The Tainted Cup is the first book in a new series by Robert Jackson Bennett. The story follows eccentric detective Ana Dolabra and her new magical assistant Dinios Kol. They have been assigned to investigate a series of magical deaths that are a threat to the safety of their world.

I am a huge fan of Robert Jackson Bennett's Foundryside series and was so excited to get to read this book early. The characters are compelling and the world is so interesting. I really enjoyed the mix of mystery and fantasy. I absolutely be buying a physical copy of this book to do a reread. I'm so excited to see where this series leads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random. House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Robert Jackson Bennett is such a talented author. The worlds that he builds are so real and feel like they are lived in, rather than created. This book is absolutely amazing. From the characters, to the mystery at the heart of this book, to all the details of the world, I loved this book.

I was hooked on this book from the start!

The world building was phenomenal and I absolutely loved the murder mystery aspect. Every chapter brought new twists and turns that had me not wanting to put the book down. Every time I thought I had the mystery figured out something new would happen that would turn it all upside down, which was so interesting!

I also really appreciated the inclusion throughout the book. The overarching theme that being different isn’t a bad thing and that we all should be accepted for who we are was wonderful.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy and/or mystery novels! I loved it and can’t wait to read the next in the series. This was my first book by the author and it 100% made me want to go read more of their backlist!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

Ive put off writing this review since finishing about 3 weeks ago, not because I didn't enjoy this book but because I needed time to take in the whole of what I read. I LOVED this book and it was easy to give this 5 stars. Sherlock holmes/knives out meets botanical fantasy.
RJB was able to shape and build such a detailed and enthralling world.
The banter between characters and the overall mystery is captivating and I was immediately transported while reading this. Botanical weaponry and Leviathans!! seriously what more could a fantasy gal ask for. Im so excited that this is going to be a series and I am impatiently waiting for the next book!

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a mystery unlike any other. Or is it a fantasy unlike any other? Either description is accurate. Robert Jackson Bennett presents a mind-boggling story full of twists and turns, as well as a rich fantasy setting.

Dinios Kol (Din for short), is the legs for infamous detective Ana Dolabra. He’s also much more than that, being an intelligent assistant who possesses an interesting skill. In a world where people can be magically altered, he has been changed so that he has the gifts of an engraver. Basically, he uses different scents to magically recall everything in perfect and minute detail. It isn’t just sights but sounds and even smells. It makes him an invaluable ally- or else a dangerous enemy.

Ana is asked to investigate an odd and extremely gory murder: that of a man whose chest has suddenly become a planter for a spontaneously sprouted fully-grown tree. This macabre mystery is much bigger than an isolated incident and, that’s not the only problem. There are giant leviathans poised to breach the walls that stand between them and total destruction of the Empire, making time a commodity that is both precious and short. The story is fast paced with a sense of desperation and a ticking clock that makes the book even more compelling.

There are lies, vendettas, political entanglements, and enormous monsters. What else can you ask for in a mystery? And as much as I loved the plot and mystery itself, the characters are even better. The small cast of assistants and suspects are all well-crafted, with each having their own mannerisms and motivations. I’ve read mysteries where the suspects are boiled down to their vocation and nothing more. That is far from the case here, with even the smallest bit player having a richly developed personality.

Ana and Din are both fantastic, although Din stole the show. He had so many layers to his personality that I know there’s even more to him than we are privileged to see in this book. He’s extremely likeable, but there are enough questions about him to make you wonder whether he is exactly what he seems.

I could blather on at length about all the moving parts that combined perfectly to craft this book (holy wow, did I love the magical alterations!), but I’ll save some for you to discover on your own. The Tainted Cup is criminally good!

Well written, and an interesting plot. Was a bit slow for my liking and overal not something I enjoyed. But th me writing was great and I could see many people loving it.

I don't read much fantasy and I love it when the books I read from this genre are this good! The worldbuilding was quick and easy to follow, and the lead characters were very engaging! In a world where everyone has magical enhancements, Inspector Ana Dolabra and her new assistant Dinios Kol are trying to solve a murder that appears to have deep-rooted political overtones. Ana's background is mysterious, and Kol is an apprentice hoping to earn his promotion on this case. Their relationship has depth and grows over the course of the story, in this case the Holmes/Watson analogies are accurate. Come for the fantasy, stay for the murder mystery! I look forward to more in this series,
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars!

I loved this???? I had never read anything from Robert Jackson Bennett before but have heard phenomenal things about his other series Foundryside (which I will be reading next) and so I felt like going in I had decently high expectations just based on the author alone. Then add in the fact that this is a murder mystery and there's massive kaiju in the background and it's literally a book written for me.

I'm glad that all of these expectations melted together and ended up with a fantastic time because this was great. I loved all of the characters, especially our Sherlock/Watson dynamic with Dinios Kol and Ana Dolabra. The mystery was layered and complex (conspiracy on conspiracy on conspiracy) while being still entrenched in this very cool fantasy setting. Once I got past the initial setup I flew through this book and basically read the rest in an entire setting.

A half star knocked off because I was slightly confused by how the world worked and I needed more kaiju content but I could definitely see this bumped up to 5 stars on a re read and I will 100% be reading the next book in the series. I want it now!!


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So I’m given fantasy Sherlock Holmes and you don’t expect me to get hooked?? Shame. The mystery duo is one we’ve seen before but this one might be the most unique take I’ve seen yet!! Ana Dolabra is our eccentric detective, blindfolded majority of the time, she’s mental but in the best way possible. Dinios Kol is the logical assistant, an engraver who is able to memorize and recite everything from memory- especially when using a scent to remember a situation. It’s genius!!! The story has so interesting- the world was built enough that I was able to feel satisfied- and the reveals were worth the wait!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have not been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it!

This is the first book I've read by Robert Jackson Bennett, but it certainly won't be the last. I thought this book was stunning. The plot is engrossing, the characters are well-fleshed out, and the world is imaginative. I seriously can't recommend this book enough. Please do yourself a favor and read this immediately!

I was so impressed with how satisfying the mystery component of this book was! Often times, if mystery is not the author's main genre, they can be a little flat or not well executed, but I found the plot of this to be excellent. I also quite liked the fantasy world building and overall atmosphere. The only thing that kept me from fully loving this is that I personally am pretty tired of the Sherlock/Watson character dynamic. It was pretty well done, but I just am a little bored by it unless there's more nuance or innovation to that trope

Overall, highly recommend! This was really entertaining & well done

CW: for my fellow fungiphobes, there is a lot of spore talk in this

Rating 3.5 stars.

This is like if a high fantasy Attack on Titan were a murder mystery, where the foliage is just as dangerous as the Titans.

When an Imperial officer is found murdered, speared by the roots of a tree through his torso, the Empire is at a loss as to who or what the culprit could be. Enter Dinios Kol, fresh from his military training and fitted with a magical alteration that allows him to "engrave" memories into his brain assisted by scents so that he'll remember even the most minute details. Din is assigned to support the lead investigator Ana Dolabora, whose intelligence and skill are a great asset to the Empire. As the pair start to connect the dots of this case, secrets are discovered and more questions begin to arise leaving them to wonder who they can trust. All the while, an enemy of epic proportions lies in wait at the Outer Wall.

Robert Jackson Bennet took us on quite the roller coaster in The Tainted Cup. The magic system was subtle and the mystery of it all was at the forefront. The author is adept at describing the environment and the suffocating feeling of the wet, hot, heavy humidity of a tropical jungle climate was ever-present. Din's alteration was fascinating to watch in action and I'm unsure if it's intentional for the sake of future books, but Ana's are still a bit of a mystery. The characters are an interesting crew, and I hope that in the next book, we get more of their background. It was difficult for me to read most pages with Ana - her use of contemporary curses was puzzling, and the sheer frequency of her cursing was so very hard to stomach, as speaking this way is not realistic, nor does it add anything to her character or the story. There was also some modern slang: "You sound a touch shook there, Din" which was strange and out of place with the setting as it was.

The story itself is rife with mystery and full of Sherlockian intrigue. The action scenes were thrilling, and the way horticulture was weaved throughout was an enchanting aspect of the plot. I had fun reading it, and I look forward to seeing where it takes us in the books to come.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC, which I received in exchange for my honest review.

As expected at this point from RJB, this was a fun book. A unique magic/science system and a murder mystery with twists that actually made sense! The world building wasn't as thorough as some other fantasy books, but I thought it was handled well without an info dump, but instead getting tidbits as the investigation went on. I expect much more detail as the series continues.

The Watson/Holmes dynamic was right up my alley, with their interactions easily being the highlight of the book. If you enjoyed the Clef's humor from The Founders Trilogy, I think you'll enjoy the humor in this book as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for the ARC, even if it means a longer wait until I can read the sequel...!

I just read The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett and here is what I thought about it:

The Tainted Cup was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, it comes out on February 6th and I had incredibly high expectations seeing as RJB’s Founder’s Trilogy is one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. Conclusion? It didn’t quite live up to my unfairly high expectations, but it was a solid book that was doing some really interesting world building and I’ll definitely read the next book in the series.

I have determined that the perfect media comparison to this book is Attack on Titan meets the BBC’s Sherlock. We are placed in the POV of the assistant to a “quirky” TM genius detective as they are tasked with solving a series of murders during the wet season, which is a time of the year that massive sea Leviathan’s are attempting to break down the walls that protect their ocean-side, ringed empirical city.

My Thoughts:
The set up for the plot is interesting, the pacing of the story is well-done. Once I understood the rules of the world, the unfolding of the mystery kept my attention, but honestly, I found myself feeling apathetic towards the characters in the book. I really wanted more palpable personal stakes from the main characters and more scenes with them behaving as humans with real want, needs, and feelings. So much of the story was spent describing evidence and drawing conclusions via interrogation that I really missed out on developing any emotional connection to Din or Ana (our Watson and Sherlock respectively) and at a certain point the mystery itself was just plot—I wasn’t particularly interested in who did it or why—which feels like a miss when the whole story is the murder mystery.

I was much more interested in how the murder impacted the characters and the politics of the world that is literally being threatened externally by monsters and internally by corrupt politicians, but that incredible tension was fumbled in my opinion. I think I am mourning what could have been, because this book had everything I could ever want, and I just didn’t get that HOLY SHIT I LOVE THIS feeling like I did with Foundryside.

But that doesn’t mean you won’t feel that way. It’s a good book. I want more and I think a sequel to this has so much potential now that we know who and what we are dealing with. The book really started making headway with the characters in the final 20% of this book, I just wanted that through the whole thing. Surface level quirks do not equate to complex characters, and I think that’s been a fairly consistent weakness of RJB’s (I say as a fan).

Reading this back, I am not sure this will be a helpful review. So, here’s the deal. I recommend this. I think a lot of people will really like this. It’s a great idea that is shaking up the traditional immersive fantasy novel and I want to see fantasy trend this way—I want more fantasy that has us following people just doing their jobs while the traditional main quest action is unfolding in the background. This book could have been about the people fighting the Leviathans, but it wasn’t, and I love that choice.
4/5

I seldom find myself *without* an entire grocery list of criticisms for a book after finishing one. I always find the littlest thing to make me not fully love a book or want to give it a 5/5 rating. But this? The Tainted Cup? I think this might be the first book that I’ve read in a long while that I can honestly say has left me in a position where I will be heavily recommending it to friends who are fans of fantasy and mystery.

There were a couple of things that weren’t necessarily negatives, but they did have me saying ‘hmm...’ until the fifth part of the book came to an end.

I found some of the characters and their relationships to be a little flat in the beginning, almost suspiciously so... Which, in hindsight added to the mystery aspect of this murder mystery story. After reflecting on the book once I finished it up, I realized that while they seemed flat to me, that’s what ultimately kept me guessing who did what as I read. Normally, I would find flat characters a drawback that would ultimately skew my rating, however I find that the way RJB unravels the story for readers eliminates that for me. I can appreciate that he gave bits and pieces and circled back and had Din re-evaluate situations and people, over giving the readers overwhelmingly obvious clues as to who was the culprit.

One thing that I enjoyed, but also seemed to be a bit of a detriment after a while of reading, was the writing style. I thoroughly enjoyed the way that RJB presented the story and did find myself drawn into the story because of it. However, I did notice that when I would pick back up, it would take a bit to get back into the groove of the book. I will say that this part is largely a personal problem. That being considered, it doesn’t really affect my overall rating of the book, though. RJB’s style of writing is decently verbose, but I found that it had its purpose in developing the story.

I did see that several people stated in their reviews that they weren’t fans of Din and Ana, claiming that Din didn’t really give much and that Ana was too erratic to enjoy, but I enjoyed them. It took me a while to figure out who they reminded me of and then I finally landed on Sam and Dean Winchester. I don’t know what it was about Din and Ana, but once I made the connection, I couldn’t let it go. I liked their interactions, and found that Ana’s “erratic behavior” served to advance Din as an Investigator without him really knowing it. I think working alongside Ana created challenges for Din that caused him to adjust what he was doing in real-time. She was also pretty accommodating for him when it came to his issues with reading, which I adored. I will say that Din was pretty rigid to start, but as the story went on, I saw a bit of my own self/personality in Din and was able to relate to him. For me, character relatability is something that I really appreciate and strive to find in a book. If a character is relatable, I find that I’m more interested in the story overall and am eager to continue reading to see how they fare.

Goodreads has this listed as the first of a trilogy and I am extremely eager to read the other books that RJB has planned for this story. If they are offered as ARCs on NG, I hope that I’m able to get this opportunity again.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Ballentine, Del Rey, and Robert Jackson Bennett once again for being given the opportunity to read The Tainted Cup ahead of its publishing date, and I look forward to reading more of RJB's works.

Having loved everything I've previously read by Robert Jackson Bennett, I didn't even pause to read the book description for THE TAINTED CUP on NetGalley before clicking the "Request" button!

While I adored the characters of Dinios Kol and Ana Dolabra - the intrigue of the mysteries these two raced against time to solve - the excellence of Bennett's writing - it was the world building that won top marks from me in this novel.

I was fascinated with the "rings" of the Empire that the citizens that populated this world. Depending on how wealthy you were - or weren't - determined your proximity to the sea walls. These walls were massive, and with good reason. Every wet season, these walls and those who were posted there, were all that stood between the titanic leviathans that came from the deepest part of the ocean to launch an attack.

In addition to the added danger of the start of the current wet season, there was great importance on plant life - mushrooms that were altered to take in the air of your home, cleanse it, then release it at a cooler temperature. Ferns that were made into paper and walls for buildings and homes that helped prevent bacteria and contagions. All organic life could be altered, including people. Certain grafts could be applied to make one stronger and larger, there were those that could alter one's brain so that they could remember everything they saw and heard.

THEN we have the mystery that is the heart of the story - who killed an Imperial soldier in the mansion of one of the Empire's wealthiest families? Why was he killed? It must have been something serious, as his death was horrifying - a literal tree sprouted from inside his body, killing him painfully as it erupted from his body. (Anyone else remembering when their parents told them as a kid if they swallowed an apple or orange seed, it would make a tree grow in their belly??) Of course, this leads to a much bigger mystery and the road to solving it is a bloody one.

I can absolutely see the comparison of Sherlock Holmes and it's warranted. Ana Dolabra is a brilliant investigator whose sarcasm, eccentric quirks and foul mouth combine to keep readers laughing throughout the book. Her assistant investigator, Din, is constantly in a state of bafflement at Ana's actions and never seems to get a grasp on her deductive reasoning abilities.

This book was incredibly fun and over much too soon. I look forward to seeing more of the Empire and its rings, but more than that, I can't wait to see what case Ana and Din will take next!

I put off reading this because of my high expectations but they were absolutely met.

This was Sherlock and Watson meets, a world of weird plants, meets political maneuvering, meets the existential threat of a monster on the door step. It was like nothing I’ve ever read before.

We had a single POV which personally is a relief sometimes in the fantasy realm. But all the characters were so interesting.

The world building was some of the most creative I’ve read in a long time. There was moments it dragged with exposition but that was in the nature of the mystery overall it sucked me in from the beginning and I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I wasn’t reading.

If you’re looking for something unlike anything else, I highly recommend this one.

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The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is a murder/mystery/fantasy story taking place in an Empire under threat from huge creatures known as Leviathans. Mr. Bennett is an award-winning author.

Ana Dolabra is a brilliant sleuth who has been assigned to investigate the murder of Imperial officers and engineers. They have been killed by a strange contagion that sprouts trees from their insides, ripping them apart.

Dinios Kol is assigned to be Ana’s new assistant. Kol is known as an engraver, a person who has been altered to have perfect memory. Kol’s job is to observe and report everything to Ana, who can assemble the pieces and put the puzzle together.

This is the first book in the Shadow of the Leviathan fantasy series. Even though I don’t read much fantasy or science fiction, I do like the genre and there’s something about the author’s writing which intrigues me.
I guess that could be said for all books though.

As in his other books, I enjoyed the ingenuity of the author in his world-building. The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett takes place in a world where people learn how to manipulate plants and the human body. Creating enhanced beings each with their own specialty. These powers, however, also have a downside, sometimes unknown until it’s too late.

The characters work well in this book as well, even though I had to keep a mental checklist of who’s who, mostly because of the strange names. The investigator, Ana Dolabra, is very eccentric, yet brilliant. In the meantime, her assistant Dinios Kol is nothing of the kind, he is augmented and suffers for it.

The murder/mystery takes center page in this book, as opposed to the high fantasy and world-building. The Empire is attacked by Leviathans, breaking through walls with the intent to destroy it. That is always present but is never in the forefront. To be honest, I thought of Attack on Titan throughout the whole book, and wondered if it influenced the author in any way.

Anime and strange names aside, I enjoyed this book very much. Especially how the author tied up almost everything in the last part of the book in an elegant way which is worthy of the detective who influenced this book.

I really enjoyed this authors other work, Foundryside, but THIS?! wow - it is such a beautiful feeling to notice when an artist has improved on their craft. I thought this story was so unique, and the characters were so intriguing! I think the pace of this story is done perfectly, and you don't have that slog in the beginning where you're having to sit through a bunch of meaningless character introductions or world building, you're thrust right into the thick of it, but it still feels very digestible regarding learning the characters and their quirks and attempting to figure out what has occurred regarding the murder mystery.

I give The Tainted Cup a 4 star - there are a few things I'd change but those are strictly personal preference and don't hinder how well this story is written - I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

Absolutely obsessed with this book. From the second I picked it up I was immediately drawn in and couldn’t put it down.

The world building is fascinating, the magic (?) system is unique and lush and gruesome, and the central mystery has layer on layer on layer. I loved Din, the POV character, and the investigator he was assigned to assist. It’s very much, what if Sherlock Holmes was a middle-aged woman working to prevent the collapse of an empire besieged by leviathans and her Watson was a genetically modified bisexual with learning disabilities? Their growing friendship throughout the book was delightful. I loved how, even though it was clear that we didn’t have all of the information—even to the end there are still mysteries to unravel—I didn’t feel like the author (or the investigator) was keeping too much back for me to puzzle through some aspects on my own.

The next book in this series will be an auto-buy for me. I just loved this.