This series is such a unique fantasy that I’m never sure how to rate it or how I feel about it. The first book gave me Sherlock Holmes or Knives Out vibes and this one continued to but also turned into something more. I love the relationship between Ana and Din. There is an interdependency and vulnerability that binds them together yet they are each strong on their own. That’s what makes them a fun team similar to Sherlock and Watson. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to the effects of the revelations at the end of this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an early copy.

I’ve never gone wrong picking up another book by this author! But I was particularly excited to grab this sequel, as the first one was the perfect mixture of two things I love especially: incredibly creative fantasy worlds and a Holmes/Watson duo solving complex mysteries. And this was one of those rare sequels where I went in pretty much wanting exactly the same as the first one! And boy, did I get it, and more!

So, I’ll jump straight to the end of the review now and say this was pretty much my idea of a perfect read. Not only did it bring back everything I loved from the first book, but it expanded on the the world-building and fantasy aspects of the story and gave greater depth to our main characters. The mystery itself was also complex and interesting, with numerous twists and turns. There were the right number of red herrings that readers could form their own guesses and theories, but then, when the final reveal came, there were inevitably pieces that were still true revelations.

I also really enjoyed the deeper themes of monarchy and empire that were explored in this book. The first one brushed up on some of these themes as well, but this one really dove into the ideas of kings and their seemingly deep-seated appeal as a form of governance. (On this point, the author included a really excellent author’s note at the end that is definitely worth giving a read!). Throughout the story, there is commentary and exploration of these structures of society, who falls through the cracks and who benefits, and why people cling to form of government that doesn’t serve them. Beyond this, there were some really great discussions of the inglorious but necessary role of justice enforcers and the pursuit of truth, even when it takes you to some dark places. (Of course, this being a fantasy novel, those dark places were more then simply metaphorically “dark.”) Is it ever right to do the wrong thing for the right reason? Who decides and how should justice be served? These are big topics, but the book does a great job of tackling them, without ever feeling heavy-handed or preachy.

Beyond this, I was simply happy to spend more time with Din and Ana. From Din, we saw the challenges that he’s faced, working for such an eccentric woman as Ana for now several years. In some ways, he’s adjusted well. In others, it’s clear he’s still floundering to find his role in this world. For Ana’s part, she’s still brilliant, but also strange in a way that is often perturbing. As the story continued, we began to see more and more glimpses behind the curtain, and there were some great reveals regarding her own history towards the end of the book.

The world Bennet has created here continues to be simply wild. So much creativity, but also so much horror, awaits around every corner. Similarly to the first book, this isn’t the read for you if you struggle with body horror. The dangers of this world present in incredibly unique and disturbing ways, and Bennet doesn’t shy away from fully describing it as such. The stakes of this book are also closely tied to the biodiversity of this world, and it was great exploring how humanity has found a way to live and thrive in a world as perilous as this one.

Overall, this was an excellent sequel, everything I could have wanted from a follow-up book! It took the phenomenal groundwork that was laid in the first book and ran wild with it. Can’t wait to see what comes next!

Rating 10: Deliciously dark, exploring the disturbing nature not only of this wild fantasy world but also of the depths of humanity itself.

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on April 11

What a fun read! This one had it all—quick and action-packed plot, political and courtly intrigue, complex and memorable characters, and unpredictable twists. But what made this one stand out most was RJB’s incredible world building and witty dialogue. With only two books in this series so far, we are given a satisfying chunk of the universe, but it’s clear that there are still many mysteries yet to be solved and many details yet to be revealed. I eagerly await Din and Ana’s next adventure!

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves both high fantasy and mystery genres. The unique magic system and universe scratch that fantasy itch, while the more traditional mystery story structure wraps all that complexity up into a super satisfying, bite-sized package.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars - In the second installment of the Shadow of the Leviathan series, Din and Ana travel to a remote edge of the Empire's lands in search of a Treasury Officer who managed to disappear from a locked room. Yet when the disappearance turns into a murder, the pair soon find themselves chasing down an extraordinarily brilliant and cunning and foe whose target seems to be much bigger than all were first led to believe.

I've always love mystery novels because they give me a chance to read AND work through a puzzle, and Robert Jackson Bennett writes some great puzzles. I remember stumbling upon THE TAINTED CUP last year and becoming immediately sucked in by the incredible, strange world, and my love for Din, Ana, and this entire series only grew with A DROP OF CORRUPTION. Alongside Bennett's writing style, I think what I like so much about these books is the relationship between the two main characters, as well as how fleshed out all the rest of the characters are. Everyone we meet seems to have a purpose, with each of their individual threads coming together to create a beautiful and complex world.

Murder mystery and political conspiracy, plus leviathan monsters and body augmentations that essentially grant superpowers, this series has it all and more. In addition to each book's unique plot line, there's an undercurrent of "something big is coming" that weaves it's way through the novels and has me counting down the days until the next piece of the story is in my hands!

Thank you to Del Ray and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very engaging mystery. We definitely got to know our main characters even more and I really enjoyed walking this journey with them. The storytelling was consistent and flowed really well following the first installment of our detectives adventures. The world building is extremely unique, I'm actually not sure I have ever read anything like this before. I enjoyed the rawness of our FMC and cannot wait for the next mystery.

If you like a complex world, a complicated FMC, an evolving partnership in the style of Holmes and Watson, and compelling mysteries, this story and it's predecessor are for you.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc and opportunity to read this book! I loved it!

A Drop of Corruption follows The Tainted Cup. Din is an experienced apprenticed assistant to Ana Dolabra, an investigator with highly eccentric habits. Din has been magicked to have a perfect recall, which he uses to serve his investigator’s eyes and ears out in the world. Now Ana and Din face their toughest case yet and the highest of stakes. How can they catch up to a murderer who gets into spaces no one can and disappears without a trace?

Like TTC, we get a fully story arc with more worldbuilding that sets the stage for future volumes. RJB cheekily described The Tainted Cup as A Game of Thrones and Knives Out, which is pretty accurate. And like TTC, A Drop of Corruption is a murder mystery combined with a political fantasy and a fair amount of bio horror. There are obviously some Holmes-Watson vibes as well along with Attack on Titan.

I really enjoyed the first volume, and I really enjoyed this one too. I think fantasy mysteries are particularly hard to do well because a good mystery leaves room for the audience to make informed guesses, but the audience often doesn’t understand the rules of the fantasy world. It means that the denouement can feel unsatisfying. That’s not the case here– RJB strikes this delicate balance perfectly. No spoilers, but we also start to see some very interesting cracks in the Empire, and I’m excited about where the next volume will go.

Robert Jackson Bennett is one of the finest fantasy writers working today. His prose is exquisite and he crafts wonderful worlds with fabulous people and stories to populate them. This story is a perfect reflection of his abilities. Ana and Din are interesting characters, working for the Iudex as investigators of strange and unusual crimes. RBJ’s use of language in describing the place and times of the setting place the reader, almost, physically into the story.

I have enjoyed these first two stories of this Khanum Empire where the beasts are enormous, the plots are filled with political intrigue, and the characters are uniquely designed to survive these difficult climes. I highly recommend the Ana and Din Mysteries (Shadow of the Leviathan #2), especially if you enjoy your fantasy stories with some excellent mystery elements!

4.5 stars out of five

Quite a different read from the first book, but very good nonetheless. I personally enjoyed this one a bit more than The Tainted Cup. It felt less foreseeable for the most part, and the main characters were very nicely fleshed out. The main villain felt a bit cliché and more like a brain than a person, but that might have been by design. Evil is not necessarily charisma incarnate.

I especially liked what the author did with Ana, and I cannot wait to see where this is going. Ultimately, the mysteries surrounding the leviathans are still shrouded in the unknown, but I expect answers in the next book.

(Mild spoiler below /!\ )

I would not be surprised to see our antagonist still alive in the sequel. We shall see—killing a character behind the curtain usually doesn't mean death, but I might be proven wrong.

I advise those who liked The Tainted Cup to give this one a read—they're in for a ride !

This second installment in the Shadow of the Leviathan series is just as entertaining as the first. And while this is definitely a continuation of the story, one could definitely read this as a standalone novel and be highly satisfied.

Robert Jackson Bennett is a master world builder and storyteller. And, we know Bennett has created remarkable characters in Ana Dolabra and Dinios Kol, but in this book we get introduced to another interesting character, Tira Malo.
These three take the hunting of the murderer to new levels in the medieval-esque society of Yarrowdale.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Inklore, and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

The criminally underrated Robert Jackson Bennett is back. I can really do nothing but gush for any of his book's. Probably why Netgalley keeps sending them to me(I know I don't have to mention Netgalley but I really, really want to).
Why should you read this book? Well, the world building is amazing and as good as the world building is the character development is even better. Ana and Din seem a like the familiar Holmes and Watson idea but like anything like Rjb's other novels it goes much darker and much weirder.
I'd like to describe this book but to be fair I couldn't do it justice, it's something you have to read to get it.
I have no criticism for this book other than I read it too fast and lost a fair amount of sleep because of it.

I could join Din and Ana on their adventures time and time again. The bizarreness of their partnership, their individual journeys and the world that they are trying to leave better than they found it is captivating. The eclectic genre-blend of fantasy, sci-fi and murder mystery continues, with our ever-witty and bickering investigative team always 3 steps behind our walk-through-walls perp.

The sequel doesn’t disappoint with more world-building, politics and gruesomely described deaths - which just adds to the dark tone of this world.
This book is very plot-driven, and while we have some character development, there is probably more in book 1 than in book 2. In saying that, we learn a little more about Ana and her ‘nature’, and we see Ana and Din grow more comfortable with each other.

This is parts murder mystery, political conspiracy, sci-fi, and fantasy. There are always parts you will guess along the way, but the final tie together will keep you guessing until the end.

I can't wait to read anything else this world has to offer!

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc!!

i don't know how to review this because it feels like epic fantasy in a cozy background kind of way wrapped up in a big political mystery. much like the first book. i read that one on a very bad day, but this one after a good rest, and clearly there is a difference.

i want to commend the author on the spectacular worldbuilding that doesn't cease to amaze me. this world just feels so real and rife with magic-not-magic (see: augments and kings that live for hundreds of years and leviathans) and the sheer volume of it feels so atmospheric in a way that reminds me of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. i usually loathe long descriptions and stuff but this one was a welcome surprise. though it might have benefitted from having a glossary.

the mystery itself was so big and i loved how it was posed as a challenge not even Ana can solve. the slightly deranged mentor-calm mentee dynamic between Ana and Din is always so nice to read, and is absolutely the highlight of the book for me despite the central mystery they're solving. though, goddamn i did not expect that plot twist at the end, and the whole investigation to get there gave me an unsettling feeling that wouldn't leave even after the epilogue. (spoilers!! it was the prince who was the king's murderer!! yet there is so much else going on that this really feels like an understatement)

" the dead cannot be restored. vice and bribery will never be totally banished from the cantons. and the drop of corruption that lies within every society shall always persist. " well said, Ana. i applaud you.

with Ana's secret on what she really is finally revealed to Din and possibly the Empire coming to claim the Yarrows, and the introduction of Malo's character, i am so excited to see where this series goes!!

I had high expectations for A Drop of Corruption but I could have never hoped the mystery could exceed that of The Tainted Cup. This book was brilliant on so many levels and I completely loved it! If you're a fan of a duo reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, I'd highly recommend adding this series to your TBR.
A Drop of Corruption picks up some time after the events of The Tainted Cup. Ana and Din have now been working together through several smaller cases, but have recently been called to Yarrowdale, a port town located within a kingdom not quite within the empire. Here Ana and Din are investigating the disappearance of a member of the Imperial Treasury and what starts as an unusual case only becomes stranger and more complex as the investigation progresses. Not only are Ana and Din navigating the complex political situation in Yarrowdale, but it seems the disappearance (and murder) of the Treasury official may have something to do with the high security compound known as the Shroud that sits in the bay. The Shroud is where leviathans are processed for their various materials and it’s also where experimentation occurs by a secretive group of modified Imperials.
Though I would love to get into some of the specifics of the story, I truly hate to give away too many details because for me half the fun of a mystery is learning these new little components that can so drastically change the trajectory of the story. I think it’s safe to say we get to learn more about different governmental entities like the Apoths, who wander into the jungles as security and work with dangerous compounds, the Treasury folks who employ a great deal of people with Din’s abilities and also try to broker deals with foreign kings. The Shroud, when we finally get to learn about what it’s for, is a fascinating and terrifying place that we get to see first hand through Din’s investigations. Possibly one of the most exciting parts was learning more about Ana, even though that didn’t happen until the end of the book - a few hints were dropped throughout, but boy, the confirmation at the end was pretty sweet. I can’t wait to see where that particular aspect goes in future installments.
I am delighted to say that I loved A Drop of Corruption even more than The Tainted Cup, and I am stunned because as I’ve said before, the first book in a series is usually one of my favorites. There’s just something about the discovery and world building that delights me, and I think the continual unraveling of both the mysteries and our characters keeps me engaged. I can’t wait to check out the third installment, which will hopefully release in 2026.

Many thanks to DelRey, PRHAudio, and NetGalley for the preview. All opinions are my own.

This was another fantastic Din & Ana mystery. We have a completely new setting and a new impossible mystery to solve. I really can't emphasize enough how much I love our duo. Din is so earnest, but has learned so much from Ana. And she's just so brilliantly bonkers. But we do learn some more about her this this, and I'm still not sure my brain can comprehend it.

The mystery again takes so many twists and turns, and again the stakes are super high. This is a dangerous sci-fi world, so of course an extremely life-threatening danger must be neutralized along with finding the mastermind. I was on the edge of my seat, jaw on the floor, as Ana revealed all at the climax.

The author's note is required reading at the end too. I will continue to devour these stories as long as RJB writes them, and can't wait for the next! Highly recommended!

A locked-room mystery, a brilliant but eccentric investigator, and a world where magic fuels an empire—this book had me hooked from the first page.

What I Loved:

✔️ Intriguing Mystery – A Treasury officer vanishes from a locked room, and what starts as a disappearance turns into a murder investigation that only gets more complex. The layers of deception, political intrigue, and impossible clues made for an addictive read.
✔️ Ana Dolabra is Fantastic – She’s the classic genius detective—brilliant, unpredictable, and always ten steps ahead… or at least, she usually is. Watching her face a seemingly unstoppable opponent added real tension.
✔️ Din as the Watson-esque Assistant – His dry observations and loyalty to Ana made for a great dynamic. He’s both impressed by her intellect and exasperated by her eccentricities, which added some levity to the high-stakes plot.
✔️ Magic and Mystery Collide – The concept of dissecting fallen Titans for magic-infused power is fascinating. It adds an almost sci-fi element to the fantasy setting, and the threat to the Shroud raises the stakes beyond just solving a murder.

If you love locked-room mysteries, detectives with Sherlock-level intellect, and fantasy worlds packed with intrigue, this is absolutely worth reading. It’s a thrilling, cleverly plotted mystery with high stakes and a compelling duo at its heart.

Grateful to #NetGalley and Del Ray for the ARC!

The second installment of Ana and Din's world and a great followup to the Tainted Cup! Ana and Din are sent to the outer reaches of the Empire to solve the mystery of how a Treasury official was abducted from a locked room.

I am NOT a mystery/thriller reader because I often find the endings and "twists" are really convoluted and poorly laid out. That is not an issue here. It is incredibly impressive how the author manages to weave the fantasy world-building, character development, and mystery plot in one novel. This is quickly turning into one of my favorite series and I am already counting down for the third book!

⌞ 4.5/5 stars. ⌝

ana and din are back at it again! rjb you've mf done it. this world is so unbelievably interesting and full of history that I could never even dream of being this good at worldbuilding. and the personality!!! there was PERSONALITY!!! din, constantly sleep and sex deprived. ana, quite literally losing her marbles alongside her pupil. eating nasty foods, rambling, rambling, lots of rambling. the newest addition to the roster, malo, is a snarky and funny character with a strong backbone. I hope we get to see more of her in the next book.

this was a wonderfully complex murder mystery, so different from the last but it definitely had the same substance (ana figures everything out with her mega brain). the stakes were a thousand times higher, there was court intrigue, political divide, GREED, BETRAYAL I mean cmon. we have a criminal (who is seemingly just as smart, if not smarter than ana herself) on the loose, and who else but din would be better to send right into the middle of it?

you could market this as a horror/thriller and I would believe it. besides the usual body horror that is common in this series, there is genuine dread. fear of the unknown, because it is unknown for basically the entire book! there's a fear of failure—because although we've seen ana and din's exemplary detective work—when faced with a foe such as the one in this book, what if there's just not enough time for them to solve the mystery? that thought was constantly at the back of my head.

now I didn't give this 5/5 stars because as much as I enjoyed the unraveling of this mystery, I didn't enjoy the mounds of dialogue that felt like filler. recall that earlier, I mentioned ana's rambling. it felt very boring to read since it was essentially used as a history lesson, and from my experience reading fourth wing, this is not the best way to divulge info dumps. if you asked me to remember anything she told din, I couldn't. I read it but I didn't actually take anything in. I also think that the final reveal might not be as exciting to some as the last one was. in a way I think this was brilliant because I felt the exact same way that ana did. up until the very end, I was hopeful.

a drop of corruption is just as the name suggests—a complex murder mystery with a dark, sad story at its core. i'm so sad that I actually have to sit here and wait for the next book. it was easier last time, but now I really really need to know where this is heading next!

5/5 ⭐️
This series continues to be exceptional and reminds me why I love fantasy in the first place. And book two just may be even better. Probably because we now have a sense of the world and are growing used to Ana and Din’s….uniqueness.

This series continues with its sequel to show how brilliantly it is written, and how under appreciated it is. Because this series is doing exactly what I want to see more of in books. This author is taking this overdone setup of the Sherlock and Watson-esq mystery but making it fantasy. And what makes this series exceptional is that it feels so completely new. I’m not sitting here going, 😓 uh not this again, I’ve seen this exact thing twenty times in the last year alone. No. Even though this author uses familiar tropes of both the fantasy and mystery genres, they always feel completely new. The world, the characters, the plot, feels completely new and undiscovered for me as a reader, even though if you think about its core components, it’s actually not.

This second book, like the first, brought me so much joy and relief. Where the vast majority of the stories I’ve read over the last few years felt copy paste to the point I could predict what was going to happen by the end of chapter one, this felt like drinking fresh, cold water after only drinking warm tap.
But let’s talk a little about the actual book.

This second book expanded the world. We went to a different corner of the empire. One so different from the corner we were in during the first book. Yet it felt familiar. Despite the landscape and politics being on its surface different, the people and the powers and the dynamics felt familiar to the first book. Which it kind of should. Kind of like how despite outwardly Dorne in Game of Thrones seems wildly different from Westeros, the people and the conflicts and the power struggles are pretty much the same.

While our world expanded, giving us more information about the empire and its history, we also got to uncover a little more about our two main characters. I think I might know what Ana could be? I have theories at least. And Din. Damn, Din went through the Percy Jackson treatment. Remember how Percy portrayed himself as kind of mid. Like he’s kind of powerful and kind of cute. Only for us to get the spin off series where we were gained more povs and through them we learned Percy is actually super powerful and super hot. Yeah Din went through the same thing. At least for me. I totally pictured him as mid. Like so average in looks and experience that he could be forgettable. In this one he gained the name, pretty boy. And Din showed us the skill and competence he has gained since joining Ana.

The mystery in this story was also exceptional. I was constantly left changing my guesses with each new twist and detail. And yet, I never guessed the final twists. Like the mystery and detective work reminds me of why I first loved Sherlock Holmes and mysteries in general. The best way for me to describe my experience is to compare it with Knives Out. That movie series created something so familiar for the genre, yet so new. That is exactly what this book series does too.

At the end of this very long winded review of me trying to preach to you to read this series, all I can do is say once again, this is exceptional. This series’s use of the familiar made it comforting, but twisted everything till it felt completely and utterly new. It was relieving in a world where the vast majority of the books coming out are beginning to feel identical. Like if you’re going to write something, what are you bringing to the table? What is something completely new you can add onto the genre? Instead of giving us something AI probably could spit out.

So yeah. Read this. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

...the scope/magical "hidden" [urban fantasy] world with magic-related crimes, sometimes makes the world questionable how hidden the magic is...

...in here I could see it a little bit. With the scope getting bigger, with the crimes connecting to something huge or something that could change the whole landscape of things. I guess it's fine that we're just getting "major" events/cases per book. But it's something that's in the back of the mind. It's unfair to compare it to crime tv shows like CSI where they have dozens of episodes that could have small cases that doesn't really do anything huge, just a complete bottleneck episode. Plus, with the magical world not hidden, makes this one more interesting [compared to Urban fantasy/mystery].

I love the new cast of characters, the new location, and the new weird things RJB have written in here. While the mystery, imo, is a bit easier to solve [by the readers], I just like it being a locked room mystery. But the real strength of this book is the worldbuilding, we have Yarrowdale from the reach of the Empire, we have characters that have new set of abilities, and I think this is a bit more political heavy compared to the first one. I have some minor gripes with the mystery but as a whole it's alright.

With a bunch of plot threads and new characters which could return in the future. I wonder what's RJB plans are, since I've read that he's willing to write more Shadow of the Leviathan novels and this surely doesn't feel like a middle book.

𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌

𝘼 𝘿𝙧𝙤𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣
by Robert Jackson Bennett
432 pages
Due April 1, 2025

This is a fantasy mystery mashup series that I fell in love with thanks to fellow bookstagrammers.

If you missed 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝘾𝙪𝙥, I am giving you plenty of notice to fit it in so you are ready for its amazing sequel.
Read these if
💪🏻 you enjoy dystopian sci fi fantasy
🕵🏻‍♀️🕵🏻‍♂️ enjoy detective duos
❓like complex mysteries
🧬 enjoy the sci fi elements of sci fi fantasy
🗺️ appreciate complex fantasy world building with attention to political intrigue
👩🏻‍🦱 enjoy rich character development

This has quickly become another must read sci fi fantasy series. I love the eccentric and relatable characters, the interesting modifications they have and the extra added elements of mystery and suspense. These stories are built to be twisted cases that are difficult to solve without the help of Ana and Din.

QOTD: Have you read a book that you would label a genre mashup? What is the title? If you haven’t- what genres would you like to see combined in a book?

Thank you to the author, @delreybooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC before it was published in exchange for my opinion.

#murdermysterybooks #scififantasybooks #adropofcorruption #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #newbooks #arcreading #netgalley #dystopianbooks #dystopianfantasybooks #currentlyreading #newbooks