This was just... okay. I still maintain that the biggest strength of this series has been its world-building and development and that is continued in this book. I'd argue it's not quite as sprawling as the first book, but there's definitely a lot of fun to be had in seeing how the author continues to build on the world he's created.

However, there were a few things in this book that lessened my enjoyment as compared to the first one. For starters, I feel like the central mystery in this one was a little repetitive and slightly less satisfying of a conclusion. I think a large part has to do with the fact that the culprit was more or less identified pretty early on so it was more of a case of finding him. While cat-and-mouse chases can be satisfying, the actual character was slightly less interesting to me and aspects of that character made the chase less satisfying as a result.

Secondly, I feel like Din didn't get quite as much character development in this book. He felt a little static throughout. He's definitely hurting, which I get, but I'd hoped to see a bit more of a change that I didn't quite get.

The last two things are both related, so they're getting lumped together: because Din's hurting a little from being separated from his love interest in the first book, he ends up finding other people to soothe that hurt. That's valid--bro is pretty pathetic (and I say this with all the affection in my heart)--it's just that the author introduced a new... aspect to Din's abilities that kind of made me roll my eyes. Apparently, his abilities can trigger during sex and that makes him like SO good at it. If that had been the only thing, I would've just rolled my eyes and moved on. (Although, I find that I don't know if that quite works with some of the things the author's previously established with Din's abilities. Like, wouldn't having multiple partners actually overwhelm Din and actually make him kind of bad at sex? I guess if it's the smell of someone's specific sweat, then maybe? I guess? But I don't think that was made entirely clear in the text.) Unfortunately, the author also decided to be "funny" by also saying that Din... has a big "wick". I'm sorry, but 1. not everyone likes that and 2. not everyone enjoys penetration, so... what was the point??

I realize not everyone is going to be as annoyed by this as I am, but it definitely stood out. I'm just really tired of this trope. It would've been okay if it was just one or the other. Both together, though? Nope, that's a bit too much for me, thanks.

Overall, this was just... fine. I liked certain reveals for certain characters and I think the world-building is still so very fun. I'm definitely going to continue with this series. It's just that this book in particular felt like a very mid edition to this series.

4.5⭐. The Tainted Cup is one of my favorite books of 2024 so getting to read this book so soon felt like an early Christmas present. A Drop of Corruption continues so many of the things I loved about The Tainted Cup and also gives us more information about Din and Ana that I can't wait to see develop in the future. Robert Jackson Bennett continues to build a perfectly blended fantasy/mystery series. We get to explore a different part of the world in this book, which led to learning more about the world and politics. I really enjoyed Malo as a new side character and hope we get to see her pop up again in the future. I found the mystery to be more complex this time around but there were still little seeds planted along the way that had me putting at least some of the pieces together. Ana continues to be my favorite character - she had me laughing out loud multiple times - and I loved learning more about her backstory. Now to impatiently wait for the third book.

Robert Jackson Bennett’s A Drop of Corruption is a masterpiece of fantasy-mystery, blending intricate world-building with a compelling whodunit plot. Following Ana Dolabra, an eccentric and brilliant investigator, the novel takes us to Yarrowdale, where an impossible crime—a locked-room disappearance—turns into a high-stakes murder mystery. The story weaves tension as Ana and her assistant, Din, face a seemingly omniscient adversary who stays one step ahead at every turn. With themes of power, magic, and cunning, the book keeps you guessing until the very end.

Bennett's sharp writing and the dynamic between Ana and Din make this a standout in the Shadow of the Leviathan series. If you love intelligent mysteries with a dose of dark magic, this is absolutely for you! Perfect for fans of The Founders Trilogy or those who crave fantasy with a strong investigative twist. Highly recommended!

Thank you to the author and Penguin Random House for the advanced copy.

Typically, a writer's chosen genre and style necessitates sacrifice. A character study isn't as concerned with pace. A thriller uses flat secondary characters to keep the plot moving along. A fantasy novel sometimes allows the worldbuilding to eclipse internal motivations.

RJB is able to balance all fictional considerations without giving into the sacrifices. He is a sharp writer, especially when it comes to the setting. It doesn't matter if he's describing a small plant or the hierarchy of a decaying empire; every detail is well-considered and intriguing. The characters are given time to adapt and mature throughout the story (driven primarily but not exclusively by the main duo). Throughout, he sprinkles in humor, political discussions, and well-paced action scenes to keep the mystery from getting stagnant.

Now, that isn't Faulkner or Dostoyevsky, but it doesn't have to be. It's exactly what it claims to be: a big-hearted fantasy novel with excellent character development, an immersive setting, and a satisfying ending.

A Drop of Corruption by RJ Bennett, published by Random House Publishing Group is the second book in Shadow of Leviathan. The previous book is The Tainted Cup and I recommend to read the books in order.
A fantastic fantasy-thriller that had me from start till the very last page. Intriguing, literally unputdownable, 4,5 stars.
Blurb: The brilliant detective Ana Dolabra may have finally met her match in the gripping sequel to The Tainted Cup.
In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard. To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol.
Before long, Ana’s discovered that they’re not investigating a disappearance, but a murder—and that the killing was just the first chess move by an adversary who seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and who can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future.
Worse still, the killer seems to be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud. Here, the Empire's greatest minds dissect fallen Titans to harness the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the destruction would be terrible indeed—and the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn.

An amazing read. A drop of corruption will keep you guessing to the end. The world in this book is unlike anything I have read before and am eager to read more.

I liked this book, just not as much as the first in the series. I actually didn't even realize the second book came out and I was reading it, until I started noticing it was reading exactly like a book that I read before. After checking my Goodreads, I quickly discovered it was the second book.

This book reads similar to the first one, but follows a different mystery and crime. I think the first one had more fantasy surrounding the mystery and I liked that more. This book just seemed to be missing something that the first one had. And, again, I'm comparing this to the first book that I absolutely loved!

It was in no means a bad book. It was entertaining and the mystery was exciting to read about, but at times, I struggled to keep reading. I lost some interest and found myself reading just to finish it. I still think mystery and fantasy lovers will enjoy this book though.

Another great book by Robert Jackson Bennett!
Ana and Din, the Iudex investigators from the first book in the series, return and travel to the kingdom of Yarrow. Yarrow is soon to become a part of the empire due to an agreement between the King of Yarrow and the Empire. Din is sent to yarrow to investigate the disappearance and murder of a Treasury official of the Empire. Later, Ana arrives to lend her expertise. The investigation proceeds and the storyline becomes very detailed and complex. I enjoyed the story and the characters. Ana is just as mysterious and offbeat as she was in the first book! If you enjoy a good fantasy/ mystery, add this to your TBR list!

Thank you to for letting me read an ARC of this book.

As soon as I finished the first novel, I was itching to read this sequel. I think I liked the first novel slightly better but I did love how much more world building this sequel has. This author is phenomenal at world building!

Another excellent read from the master storyteller, RJB. I was so delighted to return to the world of Din and Ana! It's grim and a little gory, but it's filled with so much heart and hope -- the afterward was particularly moving, given the current state of the world.

I love the relationship between Ana and Din. Their banter never fails to make me laugh, and I appreciate how Ana lets Din find his own way while still subtly guiding him with hints and clues. Her own backstory has me so intrigued, that even if I didn't like anything else in the book, I would keep reading the series just for that.

I would be remiss in this review by not touching on the world building. It's absolutely insane, the level of detail given that this isn't a particularly long book. So many fantasies gloss over the little things, hoping the readers won't notice, and sometimes it works. But RJB doesn't do that. Everything has a reason for existing, and behind that reason is a glimmer of the history of the world. He gives us enough to make me say, "Oh, yes that makes sense," answering my questions without bogging down the plot.

And the pacing! It's snappy, and there's never a dull moment, even in the "down time" scenes that could otherwise be very boring. There's a purpose for every interaction and conversation, whether its to drive the plot forward or add a little more detail to a character, but there's never a scene that feels like a filler.

Overall, an excellent second book, and I'm so excited to see where this series goes next.

Picking up the sequel to a book you really, really adored is always both exciting and a little nerve wracking. What if it’s a let down compared to the lofty heights of book 1?

Happily, A Drop of Corruption is every bit as unique and wonderful as its predecessor! I absolutely devoured it and I was thrilled to learn more about our two main characters. The mystery was fascinating. The world this story is set in is so unique and continues to absolutely fascinate me.

Even better, I really enjoyed seeing the relationship grow between the two main characters and learning more about what makes Ana who she is… though I will say it’s just a taste that will pique your desire for more!

Can’t wait for Book 3!

Loved this!! With a little more flexibility now that the world is built, I thought it worked very well. I did sometimes struggle to remember absolutely everyone sometimes, but ultimately happy for the addition of Malo, who was wonderful.

I am interested to see how this series manages telling a larger story within these serialized chapters. Behind the larger world, I wish there was either more or less a connecting line with the previous installment—that may sound like a strange complaint, but the point is I think it could do to commit to either the Poirot/Miss Marple method of having books stand entirely alone, or make it a larger story with more of an overarching plot. BUT was very happy to learn more of Ana’s backstory!! Overall completely recommend

I have very little to say about this that isn't heart-eyed screaming, but I'll try my best.

This series just continues to be the most fun, and just utterly delightful to read. Everyone's favourite disaster bisexual Din is back (and even more of both a disaster and a bisexual), manically brilliant and eccentric Ana is here to teach more people that they should really be bowing to her, and there's another mystery that just begs for the sfx people behind Annihilation and Hannibal to take a whack at bringing this to some kind of screen. In short, if you loved the first book (and honestly, why wouldn't you?), then you'll love this one too.

There are so many highlights of this book, and first and foremost are Din, Ana, and their relationship with one another. We get some hints toward Ana's backstory here, and despite everything else going on, the heart of this entire story is the dynamic between Din and Ana. They bounce off each other so well and still are able to surprise one another (well, Ana is able to surprise Din, at least), and they're just such a delight together. And the supporting cast is so strong as well - I almost forgot to mention that, as Din and Ana are such forces of characters, but I felt the secondary characters were unique, complex, and contributed to the story.

Another standout across both books is the world building and the politics. The world is highly imaginative but more than that, the writing is so visual and does an incredible job of helping you picture it. This book adds more complexity to the politics of the world, as if they didn't have enough to deal with with just the Titans, c'mon. But this instalment does really add another layer to the lore and makes me want to know more.

Finally, the mystery! It's not enough to have fantastic characters and an incredible fantasy world, but we also get a twisty, well-paced mystery? Honestly, this series is SUCH a blessing.

I wouldn't recommend reading this without reading the first book, but I do love how each book wraps up quite nicely, no cliffhangers here. But that's not to say I'm not already impatiently waiting to devour the next book. This is quickly becoming one of my favourite series and I can't imagine that changing anytime soon.

Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, and to NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved book 1 and this was no exception, i was perfectly paced and well written. I will definitely be looking forward to more from Bennett!

3.5 stars, rounded down.

The Tainted Cup was one of my favourite reads of the year. This sequel started off strong but by the end I felt frustrated and just wanted it bloody well over with.

It went on for too long, and I got confused about who was who. I love bisexual disaster Din and Ana, but even though we see everything through Din's POV, the both of them felt largely missing. It was Din running around asking endless repetitive questions. It lacked some of the heart and humour of the first book.

Also, how many times do we have to read that Ana grinned? Every single time she speaks, she's grinning, grinning, grinning. It drove me crazy.

I will keep reading the series but I won't ever reread this one.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

I could not have been more excited getting this eARC approved. I jumped straight into Ana and Din's latest mystery and adventure as soon as I got the download and wow. Yes. This was just genius.
Following a new investigation, this time taking place on the outskirts of the country where the Empire does not officially rule - a mysterious dead body investigation turns into something highly complex, clever and political. We learn more about the Empire, the history of the world, the political intricacies outside of the Empire. Whilst the plot is independent to the previous book, and you can theoretically read this as a standalone, i wouldn't recommend it as you dont get the character development of Ana and Din which adds so much to it. Also the first book is amazing so you should read that anyway.

Robert Jackson Bennett is a genius storyteller, keeping the mystery and suspense of a complex fantasy world right till the end. I absolutely love how the fantasy world allows for so much creativity. I hope this fantasy Sherlock Holmes and Watson series carries on for a long long time!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an early advance E-ARC!

A mysterious death of an Empire Treasury official, a string of impossible thefts, and taunting clues are left behind in a kingdom in long-standing negotiations with the Empire and what the investigation reveals will have wide-ranging impacts in A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett.
In Yarrowdale, a kingdom beyond the Empire’s reach and which has been in century-long negotiations with the Empire, a crime plagued with impossibilities has occurred when an Empire Treasury officer goes missing from a locked room, remains of his body are found, and a securely kept safe in a bank is tampered with, both robbed of its secret contents and replaced with a macabre, coded message in the form of a severed head. Called upon to solve the case, investigator Ana Dolabra and her engraver assistant Din Kol arrive to quickly learn that what they’re investigating is but a starting piece of a much larger puzzle put into motion by an adversary whose mind appears to rival Ana’s and frustratingly seems always to be one step ahead of them – a fascinating, startling, and troublesome discovery. When it becomes apparent that the perpetrator is targeting the Yarrow King’s rule as well as the Shroud, a secretive and tightly secured compound where Titans are researched and dissected to harness the magic of their blood that drives the Empire forward, the combination of the smallest details, as pieced together by the quick, keen minds and instincts of both Ana and Din from the cleverly left clues, finally shed light on the truth, revealing the deceptively convoluted, yet simple at heart, plot that motivated extreme actions with such high and impactful stakes.
Building on the fascinating world and characters from The Tainted Cup, this second, adventurous case takes the previously established basis of corruption and scheming underpinning the actions of those in power in the mentally captivating, quickly paced narrative and raises the stakes through an increased number of impossible feats that their adversary is capable of pulling off, which Ana and Din need to figure out and combat. Introducing a variety of new characters who assist in navigating the cultural differences of Yarrowdale from that of the Empire in various ways, the world gains a greater depth and complexity in the sociopolitical composition; however, while the backstories of Din and Ana begin to surface a bit more, with details of relevance likely (read as: hopefully) sowing the seeds to form the basis for a forthcoming adventure and investigation for the intrepid duo that will unearth greater development of and progress into their pasts to offer a deeper emotional investment into them as characters and in their dynamic beyond the quirky and insightful that aids their investigations and efforts toward justice. While it seems as if there’s a larger narrative arc being set up, specifically around Ana and her alterations as small pieces of information were finally shared with Din, and it had relevance to an element of the mystery at hand within this story, there felt like a bigger shift in Ana’s behavior and speech than was established previously that was jarring and had no contextual support other than a passage of time between this case and the previous.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unshackled by the need for extensive world-building, Robert Jackson Bennett has room in this sequel to craft a more complex and satisfying mystery, centered around his winning duo of lead characters. It succeeds as both a mystery and a fantasy novel, blending the two genres beautifully.

While I’m more invested in the evolving interpersonal dynamics between Ana and Din than the “Mystery of the Week” plot in each installment, this sequel lays the groundwork for even richer character development to come in future books.

A Drop of Corruption is a more assured, exciting sequel than its predecessor, and I look forward to seeing where the overarching story goes from here.

🌟🌟🌟🌟4.5 stars
The Tainted Cup has been my favorite read of 2024, and I was beyond excited to get an ARC for A Drop of Corruption.

I love this world, and my favorite parts of the book were the world building, both in the addition of The Shroud (creepy and mildly horrifying, love that) and learning more about Ana.

The plot itself is fairly standalone from book 1, and is again and interesting and solid mystery with lots of twists and turns and plenty of murder.

One thing I found myself missing in this book though was the chemistry between Ana and Din. I think this was very purposeful, there is a gap of time between the two books in which Din seems to have gotten a bit of (understandable) job related burnout. That is reflected I think both in his narration and in a shift in his relationship with Ana. And while for the story and characters this makes sense, it does also take away a little of the magic of book 1.

I am excited to read more Ana and Din adventures, but maybe let Din have some PTO to go visit Strovi.

Well now. This book is certainly a step UP from the first book. A fast-paced, well written, plot and world focused novel that combines fantasy and an astute study of the power of government and corruption. Robert Jackson Bennett is possibly the best writer for fantasy in that he rarely writes dull books. He uses tropes appropriately and doesn't let anything get too bogged down. Though, his writing sometimes is a little too fast paced it does match in real time what someone in a thriller may feel.
6/5 stars