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

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this, but I felt it was a little repetitive. Book 1 was such a breath of fresh air, but this one didn’t quite have the same blow. It felt like the same formula with a different culprit, Din running around asking questions, and Ana with all her bizarreness doing the thinking.

I loved Ana, she’s still my favorite character. The plot was solid, but what felt missing this time was the emotions. There was so little about both of them. I wanted to know more about them, their background stories, their thoughts—something to make me connect more. I’m not asking for romance, just a little something extra to bring them to life. Maybe even bringing back that legionnaire guy from book 1 would’ve added something.

This one felt like a full-blown, fast-paced investigation with no nonsense, which isn’t bad, but I missed the emotional beats. And okay, this is on me, but I was really hoping for some real live Titans this time around.

Still, it wasn’t a bad read. I liked it, but just not as much as the first one.

Note: Big thanks to the author and publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The second book of a series of which I very much enjoyed the first, despite the grimness of the setting. I eagerly picked this one up when I saw it on Netgalley, and it didn't disappoint.

The detective duo are kind of Holmes and Watson turned up to 11. Ana is brilliant, erratic and eccentric, and a drug user; she also swears constantly. The rather stolid Kol sees, but he does not observe - or rather, he records his sensory impressions with great accuracy (thanks to his particular neurobiological alteration, something that's quite common in the setting), but only occasionally comes to a conclusion about this evidence. That's mostly left to Ana. Watson, unlike Holmes, had romantic relationships; Kol is popular with both women and men, and uses casual sex to try to deal with his loneliness. He's also not just Watson to Ana's Holmes, but Archie Goodwin to her Nero Wolfe, since she finds sensory stimulation so overwhelming that she mostly stays indoors if she can manage it and sends Kol out to do the legwork.

Normally, a foul-mouthed drug user and someone who uses casual sex as maladaptive coping, working on graphic murders in a bureaucratic and sometimes corrupt empire threatened by horrifying kaiju, wouldn't be my cup of tea at all, let alone a five-star book. But Robert Jackson Bennett does it so well that I can set aside the dark, dingy, dank and dirty setting and characters and enjoy the clever detective story and the over-the-top high-concept worldbuilding - and the dedication of the central characters to justice. It has the same general feel as his Founders Trilogy, which I loved: a dark, strange world in which morally complex people stubbornly pursue what's right.

I mean, this series takes the idea of monstrous kaiju who produce biochemicals which cause drastic modifications in living beings, and makes that the technological basis of the empire that fights the kaiju by, among many other things, deliberately turning some of their people neurodivergent, and then works out rigorously what that would look like. And it looks <i>very strange</i>. It's the kind of thick worldbuilding that I love in, say, Brandon Sanderson, where the world is very different and that means the author can tell a story that could only happen in that world; the setting is inextricably enmeshed with the characters and the plot, rather than serving as scenery flats (that we've seen a dozen times before) behind The Usual Drama. And yet, all of the characters have believable motivations, and ultimately it's a story about humanity, and what's always the same about it even when so much else changes. It's also about the sometimes blurry line between being exploited by a system and sacrificially serving something greater than yourself for the good of all. The villains are on one side of that line, as both victims and perpetrators; the heroes work hard to stay on the other side, and to enable as many people as possible to join them there.

The author thinks this is a fantasy novel, and the level of mechanical technology supports that, but to me it feels science-fictional as well; the technology is just biochemical, and well beyond anything we are capable of, to the point that it's sufficiently advanced to read as magic.

The books I get from Netgalley are not necessarily in their final form, and may get more editing after I see them. This one doesn't need a lot; the occasional missing or added word or missing quotation mark, the excess coordinate commas that nearly everyone puts in, occasionally a singular/plural issue where the phrase is confusing and it might be either one. It's smooth enough that I was able to stay in the story most of the time without being distracted by poor execution.

Even though it doesn't look, at first glance, anything like my normal preferred read (which is cosy fantasy), I'm putting this in the Platinum tier of my 2024 Best of the Year list, because it is ultimately noblebright, the worldbuilding is brilliant and original, and the story it tells has depth and weight and a lot of thought behind it.

An absolutely incredible sequel. I love how everything comes together in a way that makes sense, that some bits you can put together on your own but even the grand reveals feel realistic. I cannot wait to continue with Din and Ana.

5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey Books for the free copy of this book and the opportunity to read it before release.

When I read The Tainted Cup last year, I knew it was going to be one of my favorite reads of the year. While the intriguing murder mystery with a Sherlock-Watson duo is not an atypical plot device, Robert Jackson Bennet has taken this common trope and stirred it into a very thorough thought-out fantasy world full of political intrigue, it results in a series that feels unique and entirely its own.

When I got the chance to read A Drop of Corruption, it also meant one thing for me; I wanted more of what the first book gave me, but with a more in-depth exploration of both the world and the characters, all of which intrigued me. And oh man, did this book just deliver? It does not feel like praise to say that a sequel gives you more of what book one gave you, but when an author takes a premise that works form book one and keeps to it, while giving the reader space for exploration and evolution of everything book one gave you, you just know it is a gift. I cannot help but be awestruck by this series.

Din and Ana have gone to another region to solve another weird murder that’s happened. While the first book took place in Talagray - part of the outer rim and the most important place in the empire, when it comes to defense against the leviathans, this time Din and Ana are visiting Yarrow; a region that is not yet part of the empire, but still plays a key role in the political climate. This also gives the book ample place to explore both the mystery of the murder and the wondrous world without any of it feeling forced or down-prioritized. Instead it is perfectly balanced and keeps the reader on the edge throughout the whole story.

What really intrigues me with this series is the hostile environment that both makes the leviathans the greatest threat and the biggest safeguard for society. Both (current) books are about single specific mysteries, but at the same time they really do highlight the importance of the leviathans to society, as the exploration of this fundamental part of society keeps popping up with a role in the mysteries.

I cannot wait to see where this series go.

If you still have not read The Tainted Cup, this is a recommendation to start the whole series - if you have read The Tainted Cup and also liked it, this is a recommendation to read the second book too.

This was a gem! I really enjoyed this stories. The indepth story was so engaging and the characters were fantastic!

This book follows Din and Ana as they solve another mystery, and I’ll say I enjoyed it even more than the first!

I was instantly intrigued by this new murder mystery that gets more and more complex and bizarre. And these characters! The relationship between Din and Ana is one of my favorite aspects of the book. Din is such a rich character, and I enjoy how he is always baffled by Ana. This book made me laugh out loud numerous times!

The fantasy elements really enrich this mystery, and I love how we get to learn more about the Empire in this book. If you like unique and complex fantasy settings, murder mysteries or great crime fighting duos, this book is for you!

What an incredible sequel (no middle-book syndrome in sight here). This world is so rich in lore and carefully crafted that it was a delight to see a new region unfold through Din’s eyes. The pacing was on point, and the book never lost steam from beginning to end.

I was also really happy to learn more about Ana and see Din's evolution as a character. Some fans may lament that some fan favourites from book one are absent here, but it made sense with the setting, and I feel that their absence in this book will pay off hugely if they show up in the next installment. The new characters we met here were also great (shoutout to Malo), and the banter between them and our main duo was witty.

I ended my review of book one by saying that I wished I could hibernate to spare me the pain of waiting for the sequel, and this sentiment still applies here, I shall wait for book 3 with a ravenous hunger.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Del Ray for the ARC. Last year, 'The Tainted Cup' was my favorite fantasy book by far, so I was beyond thrilled to read the sequel early. I fell in love with 'The Tainted Cup' because of its mix of fantasy, mystery, thrilled; this book mixes those elements even better in my opinion. The plot of 'A Drop of Corruption' goes so far beyond the initial mystery "whodunit"- delving deeper in the politics and world-building that the first book expertly set up. This sequel was completely addicting to read, and I can't believe this story will somehow be wrapped up in the next issue.

This is the sequel to “The Tainted Cup” in the “Shadow of the Leviathan” series.
We follow Det. Ana Dolabra & her assistant Dinios Kol as they try to solve a crime in the remote canton of Yarrowdale.
As they become closer to the case it seems to them that maybe the killer has supernatural abilities which will make their case harder to solve
This is a fantasy mystery with twist and turns that keep you guessing
If you enjoy mysteries with a fantastical twist, that you can get lost in a world packed with magic and suspense you’ll enjoy “A Drop of Corruption” .Thank You @netgalley

This book basically clinches Robert Jackson Bennett as my favorite author. His books contain the most creative and well-thought-out worlds in fantasy today, and the plots keep me guessing throughout. I loved getting to go back to the world of Ana and Din, and I was actually glad to see that the series will be more episodic. The mystery itself was intriguing, multi-faceted, and handled beautifully. What I'm saying is, I would read this man's grocery list. Please give us more.

Wow, what an incredible follow-up, which can be really hard to do with fantasy sequels. I enjoyed the storyline just as much as the first one and I thought the pacing once again was excellent. I can’t wait to read more in the series!

I requested an ARC for A Drop of Corruption IMMEDIATELY upon reading its predecessor The Tainted Cup. This series is such a fun blend of genres filled with complex and interesting characters. I’m already excited for the next one.

(But maybe don’t read it while eating)