This is well-written but just not for me. I’m not going to post reviews anywhere because I realized early on I’m just not the right reader. There’s nothing I can say beyond acknowledging I just don’t like fantasy as much as I wish I did. I think I need some connection to reality.

This is one of those situations where I start wondering if I read a different book than everyone else did. Or if I just missed out on something that everyone else caught onto within the story. Because I was so confident that I was going to love this read. SO confident. But I just ended up reading to finish rather than out of any degree of interest or enjoyment.

The one thing I really loved without fail was the worldbuilding. I constantly wanted to know more about the alterations, the titans, the class system. There was so much to take in and I couldn't get enough of it.
I was also especially interested in our main character, Din. He's quirky and likeable and just about the only character that felt fully fleshed out. We got peeks into his romantic life, his relationships with his family, his motivations concerning his career - he's a character that's easy to feel close to. Unfortunately, he was pretty much the only one I really cared about.

Everything else about the book just felt like background noise. Like the kind of story that keeps the reader at a distance to enhance the mystery, but instead just prevents becoming fully invested. It's not that I disliked the other characters or the story itself - I just didn't care at all. I didn't feel strongly one way or another. I didn't feel close to any of the characters. I wasn't especially engaged in the mystery element. I wasn't captivated by the Sherlockish revelations that kept enlightening us while we trailed along one step behind.

There's not much more to say. Tons of early reviewers loved this book and I hope most readers will. I wish I had been one of them because this felt right up my alley until suddenly it wasn't.

Special thanks to Del Rey for an ARC in exchange for review.

This is my first book by Robert Jackson Bennett, but it won’t be my last! I was intrigued by the idea of a mystery story set in a fantasy world with magically engineered plants and plagued by leviathans. And I have to say, the premise lived up to my excitement for it. I was hooked from the first page, wanting to know more about the world and get to the bottom of the mystery.

The worldbuilding is fantastic. Little parts of it are explained here and there until suddenly you have the full picture of how the world works without realizing it. It’s a really interesting and unique world as well, with plants engineered and used to provide people with enhancements such as speed, problem solving, strength, or memory. The main character Din is enhanced to remember everything he experiences in perfect detail. The flip side of this is that there are many contagions in the world and these enhancements often eventually cause health disorders or early death. On top of that, there are leviathans that emerge from the sea during the wet season, and the empire is barely able to hold them back.

The characters are well done. They feel true and real, and some of my favorite moments were in the simple character interactions. Bennett could have delved deeper into their motivations and emotions, but based on where we left off, I think we will be getting more of that in the next installment.

My only big criticism is in how the ending plays out. There is too much standing around and explaining for my tastes. I would have liked to see the mystery revealed in some way other than a monologue. That being said, I am looking forward to seeing how the events of book one affect the politics of the empire. I think there will be some great political intrigue at play, and I can’t wait for it!

TLDR; I really liked it, there were some moments I loved, and I only see the series getting even better from here.

4.25/5 ⭐

Read if you like:
🔎 Murder mysteries
🧠 Dyslexia and/or neurodivergent rep
✨ Unique fantasy worlds
🌿 Plants/botany

Wow, that was good!

An extremely riveting murder mystery taking place in a sci-fi fantasy world where augmentation is the norm. We follow Signum Dinios Kol, Din for short, as he works alongside his eccentric investigator as her “eyes and ears” sort to speak. The investigator, Ana Dolabra, doesn’t leave her residence, instead entrusting Din and his engraver abilities, which give him perfect memory. When a foul murder takes place and Din and Ana get put on the case, they get a bit more than they bargained for. With elaborate twists and turns, the investigation has them uncovering many secrets and dodging dangers from all sides.

So there are so many things to enjoy about this book, from the unique and immersive world-building to the suspense and mystery. I struggled to put this one down. Genuinely. Character-wise Din and Ana, are absolutely amazing. I loved their little quips and their mentor/apprentice relationship. However, I will note that this is plot-driven and not deeply character-focused. We do not get a deep dive into Din or Ana’s histories, but that doesn’t make them any less relatable or interesting. I do feel the author is leaving things open to expand on further in the next books.

There were a couple of things that I wasn’t too fond of, nothing too crazy though. One is the irrelevant romance, it’s kind of sprinkled in and isn’t 100% believable or adding much to the story. In my opinion, either involve it with the story as a bigger subplot, or not at all. The sprinkle of it made me excited and then disappointed. The other thing was that a big secret, hinted at throughout the whole story, is revealed in a less-than-spectacular way. There are so many twists and turns throughout the investigation that it would’ve been nice for this reveal to be done with just as much care.

However, there was SO SO much to love! I was drawn in pretty early on and kept excited the whole time. I truly can’t wait for the next book and this one isn’t even out yet…yikes.

Some things I really love:
- We have disability (dyslexia) and LGTBQIA+ rep!
- Crazy twists
- Modern lingo
- Unique “magic” system (I wouldn’t say it’s magic I consider it more scientific enhancement)
- Interesting setting and creatures

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for providing me with an eARC.

2 stars

I’m so glad everyone else seemed to get a different, fantastic copy of this book. I did not get that book. It starts out fairly interesting and pulling you in the way a lot of typical mysteries go. Soon after though you are weighed down with so much terminology that has no meaning, a world you are trust into with only some unlikeable side characters as a guide. The main character is the only sort of bright spot. I couldn’t care less about the mystery, I was just trying to sludge through each sentence. If you are a huge Sherlock fan give this a try, but I finished so many other books I had paused in an effort not to read another word.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars, rounding up. You gotta love a good fantasy-ass murder mystery. Tons of excellent, intriguing worldbuilding. Bennett uses just enough of the fantastical elements of his world in crafting the murder mystery puzzle to make it novel, but still understandable and satisfying when it's unraveled. He also effectively navigates the problem of showing there is more going on in this fantasy world yet to unpack without overshadowing the plot of THIS book; I think of Marina J. Lostetter's somewhat similar fantasy-mystery <i>The Helm of Midnight</i> which while otherwise excellent hammers the sequel hook a little too hard. It's entirely possible that RJB may still spiral out into an "<i>it goes ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP</i>" expansion of scope in subsequent books but for right now it's doing a very good job of walking that fine line.

4.75/5 stars. Attack on Titan meets Knives Out meets Sherlock Holmes with a sprinkle of The Last of Us.

I truly loved reading this book. The Tainted Cup combines a Sherlock and Watson-esque murder mystery duo with the imaginative world-building of fantasy. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of either genre.

What I appreciate about Robert Jackson Bennett is the creativity of his novels, and this addition to his backlog is no different. The world in which this story is set is so interesting and different than anything I have ever read before, I can't wait to learn more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At the edges of empire, a royal engineer is murdered. The method is unique, a seed was ingested then grew suddenly and rapidly, leaving a gruesome corpse tree. It is Dinios Kol's first major case in his new role as assistant to the eccentric imperial investigator Ana Dolabra. Kol is young, but has received the training and organic implants that make him an engraver, one who can remember everything they have witnessed with perfect clarity, typically aided by their smelling of scents carried for this purpose.

The canton where they investigate is tasked with being the first line of defense against the Leviathans that rise from the sea during the wet seasons. As these creatures approach land, the royal engineers man the walls with their battlements seeking to kill the Leviathans before they can breach the walls. For one season a year, death and destruction loom, forecast by the tremors of the earth that hint at the approach of a Leviathan.

The Tainted Cup is a clever, engrossing crime procedural set in a fantastical world. Politics are of key importance to the plot as this canton hosts agents of powerful factions that seek to influence new career imperial functionaries. Both Kol and Dolabra are clever, but as they investigate the murder, the clues steer them to a wider more troublesome issue that threatens the Empire and an atrocity hidden in its past.

Recommended to readers of cerebral fantasy or political intrigue. Sherlock Holmes in a land threatened by Kaiju.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a perfect blend of fantasy and murder mystery. A quirky and complex story, giving those Sherlock Holmes vibes. I was invested the entire time.

Are you looking for a novel with augmented humans, political intrigue, hidden crimes, a society under threat by enormous creatures rising from the sea, a series of impossible murders, and a prickly, eccentric super-sleuth and her stalwart assistant? Look no further!

This is a complex world of alchemical contagions, leviathans whose blood ruins the land, but who also makes human augmentation possible, a rigid system that does as much harm as good, and an empire trying to stem the tide of giant monsters. :happy sigh:

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Robert Jackson Bennett presents the first book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, The Tainted Cup. Marketed as a Holmes-and-Watson style murder mystery in a fantasy world, The Tainted Cup follows apprentice engraver Dinios Kol on his first assignment. Din has been modified so that he can remember things precisely by associating them with a scent. As such, he begins his journey with Iudex Investigator Ana Dolabra and is quickly assigned to the death investigation of an Engineering Commander. Each interview reveals more and more of the web of corruption at the heart of the Empire with Din and Ana leading the way through the unraveling.

My only previous experience with Robert Jackson Bennett is through his Locklands trilogy, which I loved. I am admittedly rather stingy with 5 star ratings, but both Foundryside and Shorefall achieved it for me. And, now, so has The Tainted Cup.

Bennett successfully modeled Ana, our Holmes, in such a way that made her all the things we love about Sherlock while keeping her entirely her own person. Likewise is true for our Watson in Din. As has been my experience, Bennett never shirks the side characters, ensuring to build them out enough to leave the reader secure that they are far more than just a furtherance of the plot. Part of what I loved about Locklands was the intricacy and the uniqueness of the magic system and the world building. Bennett has created something new once more with our world in The Tainted Cup. Couple that with implied neurodivergence in Ana, casual queerness in Din, and the hint of a blossoming romance (that did NOT take over the plot in any way) and I was sold.

The mystery, which was a new addition from Bennett for me, was wonderfully paced and evidence planted strategically in a way that a reader can see what's happening (with help from Holmsian Ana). Strings were neatly tied while plot lines opened up to allow a continuation of the series.

I promptly purchased the book in time to make the preorder campaign and I will happily recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the Locklands Trilogy or who recently enjoyed The Will and the Many by James Islington.

***ARC received from Del Rey and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

I’m going to be honest, I never finished Robert Jackson Bennett Divine City triology even though I truly loved City of Stairs. So I was excited to get the newest book for a new series that was both and amazing read and left me wanting the rest of the series already. Its got great characters, a plot that moves along at a great pace and set up a much bigger world to explore.

The main POV for this book is Din, a new assistant to a bit eccentric investigator Ana and I loved both these characters. Din is new to his job and he got started on a dozy of a case and despite being new to the job he really doesn’t take a lot of Ana’s shit. These two characters have such a fun dynamic with their mentor and mentee relationship, slowly building trust with the other as the book goes on. Din is just the sweetest, I love his almost innocence as he travels to a new city getting to explore new things, build new relationships with people who like him. Even find a bit of love, which I wish and hope will be explored more in the future as I really liked the two characters together.

I was a little worried that Ana was going to try to be the smartest person in the room type character, dismissive of everyone else but she does value others input. She greatly values and respects Din since he is her eyes in the case, knows where her limitations are and when to rely on others. I appreciated that her picking Din was deeper than just you scored the best in your class, she has a connection with him yet to be explored. There is also a lot about her that is only hinted at and left me wanting to know more about her.

There are a lot of secondary characters but it never gets overwhelming. No one ever feels like they are there just to add characters, everyone has a purpose and never felt like they blend into the background even if only there for a few pages.

This is a great entry for people that are wanting to get into fantasy but are worried about complex magic system and an abundance of characters since yeah, fantasy books tend to have sometimes too many characters. Tainted Cup has a good magic system with different augmentations from mental to physical with more to explore in the next book. Not just a great entry but an easy and quick read. For being over four hundred pages it felt like it took no time at all, it is such a fast read. The plot moves along at a great pace, never too quick, leaving enough time for world building that can be carried over into the sequel. There are secondary plots that never overshadow the main murder mystery and build on it. By the end you have a resolution to this stories main plot but there is enough there to carry in on into the second book and now we just have to wait for it.

The Tainted Cup is a great start to a new series that I can’t wait to learn more about.

When Dinios Kol is assigned to help investigator Ana Dolabra, he has no idea what he’s getting into. Stunned by Ana’s unorthodox methods is the first, but the murder they are supposed to solve is another shocker. The death of a man that literally has been killed by a tree growing out of his body. This mystery leads both on a journey that mixes them with some important people and very few they can trust. Will they survive to solve this or will they be the next targets?

The Tainted Cup has fantasy, mystery & suspense. Ana and Din are a duo of opposites that work well together gathering information to catch a killer. It’s exciting to immerse yourself in a new world of fantasy. The novel was creative and different from others I’ve read. There were many new terms and locations to remember and that affected my focus on the story when I had to recheck them.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey Books for this eARC.

I enjoyed this mystery and loved the character of Ana. My only issue was it was slow in the beginning and did not grab me right away. Adding a character and some scenes of them battling the leviathan might have made the story more exciting.

This is my third RJB novel (I'm still working on Locklands), and I've enjoyed everything I've read from him immensely. I do want to note that I don't think this novel is on the same level as the Founders trilogy, especially in terms of setting and the magic system. However, I could absolutely be proven wrong in later sequels to this book! And I'm not saying anything against this book at all! It's simply a different kind of book.

Our main character (he's called Din by most people, but he has multiple names, all of which I can't remember right now) is an engraver, or a person supplemented to remember absolutely everything they see. He's an apprentice assistant investigator to Ana (see above about the names lol), who is the Sherlock Holmes of this story. I loved Ana and Din's relationship. It was funny and quirky and sweet. I found myself laughing out loud at quite a bit of this book. At its heart, this is a murder mystery novel, in a unique fantasy setting with the threat of giant leviathans on the horizon. I do hope the leviathans play a bigger role in future books, as I felt they barely played a role in this book, aside from making the setting more dangerous. There are poisonous plants that cast deadly spores into the air, delicious political cat-and-mousr games, and a huge cast of potential suspects. The pacing was perfect, the characters were interesting and fun, the chapters were snappy and quick to read. I can't think of anything I disliked about this book, and I'm very excited to read the next in the series!

Having read Robert Jackson Bennett previously and enjoying his writing style, I was excited to see he was coming out with a new book! First of all, like Foundryside, I was initially drawn to this absolutely beautiful cover. Although I’m not usually into detective type of stories, I decided to give this one a try due to enjoying his writing style and this does not disappoint. It’s more a futuristic novel with human enhancements, different types of societies and ways of life. If you love books where plants do unusual things and quirky characters, you’ll love this!

Thank you Netgalley and Del Ray publishing for an ARC of this book.

First I must say, that this is the first book that I have read by this author. When I received the email that this book was offered to me, I was ecstatic to know that this book was at first, a fantasy retelling of Sherlock Holmes, not only that also a bit of Attack on Titan as well with the Leviathans.

In the beginning we following Din as he investigates the murder of Blas, who was staying at one of the Haza's houses. How he is murdered is shown by some sort of contagion that causes trees to sprout of him. Din is to report to his superior Ana, who as we can tell is Sherlock though this whole story and Din is of course Watson.

The world building was absolutely superb. I loved how the book is mostly plot driven and pointing out character flaws. I look forward to reading more of Robert Jackson Bennett. This was my first fantasy mystery and I am sure I am going to read more books just like this.

Overall I give this book 4.75 stars.

A murder mystery with unique investigators set in a fantasy world populated by murderous plants and the ever-present threat of invasion from massive creatures; how could I resist?

The Tainted Cup is an entertaining story with fascinating characters, clever writing and fantastic world-building. The relationship of mentor and mentee between the eccentric investigator Ana Dolabra and her new assistant Dinios “Din” Kol is both engaging and intriguing, as Din is gripped by Ana’s incredible intuition while contending with her perplexing demands and sometimes overly blunt personality.

The crime that Din and Ana are investigating is detailed and multifaceted and I enjoyed learning new information as Din and the other characters discovered it and tried to solve the mystery along with them.

Din is a wonderful main character and while his ability as an Engraver, a person agumented to recall information and conversations down to the minute detail is remarkably useful, he still requires Ana’s perception and deductive reasoning to help put things together. His desire to follow the rules is sometimes at odds with the unexpected situations he finds himself in and his personal struggles make him immensely relatable.

The Tainted Cup is an excellent novel and if it does continue as part of a series, then I look forward to reading about Ana and Din’s future endeavors.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey Books and Robert Jackson Bennett for providing this eARC. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

4 stars

Hmm, should I have read Sherlock Holmes before this? Or maybe one of the author's other works. Is this his normal writing style?

This story takes place in the Khanum Empire. It is a land that lives with a level of fear of the wet seasons. For in the wet seasons, the chance of having the sea walls breached by a leviathan and contagions spread is much higher. That's right this land is filled with monstrous sea creatures, however you only get one disturbing glance at them. I feel from how it was described that it might come back to be an important fact. The empire is set up in a series of rings of land called Kantons. The outermost kanton is against the sea. The legion there is responsible for the defense of the whole empire. It is only briefly mentioned but there was another species before the human empire. These were the ones that built the sea wall and Titan Road. The people seem to speak of them with fondness and awe, at this, I believe it might be believed that we lived peacefully until they died out naturally. However, that does sound odd for a human civilization.

There is not exactly a magic system here. More like a version of fantasy science. In this realm, the apothecaries use parts of leviathans to change people. Some people are altered to be able to be better soldiers, others to improve memory. The wealthy use these changes to look more appealing and live longer. There are also infusions to protect against contagions. There are several types of awful ways to die that could be spread by spores or plants.

From the description, I had expected two main characters. However, we will see the book only through Dinios Kol. He was appointed to be the assistant investigator to Ana Dolabra only four months ago. Anna is an eccentric genius to be sure. Din has to be her eyes and ears around the kanton as they go about the investigation. Din is also hiding something. He is fearful of anyone finding out and it costing his job. You will find out what it is pretty early on. However, as the story keeps going there will be another layer added to this.

The Tainted Cup follows Din and Ana as they investigate the death of Captain Blas at a very prominent estate. In the Khanum Empire deaths by contagion are mostly contained but not uncommon. The dead captain was a high-ranking Engineer for the Legion and was found in most a disturbing state. As the facts lead our investigators to high stakes it quickly becomes clear this was only part of a larger puzzle. This type of enigma is exactly what Ana wants to crack.

This who did it was masterfully done. We had our suspects to chase all while the threat of the leviathans growing closer loomed. It gave a very different feel to the mystery with this other threat. Then the larger scope of why Ana was placed in that kanton was revealed and it was just the perfect touch to be able to continue the series.

I really enjoyed the book overall. There were times when I wanted the story to move forward at a better speed. We will spend a good bit of time looking at the details, but this is an investigation so those were important facts. This is a series that takes a different spin on mystery and fantasy. I will be keeping an eye out to see how it continues.

This book is available Tuesday February 6th, 2024.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for sending me a Netgalley eARC in exchange for my opinion.
I devoured this book from the beginning. I wouldn't say it's “fast -paced” but evenly paced enough that I didn't find myself trudging through any moments.
If Fourth Wing was the gateway for Romance readers to Fantasy, then this book is the gateway for Mystery/Thriller readers to Fantasy.
An interesting world with constant Leviathan attacks plus a hierarchy of politics and an interesting magic system. Din's magic as an Engraver is the recalling of a full memory, much like photographic memory, but he is able to achieve this through ability “augmentation” and using vials of scents to associate memories of the moment. This ability is very useful when investigating crimes. I consistently was reminded of Psychology class where we learned about short-term and long-term memory works and how scents naturally can stir up memories, such as an old girlfriends perfume. I thought this particular magic was well thought out pertaining to that.
The mystery itself left you clues, but not too many that you had all the pieces to figure it all out and be disappointed,
Ana and Din were a charming investigating duo to read. I haven't read from this author before, so I don't have a comparison to his previous series.
I only had couple things that were a little confusing as a reader. I had a hard time keeping track of some of the side characters if they went off page for awhile. I could recall them after a few sentences, but I did have that issue consistently. The only other thing was that I felt the romance kind of came out of no where. I'm not sure if it's a started thread to continue later, but it just seemed out of place to me.
Overall, I had a very fun time solving this fantastical mystery and can't wait to see what is next!