire. Din is provisionally taken on as an assistant to a disgraced investigator in a town close to the sea walls when a murder of one of the engineers who supports the sea walls occurs and he is sent in to investigate. I hadn’t read anything by this author before but was given a copy by Netgalley to review and I thought the storyline and world building were great! I will certainly look for future works from him!

This book sounded like my kind of fantasy. However, the pacing was off and the characters were rather flat.

This was another book that I started, got to the 10% mark and found that I was not connecting with the story or the characters, so I moved on to another book. I tried to pick it back up to finish, but still found that I just did not care about the storyline or characters. I decided to stop reading and not finish this book at the 25% mark. This was completely me and just not a book for me.

Honestly I could not get into this book. I really tried to get into it, but fantasy isn't my thing.

There is great world building, but it did not feel like it could happen. I was very confused by the leadership structure and how these fantastical beasts fit into the story.

This is a fascinating Sherlock Holmes-esque story. The characters and the world are clearly well thought out and carefully plotted, the detective, Ana, is odd but clearly brilliant, though she buries her brilliance under her complete lack of social graces. Her assistant Dim is less enthralled with her than Watson is with Holmes, but he steady counter balance to her oddities and very invested in their work.

Despite the good characters the world building tripped me up. It is clear that Bennett spent a lot of time developing this world, down to even minute details, but the world does not feel sufficiently explained. I spent a lot of my time reading just wondering what the characters where talking about, and struggling to understand the implications of what they were worried about. It was fascinating but could have been better laid out for the reader.

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.