I am so excited that I received an early copy of this. I liked The Tainted Cup but this was even better. I am not usually a big fan of mystery but this is like Sherlock Holmes fantasy and it’s so interesting. The world building is so good. The mystery aspect felt a little predictable, but the ending redeemed it and I am very excited for book 3.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy.

*4.5 stars. Book two in this fantasy/mystery series finds Immunis Ana Dolabra and Signum Dinios Kol of the Imperial Iudex Special Division (the imperial institution for administering justice) sent to the port town of Yarrowdale in the north of the Empire, where a member of a delegation from the Imperial Treasury has disappeared from his heavily-guarded and locked room and is presumed dead. Ana quickly figures out how the murder took place but that only leads to more questions and secrets.

The fantasy world Bennett has created here is like something from the Dark Ages with the addition of certain augmentations that give the recipient special skills. Din's is to remember everything he sees and hears so he can report back to his boss. The pair of detectives is reminiscent of Holmes and Watson. Ana is the brains who thinks through everything they've learned while playing her lyre and occasionally taking psychoactive drugs while Din is the legs, running here and there, doing the interviewing, and putting himself in danger.

The killer is terribly clever and seems to be always one step ahead of the investigators. There is plenty of danger, intrigue and adventure to keep readers of all tastes entertained and guessing. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the characters and look forward t0 more in this series.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc if this new novel via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

To start - I highly recommend reading the Author's note! I know it's typical to kind of glance at and move on when it comes to the author's note but this author has a great note.

This is part of a series and yet it can be read as a stand alone story without loss. The world is rich and immersive and well developed - I loved this. I also like the urban fantasy feel in the midst of a high fantasy book. The mystery is well written and leaves the reader guessing and anxious for resolve - so the tension in the book is almost perfect.

In short this is just fun! What a great and enjoyable read!!

3.75

Din and Ana return in the second Shadow of the Leviathan story investigating another special case for the Empire. While the character work and setting were still fantastic in this installment, I don't think the mystery was as intriguing as in the first novel. It's a shame, because this one felt more focused on the plot than the character relationships and overall world-building. Don't get me wrong - it's still entertaining and engaging, just not as satisfying as the first book.

Din and Ana are sent to the farthest flung reaches past the borders of the Empire to an area where Khanum has a presence but the old local government is still in control. There's quite a lot of political maneuvering, cultural clashes, and commentary on empire and modernization throughout the story as colored by Din's perspective. However, Din gets a local companion/guide/colleague in Warden Malo who's blunt personality pairs well with Din's pragmatism and exasperation and even Ana's eccentricities.

There's a bit of a deeper dive in this story into Ana's mystery and the nature of the Empire's augmentations, which were my favorite parts of the story. Once again, RJB shines with his characterization of the setting making you feel the damp, isolation, age, and also beauty in the grotesque. This felt more like Indiana Jones at times than Sherlock Holmes.

Overall, still a very enjoyable read and I can't wait for the next one.

First off, a huge thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the advanced copy of Drop of Corruption. I don’t know what dark magic they used to approve my request, but I’m grateful. (No crimes were committed in the process… that I know of.) All thoughts are my own.

Now, onto the book. If The Tainted Cup left me slightly bewildered, Drop of Corruption had me fully onboard. The first book completely shattered my expectations - this is fantasy, but not as we typically know it. Instead of sprawling worldbuilding and deep dives into the mechanics of titans, we got a whodunnit wrapped in a fantasy setting, where the protagonists use alchemy and bizarre creatures to crack the case. It took me a while to adjust to that, but coming into book two with that understanding... An absolute blast.

This time around, I could fully engage with the story, the characters, and - most importantly - the crime itself. I wasn’t waiting for some grand, world-altering climax; I was here for the twists, the deductions, and the slow unraveling of a mystery that only this world could offer. There are small glimpses of the world’s past and hints of where it’s heading, but everything is presented in service of the investigation and the deepening relationship between our protagonists. It’s a delicate balance - giving just enough fantasy flair to scratch that itch while keeping the focus on the crime-solving at hand.

And honestly, I can’t wait for the next installment. What crime will we unravel next? How will our leads grow through the process? And, okay, maybe just a tiny bit more worldbuilding, please? Either way, I’m ready. Bring on the mystery.

I absolutely loved The Tainted Cup and was excited when A Drop of Corruption was announced. In this sequel, we dive deeper into the lore of the Empire, how the leviathans are used and what measures people are willing to take to get what they want.

Once again, Ana and Din have an impossible task. Find the murderer when there’s no body, no way in or out of a 6th floor room and no witnesses. This journey takes us to Yarrow, not quite part of the Empire yet, but a major hub for leviathan research. I loved the addition of Malo, and am very excited to see what happens to her character in the future.

One of the things I love most about Robert Jackson Bennett’s writing is the detail he gives, he truly builds a world around you and is incredible at making you feel like you’re in the story. I can not wait for the next installment to see where Din and Ana go next!

Thank you to Robert Jackson Bennett, the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Bisexual KING Dinios Kol is back and better slash worse than ever! He’s going ✨through it✨ in book 2 of the series - he’s solving mysterious crimes, he’s getting yelled at nonstop by Ana, he’s questioning his career prospects, he’s deeply in debt, he’s in denial about his broken heart (ily Kepheus 😘) and coping by having meaningless sex with just about anyone.

Ana continues to be brilliant and eccentric and mysterious and direct (/mean?) in a way that I can only dream about. I don’t know if I’m afraid of her or if I want to be her when I grow up.

Like book 1, we’re constantly reminded that everything in this world wants to kill you at all times.

Kepheus is sprinkled in juuuust enough that you really notice his absence. If this series doesn’t end in a HEA for sweet Din, I’m going scream.

A Drop of Corruption is the second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, and the sequel to The Tainted Cup. Though this is a sequel, I feel like you can read this book as a standalone story if you so choose. You would definitely miss some Easter eggs and explanations of the system of magic, but you would still understand the story.

My favorite thing about this novel is that it is a murder mystery set in a fantasy world. It has a lot of the classic tropes of a murder mystery including running down clues, intense interrogations, and plot twists galore! These tropes are brilliantly mixed with a unique system of magic to set up a truly distinctive novel.

If you read The Tainted Cup, I would definitely recommend continuing on with the series. If you are a fan of mystery novels and fantasy novels, I think you will truly enjoy these books!

Ana (Dolabra) and Din(ios Kol) return, assigned to investigate another case at the edges of the Empire of Khanum. This Empire rules over a land that is yearly beset by leviathans that cause death and mayhem when they make landfall. But the curse of the leviathans is mixed, as there bodies fuel the imperial sciences and body modifications that grant the modified powers beyond mortal humans. A Drop of Corruption begins with Din dispatched to address the mysterious disappearance of a treasury official from a fully locked room. Remains have been found, by how did they journey so far with no one the wiser?

Yarrow is truly at the edge of the empire, it is under the sway but separate enough that Yarrow's King has power of his own, though more limiter than his ancestors. Those living in Yarrow have some leeway caught between the two powers, but their lives are still a challenge, particularly the green slave caste. Yarrow is also the location where the Khanum Empire harvests and experiments with different parts of the killed leviathans.

A fantastical investigative procedural that makes great use of the biological technology of this empire. What first seems a locked room mystery expands into grand conspiracies, royal power and lineage and political machinations.

A book of growth for our two featured main characters and a chance for Bennett to expand on both this imaginative world and Ana and Din's backstories.

Recommended to readers of high concept fantasy, augmented humanity or detective fiction.

A complex and entertaining dip into fantastical mystery. Ana and Din are well matched, there's fine worldbuilding, and it's easy to follow (not always the case in this genre.). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Enjoyed it.

This book was everything I had hoped it would be a more! I absolutely loved The Tainted Cup when I got to read the ARC of it back in 2023 but no way did I think it was possible to love these characters even more and yet I did. The plot in this sequel yet again follows eccentric and brilliant detective Ana Dolabra and Dinios Kol as her Watsonesq assistant as they investigate a high stakes locked room murder. As with book one A Drop of Corruption takes fantasy and mystery to create a uniquely intriguing and addictive book combination. The plots perfectly blended layering of secrets, clues, and politics made reading this an exciting and detailed experience that left me feeling as if I was solving the intricately woven case alongside our quirky detectives. The world’s magical aspects truly shine in this sequel as we get introduced to newer aspects and characters but still manage to have all the Ana and Din problem solving that I’ve come to adore with these books. Honestly I just can’t get enough of Ana’s chaotic brilliance and Din’s softer and humorous side, as they compliment one another in the most endearing and entertaining way. Basically just give me Ana and Din over Sherlock and Watson any day! If you’re looking for a Sherlock Holmes style read but with a fantastic blend of fantasy, mystery, politics, and a tad bit of science fiction elements while also having an older female as the lead then you definitely need to and give this amazing book and series a read.

A Drop of Corruption comes out April 1st, 2025. Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, Robert Jackson Bennett and Random House Publishing | Del Rey for making this book available as a free ARC via NetGalley.

After reading the Foundryside trilogy and The Tainted Cup, I was very much looking forward to reading more of this author's work. I'm pleased to say that I loved A Drop of Corruption. The characters are distinct and three-dimensional. The world building is detailed and inventive and actually contributes to the story in a meaningful manner. And the mystery and how it was paced and solved was chef's kiss. I really hope we get more in this series and get to see more of these characters and learn more about the mysteries of their world.

I read a lot, yet I haven't read a 5-star book in over a year. I highly recommend this to readers who like fantasy, murder mysteries and a dash of humor.

They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but when the cover looks like this… it is just as nice as the first one. It’s just so pretty.

I’ve read a few of Robert Jackson Bennett’s books so far, and none of them have disappointed. His books have now made it to the instant buy without even bothering with the blurb.

When describing it as a Holmes and Watson style romp, that’s exactly what it is. The duo are so different, yet they work together so well. I really enjoyed how Din is growing into his role, even as he feels torn that he is not doing enough for the empire. It’s just… I try and describe these books to people at work and I can’t. It’s just fun and weird and really, really enjoyable. I am very much looking forward to more books with Ana and Din.

I enjoyed the second installment in this series even more than the first! It was so fun to be in the fantasy world with Din and Ana again. I love this series because it combines two of my favorite genres: fantasy and mystery. We are taken on another wild ride and I felt like I was able to enjoy it more because I understood the world building from the first book. I love the style of writing and enjoyed getting to “know” the characters more.

Rating: 5/5

Thank you to Del Ray Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced reading copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m finally free!

Although I love Kol and Ana, I had a very difficult time getting through this novel. Perhaps it is because of hard of a past two months this has been for me, but I’m not sure.

I did love that Ana has been revealed to be of a higher existence! I’m not sure if that’s the right way to explain it, but I really love her character so that was cool to know a little more about her.

Overall, enjoyable read. I liked the suspense of the first one more, but this was still wonderful!!

Ana and Din return in this brilliant page-turner that is also a timely and highly-needed corrective to fantasy's lazy & continual aggrandizement of monarchy. I I gave an involuntary squeak when I got the email that I'd been approved for the galley and IT WAS JUSTIFIED, A DROP OF CORRUPTION IS THAT GOOD. The characters in this sequel deepen, the world expands, the intrigue continues to deepen. Everything I had hoped for and more.

received this arc from netgalley, thanks!

something that i wasn't expecting was how this takes place at least a year after the events of <i>the tainted cup</i>. this means that din has had time to grow as a person, and so has his relationship with ana. i really enjoyed din's increasing complexity as a character, and the shifts in his motivations.

anyways, about the mystery of it all: i was certainly gripped! i found it extremely satisfying, and found myself working hard to notice things and try to figure it out. usually, with a mystery, i'm pretty content to just let it be solved for me but i think there is something about a fantasy setting that wakes my brain up. if i am already trying to figure out the worldbuilding, why not add a mystery as well?

all in all, an excellent sequel and i hope there will be much more to come. ana is fascinating and terrifying, and din is actually hilarious even if other people don't notice most of the time. 10 out of 10, would read again.

Scary laboratories full of mad scientists! Annihilation-style nature body horror! Disaster bisexuals!! Robert Jackson Bennett's Shadow of the Leviathan series is back in a big way, and I couldn't be happier. The Tainted Cup quickly became one of my top books of 2024, wowing me with a familiar detective trope repackaged in a marvelously original conceit - a Holmes and Watson style detective duo solving mysteries in a world where houses are made of vines and people ingest poison to augment themselves with strange abilities. A Drop of Corruption sends the long-suffering Dinios Kol and his eccentric, elderly partner Ana to the far reaches of the empire to investigate a murder in a soon-to-be imperial territory containing a secretive monarchy and a terrifying island laboratory known to drive its scientists mad.

As with its predecessor, character is somewhat secondary to plot but I can't bring myself to mind. Despite the fantasy setting, the story is ultimately a whip-smart thriller that left me guessing up until the last page. Although we don't get extensive details on Din or Ana's lives, Bennett's witty dialogue and distinctive character voices create a strong, memorable cast that prove less CAN be more when it comes to creating characters in such a high-concept world. There is also an unexpectedly resonant message about how apparently distinct political systems fall prey to the same human weaknesses of greed, corruption, and power. There are few authors who can balance the competing demands of fantasy with such skill, and I harbor a secret hope that Bennett will outpace Conan Doyle in number of Dolabra & Kol mysteries.

This is book 2 in the Shadow of Leviathan series. Ana Dolabra and her assistant Dinios Kol have been called to the scene of a missing person. This case is made all the more mysterious as the person disappeared from a locked & guarded room. As in any sci-fi/ fantasy mystery, this is full of magic and magical creatures. This is a great series & this one is awesome!

Impossibly, this is even more delightful than the first book!

Bennett has created a unique world, rich with its own lore and technology built around harvesting the organic matter of the mysterious leviathans that come to shore each wet season and must be killed before they wreak destruction. Without ever info-dumping, we discover ever more information about the workings of this civilization, but much remains a tantalizing mystery.

Intriguing as the world is, I absolutely adore these characters. Ana Dolabra is the cryptic, brilliant investigator, with Din her reluctant helper. Their relationship reached new depths, but there is still room for grow. The tone also walks a fascinating line in its treatment of the Empire, refusing to limit the depiction to a finite concept or good or evil.

Filled with witty dialogue and deft prose, I could read a hundred books about the adventures of Ana and Din. Recommended for all, but fans of books working the line between sci-fi and fantasy will love this!