One of the things I really liked about the first book and which continues in this book is the amazing worldbuilding. Technically these stories are murder mysteries, but because of the richness of the worldbuilding, they are so much more in depth than that. In the first book, Ana and Din seemed to be operating on a tangent to some of the larger issues in the empire, especially the Leviathan. In this book, they get more involved with what happens with the Leviathan and are technically in a land outside the empire.

The story was fascinating with lots of twists and turns and extremely well told. I did feel that the characters were a bit flat in that there wasn't a lot of growth and development. We do learn more about Ana and her abilities though there are still lots of questions to potentially be answered in the next book. And Din does do a little more looking into what he wants to do with his life. But the character growth didn't feel quite as rich as the worldbuilding. But I am still very much invested in this series and look forward to reading the next book.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett is my most anticipated novel of 2025. So when I saw it appear on NetGalley I leapt at the chance to hopefully read it to cap off my year. I was very fortunate to get approved and I read it in two quick chunks, before and after Wind and Truth. That break did not hamper my enjoyment in the slightest.

While the first book in this series, The Tainted Cup, is likely to be my book of the year, I didn’t like this one quite as much. It’s good, really good, at times but just never maintains the heights I have come to expect. The narrative is fascinating, the mystery gripping and the character work is really good. If I don’t compare this book to the first its a high class fantasy we’ll worthy of your time.

I also have to pat myself on the back for once as I caught the relevant clues along the way and I guessed the end result and the killer! That didn’t ruin my enjoyment either, in fact it’s always fun when you’re even slightly right about the turn of events. What I didn’t particularly enjoy was Ana always working things out without evidence. Why did she always have the next hint? It’s beyond me. But maybe the dropped hints will come to fruition in the last book of the trilogy.

While I didn’t find this book as perfectly crafted as it’s prequel, I ran through it at an accelerated pace and really enjoyed myself. I haven’t read a RJB book that I haven’t liked and this just makes me want to wrap up the Founder’s Trilogy even more desperately as I love the first two books. The mystery presented here was tight if a little drawn out, but I will 100% seek an ARC next year for book 3.

A Drop of Corruption is expected to publish 1 Apr 2025.

Shadow of the Leviathan has quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite series! We see the world get expanded so much more in this follow-up instalment. It’s amazing! The magic and the setting are also very unique and fresh. The characters are complex and extremely well-written. Ana and Din make for compelling main characters.

The mystery keeps you guessing and turning pages. Rather than trying to guess it or get it correct, I just wanted to savour it. The payoff, of course, is satisfying. I haven’t enjoyed a book like this in a long while.

This book felt like it had much higher stakes than book 1, and it’s so much more fast-paced. At the same time, the characters’ motivations also take center stage.

If you like fantasy mysteries or want to get into the genre, I can’t recommend this enough!

A Drop of Corruption is the second book in a series following Ana and Din, investigators for their imperial government, as they travel the empire on assignment to solve mysteries. Their dynamic is somewhat Holmes and Watson, but not, of course, a direct copy. The world is a fantasy world = Robert Jackson Bennett does, as always, a phenomenal job making the world feel old and deeply lived in - and in this second book we learn more about how the leviathan carcasses are used in enhancing people's abilities, and the very human cost of that work.

Ana is, of course, a delight, with her direct manner, rough language, amazing leaps of deduction, and horrifically gross appetite. Din is under a lot of stress - his creditors are after him, he wants to apply to the Legion to defend the wall and achieve glory, he doesn't want to abandon Ana.. and they're assigned to an area of empire which is not, technically, part of the empire. Yet. They're working on it.

The mystery and resolution are absolutely cracking and in this era of "cottagegore" books, this one fits right on in with the rest. Ana and Din work with the locals, and other imperial officers, to untangle QUITE the mystery and conspiracy. I won't say more. If you enjoyed Tainted Cup, you'll want to continue the series. If you didn't enjoy Tainted Cup, read it again, and then read this one too. If you enjoy mysteries, this is not so much a fantasy that you'll be lost in weird terms and strange names and you should pick it up to diversify your books a little more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This biopunk, cosmic horror mystery series keeps on being excellent! I'd expect nothing less from this author.

In this book, Din and eventually Ana are investigating a locked room murder in Yarrow, an independent country with a treaty with their Empire. Although Yarrow is independent in name, the Empire has been making inroads with technology and culture that will make it difficult for Yarrow to survive on its own, although this is a very volatile political matter.

I don't think I can say too much without giving away too much and you'll want to savor this, so I think I'll end up being brief. There are terrifying biological weapons. There is assassination and murder. There is a warden augmented to be able to see, hear, and smell much better than unaugmented humans, who is an aide to Din in this case. Ana is creepy and disturbing and very much enjoying being on the hunt.

There is the Shroud. This is a marine R&D station in the ocean that is designed to allow humans to harvest biological resources from the deadly and incomprehensible leviathans who periodically threaten the coast and all human civilization. It terrifies Din, and anything that terrified Din this much must mean that he has to become involved with it.

Robert Jackson Bennett does love himself an ancient, possibly evil, supergenius intelligence that might return. That begins to show itself in this book too.

This book is much more of a mystery. I rated it less than a 5 because I do love this author's action scenes and there aren't really many set pieces here. The author says that he wrote this book while mulling over the human tendency to want one strong infallible leader who will make everything all right, and the impossibility of that. I wonder what he's talking about. :)

Shadow of the Leviathan #2. This is a stunning series. The first book was brilliant, and this one does not disappoint. Once again we follow the investigation by the truly unique Ana Dolobra and her assistant Dinios Kol (we see most of the action from his point of view). I could spend pages just on the world-building, but will leave it as original, all-encompassing, totally convincing and absolutely mesmerizing. The characters are once again disparate, complex and fascinating, and both Ana and Kol continue to reveal more about themselves as well. And do your mystery loving friends stay away from SF and Fantasy? This one will suck them in. The story begins with a seeming impossible locked room mystery, and twists and turns into knots and mazes, yet all the clues are there. This is an absolute feast on every level. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for providing an ARC for review.

This is another wonderfully complex biological sci-fi mystery from Robert Jackson Bennett. The world-building in this book is excellent. The setting and political structures introduced in the first book are expanded upon. I think the author’s note provides a really interesting commentary on political structures, and how fantasy books provide a reflection of public opinion on current events. It felt like reading the secret thesis statement of the book, and was quite insightful.

As far as the plot goes, this book throws everything at the reader quickly and haphazardly. This was on purpose, and the reader has to be ok feeling very confused for a good portion of the book, but the payoff is there. I am so interested by the ending; it is such a choice to pick a conclusion that even the characters find unsatisfactory. In context with the author’s note, however, this choice makes sense — even geniuses are susceptible to small-minded goals or logical pitfalls.

I will say I found the first book more engaging with a greater sense of danger hanging over the book, but this was still excellent.

I do hope the next book focuses a bit more on the characters themselves. Ana and Din are fascinating, and I want to learn more about Ana’s backstory. Also, if Kepheus makes a return in book three, I will not be upset.

Another exceptional book from this author! I was very eager to return to the world of Shadow of the Leviathan and this volume did not disappoint me. Some mysteries were solved, while the underlying riddle of the leviathans and their mutagenic leavings were explored a bit more, leaving some things still to perhaps, maybe be understood in future installments. I found this to be yet another page-turner, very evocative of the unique setting, and highly enjoyable. It left me eager for another volume. Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy!

I love, love, loved the first book in this series, The Tainted Cup. It was wildly original, super well written, and just a blast of fun to read. I can honestly say the same thing about A Drop of Corruption. The world-building in this series is immense, but so well done that you really don't think about it too much. You take in what you need to know at just the right pace, and aren't left floating about in confusion. The Leviathans in question don't appear alive in this book, but their shadow and threat still covers the world and plot.

Ana and Din are fabulous main characters, and the reveal at the end about who (and what) Ana really is was SO well done. It paid off, and I am now anxiously awaiting the next entry in this series. I hope this one is longer than a trilogy, because the way that these books are written means that this could be a nice lengthy series if Bennett so chose. Feels almost like a fantasy Sherlock Holmes sort of deal.

I spent the whole book thinking I had the mystery figured out, but I was entirely wrong. Of course. I'm not that intelligent. BUT STILL. So enjoyable, and I can't recommend this one enough. Easily five stars!

Just finished the ARC copy of this and thought I’d share my review.

Firstly, I’m a tainted cup mega stan. I love the book and recommend it everywhere constantly, it’s a straight 5* for me so I was super excited for book 2. Book 2 definitely delivered but it’s not TTC level and I didn’t expect it to be.

In DoC we follow our two main characters from the first book but also a new character, Malo, an augmented warden who’s got enhanced senses of smell, vision and a very muscular right arm (clean your mind). A man has being murdered, only discovered because the flesh eating turtles already had their fill on other corpses, floating out the empire satellite state of yarrow. Upon investigating this murder, our detective trio discover a body overcome with mutation, growing a tree from the stomach, fish bones from the back and facial overgrowths. It appears they’ve rapidly undergone massive mutation but nothing we know of in the empire can do this. Could this be connected to the shroud, the source of all the empires reagents or is this a wild outpouring of contagion?


In my review of TTC I mentioned how the book feels somehow low stakes even though the world might end. In this book, that feeling is gone completely. It feels very high stakes throughout the entire book, a sense that the entire world could collapse through politics, contagion or just the empire losing its reagents and thus its power. I really enjoyed Malo’s character in this. I feel like in a lot of fantasy books the core struggle the characters face ultimately sources to them being incompetent but here all the characters are exceptionally competent, it’s a battle of wit, strategy and intelligence.

I truly do not know what to say about the ending/epilogue and I’m not talking about the resolution of the case. Iykyk what I’m talking about but I feel like this series could spin into a hundred different alternate universes based on the ending alone so I truly have no idea where the story is going from here. The ending to the actual case I really enjoy and it all made sense with what is drip fed to the reader along the way.


Ultimately, I gave a 4*, will buy the physical and will preorder the next in series.

This ARC was provided to me through NetGalley and the publisher, Del Rey. Thank you for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I received this ARC I cried. I loved the world and characters of the Tainted cup and couldn't wait to jump right back into it. Following Ana and Din, we are now in the country of Yarrow. This country has not become a part of the Empire but is used for the processing and distribution of Leviathan's blood.

In this politically strained country there has been a person found but not in a state they expect. As they go on this journey they make new friends, try new food (*gag* ifykyk) and solve a murder?

Overall this book was solid. I enjoyed the twist and appreciated that I did not see that conclusion coming. I loved the exploration of the medical/science aspects of this world. Our characters continue to deliver on their hilarious banter.

The resolution of this mystery was a bit bland and I understand why the author decided to go that way however my only wish would have been to make it a bit more interesting and a little less simple.

I will be continuing with this series and I hope it never ends. I have preordered this and can't wait to have the physical copy.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. I have read[book:The Tainted Cup|150247395] the first book in this series and I recommend reading them in order. I think #2 still makes sense by itself, but it's nice to have the background of the first book. I don't read a lot of fantasy, but this one is really interesting with the science and powers that each different type of being has. I find it interesting how they can all work together with their different super powers instead of being jealous or weird about it. A thoroughly enjoyable book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the digital galley in exchange for my honest review!

To say I was extremely ecstatic to have been approved for this e-arc is an understatement. The Tainted Cup is one of my favorite books and to be allowed back into the world early again was a DREAM. I found myself immediately enthralled by the extremely well-crafted and smartly written world. Not only were we given another highly detailed mystery that so neatly is resolved in the end, but were given a deeper glimpse into the backstories of both Din & Ana. The revelations surrounding Ana, that were revealed near the end of the story, were so intriguing. I cannot wait to see where the story goes with that. All the characters felt extremely well fleshed out and were highly enjoyable to read - especially the "villains". Malo is a new favorite and I just adored how she interacted with Din & Ana. The story had me both cringing with disgust and laughing out loud in the same turn.

I can say after this one I am firmly entrenched in the Shadow of Leviathan world and I cannot wait for what's to come.

Bennett’s previous novel, The Tainted Cup, was one of my top fantasy reads of 2024. The book brought to mind the classic detective stories of Rex Stout, featuring the brilliant detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin. The dynamic between Ana Dolabra and Dinios Kol proved just as engaging. Plus, because this is a fantasy series, the crimes and mysteries they face are far more intricate than those found in realistic detective fiction.
A Drop of Corruption is just as thrilling as the first novel. The action shifts to a new region of the world, where Ana and Din investigate a crime that, as it turns out, is tied to big politics. Bennett keeps readers on the edge of their seats throughout and expertly delivers a satisfying conclusion to the investigation.
I also want to mention that Bennett has created a unique fantasy world, which he explores in even greater depth in the second book.

great addition to the world our author has created. good characters and a great story. this is better by far than many I've read lately. I look forward to more stories of this world

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.