This follow-up to The Tainted Cup pulls no punches it drops us right back into a world that is both bizarre and brilliant, full of alchemical body modifications, empire politics, and a detective duo that somehow works despite everything saying it shouldn’t.

Din and Ana return with a new case, this time investigating a disappearance that quickly spirals into something much bigger. The plot takes its time building momentum, but once the story shifts to the swampy, eerie region of Yarrowdale, everything begins to click into place. There is murder. There is conspiracy. There is a slow creep of dread under all the clever dialogue and labyrinthine clues.

This book is longer and more layered than the first, which works both for and against it. The pacing does lag in spots, but the payoff is worth it. The mystery is solid, the clues are buried just deep enough to keep you second-guessing, and the new setting adds a rich, unsettling atmosphere to the story.

Ana remains a force of nature strange, unpredictable, and oddly endearing. Din continues to be the emotional center, awkward and perceptive and more than just a sidekick. Their dynamic is the beating heart of this series, and a new character added to the mix brings a welcome contrast that keeps their energy fresh.

What sets this series apart is not just the mystery but the way Bennett builds his world. It is immersive, weird in the best way, and feels both ancient and oddly modern. The magic system feels like science with a layer of ritual, and the empire they serve is full of cracks that hint at deeper trouble ahead.

This is not a quick or easy read. It asks for attention, but it rewards it. If you are in the mood for a cerebral mystery wrapped in fantasy with a touch of body horror and a lot of charm, this one is absolutely worth your time.

A slow beginning that demands patience, as it lays out a world of bureaucracy, ranks, and conspiracies. The early chapters are dense with names, politics, and formalities that feel like wading through mud, but once the narrative reaches the Shroud, the story sharpens, and the intrigue truly begins to shine.

Throughout the book, echoes of the first book in the series, The Tainted Cup, linger, suggesting answers without quite delivering them. What seemed foretold in the first novel edges closer to revelation, yet full disclosure remains out of reach. I assume this is deliberate to keep the reader leaning forward and turning the pages, but you never quite know.

Ana’s past is threaded into the narrative, adding layers to investigations and hidden truths. By the time Bennett reaches the final chapters, he reiterates the Easter eggs, rewarding attentive readers with nods to his broader plans. And yet, even in these moments of revelation, he holds back, leaving some mysteries deliberately unresolved.

But beneath all the layered plot, Ana and Din’s relationship is the true pulse of the novel. Their banter is sharp, witty, and grounded, which keeps the story human amid the political and fantastical complexities. The humor they weave between each moment of tension makes the book feel alive, ensuring that no matter how complicated the world-building gets, it never overwhelms.

Previous mentions of this series being a trilogy now have whispers suggesting it may expand further. For now, readers are left with lingering threads and unanswered questions—proof that Bennett’s world still holds more secrets than it’s willing to give up just yet.

This was the sequel to The Tainted Cup. I will say I enjoyed the 1st book more than this one, but it was such a treat to get back into this world and see what the next mystery would be! Another good book from this author!

Ana Dolabra, a brilliant augmented detective matches wits with a equally brilliant adversary who always seems one step ahead. She is accompanied by her assistant and engraver, Dinios Kol as they work through the baffling clues of a disappearing Treasury Office in a backwater canton called Yarrowdale, that is supposed to be in process of being adopted into the Empire. Yarrowdale is important to the Empire because the Apoths are responsible for creating all kinds of reagents, fixes and cures for the people of the Empire. Their most important work takes place offshore in the Shroud, a mysterious place where dead leviathans are processed in hopes of harvesting the creature's blood which has magical potency and properties. Quickly this becomes not only a disappearance but a murder mystery and the plot snowballs into deadly occurrences and puzzling problems. Dolabra seems to almost magically untangle the continuing maze of clues and circumstances with her traditional blindfolded and odd augmentations. Kol is ever at her side or out doing the dangerous "leg" work to help.
This book is the second in the series and the plot moves faster than in the first book because the world-building is mostly done. It is probably necessary to read the first book to establish the characters and the fantastically strange world they exist in.
The books have been compared to Sherlock Holmes in their mystery sense But the world is so different from anything I have ever encountered that there is no comparison. I thoroughly enjoyed both books in this series and anxiously await the next book!

I think I enjoyed this book even more than the first one! Even though the first book had lots of action, this seemed to have even more, but I still think the pacing worked very well. And I freaking love Din and Ana. Din is so baby and such a bi disaster. Yeah he sleeps around, but he just doesn’t want to be lonely :( Ana, however, I picture in my head as the grandmother from “The Croods”, reptilian tail and all. I really liked that this novel dug deeper into her character and wtf she is. Perfect amounts of unsettling mixed with affection. I love them, and I really enjoyed the background cast too.

The mystery itself was really well planned as well. Just enough clues to have the reader satisfied with their predictions, but not too many that I guessed the whole reveal. And the worldbuilding was phenomenal! The first story had a lot of explanation, and this one seemed to weave in the explanation more subtly. I also enjoyed the change in scenery compared to the first novel. Heck yeah swamp people! And f-you colonization! This is definitely going on my favourite reads shelf; I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Din and Ana next :)

Enjoyed the overall reading experience - an intriguing mystery, character developments that took me by surprise, fun explorations of the leviathans' part of the world-building. The Urdu and Punjabi-inspired language was interesting but kept pulling me out of the story bc I kept trying to read into what the author was trying to convey (are we exploring pre-British Indian history with caste rules and selfish regional kings?) Then I came across the author's Reddit AMA and found out that he uses other real-world languages that I didn't pick up on, and they are meant to help world-build in a non-EU-centric manner, which I appreciate. I'll have to reread the book with that context and focus on the plot/mystery this time.

Fantastic sequel! As a librarian, I don't buy many books, but I bought Tainted Cup, I loved it so much! Wildly creative world-building and interesting characters set this series apart from other Sherlock reimaginings I've read. A Drop of Corruption did not disappoint as it continued the story of Din, sidekick to the great Ana Dolabra. As in the first book, Din is the front-runner who interviews subjects and observes and commits to memory, the scene. Ana gets there when she gets there and seems to always be ahead of the game, making massive leaps of intuition and setting up elaborate staging to expose the criminals.
I was excited in book 2 to get more details about Ana's enhancements. I am completely hooked and will keep reading this fantastic series.

3.55!

“To serve is a tremendously humbling thing. How easy it is to mistake glory and fame for duty! But duty is thankless, invisible, Forgettable—but oh, so very necessary.”

Robert Jackson Bennett has the writing style to deliver books to my liking but my luck with his books so far, it's not that they're bad or because I don't enjoy them because I do enjoy them. It's just the past two books I've read from him were when I was in a slump so that affected my rating a lot but I would love to get back to them after a while and see where it leads. I loved the underlying themes that the author painted through this book and how it highlighted some real world issues. Ana was honestly such a good fmc I had sm fun reading her perspective and her thoughts and the way the story got so elevated as we read her point of view was something I enjoyed, I liked Din as well and the banter between them was SOOOO good. The twist and turns had me shocked but the pacing was so slow and my slump didn't really need that and I also found some of the things in this book to be repetitive. I do feel like I would rate it more if my slump wasn't here but objectively this was a good book and it had all the things which would to the liking of someone who reads mystery books.

Overall, it was enjoyable.

So much more exciting and interesting than book 1 (and book 1 was amazing!) a much more spooky setting and mystery with even more body/plant horror happening.

We learn more about both Din and Ana as while as the history of the empire and a little more on the leviathan while still leaving a lot of room for sequels to delve even further into the mysteries and the world building.

I'm so excited to read even more of theses books!

Felt similar to Grave Empire by Richard Swan

Thank you Netgalley & DelRey for the ARC!
I rated this book 4.5 stars!!

I had so much fun reading this book, it is definitely in the running for funniest book of the year. I enjoy the mentor/mentee dynamics between Ana and Din and the addition of Malo felt like a missing puzzle piece finally found. I could read this series forever and its something to look forward to every year. I will say the 60-85% range of the book slowed down the pacing and took me out of the book a bit which resulted in me docking .05.

I adored this novel. Tainted Cups was one of my favourite reads of 2024, so I’ll admit I was a little nervous that A Drop of Corruption might not live up to the hype — but it absolutely did.

This sequel is just as fabulous, diving deeper into this brilliant world through Del’s eyes. There’s no sign of middle book syndrome here. Instead, Book Two builds beautifully on the foundation laid in the first, expanding the worldbuilding and delivering a gripping mystery wrapped in an adventurous, clever plot.

Once again, another excellent book from Robert Jackson Bennett. Probably his most direct sequel across the three series I've read, even if it picks up some time after the first. Wonderful continuing character development for Din (bisexual disaster, debt ridden king) and reveals as to just what the hell is going on with Ana. Bennett is truly a wonder at working his themes into the story in clear, yet not ham-handed ways. Highly recommend.

I am so impressed with this series! The first book was good but this one was even better. Dinios Kol and Ana are such an incongruous duo but they just work. And I loved Malo and hope she appears in future books (along with Kol’s love interest; I just want him to be happy).

This was a long book. There’s not other way to say it. At times, it felt a little too long and detailed but I know it was probably all necessary to unravel the plot in the perfect way the author wanted. I don’t know if there are any readers who manage to guess his twists and turns but it’s certainly not me!

I think that anyone wondering whether the fantasy genre is for them would do well starting with this series. The world building is interesting but not too complex and the author doesn’t introduce so many characters that you’re constantly confused. I could follow the plot and keep track of the characters but the story still held my attention from start to finish.

This is a great read, well paced, full of twists and turns. Clues cleverly hidden amongst the text, clues this reader missed totally. The world is exceptionally well crafted and is easy to live in.
The story arc has echoes of noir detective tales of the fifties with a touch of Sherlock Holmes thrown in for good measure.
A grown up read, much better craftsmanship than most other arcane detectives. As like with foundryside the author weaves a unique world that is unlike any other i ever read.

Mr. Bennet, you did it again. Oh, how masterful this book is! Din and Ana find themselves, yet again, solving a murder mystery. Their enemy now: logic and prediction. The probability that they can solve it decreases the more information they gather.
It was an amazing journey. Bennet has a way of describing the world as a separate character. This is special because it is so unique. I highly recommend this series, as it is one of my favourites.

The first was one of my favorites, if not my favorite book of last year, so I was very excited for the sequel. I can happily report that it did not disappoint. Ana and Din are investigating a new mystery with the disappearance and murder of a Treasury officer, but it quickly becomes a much bigger plot than just one murder. The plot was more straightforward, and I was able to guess more of it than the first book. I’m enjoying new character, though I miss some of the old ones. However, now, I want both secondary supporting characters in the next book. The sense of place is strong but there is never an info drop and pacing is strong throughout. Overall, the story and characters were so good that I still gave it five stars. I am just sad that it will be another year or more until I get a third one. About the only person I would not suggest this to if you are incredibly squeamish on body modifications. Also, you really should read the first one for the characters, though the mystery stands alone.

A drop of Corruption both makes for a wonder sequel and stands well as its own mystery. This installment was not quite as twisty as its predecessor but it still had everything I needed to leave me craving a book three.
-slowing building tension in a perfectly paced plot
-believable dialogue
-excellent use of reference for readers who enjoyed book one.
I highly recommend readers who love the tainted cup add this gem to their TBR imminently.

Thank you Del Rey Books and Random House Publishing for an early digital copy of A DROP OF CORRUPTION by Robert Jackson Bennett in exchange for my honest review!

A DROP OF CORRUPTION is what sequel dreams are made of. In this follow up to The Tainted Cup, Bennett manages to raise the stakes, expand the world, intimidate us with a formidable antagonist, and deepen our attachment to Ana and Din. I thought the pacing of this mystery was very well done where I was turning page after page after page. I also enjoyed feeling like I had a better grasp and understanding of this world and Din's role as an engraver, too. I cannot wait to see where things progress to next in this series!

Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

A Drop of Corruption is the second Shadow of the Leviathan installment, which follows Ana and Din as the investigate the disappearance and murder of a Treasury officer.

Shadow of the Leviathan is quickly becoming a favorite mystery series for me (and for several of my friends who have picked it up!). While A Drop of Corruption is much more of a straightforward mystery than the series' first book, it still had me on the edge of my seat, and I loved the way the mystery ultimately played out. Personally, I like a mystery that I can only halfway solve, and this was one such mystery -- I clocked the culprit pretty quickly, but there were still plenty of unpredictable twists surrounding the circumstances of the crime that kept me engaged for the whole book.

I also quite enjoyed getting to see more of the world that we were introduced to in book 1, and while the characters didn't see quite as much development, what we did learn about them has me asking so many questions, I'm already itching for book 3. An extra pleasant surprise was an addition to the cast who quickly became a major reason I kept reading, and I hope to see her more in future installments.

Overall, this was a great time! It was an excellent successor to The Tainted Cup, and left me ready to pick up as many books in this series as Robert Jackson Bennett desires to write.

A Drop of Corruption was easily one of my most anticipated reads this year. And it completely surpassed my expectations. Another horrible and inexplicable crime has occurred in the Empire, meaning that Din and Ana are summoned once again to solve it. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and the exploration of another part of the Shadow of the Leviathan world. I loved the addition of Malo and really hope that she makes an appearance in later stories. I eagerly await the next book in the series and will happily be recommending both The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption to anyone looking for a fantastical mystery intertwined with a dash of eldritch horror. Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the advanced copy!