I hate to say it but this one just didn’t work for me. I struggled through most of it and just never felt connected.

This is my first review after a long hiatus from writing them, but I knew that when I came back The Tainted Cup would be one of my first books to tackle. I loved this book so much. So much in fact, I read it as an ARC, and then turned around and purchased it when it came out so that I read it yet again. Our story opens on Dinios Kol arriving at a murder scene. Not your typical murder scene, mind you. Din is presented with a the scene of a man killed by a tree sprouting from his body. Yes, you read that right. Intrigued? What follows is a sweeping story full of magic, intrigue and plenty of danger as well.

I really loved how Robert Jackson Bennett laid out this entire plot. I've already mentioned how quickly it moves, but it doesn't do it at the expense of the reader. We meet Ana Dolabra, Din's boss, and discover that she is an eccentric but utterly brilliant investigator. Our protagonists are tasked with uncovering a most sinister plot, before more people are murdered. If that weren't enough though, Bennett also throws in the very real threat of a leviathan bombarding the city, the further into the rainy season this investigation goes. Ana's intellectual prowess, combined with Din's ability to engrave memories down to the most minute detail, make for a fascinating storyline. This book is impossible to put down once you've started, I can tell you that.

Truly I could gush about the magic system, and the world building, and even the secondary characters for ages. They are all perfectly executed. I'll resist though, and leave all of that for you to uncover. What I will say, is that Robert Jackson Bennett always climbs to the top of my read list because his books are my favorite kind of Fantasy: accessible Fantasy. They are vibrant and fascinating, but also written in a way that any person can come right in and cozy down into. The Tainted Cup is a sweeping Fantasy story, but it doesn't feel cold and unapproachable, and I love it for that.

I am very excited to read the next book in this series! A super unique death, some magic, a fun mystery duo (Ana and Dinios) unlike I have seen in previous detective stories, and good representation. It was well written and generally fast paced!

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC!

I really wanted to love this book but I had a hard time getting through it. I felt like the world building was confusing for me and I had trouble with the characters and the story. The writing as usual was well done.

"The Tainted Cup" by Robert Jackson Bennett is a fusion of fantasy and murder mystery. Set in a richly imagined world, the story follows the dynamic duo of Dinius Kol and his employer Ana Dolabra, a brilliant investigator, as they unravel a complex and high-stakes case.

The unique concept of botanically altered humans possessing extraordinary abilities adds depth and intrigue to the story. As the mystery unfolds, the author weaves in elements of political intrigue and societal hierarchies, creating a multi-layered tale that keeps readers guessing until the very end.

The Tainted Cup has well-developed characters and ingenious world-building, this is a must-read for fans of both fantasy and detective fiction. Bennett's ability to combine these genres so seamlessly is a testament to his skill as a storyteller, and the result is a truly enjoyable and satisfying read.

Robert Jackson Bennett has been on my radar since the completion of the Founders trilogy. I still haven't read it but when I started seeing buzz surrounding his new murder mystery I immediately requested an ARC. I received my ARC after publication date but was still so excited to read this one. Safe to say I will definitely be checking out Bennet’s beloved trilogy soon.

The Tainted Cup is a genre bending start of a series that I am here for. A unique magic system and fantasy world in which our protagonist interns for an extremely eccentric investigator. This murder mystery offered what I would envision if Emily Wilde and Sherlock Holmes collaborated on an investigation.

I really enjoyed the magical elements and the checks and balances the characters must endure when augmenting their magical abilities. I also love natural based magic environments and this book is an apothecary’s dream.

I am looking forward to the continuation of this series and really hoping to dive deeper into the life and blossoming relationship of our beloved investigator and her assistant.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for an opportunity to review this book, all opinions are my own.

This book is set in a new fantasy world, similar to Bennett's previous series, The Founders trilogy. Like those stories, this Empire is a feudal society, but magic is used primarily to alter and enhance human beings, endowing them with fantastical abilities (which are not always visible upon first inspection). It is also a murder mystery, an unusual genre in a fantasy.

The investigative team is Ana Dolabra, a brilliant, eccentric detective, and her assistant Dinios Kol. It is not clear how Ana has been modified, but Din has become an engraver: he is capable of permanently remembering everything he has experienced. From the beginning, he finds himself in one challenging new environment after another. His path from innocence to experience is central to the narrative. But the story also involves a horrifying contagion that kills by erupting into a tree from inside the victim's body, a powerful clan with dark secrets, and Ana's secret mission which is only revealed at the end.

The resolution of the mystery is finally fully revealed in a climactic scene that puts Ana and Din in mortal danger. At the same time, a dangerous leviathan threatens the stability of the Empire itself. While the murder is fully resolved, the final chapters also set up Ana and Din for future adventures.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advance Reader's Copy.

Although it took me a minute to wrap my head around, the author did a good job in developing a fantastical setting that was fun to get lost in. Well developed characters and a thoughtful and entertaining whodunit. This is a great vacation read with a satisfying ending.

Magic and mystery the best combination!

Din is an apprentice to Ana, an investigator that everyone thinks has lost her mind and has been punished to live in the outer rings closest to the water. It is his job to record all details during investigations. Being in a small village not much exciting happens until a high ranking man is murdered by a tree. It is now Din and Ana to find the truth.

The more answers just lead to more questions! Corruption, greed, and the need for power (story as old as time).

I girl bossed too close to the sun and grabbed too many NetGalley requests. Now here we are three years later, still waiting for a review. Well, here is what I have right now.

I tried really hard with this one. I really did. Unfortunately, it did not work for me. It would be rude and a disservice to rate this as I know several others really enjoyed it.

It is not for me and I had to DNF (did not finish) for reading reasons. I could not connect with the plot of the characters at all. I did not and could not force myself to read it as I picked it up and put it down several times, but could not get into the book.

I appreciate the opportunity, but it is not going to be one I will recommend going forward.

Thank you again for my gifted copy.

This is a fantastical whodunnit! Fantasy is not usually my jam, but The Tainted Cup may have changed my mind!

This was definitely a hit for me. I love how unique and interesting this author is able to make the world and the characters aren't flat.

I will probably go for 4 star rating for this one, even though I am 100% sure that my not absolutely LOVING this book was entirely due to my mindset. I'm needing a break from fantasy 😫 The only reason I didn't set this one aside was because the mystery component really kept me going. I did love the humor and the quirkiness of our MCs. The Holmes/Watson type duo was a ton of fun here. I think if this ends up being a series I will reread this one before continuing to a second book, because it feels like a lot of the plot just bounced off my tired brain.

I can say for sure that if you're a fan of Bennett's worldbuilding and character, this won't disappoint. It's what I've come to expect from him and I look forward to coming back to this series when its sequel is released in the future.

I thought this was an interesting change from the Foundryside series.

This book is very similar to the Foundry series in that book 1 has to set up "the rules of the realm". There is a lot of technical jargon in the way that RJB writes. His way of writing has definitely improved but I feel like it lacks the defining, strong language used by other fantasy writers like Tolkien or Brandon Sanderson. Overall though, I think he did well building this realm and using his writing experience to bring us a whole new world and series.

I like the Sherlock Holmes crossed with magic dynamic. It definitely works and I hope this series continues on.

Thank you to Random House and to Robert Jackson Bennett for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

After I finished the Founders Trilogy, I felt hopeful that Robert Jackson Bennett would become one of my favorite authors, but I needed a few more books to really seal the deal. Enter his latest, The Tainted Cup, a multi-murder mystery in a fascinating fantasy world that kept me guessing until the end. It had all the things I've come to expect from Bennett: great characters, enjoyable dialogue, and a plot I can't stop reading. If you love fantasy but don't care for mysteries at all, you are unlikely to enjoy this one. But if you don't mind a little genre-bending, definitely pick this one up!

This was my first work by this author. This is not the type of book I typically reach for, but I am so glad I did!

We have a mystery/fantasy hybrid here, with descriptively lush scenery. We have a quite interesting world, with just enough subtleness for non-fantasy readers alike. I would recommend this work for readers who are looking to dip their toe into this genre.

Ana, and Din are interesting, eccentric, and complex characters. I loved their working relationship, and interactions.

This looks to be a potential series?? And I would love to see what mystery Ana, and Din are off to solve next.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for providing this ARC.

Robert Jackson Bennett's new series starter has been hyped up by about everyone I know and have seen around who's had the chance to read it, so obviously this meant two things: 1) I had very very high expectations for it and 2) I was also kind of afraid it might not meet them. A lot of the hyped up books lately were personal disappointments. And while Bennett's Founders trilogy is actually sitting on my shelf amidst all the other books I buy and then promise to read soon while watching in horror as my tbr pile grows and grows and slowly takes over my apartment, I, well, have not read it yet. As such, I also went in a little bit blind, as one does with new authors.

Well, what can I say. Nothing much, really, because I've been rendered the good kind of speechless. I might have had high expectations but "The Tainted Cup" blew them out of the water with ease. I knew I was in for a treat basically after a single page, and it just kept getting better. Which is to say: I love love love LOVE this book and I'm just a little obsessed with it now.

It simply excels on every level and seems to be written for me and my tastes specifically. The murder mystery at the heart of the story is fun, exciting and complex (though admittedly I did see one twist coming). But it's not even the best part of the book. The world it takes place in is utterly fascinating and unique, and the world building woven into the narrative masterfully without relying on infodumps. We learn about the world organically as we follow our characters on their journey, and a lot of it is shown instead of just told to us in various ways. There's also clearly so much more to explore and I'm very excited for that.
And the characters themselves are just absolutely amazing. I adore our main character Dinios Kol, whose perspective is the one we follow. He's unique, flawed, loveable, a clever, resourceful young man with principles and so much more. He might be up there with my favourite main characters in any novel at the end of this series, he definitely is on his way there. He's the assistant to Ana Dolabra, a, let's call it 'extravagant' investigator solving crimes noone else can solve. And gosh, she is so fascinating even when she's at her most disturbing. Their relationship is so well written and I cannot wait to keep following them on their next adventure. The side characters are all intriguing, though admittedly some of them seem to be mostly there to introduce us to their particular faction instead of fleshing them out as characters. I didn't miss anything by not getting to know them too well, though.

The writing is masterful, the pacing sufficiently fast and even, and it was just a blast reading this book. I couldn't put it down, and for a long long time this is the first series starter that makes me actually physically sad that I can't just immediately delve into the sequel. The hype is absolutely earned this time around. One of the easiest 5 stars I've ever given.

The Tainted Cup is a great mix of fantasy and murder mystery. I can honestly say, I haven't read anything like this one. We're dumped right into this world where our main character Din must investigate a murder for the investigator he's working with. The idea that people are augmented and have different abilities was really interesting.

The world is interesting as I already said with augmentations, politics, and leviathans that can destroy their world. It took me a bit to get into this story, because I feel like we didn't get a lot of background information. I kind of understand that we were getting information as Din was, but seeing how he did know more about his own world, I would've loved just a little more world building.

Din was such a heartwarming character. I love that he was flawed and insecure, but he was very aware of this. He really wanted to do his best and I feel that he did better investigating his first case than I would've! He made me laugh and I even wanted to give him a hug a few times while reading. Ana, the quirky investigator, was just so much fun. I love how she figured things out and what people thought about her. Din and Ana are a fun duo and I definitely want more of these two together.

Then we of course had a murder mystery with an interesting contagion that was the culprit. I loved trying to figure things out, but I was glad to say I didn't figure it out. The author pulled me into this world and I had a great time with these two characters. I do hope we get a little more world building in the next book. I will definitely pick it up!

My review will also be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on May 11th!

This is the second novel I have read by the author. The first is Foundryside. And although I don't like to compare and I know it's not good and blah blah... I liked Foundryside much more.

What I admire about the author is the originality he has in certain aspects. I saw it in Foundryside and I see it in The Tainted Cup. That is undeniable and I feel like he is always seeing what he can do or add to the story to get out of the box. I like that a lot.

But I also felt that this story was going very slowly. It took me a long time to read it and sometimes I felt like I didn't have much motivation to follow it. But maybe it's something that happened to me, at this moment and in this month of my life, but in another year something different will happen to me. That's why I think it's not so much a flaw in the story or the characters or the writing but rather it's something more personal.

Sometimes one manages to connect with reading and other times not.

Beyond that, I highly recommend the author because I know he has great potential.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a great one if you want some really unique world building. From the beginning you're hooked and want to know more about the world. Great fantasy rec for anyone looking for something well written and unique.