4.5 stars - I loved the world building, the mystery at every turn, the evolution of people, and the building suspense of danger everywhere. Din is a character that was rigid, naive, and emotionless at first but then you are pulled through the whirlwind of such an intense case of murders alongside him that you feel so connected with him.

The leviathan is a mysterious presence like an impending doom and I hope this continues as a series so that we may learn more about them and the empire. This story is about murder and the Hazas family to begin with and I can’t wait for Din and Ana to unravel more.

I am a big fan of RJB’s other books and this one was no different. I enjoyed the first person POV and the strange new world the author created. I picked it up to read before bed, but found myself sucked in and reading avidly for over 100 pages before I knew what happened.

If I were to mention anything amiss about this book…and this isn’t really a negative, but it is worth noting…it would be that at times this had the air of Attack on Titan alternate universe fanfiction and I have to wonder if Mr. Bennett is indeed an anime fan.

I won’t say any more on it until after the book is published, but there were many, many similarities between the world building in this book and the world of AoT (including…titans) and I found myself simultaneously enjoying the story while also scratching my head and yelling to my husband “look! Another AoT tidbit!”

All in all this is a solid new book by an author that I really enjoy, I fully intend to preorder it and will be looking out for future books!

3.5 stars

I can accept many things in a fantasy book, but for some reason I just cannot accept repeated use of modern curse words in a book full of magic and monsters. There's just something so off putting about using variations of "f*ck" 50+ times in a book where the main character has special powers to memorize everything they can see and hear and is investigating murders committed through some kind of disturbing plant magic. One of these things is not like the others.

As for the plot, I really liked the mixture of a mystery/detective novel in a fantasy setting. Some of the things I was able to put together on my own, but a good chunk of it was a fun surprise reveal at the end.

As for character development, there are a lot of secondary characters that were mostly well developed and the main character Din definitely seemed like a real person, albeit one with magical abilities. However I had a very hard time with Ana, who seemed very anachronistic (mainly due to her aforementioned cursing) but I do think she was purposefully kept as an "unknowable" character because her background is going to be revealed more in future books.

I will say there is a very small dash of romance in this book - but the love interest was barely given any page time. This was also fade to black too so don't get your hopes up there either.

Overall I found the world building, fantasy elements, and the mystery/plot to be very enjoyable. If the author just cuts back on the cursing I would be willing to pick up the second book whenever it comes out.

I was given an ARC via Netgalley but this did not impact my rating or review. This book is set to be published on February 6, 2024.

DNF 25% in.

This follows the trend of the witty, arbitrarily restricted genius of several recent popular iterations of Sherlock Holmes, but with a danger that feels at once too remote and too specific to make a lot of sense to me. I can tell it's aiming for a thing that I don't like, and so I'm not going to finish it. I like banter, I like witty dialogue, but I think I'm finally at a point in my life where I don't like someone explaining to me how smart they are with information I literally had no access to until this moment. The biggest factor in this DNF is I'd started to feel like I wasn't allowed to finish other books until I struggled through this one, and I don't like books that make me feel like I can't or shouldn't read other books. I'm definitely bothered by one character's personality quirk of wearing a blindfold at all times, and treating a refusal to leave her home as an affectation that exists to annoy other people. The narrative calls attention to it but refuses to explain. I don't enjoy being told repeatedly that I don't need to know something, or at least don't get to have it revealed at this time. It doesn't feel mysterious or interesting, just irritating and petty.

I was IMMERSED in this murder mystery — it’s so good! Set in a dystopian world with the plot leaning heavily on the mysterious magic of plant life. There are some (fictional) scientific-type explanations throughout, but the writing style lends the information to be easily digestible. The two main characters, Dinios and Ana, had a very charming “Watson & Sherlock” dynamic, yet it still felt natural and original. The characterization was wonderful — unhinged and brilliant in all the best ways — I’m so in love with Din & Ana lol… There are some morbid scenes — I mean, the first chapters describe a tree sprouting from a man. The world building, humor and wit were all done so well. This is my first book by RJBennett, and I’m hooked.

‘In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.’

A first for me by RJB!
A Tainted Cup; so very quirky, as was our investigative duo, Ana & Din. Quite the odd pairing. But so fun to read. Like a big, classic game of Clue.
Looking forward to the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 2.6.2024.

🌟 My favorite from the second half of the year. By far.
🌿A mystery set in a fantasy setting, that kicks off with a mystifying murder, gives the reader an interesting look into Robert Jackson Bennett’s new fantasy series. And boy let me tell you, you’re gonna be hooked from page one.
We are introduced quickly to our cast of characters, Ana, the quirky and baffling detective, Din, her forever frustrated assistant, and our suspects who range from the servants in the house where the death happened to the untouchable owners of the house, who just so happen to be from one of the foremost families in the Empire.
🍵 While there were moments that took longer to understand, the more scientific explanations to be specific, the writing was so enriching that I couldn’t put it down. Bennett created a new world for us to just fall into, it was so enthralling and atmospheric. And that was just the setting and environment.
The characters are another story. I fell in love with how Bennett presented our main characters, Din and Ana. The Sherlock and Watson influence was clearly there, however, they very quickly established their own dynamic. I grew very protective of them and was rooting for them, screaming for them, and cheering for them along the way. I was also impressed with the secondary characters and how Bennett made it so they left an impact on me by only being on the pages for a short period of time.
🔍This new fantasy series leaves nothing to be desired. He ticks all the boxes and then some provided a fantastic and worthwhile book to sink your teeth into. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy and to read what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

So interested in this book but I'm finding this is the kind of book I'm unable to fully absorb with an ereader so I'll have to purchase a physical copy. This is a me problem lol.

A compelling whodunnit with wonderfully realized characters and an engaging storyline in a refreshing new fantasy setting that reminded me a little of Daniel Abraham's "Long Price Quartet." Robert Jackson Bennett is one of my favorite authors at the moment and this is an exceptional addition to his corpus.

I loved this. The characters were so well written and the world building is incredible. I love a good murder mystery and this may be one of the best ones yet.

Interesting magical premise, Robert Jackson Bennett always has a unique world building featuring unusual magic system. Main character was fun to read about and got more interesting as the book moved along. Ana was abrasive in a fun way, I’m looking forward to the second book. Good mystery with a satisfying conclusion, a lot of mysteries can’t be figured out beforehand but this was good.

5/5

An unthinkable murder looms large in an empire beset by leviathans, strange contagions, and corruption blooming at its heart. Undeniably humorous and brilliant in its craft, The Tainted Cup is a bold new murder mystery that reinvigorates the classic investigative pairing with a plot almost serpentine in the way that it constantly twists and turns back upon itself in an act of reinvention. Robert Jackson Bennett has constructed a stellar fantasy world alongside an inventive magic system. This is an unpredicable, but nevertheless brilliant mystery equipped with a duo to rival Watson and Holmes. The kind of story to seep in and take root in the most unexpected places.

My full review will be posted on my blog closer to publication!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and the Del Rey for allowing myself to receive the ARC version of this book.

Wow - this is not what I was expecting. I have never really gotten a sci-fi/fantasy/distopia conglomeration but this book definitely checked all the boxes. Add in some Sherlock and Holmes and you have a great book for book club but also this is a book that I would read with my significant other. I will be buying him a copy of it for Christmas!

Cannot wait to read the next mystery in the second book!

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is very different from books I usually read. I did finish it. Since it is a genre, I am not familiar with, take my review in that vein.
I was not sure about the magical aspects of the story. I did enjoy the mystery and the way the main character Ana Dolabra solved it. Along with her assistant, Dinios Kol who is magically altered.
The writing was good and mystery interesting. I give it 3 stars

Agatha Christie meets Sherlock Holmes? Why, yes, I’m in!

A mystery set in a fantasy. This is a book unlike any I have read. And I read a lot.

Investigating a murder of a highly ranked officer who has suddenly died when a tree erupted from his body! And even in this strange world that is something new.

Ana Dolabra is the investigator, along with her assistant, Din. Din is an engraver, magically altered to have a perfect memory. He is to observe and report to Ana. His boss is brilliant but also odd.

Ana and Din are the Sherlock and Holmes. She is such an interesting character, with her boundless curiosity and insatiable desire for information.

Din is finding our more and more about Ana and her abilities, but is she on to his?

What a different and refreshing story this is. Mystery/Thriller/Fantasy is a new one for me and we loved it.

Netgalley/ RHPT/Ballentine/Del Rey, February 06,2024

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Ana is a detective who is known for her brilliance. Her next case is a man who was murdered with little to no on. With her assistants help they will delve into a world they no little about. A Good read

This is a who-done-it in the fantasy world.Took awhile to get a handle on the language used (been a long time since I read any Shakespeare!) but once I got used to it the story-line had me. Give it a good long chance and you won't be disappointed.

Thanks for the chance to read this book.

This book is truly amazing, and I can't wait to tell you why. The beginning was a bit difficult to get into, as the dialogue was very different from what I'm used to. It's not exactly modern language, but more like the old world, similar to William Shakespeare's time. However, once I got used to it, I was hooked. I had to ignore the timeline as it didn't seem to make sense. The sea monsters, yet combine with advanced science were confusing to me; therefore, I treated it as a fantasy/sci-fi and just enjoyed the story. The plot was easy to follow and really drew me in. The characters were so colorful, especially Ana. She has such flare, bluntness, and an enigma that is hard to resist. The way she solved the mystery with theatrics and style can only be compared to Sherlock Holmes. If you're a fan of Sherlock, then this is definitely the book for you, but with a unique twist on the setting. I would love for this to turn into a series, just to explore more of Ana's captivating character. This book is a must-read of the year.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! The old english kind of verbage gives A Haunted Mansion vibe & I love that. It is faced paced, unputdownable! It's a classic mystery of who done it but with a magical twist to it. Thank you

This book sucks you in from the very beginning. It is one of those you hate to see end. The writing is just so enjoyable and you were able to just feel like you were in the story. All the characters, all their quirkiness, all their unique traits and abilities made it such an enjoyable book. The descriptions, magic, and all the feels were just combined in a perfect plot. If you are riding the fence on this one, trust me, it is worth your time.
I do feel like the little bit of romance towards the end was kind of just thrown in there. I think the book would’ve even been fine without any romance because you were so invested and enthralled with the mystery and solving what was going on that you really didn’t even have to have it. Now I have to go back and read everything this author has written. If it’s even half as good as this book, it will be worth the time and effort to read the others.