I really liked the first book in the series and was very happy to be approved for an earc of the second. Ana and Din are still great, the word building really amazing and also the side characters didn’t disappoint. But I couldn’t give it the 4* I gave the first book. The great reveal at the end just didn’t make sense this time (I would have to spoiler the whole book to explain this unfortunately) which was very disappointing. Also the excessive use of phrases ending in “…,yes?” and “…,true?” drove me crazy and especially Ana didn’t speak that way in the first book, the change in character was irritating for me. And lastly the bigger story arc which was teased at the end of book one just wasn’t in here at all. This in total led to the 3* rating, but I will totally continue to read the series.

A Drop of Corruption was a great and very intriguing second installment to this series. I think the world and magic Robert Jackson Bennett has set up is just so unique and interesting, and once again, I am looking forward to the next one. I love Din and Ara.

Second in a series of interconnected, but self-contained fantasy mysteries, a young public servant is to serve as an assistant to an older, very eccentric investigator in an empire with Lovecraftian monsters that threaten to invade from the sea every wet season but are also the source of fantastic biotech solutions for everything.

This is a book I wanted immediately right after finishing the first book The Tainted Cup—not because that first book ended in cliffhangers (I hate cliffhangers, and this author does not do those) but because I had liked the universe and characters so very much.

When I saw people reading NetGalley proofs, I wanted in also; I wanted to read this as soon as possible, and I was lucky enough to get a request accepted. Many thanks to all involved - Netgalley, publisher, author. No strings attached to the review, though there is my own bias that I had really liked the first book, and I really wanted to read this. And it did not disappoint!

Like with other works of Robert Jackson Bennett, the writing and characterization are very good—the pace, the descriptions, how characters define themselves by what they do and how they react. I like very much the two main characters, but in a way the central character is the universe, this world, this totally different way of doing technology, the many layers of history and speculative tech underlying every action, but without info dumps or feeling oppressive.

The plot here was not the plot I thought I wanted when I finished The Tainted Cup—I wanted and still want Din and Ana to head to the inner ring and deal with the political center of this universe. That is not what happens here, Din and Ana instead head to a border satellite medievalesque (Rohirrim-esque?) semi-independent state that is formally outside its control but is of crucial importance to the Empire. Never mind what I thought I wanted; this was fantastic and so much to my taste: the politics of the kingdom and clash with the empire, the decisions and ethics of politics, as well as the absolutely fascinating setup that makes that kingdom so important but without losing the focus on the real people and their lives and aspirations and needs. Din needs to reconcile himself with what he really wants, and there is a very good payoff in the evolving relationship between him and his boss. And yes, we find out a bit more about Ana, though that just makes the reader want even more.

So, a very good second book to a series, it picks up on what is established, develops further the characters and world-building, and gets the reader ready for more (and there is such potential...) while still providing closure and self-containment.

(This NetGalley request kind of backfired; I managed to read an eagerly awaited book a few months ago, yes, but now I finished it, and there is no new volume for me in 2025, and I am now eagerly waiting for book 3, which has no release date in sight, and wanting to talk about all kinds of details now and now and now but without spoiling anyone…)

Ana and Kol have been called away to Yarrow, a kingdom not yet annexed completely by the Empire but one of grave importance to the Empire, for this is where the dead leviathans are sent to be cultivated for reagents. When they arrive, they discover a Treasury officer has been found in the swaps surrounding Yarrow in pieces, not only that the man had gone missing from the top floor of a tower in a room that was locked and guarded. Kol and even Ana know that the criminal behind this murder maybe their most diabolical adversary yet and as they start investigating they realize that not just the Yarrow Royal Court but even the Empire operating in Yarrow have deadly secrets that pale in comparison to one murdered man, these secrets could bring Empire to its knees.

Alright, so I loved Malo, and I hope she continues to feature in the series! Ana is still just this side of bat shit crazy, which I love, and Kol continues to struggle with understanding how important his work truly is to the Empire. Which is totally understandable because, seriously, the crazy situations he ends up in because Ana sent him off on some mission would make anyone question just how they are helping anyone. It's great how he obviously has unwavering faith in Ana, and yet he doesn't even seem to realize this until the end. He's got a lot of growth that happens in this one, and I really loved that.

I have to say my absolute favorite part of this series continues to be just how well RJB describes this absolutely unfathomable world. From explaining how all of these weird plant matters look, to being able to not just picture but fully appreciate just how large the Shroud is, to some truly stomach turning descriptions of corpses the detail he goes into and how you genuinely just feel surrounded by this strange world is wonderful.

The mystery itself, this time was, of course, fantastic. It's weird that the bad guy ends up being who I thought he was, but not in the way I thought he was. It's a ridiculously ingenious plot twist that is so much better because it's truly simple. Plus, literally everyone in this who has resided in Yarrow for any amount of time is just crooked. Empire or The Kingdom, it doesn't matter they are all just self-centered jerks willing to put hundreds of lives on the line to feed their own ego. And I absolutely have to agree with Ana on this one. Once we find out what the murderers motivation is, it's so disappointing in how simply uninspired and completely common it is. The man's supposed to be a genius, and yet his reasons for doing what he does are just so *boring*. I loved it!

Overall, of course, I recommend this one! It's definitely one of the best new series from this year, and it looks like RBJ is going to keep that going next year!

As always, thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eArc!

It was a wild, fascinating, and enjoyable mystery. I ate this up very quickly! I'm not sure how such a complex, immersive world can be created while still being easily readable and accessible. Anyone who enjoys original fantasy stories sprinkled with a mix of mystery should definitely check these out!

Gosh you know how some books suffer from the book two slump well this one sure didn’t do that. I loved tainted cup and really was worried if the second book would do it justice and boy did it! I will say maybe read book one right before book two because it will help a ton in the world building and remembering the different characters. This book takes place a few months after the first one and you still get the really cool Sherlock homes feel to it all! Now gotta admit I did miss seeing some characters from the first book but the new additions to the book helped me with that disappointment heheheheh. Gotta say I need book three!!!! Thanks so much for net galley for letting me read this!!!! This one will not disappoint!

The second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, "A Drop of Corruption" continues the intricate fantasy murder mystery that I had loved so much in "The Tainted Cup". Din and Ana are wonderful characters, their world rich and unique. While the worldbuilding here is so foreign that it requires extensive explanation, a lot of the themes are very familiar - colonialism, empire, and family debt. If you enjoy your fantasies dense yet humanizing, you can't go wrong with Robert Jackson Bennett.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett was a fantastically good read. I can't get enough of Bennett's writing and I look forward to anything he writes. This second book in the series was just as good as the first and I will have to patiently wait for another book. I like how things come together slowly and it gives it time to marinate. It's so good. The characters are so lovely and I can't help but fall in love with them all. I think that's what's great about Robert Jackson Bennett, his characters always feel real. Overall, a fantastically good read!

I have the same likes and dislikes about this book as I did the first one in the series since they were very very similar. Just like the first one, I enjoyed the mystery plot within the unique fantasy world setting. However, I felt like I was missing any connection to the main character. For a fantasy world that is so fleshed out, it's strange that Din is not a fleshed out character at all. We know basically nothing about him - there is no mention of his emotions or desires or interpersonal relationships (bring back the captain from book one!). I just feel like I need more of that in a book so that I can feel invested in the character themselves.

I love Robert Jackson Bennett's books. The Troupe was one of my favorite reads of all time, and The Tainted Cup introduced a world that fascinates me. A Drop of Corruption continues the story of Ana and Din, the Holmes and Watson of this world.

The mystery was fun, interesting, and wild. Ana continues to be so intriguing to me, and I can't wait to read more of her and Din's adventures.

I've given almost every Robert Jackson Bennett book five stars. This one continues that trend. Bring on more!

Apparently, the author said he might make this a series that continues on for dozens of books, and I have to say...that would be absolutely amazing.

A Drop of Corruption is the second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, which is one of the series that got me into fantasy mysteries. Not only does this book expand on the worldbuilding, but it delves deep into a mystery that is so much more complicated than just a simple disappearance.
Din and Ana are back, but this time, they've moved north, far away from the Leviathans but close to the Shroud, where the corpses of Leviathans are taken to use for resources. I loved the complexity of the mystery itself and surprised myself by sort of predicting it (I got the right person based on just vibes, but I had no idea how or why). Also, this book encompassed so many different locations and subplots: jungle adventures, political meetings, old cults, and even hints at character backstories. Sometimes the plot did slow down, but there was always an air of suspense that kept me intrigued.
The cast of characters is incredibly entertaining. As always, Ana's eccentricity and her sense of humor make her such an intriguing character. The book dips into her backstory a bit, but it only makes me more curious about what it must be like to see inside her mind. Din's narration, too, is so colorful and amusing. He's a bit angsty (which I love), but he's also grown a certain stubbornness that really enhances his dynamic with Ana. I didn't trust Malo at first, but she quickly grew to be a fun addition to the team.
Fans of The Tainted Cup will not be disappointed by A Drop of Corruption, the newest addition to the series that explores new settings, characters, and mysteries.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

4.5/5

I was so happy to be back in this world after loving the first book in this series. RJB has created memorable characters, a fascinating world, and tantalizing mysteries for book 3. The worldbuilding isn't a super intense lift and things come together gradually over the course of the book. RJB's author's note shines a light onto the timeliness of this book in terms of real-world political relevance. I will say that these characters are also just so much fun to be around, and the twists and turns of the mystery are wonderful as well.

Another great book for Dinias Kol and Ana Dolabra! I loved the previous book and this one also did not disappoint. I wish that I had gotten the chance to reread the previous story first, but I didn’t have time to. That would have made it an easier re-entry into their world, but I caught up quickly. I generally don’t like this genre but these books are different in a way that I enjoy.

Huge thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for this arc!

I devoured this so fast! I don't know how it's possible to build such an intricate, immersive world and make it digestible, but here we have it.

A Drop of Corruption takes us in a different part of the world, where the empire's reach is not as solid. The first book dealt more with the celebrated Engineers of the world, who build the walls to keep out Leviathans, while this book deals more with Apoths, who harvest dead Leviathan bodies for alterations—very much like the one our main character, Dinios, has. Din is once again using his enhanced memory to aid in this investigation, but the secrets and political machinations involved in this part of the empire makes his job harder.

"What are we, if not instruments in service to one another?"

Ana, our "Sherlock," is eccentric as ever as the circumstances of the murder they're investigating leaves them stumped one too many times. Ana's strangeness and Din's resigned handling still makes for an amusing dynamic. What I loved about this book, though, is that we get to see a little more vulnerability between them. We learn more about Din's reason for taking on such work, and we see his struggle with wanting to make tangible contribution versus continuing the unsatisfying task of bringing justice. We even learn a bit more about Ana, and although her past is still shrouded in secrets, we are one step closer to figuring her out.

If I were to complain about anything, it would be that some things from Book 1 weren't as prevalent in this book. The most obvious being the absence of Kepheus. At least he was not forgotten, as Din often pined over him. But I also missed Captain Miljin, who was not mentioned at all. There's also little mention of Din's dyslexia or his new found abilities. Although, none of this detracted from my overall enjoyment.

As is the case for any of this author's works, the side characters as so well fleshed out. Their motivations, their fears... all of it entangled into a very human tapestry. That's what makes these books such satisfying mysteries. One character, in specific, becomes an unexpected friend to Din and is sure to be featured again.

I could picture this series continuing in endless episodic installments, and I never want to leave this world or these characters!

Bennett does it again! Those who enjoyed the first installment of this series will also A Drop of Corruption. What Bennett delivers is an action packed sequel that expands the world and takes us on another crime solving spree. I won't say too much about the plot because those who have read The Tainted Cup know exactly what they are getting into reading this novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see more of Din and Ana's partnership, as well as meet a whole new cast of characters. Ana continue's to make me belly laugh at her craziness and wit, and Din became much more fleshed out to me in this book. I appreciated seeing him struggle with what he's seen and the duty that has been placed upon him to take care of his family. This book as a whole felt more trippy to me, but I enjoyed every second of it. This series continues to get better and better and I can't wait to read the next book!

As was my complaint with The Tainted Cup, I would get lost in the amount of characters and had to re-read a couple times to make sure I knew who was present. However, I still really enjoyed and had a great reading experience.

I highly recommend to anyone who likes unique fantasy and mystery/crime solving books!

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Ray for the eARC in exchange of an honest review!

Rezension zu A Drop of Corruption: An Ana and Din Mystery von Robert Jackson Bennett
Robert Jackson Bennett, bekannt für seine Fähigkeit, spannende Geschichten mit meisterhaft konstruierten Welten zu verweben, liefert mit A Drop of Corruption eine faszinierende Mischung aus Fantasy und Detektivroman. Als Nachfolger von The Tainted Cup vertieft dieser Band die Welt der Empire-Gesellschaft und ihrer Magie, während er zugleich einen nervenaufreibenden Kriminalfall präsentiert. Das Ergebnis ist ein Buch, das gleichermaßen Fans von Fantasy, Rätselgeschichten und cleverer Charakterarbeit begeistert.

Handlung und Setting
Die Geschichte beginnt mit einem klassischen Locked-Room-Mystery – einem scheinbar unmöglichen Verbrechen, das die besten Köpfe des Empires überfordert. Ana Dolabra, die brillante und unkonventionelle Detektivin, wird gerufen, um das Rätsel zu lösen. Begleitet wird sie von Dinios Kol (Din), ihrem loyalen, aber oft erstaunten Assistenten. Gemeinsam müssen sie nicht nur den Mord aufklären, sondern auch eine Bedrohung abwenden, die die gesamte Magie-basierte Infrastruktur des Empires zum Einsturz bringen könnte.

Das Setting ist ebenso beeindruckend wie die Handlung: Yarrowdale, ein abgelegener Kanton am Rand des Reiches, wird durch seine Mischung aus Wildheit und imperialer Kontrolle lebendig. Besonders faszinierend ist die Vorstellung des Shrouds – einer Anlage, in der die Magie aus den Überresten gefallener Titanen gewonnen wird. Diese Idee verbindet epische Fantasy mit einer fast industriellen Perspektive auf Magie, was Bennett’s Welt einzigartig macht. Die Spannung wird durch die Gefahr erhöht, dass die empfindliche Balance dieser magischen Ressource durch die Machenschaften eines tödlichen Gegners gestört wird.

Charaktere
Ana Dolabra ist das Herzstück der Geschichte. Sie ist intelligent, scharfzüngig und in ihrer Exzentrik unwiderstehlich. Ihr brillanter Verstand wird durch eine Persönlichkeit ergänzt, die gleichzeitig faszinierend und schwer zu durchschauen ist. Ana ist keine einfache Heldin; sie hat Ecken, Kanten und Geheimnisse, die sie umso menschlicher machen.

Dinios Kol, ihr Assistent, dient als das Publikum, das die Genialität und Komplexität von Ana bewundert, aber auch als Kontrapunkt zu ihrer oft unnahbaren Art. Seine Perspektive gibt der Geschichte emotionale Tiefe und Bodenhaftung. Die Dynamik zwischen Ana und Din – eine Mischung aus Respekt, Ungeduld und leiser Zuneigung – ist ein absolutes Highlight des Buches.

Der Antagonist, ein scheinbar allwissender Mörder, ist ebenso faszinierend wie erschreckend. Seine Fähigkeit, Ana immer einen Schritt voraus zu sein, sorgt für eine konstante Bedrohung und hebt den Konflikt auf eine persönliche Ebene. Das Katz-und-Maus-Spiel zwischen Ana und diesem rätselhaften Gegner ist spannend und unvorhersehbar.

Stil und Erzählweise
Bennett’s Stil ist prägnant und elegant, mit einem besonderen Talent für stimmungsvolle Beschreibungen und clevere Dialoge. Die Handlung ist vielschichtig, aber nie überwältigend; sie bietet eine perfekte Balance zwischen Rätsel und Action. Der Autor legt großen Wert auf Details – von den Regeln der Magie bis hin zu den Intrigen des Empires – und schafft so eine Welt, die sich lebendig und greifbar anfühlt.

Besonders hervorzuheben ist, wie Bennett Spannung und Humor ausbalanciert. Ana’s scharfzüngige Bemerkungen und Dins oft staunende oder entsetzte Reaktionen sorgen für Momente des Aufatmens inmitten der düsteren und gefährlichen Handlung.

Fazit
A Drop of Corruption ist ein brillantes Fantasy-Mystery, das sowohl durch seine komplexe Handlung als auch durch seine einzigartigen Charaktere überzeugt. Robert Jackson Bennett erschafft eine Welt, die faszinierend und voller Geheimnisse ist, und füllt sie mit Figuren, die man nicht so schnell vergisst.

Für Fans von Detektivgeschichten mit magischen Elementen, die intelligente Rätsel und epische Gefahren gleichermaßen lieben, ist dieser Roman ein absolutes Muss. Die Geschichte fordert ihre Leser*innen mit überraschenden Wendungen und tiefgründigen Themen heraus, während sie gleichzeitig ein spannendes, temporeiches Leseerlebnis bietet.

Ein Muss für Leser*innen von Autoren wie Brandon Sanderson oder V.E. Schwab, die clevere Fantasy lieben, die sich nicht scheut, neue Wege zu gehen.

How disappointed I was then when, after a solid first 15% of the book, (which presents a really interesting locked room mystery and a re-introduction to my favorite detective duo that I’ve read in a long time) the book quickly evolves into something that is both overwhelmed by its own complexity and exceedingly dull.

I read this book and I read it and I read it. Hoping beyond hope that at any point the narrative was going to straighten out and bring back some of the elements that I love from the first book. I wanted the fun banter between Ana and Din. We don’t get that here. Everything is so serious all the time.

I wanted some of the interesting fantasy elements. The incredible plant magic construct that I loved from the first book, the legend and the ferocity of the leviathan. We get none of this year. Where there is discussion of the magic it simply is in the most scientific terms.

And then, it just becomes so weighed down by a very complicated political plot line that spirals into itself to the point of collapsing the entire narrative.

By the time I got to the end, I was just exhausted. And very much wanting to move onto a different story.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for Robert Jackson Bennett’s second ARC A Drop of Corruption in The Ana and Din series! I was so happy and thankful to get this ARC as I loved The Tainted Cup, and this was one of my top anticipated books for 2025. Now when it comes to mystery series I was super worried that the second mystery would fall flat compared to the first book, but A Drop of Corruption managed to exceed all my expectations. Even when I thought I knew, the story kept twisting and turning. Ana and Din have quite the locked room mystery on their hands, with an addition of Yarrow royal court intrigue, and some shocking revelations about Ana. The world building gets even stronger, and o did worry I would forget how this world’s system works, but I was right back into the thick of it without having to flip back through The Tainted Cup (though I definitely want to reread both books now!) RJB does more dives into the Empire’s history and of course the terror and awe of the titans. I cannot wait for more from Ana and Din!

This was such an enjoyable and satisfying read. I honestly think that, despite being Fantasy first and foremost, Robert Jackson Bennett is writing some of the best quality mysteries in publishing right now.

Overall this book both removed some of my complaints of the first book (namely Ana's character development) and left me much more confused on how this could ever be wrapped up in a single additional installment with all the ground left to cover.

The Characters:
In book one my only minor complaint, really, was that Ana felt more like a caricature. Sure, I was seeing her through Din's eyes and she's a larger than life type of person anyway, but I couldn't get a good grasp on who she was and what made her tick. But I'm happy to report that she got so much more development and backstory and humanizing talks with Din in this installment. For those who wanted more Ana and more Ana answers-- you're gonna get it!

I also really loved the introduction of a new character in this location: Malo. She's got a real swagger and grittiness that the manic-but-poised Ana and proper-to-the-point-of-sometimes-near-roboticness Din could never bring to the story. It was good to see her play off the main characters here from her bravado to her on-her-sleeve emotions.

The Romance:
The Ana lovers are gonna eat with this novel, but I'm sorry for the Kepheus and Din shippers as there's not a single appearance of Kepheus in this. Perhaps in the next one, but not today.

The Mystery:
I really loved the mystery here. I think it took interesting twists and turns, I had multiple theories running from even just chapter 2-3 (several of which were right! which means he did a good job telegraphing clues to pick up on!), and yet the Fantasy elements and the way the reader learns more information about the world meant that it was never wholly solvable from just the beginning.

But the pacing and seeding of clues was impeccably done. And I like that whenever Ana started putting pieces together (usually dropping another clue in her speech, but not a full unravelling) it was my cue to start thinking about what further pieces I could put together myself. It led to a lot of interest and engagement on my end so that I could often feel clever, invested in finding more clues, and also amazed by the cleverness of Ana, our Sherlock analog.

Based on the percentage of this story that's truly just devoted to the continual layers of the mystery, this felt more akin to an installment in a Mystery series than a middle book in a Fantasy series. If you're here because you liked the mysteries of book 1, I think you'll be very satisfied with the amount of screentime devoted to the mysteries of book 2.

The World-Building:
This is part of where I start to become concerned about everything I know, and everything I feel I've yet to know, and where the series could possibly conclude. For while I did get a lot of answers in this novel about the Titans and the Empire and augmentations... there are still so many questions left from book 1, questions introduced in this book, and bombastic action I predict will happen but was not developed at all in this installment. It all needs so much time to cook, still!

Granted, after reading several RJB trilogies before this one, I suspect our next book will feature some sort of significant time jump in order to accomplish everything that must be in place before the finale (several years into the Fifth Empire). But with how much time each book devotes to its particular mystery... it's gonna be a narrow squeeze or an impressive feat for sure.

The Politics:
Rather than expounding further on the politics of the Empire we were introduced to in book one, this novel takes a full reprieve and bounces over to Yarrow, a land not yet fully incorporated into the Empire. As such it is Yarrow in the limelight and Yarrow that we are better coming to understand, and only the occasional tastes and teases of the Empire-- mostly through history lessons and quotes from their most famous ancestors.

(Just how big is book 3 gonna be to tie everything up? Or will we be blessed with more books?)

The Author:
The world is a funny place, these last few years. It's almost impossible to escape the politics of our particular moment in time. And based on the author's note at the end, it's something that weighed heavily on him while writing this book.

While he overall did a good job of keeping it a Fantasy novel first and not so outwardly and obviously political, there were a few moments toward the end that could get a tad preachy. Though I don't feel like it's so much more egregious than his usual flavor in prior books, just perhaps a tad more noticeable here? ymmv

Overall:
Overall I really loved this book. I absorbed it slowly over multiple days because I didn't really want it to end. I care so much more about these characters than I did at the end of book one, and I'm so excited by many of the revelations and world-building nuggets we were given in this book.

I think this is an excellent follow-up to book one that will satisfy Fantasy readers, Mystery readers, and both character and plot-driven readers alike.

The Arc:
For the sake of all Americans who are too terminally online or know too much US slang, I really hope they change the colors of the rockets before they go to print. My immature little brain could not handle so many people talking about "red rocket." 😅😅😅😅 whoops

A Drop of Corruption is such a good book. So so good. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic and the storyline is immaculate.