Are you ready for a murder mystery that happens to take place in a fantasy world? If so, this is THE book for you! This is just one of those books that will provide late nights as you read "just one more page". With aggressive plants exploding inside bodies, blindfolded detectives, and an engraver with a perfect memory, this book is an intelligent mystery that will have you eagerly waiting for book 2 in the series.

4.5 stars (rounded to 5 stars) Full review to be posted closer to the release date.

Wow, wow, wow. This is my first book by this author (which is crazy!) and I absolutely loved this. The Tainted Cup combines an eerie fantastical and dystopian world with a murder investigation.

Dinios Kol is an assistant investigator to the eccentric Ana Dolabra. Since he started this job, they mostly have been working on wage fraud, until he is called to investigate a horrible murder. Din visits one of the gentry's mansions where a high ranking officer was killed by a literal tree that erupted from his body. Din is an engraver, meaning he can remember every single thing he sees, touches, and hears and must memorize it and report back to his investigator. As they follow the crime, it leads to them investigating a nearby province where other similar murders have occurred of engineers which are essential to protecting the empire. At the same time, Din realizes how great of an investigator Ana is and is worried she'll find his secrets.

I found the world building was extremely unique, and almost dystopian? It's an empire that is made up of three rings, with the outer wall meant to protect against leviathans which are huge monsters that try and attack during the wet season each year. The blood of leviathans allow the empire to "graft" people where they can have enhanced senses (such as Din being an engraver). However, this can lead them to be more susceptible to contagion, where things like plant based growth occur in their body.

I feel like in a lot of fantasy worlds, the "empire" is a bad thing, but this wasn't necessarily the case here. Throughout the book, Ana teaches Din that the empire can be good and bad. There are gentry who hold a lot of political power and control, but I will say it's not completely ignored by the government. We follow a story that divulges into the infrastructure of an empire and how each individual supports the entire system, which was a unique look outside of most fantasy based books.

Ana and Din have a straight up Sherlock and Watson dynamic, and it was so fun to read! Ana is definitely eccentric, but she is so smart and hilarious. Din on the other hand is very rational and has a very straight moral compass. He doesn't have a sense of humor, which makes his interactions with Ana some of my favorite parts of this book. He is the sole perspective we do read from and we learn about the twists in the investigation and what Ana figures it out as he learns it. I do think that Ana is neurodivergent based on how her character is described (not explicitly stated), with her aversion to social situations and overstimulation, but it doesn't stop her from her job and brilliance. Character wise, I think there is still so much more we could learn from their background because most of what we do know and learn is in the present.

The mystery had so many twists and turns, and I was able to figure out some things, but others completely surprised me and I loved the entire reveal as it unfolded. The clues are there if you are smart enough haha, so once Ana draws her conclusions it makes sense and isn't just magical ability. The investigation and mystery aspects was well balanced in a fantasy world. It felt very seamless and there was no info-dumping on the reader. At its forefront, this book is a mystery that just has a unique setting and fantastical background.

This is the start of a series so I am really hopeful that we get to explore further in this world and the history of the empire. I do think the scope of this book took place in such a small part, and I would love to see a setting in the inner two rings. There's also not a ton of background to the origin and history of the established empire.

Overall, this is an incredible book and I look forward to further sequels. If you like a mystery with a Sherlock and Watson characters in a fantasy setting, definitely pick this up!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Ballantine/Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed the mystery and the world Bennet lays out for readers in The Tainted Cup. The young protagonist allows us to follow along and get to know the world and how it works without it feeling tiresome or making the character seem inept. The magic system (for lack of a better term) is interesting and the wider world is intriguing. The mystery offers suspense and the world-building leaves me desiring to know more.

This was so good! I've read other stories by Robert Jackson Benett but this might be my favorite. I absolutely loved the Sherlock Holmes-style mystery and characters mixed with fantasy and a dash of horror. The Tainted Cup revolves around an assassination and the fallout that follows. Ana Dolabra, our Sherlock, is called in to investigate the strange murder and is assisted by Din, who is an engraver, someone altered to remember everything. I don't want to give too much away but this is the perfect combination of Fantasy and Mystery and should be on everyone's radar. I am still thinking about the world that Bennett has created, one that's infused with body alterations and potions but also massive leviathans that threaten all life. This was a great start to what to a new series and I cannot wait to see where the next book will go! Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a new to me author and I wasn’t sure what to expect but I have to say that I was plesently surprised. I love this book!

This story was kind of hard for me to get into. I can see its potential to be a really good story, but it just didn’t grab me. It could be just me and the timing. Maybe I’ll pick it back up some day and see if I can push through it though.

The Tainted Cup is a completely original fantasy reimagining of a Sherlock Holmes style crime novel. Set in Daretana, a land where leviathans threaten and plants can kill, Detective Ana Dolabra and her young assistant Din are called in to solve a series of brutal murders. Their investigation takes them throughout the land, from their town to the halls of the richest citizens.

Things I loved about this book:
I enjoyed the fantasy world very much. It was unlike anything I have read in the past.
The murders, although brutal and vividly described, were so outlandish I did not find it off putting.
The way Din preserved his memories with the aid of scent and the various modifications of the citizens was also fascinating.
I love that their was an ending! I was so afraid this one would end on a cliffhanger, but it wrapped up in a way that leaves room for future books but had a definite conclusion to this mystery.

Things I found frustrating:
True to a traditional Sherlockian crime novel, Ana Dolabra is an antisocial, eccentric savant that does not play well with others and is fond of a mood altering substances when she can get them. As the novel progressed and the story unfolded I wanted to be able to participate more as a reader, putting together clues and developing hunches. Unfortunately due to the novel nature of the world, as well as the leaps taken by Ana a la Sherlock this was impossible.

Overall I rate this book 4 stars. I recommend to YA/New Adult fantasy readers and those who love a mind bending tale!

Robert Jackson Bennett is one of the few authors that is an automatic buy for me and this book has further confirmed that. RJB has some of the most interesting worlds I have encountered, think Sherlock Holmes meets Agatha Christie meets a fantasy world with intriguing, but deadly, plants. The Tainted Cup combines the atmospheric writing of The Divine Cities trilogy that I loved with the subtle romance (later in the book) and characters of The Founders Trilogy that I absolutely adored. And if this trilogy is anything like the other two, I will be staying up until 4am finishing it while curled in a ball sobbing uncontrollably (but in a good way). My only complaint is that I would have loved to have seen the leviathans fleshed out a bit more, but there is plenty of time for that later in the series.

If you're still on the fence about starting this series, do yourself a favor and just buy the book already, and one of RJB's previous series while you're at it! I promise you won't be disappointed.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC, I enjoyed every minute of it. And thank you to RJB, of course, for writing yet another incredible story.

Note: Del Rey has requested that reviews are not posted until the release date, so this review will not be made public until Feb 2024, or when the book is released (hence the no links attached). I will not post my review until then, but when I do it will be on my Goodreads (bigassbionerd) and StoryGraph (bookgoblin)! Thank you again!

Robert Jackson Bennett has done it again! He's becoming one of my favorite fantasy authors. The Tainted Cup is a great start to a new series. I LOVE mystery novels, so I already knew I was going to love this blend of fantasy and mystery. I loved the worldbuilding and I'm excited to learn more in the next book. The mystery itself was complex and intriguing. I was able to figure it out, but in a way that made me feel smart rather than that it was obvious/too easy.

The best part of the book was by far the characters. I loved Din and Ana. Their banter was hilarious.

I would like to first thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for providing me with the eARC of this story in exchange for an honest review. I greatly appreciate it!

I truly enjoyed this book. “The Tainted Cup” is certainly an entertaining and charming story. Even though the narrative is one of fantasy, the characters are believable, and despite their otherworldly appearance, the portrayal of their personalities, feelings, and motivations imitate our own in real life. The partnership between Ana Dolabra and Dinios Kol held that same lovable chemistry that can only be found in Sherlock and Watson. The murder mystery itself is well done, and there are times that it feels a little predictable. However, that doesn’t take away from the overall story. I look forward to the rest of the series, and I definitely recommend this first book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House publishing group,and Robert Jackson Bennett for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.
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@r.jackson.bennett
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My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 billion stars)

Publishing date: 2/6/24

Summary:

The description alone had me very intrigued. A high imperial officer is found dead with a tree spontaneously growing out of his body?! The writing was so incredibly detailed. I felt like I was there. The connection you feel while reading made this an unputdownable and exciting read. I really enjoyed this book and it made me want to expand my genres to read more fantasy/sci-fi novels!

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Dinios Kol is an apprentice assistant investigator in the empire and has just been assigned a bizarre murder case - the victim has died via a tree sprouting from him. His boss, Ana, has thoughts but keeps them close to her chest in a Sherlock-esque manner. All the while, the sea walls are at the brink of collapse and the risk of a leviathan breaking them down rises by the day. Din, Ana, and their investigative team must navigate the dangers of a multiple homicide while dearly hoping the defenses of the empire don’t fail and leave the country in shambles.


Din is such a nugget. I loved seeing him grow into his own throughout the case. Ana was a little too secretive and weird but it somehow worked? In my opinion, the bit with Strovi came out of left field - if it was going to be included there should have been more build up and in the state that it’s in right now I think it should have been left out. It could possibly be expanded upon in the following book but I don’t think the series necessarily needs it. Overall though, cute and also super fun.

I had all but sworn off male authors in the fantasy genre due to an unfortunate book I read a few years ago, but Bennett has renewed my faith and far exceeded my expectations! This book was a delightful and intriguing read. I loved the mystery, the characters, and even the sweet and subtle romance that give just enough to me as a romance reader to keep me going. The writing is solid and entertaining. Din is an easily lovable and devious character. I love his banter with Dora who is such a spunky character. Their relationship made the book remarkably entertaining! The only issue I had was the world building, while it was descriptive, I could not easily visualize certain elements to grasp a solid visual. For example, fernpaper which was a critical element of the novel but I could not understand how this thin paper was used to build entire buildings. Likewise, fretvine. The characters are, to me, the driving force in this novel. The mystery is solid and not overly complex which was rather comforting. Looking back now I understand the title and laugh that I did not even consider this in my predictions on how the mystery would play out. I sometimes think there were a few too many characters because I lost track and forgot that Uhad existed until he came back at the end, and I think another investigator just disappeared entirely (unless I am remembering wrong). It took me a while for me to finish the book, but I really did enjoy it when I picked it up. I am very intrigued by the leviathan! I would definitely read book 2 just to understand more about these beings. I have a feeling there is more to them than meets the eye. A "sublime" novel indeed! Looking forward to more from this series and this author! I struggled between a 4 and a 5 because it was a delight to read, but because I found certain parts hard to envision and lost track of other elements, I give it a 4.

I had a bit of trouble getting into this one. But once I got going iI was able to read it through to the end. While I love twists and red herrings and turns, this one was a bit too much for me. SO much going on that I had to take breaks from taking so much in.

Overall it was interesting, but I think I’ll pass on more from this author.

The Tainted Cup is a fascinating murder mystery set in a fantasy world. When high ranking officials start dying from trees erupting inside them, someone must investigate. An eccentric investigator and her new assistant must unravel the cause to stop the deaths and save the empire.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, Bennett is one of the new up and comers I am keeping my out for as his books tend to deliver for me, and this one is no exception!

The Tainted Cup is book 1 in the Shadow of the Leviathan series by Robert Jackson Bennett.
This is my first time reading Bennetts work and ticked every single box I was hoping for.
A fantastic fantasy reimagining with crime and action. Need I say more?
Everything about this book was awesome.
The setting, characters and the world-building…. excellent.
I will be waiting for the next two titles in Shadow of the Leviathan series.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Random House, Ballantine, Del Rey for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I really, really loved the Founder's Trilogy, which was both a good and a bad thing when approaching this new book/series(?).

Before I began, I already knew I would love the writing, that there would be impeccable world building, and totally original characters who are easy to root for in this book. And that is indeed all true.

Ana is super cool (Bennett writes female characters really well...the dudes, a bit less so). This is a new world with a totally new kind of magic (augmented humans!) and ....LEVIATHANS FROM THE SEA! (I wanted WAY more on those!!) The book has nice pacing and original concepts you're not going to see anywhere else. Overall, it's a fun ride.

However, the flip side--and the part I maybe dug less--was the style of this book. While, I think the idea of placing a whodunnit murder mystery in a fantasy world is super cool, in practice I wasn't always loving it. I think the challenge for me is that the world building was SO interesting, that I wanted to explore that world and not be hemmed in by the constraints of the murder investigation.

I read the author's notes and I applaud Bennett for trying something new. I think I was maybe just hoping for a bit more of something old, with a new spin :) Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Robert Jackson Bennett, has written mysteries before, but never one as artful and complex due to the fantastical setting. This fantasy novel has great and understandable world=building right at the start, so a diver can dive it. The Tainted Cup is definitely a page turnner with dramatic reveals and an interesting dynamic (an eccentric Shelock and Watson).

This is a highly enjoyable murder mystery set within a sci-fi/fantasy setting. It is a book I think both fantasy and mystery book lovers would love!

The characters are well developed and delightful. They all have their quirks, particularly our main characters Din and Ana that are investigating several murders via a highly unusual method. The murder mysteries are the main story line and we catch glimmers of the fantasy/sci-fi world as the plot unfolds and different characters abilities are revealed (e.g., magically augmented humans, leviathan monsters, augmented environment, different class rankings).

While this book was enjoyable, I initially had a difficult time keeping everyone straight and I was sometimes able to figure out some of the plot twists. Nevertheless I highly recommend this book! I am looking forward to seeing Anna and Din’s future adventures in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.