My first Robert Jackson Bennett title - and what a book to start with! I instantly fell in love with the witty, pacey narrative style, unique magic system and hilarious cast of characters. I saw this described as a Benoit Blanc adventure but if he was a sassy older woman with a bit of a filthy mouth, and I have to say that is SPOT on.

I was absolutely cackling at so many instances in this book and genuinely enjoyed every second. The murder mystery elements were so well done and the perfect mix between twisty and not *too* convenient conclusions. I also really enjoyed the elements surrounding Din’s struggle with reading and writing, and loved how delicately and compassionately that was handled. The magic system was so fascinating and I can’t wait to see how the story develops. I flew through this book in two sittings and, needless to say, I’ll be diving into Bennett’s backlog as soon as possible!

5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, sci-fi, greenpunk, murder mysteries, powers, disability rep

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 1/21 and will be posted to my review blog on 1/25 and to Instagram on 1/27.

To start, I'll say I'm not sure whether to classify this book as fantasy or sci-fi since I feel it has elements of both. The world the book is set in is 'greenpunk,' with buildings grown from plants and things like AC from mushrooms, and the characters have powers augmented through some kind of medical procedure. At the same time though, there are leviathans that rise from the ocean depths and threaten the empire. The genre isn't really important, but I will say it isn't super clear-cut and think it could fit easily into both sci-fi and fantasy.

The world in the book is super interesting. As mentioned, the buildings are largely grown from plants, with some more plant-like than others. A lot of the buildings have fernpaper walls, which serve well to keep out the humidity and don't mold, while also being sturdy enough to stand and not too heavy in the case of an earthquake. A couple of buildings are made from a different plant that can be grown in any shape, allowing for a more personalized architecture. Plants are pretty central to life in the book, and are used for additional things like AC, vaccination, medical treatments, and human augmentation. I love all the plant stuff and think the focus on 'green' things is a really interesting worldbuilding piece that isn't used nearly often enough. We get a good background on how the greenery works without going too in-depth, though I honestly could read an encyclopedia on this world and be happy.

In terms of the augmentation, there's a breakdown of the different augments people can have, with grafts being temporary and more for things like increased immunity in humans or faster growing in plants, while suffusions are permanent and change a lot more about a person/plant. If someone is employed by the empire and has a suffusion they're called a Sublime, with Sublimes categorized into how their suffusion works (axioms are good w/ numbers, linguas are good w/ languages, spatiasts are good w/ spatial relations, engravers who memorize everything, cracklers who are superhumanly strong, etc.). It was really interesting to read about the suffusions and the different Sublimes, and I really enjoyed the background info we get on the augmentations. I also thought it was pretty cool how the augmentations seem to be everywhere, including to help plants do different things and to help medications and vaccines be produced against the wide range of issues people might come across.

While this is a SFF story, the bulk of it is the murder mystery. It's twisty and deliberate, but at the same time has moments when it's very fun. Ana reminds me at times of Benoit Blanc from Knives Out and I really enjoyed her method to solving mysteries. There's a good mix of humor and seriousness here, and I think Bennett struck a good balance between the two.

Din is a Sublime engraver recently assigned to be Ana's investigative assistant. He's a rule follower and so his and Ana's approaches clash at times, though never majorly. Din is very clearly dyslexic, which gave him trouble in training, and at times he runs up against needing to read things during the investigation, but he's figured out a work around using his engraving skills which I found to be a really smart way of going about it. He's clever and a good observer, and is able to put the pieces of things together quickly even though he's new to investigating. I liked seeing things through his eyes and and way he would meticulously go through a scene to find evidence. It was particularly interesting how he interviewed people because Din seems to have a knack for knowing how to circle a conversation around to what he really wants to know without being too obvious about it, thus putting the interviewee at ease and getting them to open up. It was wonderfully subtle the way he got people to open up.

Ana is the main investigator on the case and is not the sort of investigator you'd expect. She prefers to stay in her house (or later on, in her borrowed rooms) rather than going outside to investigate on her own, and when she does leave the comfort of her accommodations, it's with a blindfold on. I suspected she was autistic throughout the book, and then toward the end she basically comes out and says it (without saying it since...you know...this is a SFF novel not set in our world with our terminology). She's quick to make deductive leaps and is often several steps ahead of everyone else involved. It was fun to read as she snapped through deduction after deduction, using the evidence Din collected, and coming to a conclusion that made sense but you didn't always see coming. Ana is also pretty funny and I enjoyed the humor she brought to the book.

There are a bunch of side characters who come in and out of the story as needed, and I found them to be pretty well fleshed out. It definitely felt like each character had their own lives and concerns and didn't just cease to exist once they left Din's presence. Miljin is the side character who's probably around the most, he's one of the investigators working the case with Ana and Din. At first his demeanor was pretty gruff and unwelcoming, so I didn't think I'd like him much, but over the course of the book his character grew on me and I actually ended up liking him a lot. He's just the kind of person that doesn't immediately warm up to people, but once he does he's got quite the quick brain and lots of humor and advice to go around.

As mentioned, the main point of this book is the mystery. At the beginning, Ana was making all sorts of leaps that I just took her word for, but as the story continued, I began being able to make guesses of my own. Some of the stuff I was able to guess correctly, sometimes in a surprising way, but other times I was still puzzling it out when Ana and the others came to their conclusions. There are so many moving pieces and different elements to the mystery going on in this book, I enjoyed trying to figure out the solution myself as well as seeing what the actual solution was.

Overall I greatly enjoyed this book and I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series. This is the kind of book that makes me want more SFF backgrounds for mystery books, it added a really interesting layer to things that I enjoyed.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is the most effective mashup of fantasy and mystery I have ever read. The fantasy is high fantasy with a complex and detailed world that I had to spend the first 5-10% just trying to get acclimated to. And then comes the murder mystery, which is strange but perfect for this strange world. The two genres are blended so seamlessly and artfully that, looking back, I'm still in awe.

Dinios Kol is the eyes and ears of an eccentric Holmesian-type detective, Ana Dolabra. This arrangement works perfectly for the pair since Kol has received an enhancement that allows him complete recall. Ana can take the details Kol recalls for her and deduce the who and why of most situations. When a puzzling case falls in their lap - a man is killed by a tree erupting from his body, and he is visiting one of the homes of this world's most influential families - their dangerous and compelling journey begins and took me on such a wild ride that I don't even know how to begin to describe it.

Amazingly, the story has extraordinary character development and is equally character-driven and plot-driven. I loved that these characters, Ana and Kol, in particular, are as complex as the world they live in. Although their world is alien, these characters' layers, struggles, and scars are decidedly relatable and establish their connection with the reader. So, while I only sometimes understood the world, I always understood the characters and their motivations.

If you are looking for a reading experience beyond compare, you must read The Tainted Cup and then come back and tell me your thoughts.

I received an advanced readers copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Tainted Cup. There was murder, mystery, and mayhem. It was like a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery.

We are introduced to the Empire of Khanum out in the third ring (outer ring) by the sea walls which keep out the leviathans (creatures from the depths of the sea). We are introduced to the Iyalet and Iudex. The Iyalet is a system with different people enhanced by grafts for engineering, apothecary, medicine, and more. The Iudex has investigators with different grafts for different purposes as well. The grafts are created by the Apoths to enhance people with different features for the different jobs in the Empire that are apart of the Iyalet or the Iudex.

Din is our main character who is enhanced to be an engraver. Meaning he remembers everything and recall the memories easily. He is the assistant investigator in training to Ana, who is the main investigator who is enhanced in other ways. A murder happens in the canton that Din goes to investigate and report back to Ana. This leads to a bigger murder mystery that brings Din and Ana to Talagray to investigate further. In Talagray the mystery deepens and it becomes clear there is a lot more to this story than just a simple murder mystery.

There is dyslexia rep in the book with the engraver Din. He has trouble reading because the letters jumble together and switch. He also has some trouble writing as well. He has to do things a particular way when reading and writing to help him.

Ana, the investigator cannot take too much outside stimulation, doesn't really like going outside, is kind of abrasive, says what she thinks without care, and is kind of socially awkward. She is definitely neurodivergent.

This does leave some questions by the end, however it is listed as being book one. I will definitely be reading the next book as this was super interesting, well written, and I need to know more. Especially about Ana.

Sherlock and Watson, but make it weird!

I once saw a post about the missed opportunity of the Star Wars universe: where we could have family dramas and workplace sitcoms populated by Stars Wars characters, we instead get the same epic about the fight between good and evil over and over again. Sometimes I want my fantasy to try something different, and Robert Jackson Bennett's latest scratches that itch by combining thorough world-building with a classic detective story. There's a series of linked murders, an eccentric detective and her earnest assistant, and some classic cloak-and-dagger hijinks, but also everyone has superhuman powers and a vested interest in the maintenance of a giant wall that prevents sea monsters from destroying civilization. It's very fun!

While The Tainted Cup is a delight precisely because of its dip into two streams of genre fiction, it suffers from the classic pitfalls of those genres, too. The world of the novel is a little vague in its details (who are these leviathans that live in the sea, and what would they actually do if they got ashore?) and challenging to visualize, and the dramatic leaps of logic that define the detective's monologues don't always feel grounded in evidence or probability. Fans of fantasy and mystery will likely not be bothered by these weaknesses, in part because they have seen, and forgiven, them before. I certainly didn't mind; I flew through the end of this book and will definitely pick up the sequel!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey/Random House for the ARC of "The Tainted Cup" in exchange for an honest review.....
Now here's the first bit of honesty.....Fantasy is a category I only sometimes sample and only if the premise is intriguing, startling and promises a rip-roarin' good time for even casual readers of the genre
"The Tainted Cup" easily checked those boxes.....so for me, resistance was futile.
First I was instantly reminded of how in awe I am of the world building required for these epics... all .the geography, history, and minute details of civilization required to bring a universe to life from scratch. Even more, I'm nodding my head in appreciation of the clever skill required to mirror this fantasy world with the foibles, politics, customs and events we're well familiar with in real life. Humans gotta be humans......no matter what universe they're parked in.
But what really drew me to this book......the idea of an odd couple detective duo tasked with uncovering a horrific series of mass murders amid 'The Empire'. And this empire is no bowl of cherries to exist in to begin with, with its high walls protecting the populace from 'Titans'......giant Lovecraft-ian sea monster leviathans who, given half a chance, would rampage like Godzilla on a sugar high. (And every so often, they get half a chance....)
Master sleuth and supreme solve of mysteries Ana Dolabra prefers to stay secluded with a blindfold on to sharpen her already razor-sharp instincts. Her young apprentice Dinios Kol, gets the legwork assignments - interrogating suspects, hunting down clues and stumbling upon corpses. All in a day's work.
The crimes this pair must solve are the stuff of nightmares.......deploying a poison that results in spectacularly agonizing deaths right out of an unrated director's cut horror movie. And to catch the perpetrators, they must clash with the upper strata of The Empire food chain........and due to a breach in those walls, the empire's on the verge of another Leviathan whoop-de-doo.....for which humans stand at the bottom of the food chain.
Even as a rare fantasy world tourist, I loved the mystery set up, the intricate creation of 'The Empire' and all the usual tropes of the genre......backstabbing conspiracies, swordfights, horrifying monsters, imperious nobles, rough-hewn stalwart warriors, surprising reveals and a breathless coming of age for a naive young hero. The only thing I wish the author seriously reconsidered was having Ana Dolabra spew out non-stop F-bombs as if Quentin Tarantino wrote her dialogue. Jarring, to say the least and kind of unnecessary.
But overall, I had a fine time losing myself in this universe and by all means, I' can't wait for Ana And Din's next adventure in Empire crime solving.....and hopefully someone'll slap some Gorilla Glue on those high walls. and Ana will learn various alternative words for you-know-what.......

This was an enjoyable fantasy murder mystery (a specific genre that I really haven't explored before)! I enjoyed the world that Bennett created and was honestly more interested in the background plot of the defense of the Empire against the leviathans rather than the smaller mystery at the forefront. Din as a narrator grew on me throughout the story but by the end I still don't feel as if he was a fully realized character. I feel as if I understand his abilities in detail but not him or his motivations. Additionally, because we were limited to Din's point of view, many of the reveals or revelations of the plot felt unearned. Ana, a fascinating detective character I would like to know more about, did almost all of her deducing off page which led to her scenes explaining the connections (and she was never wrong) feel a little unearned. All in all a well-written read with a compelling plot.

Thank you to Del Rey Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Ana Dolabra is an investigator and her new assistant, Dinios “Din” Kol, an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory, are assigned to solve the case of a murdered high Imperial officer found with a tree growing out of his body. As the case progresses, there are additional murders, many suspects, lies, and danger. Ana is brilliant and Din becomes more self-assured of himself and his skills as the case continues.

An intense, complex, intriguing, and thoroughly enjoyable science fiction/fantasy murder mystery by a new-to-me author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! (Most fantasy series intimidate me because I don't want to find cliffhangers and get frustrated until the next book is released.)

I would definitely read more but Bennett.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

One thing I really enjoy about RJB's novels is how different his fantasy worlds are from a lot of the ones out in the world. Foundryside has a unique industrial, mechanical-type fantasy world and The Tainted Cup is set in an interesting ecological/botany-like fantasy world and the magic system is also super science-y and also medical in a way? I don't know how to describe it in a way that does it proper justice but basically, RJB's world-building is to die for and the creativity and innovation are off the charts.

Overall, this novel is a lot of fun. I enjoyed the murder mystery aspect and how it was interwoven with the world and its politics. Even though we're thrown head-first into the investigation, it took me a while to get into it. But around the 50% or so mark, I was properly entranced and couldn't put it down.

I think the best part is the characters, especially Din and Ana. Din is basically a disaster bisexual and this is his first investigation as Ana's apprentice (essentially). And how do I describe Ana except as a living embodiment of chaos? She was easily my favorite character and her dialogue was a joy to read. The development of her relationship with Din over the course of the novel made my heart feel fuzzy and warm as she essentially took him under her wing, chaotic aunt style.

There is also a small (read: very small) queer romance, but it's only a few sentences long and the novel is not really focused on it much at all. I'm curious to see how that might progress in future books, though, because I thought the snippets we got were very cute!

Ultimately, the reason I rated this novel 4 stars instead of 5 was because I really struggled with the magic system/world-building and all of the new words and terms thrown at the reader. I usually pride myself in being pretty good at understanding a new world relatively easily and I read a lot of high fantasy, but for some reason, I struggled to remember what was what and who was who in this world. While I got the hang of it by the end (mostly, anyway), it was difficult at first and hampered my early enjoyment of the novel.

Overall, though, this is an enjoyable fantasy murder mystery with a unique (though sometimes confusing) world-building and magic system and I would recommend it!

Before I get into the review, a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at Del Rey Books for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Tainted Cup is a Holmes and Watson-esque novel that follows investigator Ana Dolabra--a detective whose eccentricities are matched only by her brilliance--and her assistant, Dinios Kol who are called to work a case after a high imperial officer is killed when a tree erupts from his body. As they follow the clues, Dolabra and Kol just might uncover a darker secret than this poisoning. The Tainted Cup comes out on February 6th and is available for pre-order now.

I had such a fun time with this one. I'm a bit of a Sherlock Holmes fan girl so I was worried that picking this one up would set off a chain reaction of disappointment. But the way this story unfolds in this fantastical world and the way the mystery gets laid out for the reader makes it so much more fun and accessible to the reader. In most of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I've read over the years, there would be leaps in logic that were too difficult to follow unless you had very specific, detailed knowledge. And, while Ana does had a little bit of that going on, the author managed to find a way to keep the reader invested and to keep the reader's suspension of disbelief going. The world building and the pace of the story worked really well for me. There was a small section at the beginning where it felt like you were just thrown into the story, but given the fantastical world and how short that feeling lasted I'm going to say that part was still a thumbs up from me.

The characters are probably what I think could have used the most work. We do get some of the Holmes and Watson-esque interactions between our investigator and her assistant but I felt like we could have gone further with it. I still feel like I know so little about Ana. Maybe that's a choice the author made because of her being a representation of Sherlock Holmes. But I just wanted more from her. I also spent a lot of the book thinking there would be some dark reveal about Dinios but it never went in that direction. And I kind of wish it had. He's a little too squeaky clean for me. But know that's coming from a girl whose favor characters are all morally grey.

Overall, this was a fun and engaging read that I think fans of Sherlock Holmes can enjoy while acknowledging that it's separate from the original stories. It always felt like the plot was pushing me to read more and more which made it a faster read than I was expecting.

There are only two small reasons why I'm not declaring this book my book of the year: 1) it's January and 2) I technically read this last year. But if this volume doesn't end up on a ton of 'best of' lists this year, then it'll be a travesty. Here's my summary of the book from after I finished it: "Holmes and Watson if Holmes was a small, feral, agoraphobic woman and Watson was a rule-following dyslexic with a photographic memory. And also if London was a Pacific Rim-esque world filled with kaiju, killer plants, and deadly fungus."

And yes, I still agree with my original assessment. This book had me vibrating with tension. There are so many deadly secrets floating around! And the world-building is just fascinating. Basically if you set Pacific Rim in a fantasy world, and fast forwarded a couple hundred years, then you'd probably have this setting of carnivorous plants and deadly spores. Top that with the typical (okay, in this case, not-so-typical) homicidal intrigue of the ultra-rich and huge, ravenous monsters that are only stopped at the border wall through incredible personal sacrifice, and you've got a story that basically has my inner child jumping up and down in glee.

Din, despite his job being one of supernaturally perfect memory, has his own secrets, and that makes him a fascinatingly unreliable narrator. It's clear from the beginning that he cheated his way into his job, though the how of it is hidden, but is cheating really immoral when the world is literally stacked against you? His is the "if you see someone shoplifting baby food, no you didn't" version of getting ahead in the world.

His boss, Ana Dolabra is... She is everything Sherlock Holmes would be if modern retelling stopped making him an asshole. Ana is compassionate, ruthless, and so intellectually superior to most people that she has trouble relating. She prefers sensory deprivation in a trunk to going out in public, and she's prone to interrogating anyone she finds interesting to the point of forgetting social niceties such as food, drink, sleep, and her target's other job duties. Anyone who has ever been in ADHD hyper-focus mode can probably relate. Her small physical size is outweighed by her towering and terrifying mind, and everyone she meets knows it. I love her so much.

I can't wait for more, and there's clearly more, and when it arrives it will be my Christmas. The Tainted Cup arrives on February 6th. Run, don't walk to your local bookstore or library.

This fantasy mystery begins when an officer dies - seemingly due to a tree erupting from his body. Enter our Sherlock-and-Watson duo, Ana Dolabra and Dinios Kol. Both have their eccentricities but they make a fantastic investigative pair. I am dipping my toes more into fantasy/scifi and this book contained just enough world-building and magical powers to satisfy me while also keeping my mystery-loving side entertained. I really liked Din and Ana and was excited to realize this is the first of a series - I will definitely keep reading!

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett comes out in a few weeks and it is SUCH a great mix of mystery and sci-fi/fantasy. Whether you are a Nero Wolfe or Sherlock fan or a fan of Brandon Sanderson, you will enjoy this novel.

In an Empire full of altered beings and where leviathans are a constant threat, Din is an apprentice investigator to the quirky and brilliant Ana. When an imperial officer is killed, the two are assigned to investigate and they unravel a plot that could undermine the entire Empire.

Many thanks to #netgalley #robertjacksonbennett and #randomhouse #delray for the #arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

#thetaintedcup #mystery #mysterybooks #fantasy #sciencefiction #lgbtqia #urbanfantasy #bookstagram

A fascinating Sherlock-esque story with a quirky detective with grand humor and an assistant getting used to the outside world.

The fantasy of this book is quite hard to describe, there’s body augmentation so it seems somewhat steampunk mixed with monsters, magic, and overall fantasy. Trees sprouted out of people in assassination attempts. Politics and murder mystery. Self discovery on so many levels.

It took some adjusting to the world building as it’s greatly complex and mysterious but once it made sense it all flowed wonderfully. The magic felt natural and immersive in the best ways. Din and Ana’s relationship cracks me up. Since Din is her much younger assistant, she loves to tease him about the world and can be quite blunt and crude in her wording. It’s all fun and games and Din takes it all in stride and enjoys his boss’s quirkiness. It was also amazing to see Din grow into himself.

The Tainted Cup kept me intrigued. I really enjoyed both the fantasy aspect as well as the suspense of the murders and mystery surrounding everything happening. This story had a lot of moving parts and I had to really pay attention to details and characters. It’s a slow pace as the story builds the atmosphere.

I really liked Din. He had such character growth and I love how Ana accepts him and sees him. They work so well together, and both have unique qualities and ways about them to solve the mysteries. I am excited to see what other adventures and mysteries they will solve together.

Lots of great mysteries start with the uncovering of a dead body, but few are as strange and mysterious as this one!

The synopsis of this story really drew me in, but by the end of part one I worried that this may be a bit too far into the fantasy realm for me to personally enjoy. I was getting a bit lost in the world building, but held out hope because I really liked the relationship and dialogue between Ana & Din.

This was a really fun story that delved into the corruption of higher society and how quickly that can spiral into complete chaos when left unchecked. It was a bit long for my liking, especially towards the middle, but everything was sorted out nicely at the end, and I would absolutely continue on with the series!

Thank you to the author and @netgalley for my e-copy to read and honestly review!

I truly believed another fellow reader when they said this was an “intriguing “ murder mystery that has Sherlock Holmes & Dr House MD coding. But, what I inevitably read in my personal opinion was a boring tale that had an ego investigator, pacific rim environments, and just incoherent building of a narrative.

I truly wanted it to be a favorite, but I felt it lacked consistency with pacing and action. It had more dialogue that I wanted to skip over so many times. I didn’t grow to love either character.

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House & Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. I hope this finds its readers.

A very promising start to a new series; this murder mystery is set in an interesting fantasy world and features a sort of Holmes-Watson detective pairing. I really enjoyed both the mystery and fantasy elements of the story, and I look forward to where Bennett takes these character next. My one quibble, that I've had with other fantasy novels, is the use of words and phrases such as "f*ck," "sh*t," and "son of a b*itch" in a world where the author has gone out of his way to create lots of new words for things. These curse words jar me out of the fantasy setting and I always wish authors would make up new ones instead of doing this. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Del Rey for a digital review copy.

I scheduled this review back in August, and have it set to post on 2/6/24 per written guideline. That said, the blog link will not go live until pub date. I've been frustrated at the few posting early 😕

Anyway, the link will appear here

https://onereadingnurse.com/2024/02/06/arc-review-the-tainted-cup-by-robert-jackson-bennett/

I'm so psyched to finally share this review with you guys. I read it back in August and have been excited to see what everyone else thinks too.

The Tainted Cup has many of my favorite things all jammed into one book. I love herbalism and alchemy, modified humans, mental illness rep, and snarky banter. All of this dancing around the plot-central murder mystery makes for the perfect book.

It's not a fast moving story. Bennett takes his time letting the world unravel around the mystery. It's a particularly grisly crime and Dinios has to go investigate, while Ana Dolabra stays home and researches/deduces what they need to proceed forward. I loved seeing both Din and Ana's unique ways of dealing with the world and processing their surroundings. They compliment each other wonderfully.

Din isn't particularly proficient at first while Ana is a genius. Occasionally I was thrown off by her random leaps from point A to point F, but especially towards the end everything ramped up and tied together so nicely. If alchemical killers and atmosphere isn't enough, how about the threat of Leviathans coming in through the sea walls to destroy everything?

The Tainted Cup has many layers and it was a treat to discover them as we went along. The world build starts a little bit scant and develops nicely by the end. I liked the side characters too, as well as Ana's attempts to embarrass and scandalize pretty much everyone. Din develops a personality and confidence which makes him progressively more likeable.

If you like mystery, action, herbalism, big threats and heavy atmosphere, with a dash of fantasy, this is a good one for you. I personally can't wait to see where these characters go next!