this was a really fun novel. ana, an investigator, and her assistant din are assigned to a perplexing case. a dead man has been found with plants growing from within his body. their investigation takes them upon a perilous journey.

this is well written, interesting, but the dialogue does feel a bit stunted at times. i did not care for the romance aspect, but that's just me. if you like sci-fi/fantasy adventures, mystery, and occult magic on a fictional continent, this is the book for you.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, I really enjoyed this one.

There is nothing that excites me more than a fresh new world to explore in a book, and the world of The Tainted Cup is brilliantly woven into the story and would have brought me back to the series even if I had disliked plot (which I did not, because the plot is also very well done). This is a story in which enormous, eldritch monsters try to walk a path to the heart of a country protected by its skill in biological mutation and massive walls and this fact is not the main thrust of the case our heroes are trying to solve. While the murder investigation does eventually begin tying into larger events occurring in the world, the way it does so cleverly focuses our attention inward to the matters at hand and kind of obscures all else, even as the potential for disaster looms over everyone.

I loved this, and think that many readers of Bennett's past works will find many of the touches that they have come to love about the other books he has written in this book too. New readers may also find this a great jumping on point to the series and other series that Bennett has written.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fantasy murder-mystery set in a society the engineers plants for building, defense, and human augmentation and fights off kaiju at its walls - definitely a unique setting. SciFi/Fantasy and mystery are two of my favorite genes, so this felt right up my alley. While I enjoyed this, I honestly find myself confused at why I didn't like it even more than I did. The world building was strong, and the author gave me a setting that I hadn't ever seen anything like before. The mystery was just convoluted enough, and the characters were interesting, but it just didn't hook me in the way my favorite books do. At times, the Sherlock Holmes-like detective, Ana's antics were a bit too much. I realize she's supposed to be an over-the-top character, just shy of a madwoman, but even so, I felt like the author leaned on this a bit too heavily. I did like that the story was not about the people on the wall fighting the kaiju, but everyone else trying to support the Empire and get along in this society, the typical citizens, if you will. In summary, I liked the story and the characters, but I didn't love it. This was my first book by this author, and it did make me curious to read more of his work. I wish I had a better answer for why it didn't grip me more, but I'm curious to read more of his work because I suspect I will find something there that does. My recommendation would be that if you like SciFi/Fantasy and mystery, this is worth a read for the unique world building alone.

It was such a. Fun mystery. I love the characters and the pacing could’ve been better but it worked out at the end!

This is an interesting book, I don't think I've ever read anything like it before. The characters were really interesting and the world that was created was one I was drawn into.

Thank you @netgally for the ARC of The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett.

This book is great for mystery and fantasy lovers alike. It is a unique take on a murder mystery. There are a lot of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. I enjoyed the magical aspects of the book.

When a prominent member of society is found dead, Ana Dolabra and her assistant Dinios Kol are sent to investigate. The case becomes interesting when a tree forms out of the body. The detectives are dealing with not only murder, but a magical disease or poison. Dolabra is a unique detective in that she investigates blindfolded and doesn't leave her house. As she works to solve the mystery, many more secrets are revealed.

Let me say first, sci-fi is not one of my favorites. I enjoyed this book so much. It was a slow go, for reading, so many names and strange things happening, but over all a really good whodunnit. If you enjoy a twisted thriller with a side of strange, you will love this one. A definite must read.

I personally found the writing over-narrated. I also noticed multiple point of view slips that I assume will be corrected by the time it publishes. Regardless, they threw me out of the book and shot my confidence. Stopped after chapter 1 (7%).

I can see this going over well with readers. It seems to be a really interesting set up, with a good dose of old-time detective noir.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

It took a couple of chapters to get into this one. The words used to describe things and build the world were just so weird. Once I got into the meat of the story, it was great. The action moved along nicely and there were several plot twists that served to make this quite a good murder/mystery.

as someone who has no fondness for the thriller genre and high appreciation for narratives that can be summed up as a character study, i thinking the tainted cup is a fun blend that kept me both entertained and interested enough to turn the next page. i think the magic system and intrigue of a famous detective who can solve cases without the need of being there presently was interesting. just how will the author pull this off? and so we are given an apprentice, who guides us and, in turn, discovers with us, and works as a parallel understudy that loses none of his originality or charm to work alongside the very woman of intrigue. it's no ranpo from BSD, but this, is a close second third fourth fifth.

Okay, Y'all. Never in my years as a bookworm have I read a book that combines a murder mystery (think Sherlock Holmes) with Fantasy. Like....what?! This is genius!

Robert Jackson Bennett's world-building skills are literal insanity. Plants that sustain life, health and security? Um, yes please. Places with beautiful names and immaculately fleshed out settings? Count me in. Characters that walk right into your heart and take up permanent residence there? Sign me up. (Here's looking at you, Ana.) The book flows beautifully and is thus an easy, thought provoking read. The storyline itself moves at a perfect pace, meaning that the book is over before you know it and you're left crying into your cheerios. I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future! A definite recommend!

This was such a fun read. I can't believe its over 400 pages because those pages flew by! This is a perfect blend of Agatha Christie x Sherlock Holmes and I wish more people made cross-genre books. This is my first novel by RBJ, but certainly will not be my last. His characters are so well developed and the world that he creates is so well thought out. I was so pleasantly suprised with how addictive and fun this book was! Mysteries and sci-fi are two of my favorite genres so this was the perfect read and probably why I was able to read it in one sitting. I just kept wanting to know what happens next. It looks like this might be a series according to goodreads, so I am eager to read the next one!

Truly the best thing about this book was our main detective Ana Dolabra who was equal parts badass and equal parts witty. I was cheering for her the entire time.

Could use some editing and misses the mark in a few places. I had to push myself through this and it felt like a chore to do.

This is an entirely original book, with a completely unfamiliar magic system– that isn’t quite a magic system, it’s more strange science magic, and it mainly changes living beings, and yet the book manages to personally feel very familiar. In fact, the entire novel felt intensely reminiscent of the books that I used to find at the public library when I was twelve, devour in a few hours, and then discover that the books barely existed on the internet, and that despite the book talking about a sequel, there never was one, and the books would never appear on the library shelves again. This is a major compliment, because those were always my favorite books. The worldbuilding is done well enough to not feel like overexposition, but you still understand the world itself, and the setting is really fun.
The way that heteronormativity existed within the book was also interesting, because there were certain points where it felt like it didn’t exist at all, but one particular scene that showed it still kind of existed. However, our main character is queer, and although it’s not a major part of the plot, it’s still good to see– I wasn’t sure if I was just reading too far into one particular relationship or not, and thankfully I was not.
This paragraph contains minor spoilers for a character’s backstory– but it’s something I really want to talk about. So, there is a Sherlock-type character in the book, as you probably know from the description. Often when there are Sherlock type characters and magic, half of their abilities to solve mysteries and bring up specific facts is because of magic. However, in this case, she is just autistic (I mean it’s fantasy so that’s not how it’s expressed, but still.), and I am very glad that the author went that route as opposed to making that all due to magic, because it’s a lot more interesting. Also the drug habit is not changed either, which I also enjoy. I just really loved her character.

I already know that this is going to be one of my top reads of the year! Going into this I had never read anything by Robert Jackson Bennett but that is about to change, the minute I finished The Tainted Cup I went and ordered The Founders Trilogy. I absolutely flew through this novel and cannot say enough good things about it. The world building was so impressive and vast. As a plant lover I was intrigued by the idea of plants not only cleaning the air but acting as security systems and even weapons. The mystery aspect was so well done. The characters, chefs kiss! I will read any future adventures/mysteries that Din and Ana are involved in. I highly recommend picking this up!

This one did not disappoint at all. I really enjoyed this new offering from RJB. Highly recommended for fans of great world-building and a unique fantasy mystery novel. You will want to make sure this one is on your list. I thoroughly enjoyed and am excited for more.

This murder mystery is a unique mix: it's a classic Agatha Christie/Poirot type novel but set in a dystopian world. Normally I detest dystopian fiction -- especially the use of made up words for common things in an attempt to create a unique world, but this author skillfully creates a world without resorting to such tactics. It feels fresh, unique and a great mashup of old-school detective work with unique tools in a "new world" environment. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Characterization is top notch -- you'll fall in love with these quirky, imperfect characters. It felt like a very new and unique way to create characters with augmented skills and abilities that didn't feel Marvel-esque. I've been an audiobook fan for years because reading digital pages put me to sleep but reading these pages kept me hooked from the first chapter to the last. I will definitely be looking into this author for his other series. Very well done! If I could, I'd give this 4.5 stars -- nearly perfect, entertaining book.

First off, a big thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC!
I was in a reading slump. Life gets crazy and Summer is not a good reading season for me. But, I saw this one come through and thought: I’ll give it a try.

Right away, I was surprised at how this book sucked me into its world. I loved how it made me think and use my mind. One of the ways I feel the author did a fantastic job with this story is the fact that I suspected every stinking character I met. I found myself squinting suspiciously every few pages. I’ve read a lot of books in my life; I can usually see things coming. Mr. Bennett kept me on my toes until the very end. He also managed to wrap everything up beautifully.

Now, there is a bit of strong language in this book. Like Mr. Bennett’s Nana probably would have thought, the language wouldn't be considered my favorite – BUT it is one of the things I must congratulate him on the most. One of my biggest pet peeves as a reader is when authors throw particularly strong language about all willy-nilly. (I will not say which one, but I’ve recently finished a rather popular book and F-bombs were hitting everywhere - from every character.) Personally, I feel like this is laziness on the part of the author or they’re just looking for shock value. It’s NOT how real people talk. I have known and loved people who have cussed out pastors in church and never realized they said the first ugly word. AND I have known and loved people who think that the “F Word” is “Fart.” The words people use tell you about who they are and who (and where) they have been. The language each character used in this book seemed unique to them. I felt like I knew them better for how they spoke. Like real people with real, individual quirks, they co-exist and play off of each other. THIS is how strong language should be incorporated into a book – when it develops character and story. Mr. Bennett, I applaud you and you have my respect.

I just loved Din; he was wonderful. I’m glad to have seen things through his eyes. Ana was a conundrum. She repulsed me and I found her weirdly endearing all at the same time. I loved Miljin too. Oh heck, I loved them all. (But they were my favorites.)

All of this to say: I’ve enjoyed this book. I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to read it. I do hope there will be more books following Ana and Din on all their (mis?)adventures.

I really liked this book. It was very intriguing. I absolutely recommend it.
First and foremost, this story is a several-layered mystery that grows and unravels as the story goes on. It begins as an interesting murder mystery and then expands to include worldbuilding, political intrigue, and a dash of commentary about the wealthy, land-owning elite. The mystery is also well laid out, both in terms of pacing and the kinds of hints and clues that are dropped along the way.
The magic system in this book is very interesting. It essentially involves humans modifying themselves to be able to do extraordinary things. It gives off big sci-fi vibes, so don’t be afraid if traditional magic isn’t your cup of tea.
I’m dissatisfied with worldbuilding only because I want to know more. There is definitely more going on here than this book touches on. The world seems really interesting, but the reader is only given basic knowledge about the leviathans and the rest of the world, including the rest of the empire. The setting is very tight knit to this specific region and everything else vaguely exists. This is probably intentional; it’s probably going to be explored in a future book. I hope so, particularly the leviathans because those are cool.
It is a fun blend of visceral and humorous. I love the way the threat of the leviathans (and the appearance of the leviathans themselves) adds an undertone of horror to the novel. At the same time, it’s balanced by the eccentric characters, so, even though I would describe the story as dark, it’s still a pleasant experience to read.

This is a very fun murder mystery set in a fantasy world of an empire periodically besieged by leviathans from the sea. It is the first book in a new series.

The world building felt very detailed and fleshed-out and it very much left me wanting to learn more about the empire and the mysterious leviathans.

However, the real focus of the plot is the murder mystery. I read a ton of mysteries and a ton of fantasy novels. I’ve read some that try to mix multiple genres together and it usually feels like both genres are underdeveloped as a result. But that is not the case here. I was very engrossed in the mystery and I think that it actually earns it ending. That is to say that I think that the clues are planted and built up sufficiently (without being too obvious) that the ending feels satisfactory and not like a hand-wave or a forced twist just for the sake of surprise.

I really loved the characters! I loved how dutiful and stoic Din, our protagonist, is. He’s the assistant investigator to our eccentric-but-brilliant detective, Ana. Ana, who is also a great character, is easily overstimulated so Din essentially acts as her eyes, ears, and official record thanks to his specially-altered perfect memory. I enjoyed the supporting characters as well and they felt developed well enough so that they didn’t come across as stereotypes or cardboard cutouts.

Overall, I really loved this novel and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys mysteries and/or fantasy novels. I am greatly looking forward to the next novel in the series!