First off, thanks for the ARC!

This is the second part of the Shadow of the Leviathan series.

NO spoilers for the first part or this one!

I read the first book two months ago, and I really liked it, but I had some doubts about wanting to read the next part.

But when I saw the second part, I jumped at the chance to request it.

And I'm so glad I did!

1️⃣Each part features a murder that Dinios Kol and his boss, the brilliant and quirky Ana Dolabra, investigate, and they're all caught up in the intrigues and politics of this captivating world with tons of seas and the Leviathans, who are the biggest threat to it all. Din's job is to observe, report, and act as Ana's eyes and ears—literally, since she's got this quirky thing about wearing a blindfold all the time.

2️⃣The main plot of the second part involves a bizarre murder in a locked room. The characters get pulled into a world of conspiracies, strange crimes, and shocking twists that even Ana struggles to predict, and she has to push herself to the limit. The action takes place in a remote corner of the Empire—a place that isn't technically considered part of the grand state but is crucial for its stability and even survival.

The series is told from Din's first-person perspective. There are small details and descriptions that make you feel like you're right there with him.

Ana's central antagonist turns out to be a sadistic genius who can stay several steps ahead. Gradually, Din uncovers not just the mysteries around him but also Ana herself—her tragic secrets and true nature, which really adds depth to the story.

New characters are popping up that I really liked. And I ended up loving the main characters even more.
Ana>>>

Now I definitely know that I’m looking forward to the next part🙌🏻

Heads up, there are some gross descriptions in the book, so don’t read it while you’re eating❗️

4,5/5⭐️

📜🗡🩸🧫🪙

The Tainted Cup, the first book in this series, was my favorite book from this year and I’ve been thinking about it pretty much constantly since my first read in February. I could not get enough of the uncanny biopunk world (there’s so much care and realism put into the systems of this setting) and the characters (loved the humor and heart in all of their interactions). A Drop of Corruption delivers on both of these things, and more. It’s a very ambitious novel, revealing much more of the political, biological, and infrastructural underpinnings of the Empire while still maintaining a satisfying murder mystery and further developing the main characters. And it is wildly successful in all of these aspects.

Starting with a classic Locked Room murder mystery setup, the characters quickly realize their killer intends to target the Shroud, the compound where the Empire’s best scientists synthesize the remains of leviathans into the many reagents used in the first book. This lets the reader learn alongside Din about the complex systems in place to bring the alterations from the Shroud to wherever they’re needed in the empire, and is a great way to set up both the stakes for this mystery and a changing world for future books. The mystery also brings Din and Ana into the negotiations between the Empire and the tribute kingdom of Yarrow, bringing politics to the forefront of this novel as well. All twists are carefully hinted at in advance, with no details wasted, making for extremely satisfying reveals at every turn.

I was very impressed with how the themes of autocracy and civic duty suffuse multiple aspects of the mystery, as well as Din and Ana’s own character arcs. Many scenes involving this theme really got to me emotionally: one of the antagonists’ confessions in which they reflect on the role these themes played in their actions, and Din and Ana’s final interactions right before the epilogue.

In terms of character development, it’s great to see Din and Ana’s relationship evolve beyond what we saw in Book 1. They still clash, to humorous effects, but we get to see the development of their friendship and increased trust in each other. I loved seeing a new side of Ana in the ways she responds to a villain seemingly at or even above her level, and we get more details about the nature of her alterations (very exciting stuff). We also see more of Din’s hopes and motivations now that he’s gained some confidence and isn’t so focused on hiding his secrets.

Being so ambitious in scope, many aspects of the book are even more powerful than The Tainted Cup, such as the aforementioned scenes where Din, Ana, and one of the antagonists fully internalize the themes of civil service. However, this did also result in one or two areas where I felt this book wasn’t as strong as in The Tainted Cup: Certain parts of the villain’s backstory and motivations felt a bit flimsy to me and didn’t fully explain why they executed their plan in that specific way. I also found some expressions of the theme a bit more heavy-handed than I’d prefer: There are a good number of asides where characters will criticize the Yarrow monarchy in a way that doesn’t serve a purpose in the plot other than reminding the reader that autocracies are bad, which, if you already agree with that, feels somewhat boring to read. On the other hand, the theme ties really beautifully into both Ana and Din’s arcs and more than makes up for these moments.

Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but very very very slightly less than The Tainted Cup. As said above, this is due to the occasional too on-the-nose expressions of the theme, a few nitpicks with the villain, and Strovi not being present; but also because The Tainted Cup is a very high bar to clear, being one of my favorite books of all time. Still, A Drop of Corruption is an extremely strong sequel and I’m looking forward to the next installment 1000%.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview A Drop of corruption. This is the second book in a series and although I didn’t read the first one I was addicted.
Very different and a book that gave me pause.
Enjoyed it and the book is thought provoking. 3.5 stars

This continues to be a series built in a lab specifically for me. Ana continues to be an eldritch Nero Wolfe and Din continues to own my entire heart. there are images in this that will probably haunt me (in a good way, mostly) for a while. The Tainted Cup was my first book by Robert Jackson Bennett, and I've read almost his entire back catalog since (highly recommended). His previous series led me to expect complicated, nuanced politics as one of his strengths, and A Drop of Corruption leans into all of that. It's a noir, a high fantasy and a damn good mystery! My only regret with reading these right as they come out is that I have to wait so long for the next one, when all I want to do is mainline the entire story.

Brilliant second book, at least as good if not better than the first one !

I enjoy Din and Ana very much, for their characters but also for their relationship. I know some people find Din very dull and flat, but I do not have that feeling. Yes, he isn't a very strong focus for the story, but it has to do with the kind of story that is being told, more plot focused even though the characters aren't left behind. As for Ana, she might come across as a classical, archetypal mad but too clever invistagator figure, and yes, she does, in a way, but she isn't only that. Both her and Din have deeper layer that well explored over the books, in a discreet but very present way. This second book has more of Din's motivations and dreams, plus some very great pining.

Knowing the setting from the first book, we are now sent in another part of the world, close to the Empire but not exactly the Empire, delving into monarchy and extensive "scientific" experiments at the core of the Empire, involving Leviathans' blood. Bennett does a great job at giving the right informations at the right time without burnening the narration, and he has great ideas, creating a familiar and yet deeply alien world, one that hooked me from the start to the finish line. I love a vegetal world, and this series is perfect for that.

As for the plot, it is a masterful one, at least for me. I don't read that much murder mystery, at least not when there isn's some elements of fantasy or supernatural. There are a lot of cues to pick up, red herrings, little twists and revelations cleverly speckled throughout the book. It is really a great joy to create theories as I read. I did love the main antagonist of this book, the guy we had to uncover. He is smart, a little broken, with masterful acting, things I love when well done.

We also meet a lot of new character, and the lack of one specific member of the previous book can be felt in Din longing, but not in a overcoming way, just being there, creating a sense of loss that I enjoyed a lot. In the new cast, we have once again a varied displa of people, with various motivations and behavior, making the story come alive.

The story speaks a lot about monarchies and the tendency fantasy has to rely upon them, wether chosing to portray them as positive, neutral or negative. Bennett does a great job a discussing it without directly pointing it out.

Very good read !

At the borders of the empire, contagions are abundant, and leviathans threaten the outer rings. The blood of those same leviathans is a key ingredient in magically transforming people to grant powerful abilities. Dinios “Din” Kol is one of those fortunate enough to have been altered. Due to his extremely enhanced memory skills, he has become an “engraver” and these skills are perfect in his role as assistant to Ana Dolabra, perhaps, the greatest living detective. And now, once again, the pair of them have been called in to solve what seems at first to be a straight-forward locked-room murder mystery.

As a sequel to “The Tainted Cup”, the first book in this “Shadow of Leviathan” series, this novel is simply amazing. Oftentimes, it seems to me, the second book in a series can be a letdown, especially if the first book was really good. But I am here to say any such fears with this author’s work have proven, once again, unfounded. In fact, this one gives us more in all respects. More plot, more character development, and much more world-building but in a way that doesn’t beat the reader over the head but rather lets it unfold as necessary to round out the various settings.

While Ana brings her genius for detective sleuthing, she is also an eccentric who prefers to wear a blindfold most of the time so as to not let her vision interrupt her thinking. Din’s perfect memory is ideal for interrogating suspects and witnesses and is able to “play-back” the facts verbatim if required. Useful in discovering discrepancies, to be sure. The murder mystery is off and running, but soon grows to something much more epic.
Author Robert Jackson Bennett has proven many times before that he is a master at building original fantasy worlds, demonstrating in-depth world-building with all the trappings you’d hope for. This is a rich world, with unusual circumstances, cultures, and motivations.

Many reviewers compare the mystery elements of these novels to a Sherlock Holmes/Watson experience, but I think a much better analogy are the works of Rex Stout. Here, Din is the fact finder, the one who goes out and about gathering evidence much like Archie Goodwin. We get most of the story from his perspective. Ana, like Nero Wolfe, largely remains behind and waits for the information to come in where she then analyzes, deduces, and brings her genius to bear.

The entire novel moves along swiftly as the original murder case grows to something affecting most of the known world. I loved discovering new abilities in other characters, engineered enhancements that I shall not divulge for fear of spoilers. This is “smart” fantasy to be sure, neither a D&D adventure nor a Hercule Poirot murder mystery. No matter what you call it, it is exceptional, and certainly a fun read. I look forward to the next book in the series, not only for another complex murder mystery but also to learn even more of this unique world.

Highly recommended.

I was fortunate enough to previously receive an arc of the first book in this series, the Tainted Cup, which was one of my favorite reads of the year. So I was also thrilled to receive an arc of the sequel! This book takes everything I loved about the first book in this series and builds on it - we get to further explore the Empire, read of new alterations and curious creatures, and are treated to more witty banter between Ana and Din. The Agatha Christie vibes the first book gave me are in full force and effect here, with a complex mystery with many twists and turns. With the backdrop of this unique world, crawling with leviathans, enhanced beings, and advanced science, it is a real treat for mystery/sci-fi/fantasy fans everywhere. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book!

A Drop of Corruption, Robert Bennett Jackson's sequel to the wonderful The Tainted Cup, is simply splendid. From the clever nuanced title to the emotionally fulfilling conclusion, the book is intelligent, gripping, and challenging. Investigator Ana remains an entertaining character, with new abilities and mysteries arising about her fantastic seductive abilities. Viewpoint character and assistant Din develops layers of complexity and emotion. The mystery itself is complex and fulfilling, with many twists and false leads. Brilliant take on the Holmes/Watson motif, but set against the backdrop of an ancient empire based on magic and technology quite unlike our own. Unlike many fantasy "empires", this is complicated, varied, and has a history that makes sense. I crave a third book in this series already.


Thanks very much to the publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for a dispassionate review.

<b>Dinios Kol is the epitome of ✨Bisexual Panic✨ </b>

The term captivated does not begin to describe how enamored I am with this series! I was fortunate enough to acquire an advanced copy of <i>The Tainted Cup </i> earlier this year, and it remains one of the best books I've read. So imagine my delight when I received an advanced copy of the second installment (actually a puddle on the floor).

As excited as I was, a small part of me thought this couldn't top the first (in my opinion, it's utter perfection). But I was so wrong… so very very wrong

Robert Jackson Bennet's imagination is unmatched! I can’t believe he produced such an interesting and mind-bending tale - I enjoyed every minute! I couldn't put it down, and when I did, I just kept thinking about it. <i>A Drop of Corruption</i> consumed my mind, body, and soul.

My only favor to ask is… please bring back Kepheus 🥺 I love him too much for him not to be in the third

As always, thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Din and his investigator Ana are once again called upon to solve a byzantine mystery in a far-away country. In a monarchy due to become a colony of the Empire, a member of a delegation from the Imperial Treasury has gone missing from a room locked from the inside. When his remains are found miles away, the mystery deepens, and unravels until plots, murders, and secret betrayals are revealed.

Another brilliant fantasy mystery, just as tantalizing as the last one, with a fully-realized world and characters who you'll love to spend time with. Oh, if only a time machine, so I could retrieve the next one! (I hope there'll be a next one!)

The second book in the Din and Ana mysteries picks up a year or so after the two main characters began working together, as they arrive at another sensitive Imperial location and find themselves involved in a locked-room murder mystery. As with the first book, they navigate complex Imperial and interpersonal politics while attempting to figure out who the killer is before he strikes again. After about six rounds of this, they succeed.

I was actually extremely engrossed in the crime and the investigation this time around, which kept up a sprightly pace and kept me wondering, before leading to a conclusion that struck me as pretty fair. As always, mixing science-fantasy in with a murder mystery requires you to pay careful attention to the rules in order to be certain the author is playing fair, but I'm prepared to call myself satisfied with this one. As for the political aspect, I can definitely say that this is certainly a book written for the world of 2024 and leave it at that. I'm sure it will resonate just as the author intended it to.

However, I was less satisfied with the interactions between the two protagonists in this book. People often compare Din and Ana to Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe, and I don't want to belabor the comparison, because it's not like the author promised me "Wolfe and Archie, but with leviathans and a modern understanding of neuroatypical behavior", but I can't help thinking about how Wolfe and Archie have a more-or-less equal partnership, where Wolfe is a genius but genuinely needs Archie to keep him on track and moderate his bad decisions, and Archie acts independently on his own initiative and has his own strengths. By comparison, whenever Din and Ana are on different pages, whether it's about Din's choices or Ana's use of illegal psychoactives, Din is wrong and Ana is right. Din is now two-for-two on spending the entire book feeling sorry for himself about problems that turn out not to be problems and could have been solved easily if he asked for help. He had his reasons for not being able to trust Ana, sure, but from the perspective of the reader, he wastes a lot of time looking sad (although it appears to be a good look for him, if the ladies are to be trusted). Anyway, hopefully if there's a third book in the series, we'll see Din mature into an independent partner rather than a physical extension of Ana's brain.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I also noticed what seems to be a significant discontinuity in my EARC, where events are referred to as happening that don't actually appear in the book. (SPOILERS AHEAD) Ana asks Din if he was approached by moneylenders and whether they asked him for information, and he tells her that they did. We see one scene at the beginning where the moneylender approaches Din to let him know about the modification to his debt, and another paragraph later where he briefly mentions handing over most of his paycheck, but the scene where Din is actually asked for confidential information and refuses to give it doesn't actually appear in the book. This could be intentional, but it seems like it might be a versioning error. There's also at least one typo where a character refers to a "seat e".

My thanks to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore and NetGalley for a free eARC of “A Drop of Corruption” by Robert Jackson Bennet.
“A Drop of Corruption” is the second installment of “Shadow of the Leviathan”, another Ana and Din Mystery Murder in a High Fantasy setting.
Before raving how much I loved this book, I need to mention I never read blurbs for sequels and especially avoid doing so when it is a Mystery. I prefer to unravel everything alongside our characters and fell as I am by their side along the way.
I was so excited to witness the wonderful relation between Ana and her assistant Din and not only were they as entertaining as I expected, but they showed much growth behind their peculiarities.
So I got a compelling Mystery that I refuse to ruin by revealing anything about it, except that it was excellently executed, great character development with some humor mixed in, but the best gift of this second volume was the gradual revealing of this fascinating world. The glimpses of the past, the developments and uses of the flora, new genetic enhances and what they could mean, not only for the Empire that Ana and Din serve, but also to the evolution of this whole world, all these create a vivid picture of this Universe.
As any well crafted world, the socio-political elements also play an important role and the author let us the readers view this from different angles so we can form our own thoughts and opinions.
I am looking forward to see what other mysteries and conspiracies Ana and Din will tackle in the next volume of the “Shadow of the Leviathan”.
I highly recommend fans of Murder Mystery in a Fantasy setting to start with “The Tainted Cup”, then continue with “A Drop of Corruption”.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC!

“The Tainted Cup” was my favorite book that I’ve read so far this year. The world building was incredible, yet somehow, the characters were even better, and the story had me hooked instantly! I was so excited to jump back into this world! I dropped everything else I was doing and reading to start this. I’ve had the second book preordered for months, so to get access to this early was really awesome!

Din and Ana have another case to solve, and this one takes them to the edge of the Empire. I don’t want to give much away, due to the book being a mystery, where details matter, so I’ll keep this relatively short, and may expand on it after the book is actually published. Basically, a treasury officer with the Empire vanishes from his lodging, and Ana and Din are called in to find out happened, and who did it, and why.

I just absolutely love the world where these stories take place. Yarrowdale is a city surrounded by jungles and swamps. Those jungles and swamps are filled with criminals, and these areas are where a good portion of the story takes place. There’s actually a few chapters in the book that gave me major “Apocalypse Now” flashbacks, in the best way possible! Some of the locations in this city/area will be forever seared into my brain (The Shroud, and a certain area of the jungle come to mind immediately!)

I love the new character, Malo, that we’re introduced to early in the story. She is such a badass! She was a definite highlight of this story. I hope there’s a lot more of these stories to come! The amount of love that went into writing these stories is massive, and I can’t wait to see what else this world has to offer!

Read this as soon as you can!

tl;dr
Another twisty mystery set in an ever-evolving kaiju world. Builds on the first book with more world-building, more mystery, and some sneaky reveals.

Thoughts
Great news, everybody! This book is very good. If you've already read the first one, you probably guessed it would be. (And if you haven't read the first one, I heartily recommend it.) Nearly everything that made the first book amazing is back: A tightly plotted mystery, more plantcore world building, Ana's wild genius, and Din's relatable narration. (I say nearly everything because sadly Kepheus Strovi is not present, leaving both Din and this reader bereft.) In my previous review, I did note some concerns that the story would begin to drift away from solving murders towards more of the leviathan stuff. Interestingly enough, while plenty more big plot pieces are revealed, I didn't feel like the mystery aspect was lost at all. We've got locked rooms, impossible thefts, government secrets, and political shenanigans aplenty. It's a fairly seamless genre blending, and I now have my fingers crossed that we'll have plenty more to come.

This book was a great sequel, and still one of the only books I have ever read for adults that managed to capture the feeling of the random novels that seemed to only exist shelved in the wrong place in public libraries. which is a good thing.

also i love a good fantasy bisexual manwhore. and that is our narrator

The Shadow of the Leviathan series is quickly becoming one of my favorites in recent memory, and Robert Jackson Bennett once again knocks it out of the park with this sequel to The Tainted Cup. There's more of Din and Ana and more seemingly impossible murders to solve, along with a colorful new cast of characters (Malo was a standout for me). The unique worldbuilding of the Empire is further expanded on with Yarrowdale and the Shroud. The most enjoyable part of these books, to me, is how they blend the best aspects of the fantasy and mystery genres: an intriguing, fantastical setting for a murder, and fast pacing that made me fly through the pages of this fantasy novel. This book was so addictive that I was riveted to my couch for two days, practically unable to tear myself away from my e-reader.

I'm praying to the publishing gods that RJB gets to write many more Din and Ana novels to come!

‘The Tainted Cup’ was one of my favourite reads of 2024 and ‘A Drop of Corruption’ was lined up to be one of my most anticipated reads of 2025, so I feel both incredibly blessed, and also kind of cheeky, that I was fortunate enough to get an early copy of this book, which I then fell upon with reckless abandon.

I find it so fascinating how much this series seems to draw inspiration from various popular mangas. If Book 1 had strong ‘Attack on Titan’ vibes, then this one, with all its blooming humans and jungle vibes, aesthetically felt heavily inspired by ‘Hells Paradise’ (a personal favourite of mine).

One of my biggest complaints with book 1 was that the first 40% or so felt like a bit of work to try and understand and familiarize myself with all the heavy world building. Thankfully coming into this book with that knowledge already in place meant that we could dive into the story head first and straight into the latest murder mystery for Din and Ana.

As far as the story goes, this book, set months into the future of Book 1, is cut from the same Sherlock Holmes-esque deductive reasoning and mystery as the first book but we get the opportunity to see more depth of character in both Din and Ana, whilst continuing to see more to their dynamic working together as well. I loved the mystery in this one and was kept guessing throughout (although I had my suspicions early on and some of them even turned out to be pretty close).

Malo was a fabulous new addition to this cast of characters and I dearly hope we get to see more of her into the future.

In Book 1 I became immediately enamored with Captain Strovi (as Din himself evidently did as well) and the little crumbs of romance we got between them were a highlight for me and I had hoped to see more of him in this book. I understand why we didn’t, but I was still a little disappointed that we only really see glimpses of him in Dins poor little heartsick mind. I must admit I was a bit taken aback by the development of Din becoming a bit of a fuckboy, but I guess when you’re looking for distraction and comfort you take it in whatever form you can get it. The flip side to that is that it’s genuinely delightful to see some completely normalized and unapologetically bisexual representation (it’s never discussed, it just is a fact that exists)

No middle book syndrome here. Book 2 has taken the groundwork of book 1 and has expanded upon the world building and produced a fantastic mystery and enjoyable adventure. Now I just have the horrible wait for book 3 to endure.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide my thoughts.




My threatened riot from my Book 1 review on Captain Strovi’s behalf has been put on pause cause I still hold a hope that they’ll be end game.

I'm going to start off with the disclaimer that I was craving this book before I even finished the last page of The Tainted Cup. Did Robert Jackson Bennett set a high bar with the first book in this series? Definitely. Did I have high expectations for this book? Absolutely. Did it meet my expectations? Meet, exceed, surpass, and left me craving book 3 ...and more. When I started the first book, I was contented to see that the author's prior series seemed to top out at trilogies because I did not want to commit to an indefinitely long series, but now I find myself so curious with, and fond of, the main characters and interested in this world that the author has created for these stories that I simply am not ready for it to end anytime soon. The dynamic between Ana and Din has progressed since their meeting in the first book and their interactions were as appealing as the mystery that they solved. The mystery in this volume was even more curious than the first and Din was pressed into several precarious situations. And, of course Anna puts together all the clues that we were fed through the course of the story and presents a clear solution to the murder mystery by the end. Din's first-person narration continued in this story, much like Dr. Watson narrates Sherlock Holmes' adventures. But I would not dare compare this duo to any other mystery as they are wholly unique. New supporting characters were introduced and they were ideally tailored to fit into the mystery and bring out more depth in Din's personality through their interactions. I hope to see at least one of these characters return in a future book of the series. The ending of this book abandoned me to my ever growing curiosity about Ana and I eagerly await at least partial answers and an even more suspense-filled mystery in the next book of the series. Anyone who enjoyed the fist book of the Shadow of the Leviathan will absolutely relish this one and those who have not started this series yet but enjoy a blend of mystery and fantasy, interesting characters, curious situations, incredible world building, and fantastic plot should consider this series. Though the mystery in this book is technically independent of the first, I would still start with The Tainted Cup as a better introduction to Ana and Din.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

I was very excited to have the opportunity to read an ARC of A Drop of Corruption because I loved first installment of the series. The worldbuilding in this series is just so interesting and unique. Din and Ana are both excellent characters and I really hope to read more about them and Malo was an interesting side character.

The mystery itself was a little convoluted and I did partially guess the ending, but I did really enjoy the story.

Did you like Book 1? Then you'll love Book 2. It takes all the best elements to a higher level. Ana is much more active, accompanying Din. The action takes us to different and most interesting sceneries, including jungles. Malo is a great character and not the only one added to this story. All small details are not in vain and have a purpose in the story. The first murder seems impossible to resolve, but we are giving all the answers and explanations during the entire novel, and the revelation doesn't seem like out of the blue. The author is creative and careful to answer all of our all questions. It's always fun to see Din blush and being taunted by Ana, and now Malo as well. I love her dialogue. I love this fantasy world, and in this volume, we go deeper into the augmented characters and lore to explain these complex extra "magic system" and skills. Great way to use the five senses in a mystery fantasy novel.