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.

As my first foray into fantasy/science fiction, the world building was a little much but the dynamic between the two main characters was hilarious and kept the slow parts interesting.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

What a book!! This was definitely a murder mystery novel first, and a fantasy novel second. But the fantasy (kinda scifi?) aspect was absolutely amazing and I want MORE of the super cool world filled with plant magic/science. I loved the main characters, they were so fun and interesting and I felt fully engaged in this book the entire time. 4.5 rounded up!

🌈Queer rep: Bi main male character, secondary FF couple.

I enjoyed this. The characters are interesting and the world is unique. If you're fan of fantasy and whodunit, you should definitely give this one a try!

I really enjoyed this intriguing fantasy! The magic system was unique and easy to understand. I'd definitely like to learn more of the background between engravers, twitches, and apoths. The overall mystery reminded me of Sherlock Holmes with the many quirky characters - very entertaining!

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader's copy (that I neglected to read "in advance") in exchange for my honest review!

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett blends fantasy with a mystery. When a high Imperial officer is found dead in his home in Daretana, investigator Ana Dolabra is called in to determine how this happened and who killed him. It’s not every day a tree erupts from a body even in an empire where contagions are plentiful and the blood of Leviathans corrupts the land. Was this an accidental contagion or was Commander Taqtasa Blas assassinated? Ana is assisted by her new apprentice assistant, Dinios Kol, an engraver magically altered to possess a perfect memory. However, the case is even bigger that the death of one officer. The safety of the Empire is at stake.

If you’re a fan of the unique dynamic of Sherlock and Watson, the eccentric flare of Benoit Blanc in Knives Out (2019), and/or like your fantasy with more than a dash of murder, mystery, and existential threat—this is for you. Heck, if you’re just a fan of a good time, you do not wanna miss this book! Read it for yourself, and let it bedazzle your brain.

Bennett consistently writes great cross-genre stories, and "The Tainted Cup" once again lives up to that reputation while taking the actual plot in a completely different direction. A mystery duo that's one part Holmes and Watson and two parts Hannibal Lecter and Clarisse Starling makes for a good start, and Bennett's setting deftly merges political intrigue with biopunk kaiju straight out of Pacific Rim. Plot-wise, the novel follows a classic mystery structure, with an opening murder drawing the protagonists into a rapidly escalating situation as they uncover crime after crime and try to keep up with the mysterious perpetrators. Bennett writes a pacy, compelling investigation--I'm reminded more of his Divine Cities books than his Founders trilogy here, which is a positive since I liked the former more! While I found the book a little slow in the middle, with the line between worldbuilding details and relevant events blurring to the point that it made the side characters a little tricky to keep straight, the setting was so well-described that I found myself much more satisfied once I went along for the ride rather than trying to piece together every clue one step before the characters did. I found one of the threats introduced near the end of the book to be a bit underdeveloped, though fortunately the story was still able to use it to pay off earlier details about the characters rather than as a deus ex machina (I'm remaining a bit vague here to avoid any spoilers, but for those who have read the book, the threat I'm referring to moves very fast). The setup for a sequel is to be expected and wasn't done in an unwelcome or incomplete way, though given that the book is pitched as a standalone I did find it "morally frustrating." Still, I'm happy to read any further adventures in this world and look forward to seeing which genres come to the fore in Bennett's next project.

It's like Sherlock Holmes but in a fantasy world, or like a magical Knives Out with plants.
I found this fantasy world-building murder mystery entertaining. The world Bennett paints is quite interesting and I loved the various characters. Ana Dolabra is an eccentric investigator who chooses to wear a blindfold, and Din, our narrator is her assistant "engraver" acting as her eyes and ears. Magical world building with a bit of political intrigue.

I haven't read Robert Jackson Bennett before but I'm interested is reading more of his works!

The Tainted Cup is such an intriguing premise and, for the most part, lives up to what it promises.

The book starts with a death in a weird way in incredibly wealthy familys home but expands I like that as you read, you’re given clues through worldbuilding and rewarded for learning about this world, which felt fun and makes the reader more invested.

I felt the beginning of the book was slow to start but it picks up the more you get into it.

Rating: 4.5/5

This book was absolutely wonderful and I enjoyed every second of it. The biggest draw for me was the incredible worldbuilding. Everything is so thought out and just wholly unique. One of my favorite things in fantasy is weird worlds, and this book definitely falls in that category! I get indescribable joy from reading about these worlds that are unlike anything I've read about before. In this book, there are things like the strange genetic modifications undertaken by society, the plant-like architecture, and the towering walls to hold out leviathans. It's just so perfectly done and I felt completely immersed and interested in this beautiful world.

I also found Din to be a loveable main character. Similar to my previous point, I thoroughly enjoy main characters who have a distinct personality. Din is stoic, reserved, innocent, and intelligent. These traits work excellently with and in the story, and I absolutely adored him. Other than Ana, no other characters stuck out to me, but I didn't mind this. They felt more like simplified characters to play a certain role, and I enjoyed that.

I do have one critique. For a murder mystery novel, I expect to be fully invested and unable to tear my eyes away until I can get answers. However it took me until I was around 50% into the book to feel that irresistible urge to keep reading. In fact, before then I found I really only felt like reading a chapter or two at a time, which is very abnormal for me. It is worth noting I never found the book boring, it was more that after a chapter or two I'd feel I got what I wanted for the day. I assume this is something to be contributed to the stakes not feeling high enough or perhaps something off with the pacing.

The story revolves around Din, a character sent on a mission by his boss, Ana, to investigate a peculiar murder. The murder is not your typical crime scene, as a tree sprouts from inside the victim's body and ruptures outwards. This unique premise of mystery, fantasy, and suspense initially piqued my interest, but unfortunately, the book failed to hold my interest. I found the characters unappealing and the plot too meandering.

Although my experience differs from most readers, I still recommend this book to fans of the genre because of its imaginative premise and potential for enjoyment.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Robert Jackson Bennett for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review

QUOTE: ““I think you need reminding of what the Empire is even for.” I cocked an eyebrow at her, puzzled. “It’s not all this!” she said. She waved her hand at the shuttered window. “It’s not all walls and death and plotting! Nor is it dreary dispensations and bureaucracy! We do these ugly, dull things for a reason—to make a space where folk can live, celebrate, and know joy and love..”

A bit slow in the beginning but after the first few chapters, I fell in love with the characters. For me I think they were my favorite part of the book. However the world Bennett has created is extremely interesting too and I hope to read more of it. I also enjoyed the commentary about “empire” which to me equates to our government systems.

I was not sure what I was getting when I started this book, the only thing I knew about it was that it seemed that almost everyone that read it fell in love with it. Well, you can add me to that list. The story is like no other in many ways and a most exceptional "whodunnit" in others. The story mixes small plots concerning individuals with larger plots concerning the survival of many thousands of people. The story of Ana's assistant Din was one of the most interesting things that as we went along it revealed itself more and more to his amazement since he had talents, he knew nothing about. I could talk all day long about this book but the world and the characters and the way you canst suspicion on almost everyone than Ana blows it all away with observations that the author actually told us about in the story but most readers (like me) missed the clues and when revealed it was "Damn, I missed that and it was obvious" . So without writing a book myself I will just say this is more than deserving the high marks almost everyone is giving it and I can't wait to see what lies ahead in the future for these 2 and 5 Stars is not enough.

THE TAINTED CUP
Robert Jackson Bennett

We read THE TAINTED CUP with my Under the Radar Books Amazon Book Club. It was between this and a historical fiction pick. I’m glad we read this one.

THE TAINTED CUP stars Din in the imaginary world of Daretana. In this world Din is an engraver, someone who is magically anointed with the gift of a picture-perfect memory. Din uses this magic ability to serve as the eyes and ears on the ground for Ana who is unable to leave her home but still investigates murders with an exceptional solve rate.

This is my first Robert Jackson Bennett book. This is not the first book written by Bennett and you can tell. THE TAINTED CUP has such a unique story you can tell it was written by someone who had the authority to write with such freedom and of course, you can tell by the carriage of the story.

Such a unique story. Using parts of my brain to construct a world that I don’t normally use. Solving the mystery was as much fun as imagining an apple tree erupting from a character’s body. It is so much fun to read fantasy because fantasy and magic allow those problems normally encountered by us mortals to be solved. Suddenly I have a near-perfect memory, can defy gravity, and employ superhuman strength.

I loved the relationship between Din and Ana. It provided a unique and modern viewpoint on the relationship between the two characters. Molded after the relationship between literary giants Holmes and Watson but modernized. Somehow keeping the antiquity of Baker Street and introducing magic mushrooms, fantastical hierarchies, and quirky characters, allowed me to see things from a new readerly perspective.

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for the advanced copy! It was a pleasure to read and review!

THE TAINTED CUP...⭐⭐⭐

This was my first RJB book and I've heard so many good things about his work! I loved the mystery in a fantasy setting with a unique magic system. The writing style is different from what I usually read in the fantasy genre, and most of the time I enjoyed its modern feel, but there were some times when the language didn't quite fit in the world for me. Which I think is definitely a preference/me issue and not an actual critique of the author's style.