A murder mystery with fantastical world building? Yes, please!

If you’ve read Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett, then you can trust that he has some incredible world-building skills and employs them in his upcoming book.

A murder occurs in one of mansions of Daretana’s richest family. It isn’t your average type of murder and this isn’t your average kind of investigation. The victim was found with a tree sprouting from his body. The investigation is undertaken by our narrator Signum Dinios Kol, an engraver, who is the assistant of Immunis Anagosa Dolabra, Iudex Investigator of the Daretana Canton. As an engraver, Kol has the ability to remember details, conversations, the scene of the crime—everything—by associating memories with aromas from his vials. While Kol goes out to investigate, Ana remains blindfolded in her office, making brilliant deductions based on the details recounted by Kol. As Kol and Ana try to unravel the mystery of the murder, they find that a string of deaths have occurred and they seek to get to the bottom of these crimes.

If you’re a fan of fantasy/sci-fi and murder/crime novels, then this book will not disappoint. There’s quite a bit of terminology and ranking/roles within the Empire with different types of cerebrally suffused and augmented “Sublimes” (like engravers and axioms), but once you get the hang of it, it’s very fun to see how investigations come together with different skillsets. Also, from a murder-mystery standpoint, the storyline is intriguing and I was trying to guess the entire time the identity of the murderer(s), the method, and the motivation.

While this particular mystery wraps up by the end of the novel, there’s plenty more left to be explored about this world, the system and governance, and levitations. (I am definitely looking forward to more about leviathans… LOL!) This is Book 1 of the Shadow of the Leviathan series and I’ll definitely be reading the sequel!

Thank you @netgalley for reaching out with this eARC! The Tainted Cup comes out on February 6, 2024!

I didn't know quite what to expect when I first picked up this book- I was intrigued by the description and gave it a try. I was hooked from the first page. I'm talking staying up late (to my detriment) multiple nights, trying to squeeze in pages when I could, obsessing over it when I couldn't, wondering how it was all going to play out. The characters? Stunning. Intriguing. Captivating. Incredibly unique. The plot? Insanely good. Nothing felt rushed or out of place. I cannot wait for the sequel (I'm not even going to look, I am convinced there should be a sequel and am manifesting it into existence).

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book!

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book, I requested to review it on a whim and ended up really enjoying it. The easiest way to describe the overall vibe is "high fantasy/mystery" which now that I've read, I'm not sure I've ever experienced before in another novel; I'm into it. In typical fantasy fashion, there's a lot of worldbuilding, but it doesn't feel overwhelming (sometimes I do feel like it can all be a bit much, I shouldn't need to crossreference seven things to make sense of a book imo).

The overall plot revolves around a Sherlock-and-Watson-esque pairing of detectives solving a murder mystery that unravels into ~something bigger.~ I specifically won't get too much into the plot for spoiler reasons but there are, as one might expect from a mystery, many twists and turns, some of which I predicted but most of which I did not.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC! I'll probably be looking into this author's other works to see if I enjoy them as well.

The world building in this is impressive. I devoured the book in one sitting! Ana is a genius and Din (my favorite) is the likeable but smart sidekick. It gives me Sherlock Holmes but romance vibes and it’s great!

A mystery fantasy thriller? Sign me up. Unfortunately, I don't think this book was for me and that's okay. It was very confusing, and the world building was tough. I could not follow it. I didn't really like any of the characters so it was tough to keep my focus. I did find the concept very intriguing though, I feel like it would make a good live action take. Overall, 3/5 .
Thank you, Del Ray, Netgalley, and Robert Jackson Bennett for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

How does he do it? How does he write such a great story that truly feels like he personally wrote this book for me? The mystery in this story was such a great aspect
World building fantastic! Characters amazing! Pros awesome

Read this book?!!

Thank you NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

The Tainted Cup is part fantasy, part murder mystery. Like I've come to expect from his works, Robert Jackson Bennett has built an incredible world. The "magic system" is unlike anything I have ever read. It is entirely plant based, and by using certain plants, one can enhance humans. Everything from unnaturally long life, to super strength, to incredible skills in mathematics, to being incredibly fast, to having a perfect memory. (And so so much more) The last one is the ability our protagonist is gifted with.

Dinious Kol is the protagonist, and his job is to observe crime scenes, which he memorizes, and then brings the account back to his boss, the eccentric Ana. Ana is gifted with incredible analyzation and observational skills. Between the two of them, they are tasked with solving a string of murders.

Unfortunately, I struggled with a few things in this book. The first is that there are a LOT of characters, and official roles that they fill, and I had a very hard time keeping track of all of them. A dramatis personae might have been the saving grace for me in that regard. Without it though, I had a very hard time getting into the story, as I regularly felt like I couldn't track what was happening. Eventually I got the characters straight, so the last 40% of the novel was great, but I STRUGGLED with the first 60%. I likely would have DNFed if I had bought the book.

I am not 100% sure if I recommend this one, but I will definitely be picking up the next book. There are enough questions and teasers sprinkled into this novel, along with the highest expectations from the way The Founders Trilogy played out, that I am so curious to see where we go from here.

The Tainted Cup has got to be one of the most astounding and outstanding novels of recent memory. We've got a murder mystery (and a very good one), we've got underhanded intrigue and secret cabals, we have a nuanced and fully realized world that is one of the most original yet accessible I've read, and we have the truly fabulous characters of eccentric investigator Ana Dolabra and her naive-ish assistant Dinios Kol - it's clear that with these two characters Robert Jackson Bennett is, rightfully so, confident in his ability to use a trope while making it something wholly new and exciting. And also this book is funny! I mean, Mr. Bennett leaves no crumbs. The strongest of recommendations -It's a gift to yourself to read!

Robert Jackson Bennett has been my favorite author for a long time. His Divine Cities trilogy is my go-to recommendation for fantasy. Somehow The Tainted Cup even surpasses those books for maybe my favorite of his books. Epic Fantasy Nero Wolfe/Hannibal Lecter meets Godzilla is the gonzo premise that seems perfectly made for me and this book nailed it and continued to hit it out of the park with every twist and turn. And holy cow were those twists and turns perfect. This book is on track to be my favorite book of 2024 already.

I was so pleasantly suprised with how addictive and fun this book was! I wasn't sure what to expect going in but I feel that RJB has found a perfect niche in these types of fantasy murder mysteries. There were just enough unique world building elements reminiscent of The Founders Trilogy ...paired with intrigue that kept me flipping page after page. The characters were unique and well thought out....and the humor and wit were perfectly balanced to lighten the mood. I didn't predict the ending but it made sense and wasn't so far fetched that it came out of left field either, which is refreshing. Overall a splendid time! Highly recommend 👌

Thank you, Robert Jackson Bennett, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you, Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine, your hard work!

This was recommended to me, and thank you so much for the recommendation!

This book was wonderful! Strange, mysterious, full of murder! There were such twists and turns. It certainly has you guessing on what's going to be happening next, if the characters are safe and who's going to die next! I simply couldn't put this down once I started. It's full of corruption, assasins, and so much more to discover as you dig into this book. The powerful certainly have such holds over the poor and government... and be careful of who you trust.

The page was perfect, and I never lost interest. The killers choice of weapon: Trees! Who would have thought such a thing. This book was full of imagination, creativity, and sarcasm and just made me unable to put the book down.

The investigation follows people who have died in strange ways: Trees sprouting from their bodies. As the book is uncovered, bodies pile up, corruption, and so much more is discovered, putting everyone in danger. You will be guessing the entire time who is guilty until the very end.This truly is worth the read!

While I appreciate the opportunity to read this, unfortunately I will not be finishing this book. I made it about a quarter of the way through but really struggled to get into it. The story start felt like I was thrown into something already in motion and I had to play catchup.

I loved Bennett’s inventive cultures and cities in his last trilogies, and he does it again in the Tainted Cup. The whole kingdom of Khanum, of which we see the coastal areas, seems to exist to keep incredibly huge- mountain-sized- sea creatures from destroying the land and peoples. Much of the government (and its legionnaires, medickkers, and those who research so-called grafts and suffusions) is focused on this purpose. The concoctions when applied to the folks of the land give them protection from various toxic natural elements in the environment. Or they may enhance the person speed, hearing, memory, etc.

The story begins with several mysterious murders that appear caused by a contagion. In a domino- like effect these deaths cause a breach in the battlements against the leviathans.

So the book is about the investigation into the murders and is also about the investigators. I enjoyed the characters and how the reader learned more about their backstory. I’m definitely looking forward to learning more about the land, the people, and the sea creatures themselves.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A low 2 stars. I love mysteries and I love fantasy, but sadly, I really didn’t love this.

I don’t even know what to say about this book. It was such a struggle for me to even finish it. I was just so bored and didn’t care! Nothing in this worked for me, sadly. Neither the characters, nor the writing were engaging.

The characters were flat. They also behaved ridiculously and not in a fun way! They just annoyed the hell out of me! The explanations for the world-building were severely lacking. It just didn’t make sense! There were too many puzzle pieces missing. Everything in this book was surface-level. Yet there was time for so many useless and unimportant details.

The writing was too clunky, simplistic and straight-forward for my liking. It contradicted itself and was full of inconsistencies. Some word choices and phrases simply annoyed me. It was also very bitty. Just a series of short moments strung together.

I’ve read the Foundryside trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett and while I hated the last book in that series, the first two were so much fun. Neither the world-building nor the magic nor the writing were amazing in that either, but I didn’t care! The characters were great to follow, the book made me care and it was an amazing time! None of that happened in The Tainted Cup.

I also felt the publisher blurb was slightly misleading or at least open to misinterpretation. It talked about a “long-suffering assistant” - Din had worked for Ana for only four months before the start of the book. Ana is described as “wearing a blindfold at all times” - that thing comes and goes as it pleases and the text does not keep track of it! And to me, the blurb implied that this book might be a fantasy version of a classic country house mystery, but the mansion wasn’t all that important to the plot and the characters moved to a different city early on in the story.

Not since Foundryside have I been so drawn in by a book. An absolutely captivating tale with an entirely new perspective on a magical world: one powered by bioengineering. The creativity, pacing, and quality of characters cannot be overstated.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this as an ARC reader!

I appreciated and loved the fact that each character was extremely unique. Throughout this book there was so much fun and mystery turns. It was extremely delightful! The fantasy aspects of the novel was extremely well done, not over the top at all which I appreciated.

This was my first book from this author, I cannot wait to see what else is in store (maybe a sequel??!!).

4.75/5

It was a tough beginning for me. I honestly thought this was going to be my first 4 out of 5, maybe even 3 for an ARC (thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for not disappointing me with The Tainted Cup or any other ARCs you provide approve me for). I am not familiar with Robert Jackson Bennet’s previous works, but I can’t say no to a murder mystery. Especially not one in a fantasy world! This is the first time in a while that I read a fantasy book without an audiobook to help me absorb the world-building (and the time it took me to read this book reflects that), however, I am so glad it was this one.

There is something absolutely charming and gripping about the characters. Ana is my favorite because I will always side with the seasoned agent of absolute chaos—or apparent chaos because there is a method to the madness. Din grew on me—because I was not a fan at the beginning (beginnings are tough, which is why I give 5 chapters or 75 pages of leeway to any story to give the author room to get in the groove of things). Now, even thinking about Din makes me smile. Oh, that sweetheart! And he has to put up with these eccentrics. His conversation with Ana in the last few chapters really pushed this book to an almost 5 out of 5 (although, I think a re-read of this book with an audiobook will push it up because I will be able to process everything better), it’s that neurodivergent solidarity. All the characters were good (Miljin! I hope to see you in future installments). The names though. I know it gets criticized a lot in fantasy, but you really notice it when there isn’t a narrator sounding out these names for you.

The key to a good murder mystery for me is the characters and how they deal with the clues. You can write a thousand and one murder mysteries but if the character solving the mystery isn’t processing clues in a believable manner, it all falls apart for me. Ana does not disappoint me, and neither does Din. The clues, and the foreshadowing it was well done. Good questions are asked. There isn’t a beating about the bush because we need the mystery to last another hundred pages. I think the fantasy element really helps this along. You are learning about this world, and the information you learn helps you connect the dots in a non-obvious way. It’s clever. Especially in a genre where characters are supposed to ask questions and question motives.

I had a lot of fun reading this book! And the good thing about reading a book so far in advance is that I can’t wait to read it again when officially releases.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is a superb read and well worth the time spent! Great plot and characters.

i cannot refuse a sherlock-watson inspired duo.
the tainted cup has a slow start with the introduction of the intricate power system, but quickly picks up after a murder mystery from poisonous plants. as well as civilization living inside walls to block out the leviathans. it was fun to follow din, the main character, acting on the whims of ana, the manic (and vulgar) detective.
as a lover of mysteries and plot twists, i thoroughly found this enjoyable. it would have been a perfect read had the magic system been explained more. each revelation is heavily based on these grafts and abilities but without the build up, it’s hard to stay captivated.

many thanks to random house publishing - ballantine and netgalley for the arc!

This book was an absolute delight, I didn’t want to put it down, and I am really interested to see where the trilogy goes because I see countless possibilities ahead. The murder-mystery/fantasy mash-up isn’t new or revolutionary, but every part of it is done well, here. The world is interesting and exciting, combining old and new, so although there is neither electricity nor telephones there is bio-hacking and genetic modification. There are augmented humans, which is more of a sci-fi trope than a fantasy one, but, oh yeah, there are these ancient giant beings that live in the ocean and humanity needs to defend against them coming to land at all costs because as best we know they bring with them nothing but death and destruction. So the world looks like it could be one from maybe 19th century western Europe, but with a level of capitalist, pseudo-aristocratic plutocracy that parallels modern structures of inequity and power and with just enough fantastical elements to keep everything fresh and interesting but not convoluted or burdensome. Our main character is delightful, full of contradictions and surprises, and very genuine. His partner, the Holmes in this pairing, is eccentric and over-the-top, but as a character in this world she fits, and doesn’t feel forced or artificial. There is a handful of supporting characters who all fit one fantasy trope or another, but none feel like cardboard cut-outs, all have enough depth of personality for me to feel connected to them and to believe in them as people. The writing is sharp, with convincing dialogue and smart action sequences, and just a sprinkle of horror to keep you interested. It really does its job of giving us the interiority of our main character as well pushing the plot forward, and doesn’t get in its own way, which is exactly what I want in this style of story. It flows from scene to scene really comfortably, and it really did compel me to want to keep going as we came to the end of each chapter. The story itself is a lot of fun, revolving around a central murder mystery that isn’t mind-boggling difficult to piece together but that is fun to see as it unravels. The world is convincing and fun enough that seeing our protagonist grow and develop confidence in what is actually a high-stakes game is a lot of fun. In many ways it almost felt like a cozy mystery (which it is certainly not, with graphic violence, death, and coarse language), probably due to the wide-eyed wonder and innocence that radiates form our main character, and it seemed like a really comfortable fit. The relationship between our protagonist Din and his Holmes, Ana, is great, and it served as a nice central point for the rest of the story to revolve and evolve around, and I look forward to seeing their relationship grow as the series continues, as it tells an ongoing story of learning about your own self-worth, instead of feeling overwhelmed by what you perceive as your flaws or abnormalities. I will say that Ana does seem a little be too capable… Her habit of avoiding excessive stimulation by remaining blind-folded and in her room most of the time obviously disadvantages her, but once she has all the puzzle pieces she puts them together seemingly effortlessly. Since we experience this form Din’s perspective we still get to enjoy this journey and discovery, especially as he is tasked with doing the messy work of investigating and interviewing suspects and so on, but we don’t even see her have a doubt or possible misstep. It didn’t bother me with how things played out in this story, but as the series continues there is a little concern for her just serving as a deus-ex-machina character, so I hope she gets more complicated as we move forward. In this story, though, she is great, just the right balance of a brilliant smugness combined with a sharp tongue and a tender(ish) heart.

I don’t have anything else but praise for this novel. The world and characters are convincing and compelling, the prose is efficient and a joy to read, and the story is dangerous enough to keep you on the edge of your seat but cozy enough to have fuzzy slippers on while perched there. What’s most exciting is that our protagonist really grows and opens throughout the story, and when we end the world is wide open, with paths weaving together ancient mythologies and contemporary conspiracies. There are so many great stories that can be told with these characters and in this world, I can’t wait to see where it goes.

I want to thank the author, the publisher Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.