This was my first Robert Jackson Bennett book, and I loved it!!! I can't wait for book 2 in this series.

I adored the characters. The banter between them was snarky, witty, and at times hilarious.

This book gave me so many Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and Knives Out vibes. Those vibes combined with fantasy setting were the cherry on top!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

I enjoyed the characters of the story, they were well-rounded enough to keep the story interesting and to let their flaws occasionally be the reason they find something or drive the drama forward. The plot itself was great! The way the characters slowly unwind the mystery and figure out the clues plus I LOVED how the world itself has huge ties to the mystery.

I’ve always known RJB had a talent for telling a mystery fantasy after I read City of Stairs but The Tainted Cup really drives home how far he’s come in his writing and plotting since then. Overall The Tainted Cup is an incredible story for its genre and I'm eagerly awaiting the next adventure in this world.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Del Rey for an eARC of The Tainted Cup.

This was a great murder mystery, with an overarching scheme of comparing the threat of leviathans against the Empire. The two main characters, Ana and Din are a great pair. I had heard they were like Sherlock & Watson and I can definitely see the comparison. The magic system is slight with people being augmented to have special talents. In this book there are constant twists and turns. Multiple people are murdered and it's up to Ana to solve the case with Din's ability to engrave, or memorize, everything about the scenes and relay to Ana. The thought and care that accompanied the writing of this book is seen throughout. This was very interesting and I found myself reading it late into the night. I will definitely be picking up the sequel.

Let me start by saying I haven't read fantasy for years (not counting one urban fantasy series that I started years ago and is still going strong). But this book, was full on fantasy, with the odd and original premise of the characters and buildings being plant based and/or having parasites to "add" to them. I could never pin down the origin of the characters either, which I'm sure was the point, but at times reminded me of historical China, India, and the Roman empire. All the while this appeared to be a historical novel (at least to me), it also embodied all of the current issues we all deal with in the world today, just differently. The author did an exceptional job at world-building in this book. At first you are slightly confused and that's probably when I started linking it to past civilizations. Soon, there's a murder; they are poisoned, causing a tree to explosively grow from the person's body. We meet Din, a newly assigned assistant to the provocative and unconventional Investigator Ana. Din is treated quite poorly by almost everyone around him, yet he is forthright, follows the rules, and performs his job exceptionally. Ana's senses are acute and therefore cannot be around people except for short periods time and spends most of the book, blindfolded, to help. So while other investigators visit the scene, Din is sent in her place. Din's ability is too remember everything he sees and hears and is like a human video recorder, but must tie his memories to a scent.

This is a high profile murder with connections to higher goverment and a controlling "family" that has their fingers in everything in the empire. As the investigation progresses they end up in another canton where more murders take place all while the city is preparing for another Leviathan attack.

I LOVED this book!! It was fascinating with well developed characters and an interesting murder mystery with the subplot of possible anniliation. Ana and Din were a Sherlock and Watson duo, only better.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for providing an eARC of one of the best fantasy books I've ever read. All opinions are my own.

This novel was a great cross between mystery and fantasy! The world building set this book up to be the first in a series, and it did not disappoint. The characters were fun and intriguing, making it easy to get engrossed in this book. I can not wait for the next book in the series!

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for an ARC of this book.

This was so good!

I really enjoyed the combination of fantasy and murder mystery. It felt like reading Sherlock Holmes in a magical, beautiful, brutal world.

I didn't see a lot of the twists coming, but they all made sense once they were revealed. It definitely kept me guessing.

The world was so interesting and I very much want to explore and learn more about it in future books. I have so many questions!

And I really liked the main characters. They felt so unique and layered. I can't wait to go on another adventure with them!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

This is such an incredibly unique book. I love a murder mystery but I don’t remember reading one set in such a complex fantasy world. The world building here was wonderful, though I would only recommend it for true fantasy devotees because the monsters, magic and government are quite strange and would be hard for non-fantasy folks to connect with. I loved the characters of Din and Ana - they had such a good rapport and I hope to read more books featuring this detective duo.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of Foundryside, I had high hopes for this novel and it did not disappoint! Holmes-style mystery with impeccable female and queer rep that was such a good read! Bennett is such a talent.

This was <i>fun</i>! Eccentric main characters, unique magic system, and a classic whodunnit all blended together seamlessly. I also LOVED that it was a self-contained story, but clearly set up a Big Bad that will provide an overall structure and story arc throughout the series.

I mostly read the book, but did switch to audio for a bit in the middle, and the narrator did a fantastic job with all the different characters.

Will definitely be reading the next one!

If you are n the market for a Holmesian mystery packaged in a fantasy world with a well-developed magic system and politics, plus eldritch monsters at the gates, this is exactly what you want, and not only because that was s super niche description. This is my first Robert Jackson Bennett novel, and I can definitely see myself picking up more. When a body is found with a tree growing through it inside of an opulent mansion, Ana Dolabra is called in. But, Anais busy with her experiments, so she sends in her engraver, Dinios "Din" Kol to be her eyes and ears. Din and Ana are both regular passengers on the hot mess neurodivergent express, and watching them solve the case is a trip and a half. The world is so exceptionally complex and detailed, and the mystery is quite satisfying, but the characters are absolutely the high point of this novel. Din is delightfully different, and the way he experiences the world is so incredibly engrossing. I love that this is a self-contained story that will branch out into a broader series in this world, and I do think that I will continue on when he next entry appears.

I'm not sure what drew me to this book, it's a murder mystery (definitely in my lane) set in a fantasy land (veering way out of my lane) with a very cool cover - and I'm even less sure how to describe it. As the description says, it's a bit like Sherlock Holmes set in a somewhat dystopian world. Holmes is the Cumberbatch version - but in the form of a brilliant female detective, Ana Dolabra, who likes to work blindfolded and rarely leaves her house, which is a book hoarder's dream. She may be wildly eccentric, but she's also extremely good at her job. Her Watson is Dinios Kol, who's been recently assigned to her, a young man who's been altered to be an "engraver", someone who looks at a scene and can recall every detail, every word said, every observation made; in essence he's a human tape recorder. The case is a most unusual (and horrifying) suspected murder, and it's Kol's first murder case. And as they work to complete the investigation and reveal the identity of the murderer, they're racing against the clock because a literal monster is knocking at the door, a leviathan threatening the very existence of all.
Robert Jackson Bennett has created a fantasy setting that is at once unrecognizable and yet strangely familiar. The characters are richly drawn and fascinating. And I'm very much looking forward to the next book in this series, because he has totally pulled me into that world.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Del Rey for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is an utterly charming Holmes & Watson-style fantasy mystery novel. The characters are captivating and endearing, and the mystery kept me turning the pages as fast as possible! Bennett is a skilled writer and storyteller with a sharp sense of humor and a unique turn of phrase. The writing is intelligent and engaging, and the story quickly draws you into the intrigue and mystery. The novel skillfully tackles topics such as how neurodivergence is looked down upon, the benefits that can come when our differences are embraced, and the consequences of a corrupt government. I am eagerly looking forward to more books in this series. You don't want to miss this book!

Imagine your first day on the job as detective, rolling up to your first ever crime scene and coming to the conclusion that the only viable suspect in the murder of a high ranking official is...a tree. Thats how readers come to meet Dinios Kol, an engraver with a magically modified memory. Kol is the ears and eyes for the eclectic, reclusive detective Ana Dalabra. Together the two work together in a Watson-Sherlock style to solve a perplexing mystery in a world filled with magic and murderous plants.
An original fantasy world filled with diverse characters representing many ways of life, largely due to the queer and autistic nature of Kol. Author Rober Jackson Bennett introduced a new world with his first installment of an action packed mystery perfect for fans of Sherlock Holme's style mysteries.

This was so good!! I was invested from the beginning and couldn't put it down. I loved our main characters, I found them so interesting and fun to follow. The mystery aspect wasnt hard to follow but there were some twists even I couldn't predict. The world was so unique as well. When I tried to explain it to my partner, I found myself at a loss for words because there's so much to try to explain, but in the best way. I can't wait for the next installment and will absolutely be checking out Bennett's backlist immediately.

This was SO FUN. It definitely has knives out and Sherlock vibes. I don't always love fantasy, but this was a very digestible fantasy with an easy to follow world. The writing was perfect. The characters felt. full and complete and I was laughing the whole time--while also being very engaged in the overarching mystery. I was so into the story the whole time and the reveals throughout always caught me by surprise. I can't wait for the sequel and need someone to pick this up for a tv series asap.

I loved The Tainted Cup. The world-building was so good. Ana Dolabra and Dinios Kol morphed into the perfect detective duo, and the mystery they had to solve was wonderfully intricate. I also would recommend giving the audiobook a try. I jumped between both mediums and couldn't recommend this book more. It receives a glowing 5/5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to review The Tainted Cup. All opinions are my own.

DNF.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. It started out with promise and felt like a very expansive world was going to unfold but I found this very difficult to chug through. It’s takes weeks of picking it up and trying to finish it as I didn't want to submit it to the DNF shelf but I’m 42% in - getting there mostly by wilfully skipping paragraphs altogether - and really can’t bring myself to continue.

This was my first book by this author, but I’ll definitely be continuing the series! The Tainted Cup is at first a conventional mystery, but it’s set in a fantastical world with a threat of leviathans looming. There is lots of intrigue, some politics and plenty of murder!

Narration: First person past tense, single POV
Diversity: bi main character with dyslexia

👍
+ I just really enjoyed the world of this book. I especially found the concept of engravers and how they contribute to the justice system ingenious.
+ I loved the two main characters. Ana was my favorite, she was so eccentric, fun and brilliant, I would love to spend an afternoon with her. I thought Din (the MC and narrator) was going to be more like the Watson or Hastings of the story, but he really is brilliant and badass on his own.
+ The actual mystery was very well woven together and there were so many layers that even though I guessed the main culprit(s), there was a lot more to it that I would never have figured out. There were a couple spots in the book that made me audibly go “No way!”
+ With themes of corruption, and justice, there were also many references to the way our systems are broken. One of my favorites parts was close to the end when the two main characters talk about what an empire is for.

👎
- As someone who doesn’t read fantasy that often, I needed a glossary 😆The number of times I searched the same word on my Kindle was honestly embarrassing. A glossary would have definitely made it easier.
- I did find the first half a bit slower. I might have preferred less time on traveling etc.Though for regular readers of fantasy these parts might feel more interesting than they did for me.

Overall rating: 4.3 ⭐

Thank you so much to Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for the eARC!

Robert Jackson Bennett is an author whose work was previously unknown to me. Thankfully, that’s no longer true. His writing snags your attention quickly and then never let’s go. A murder mystery is largely formulaic, but this certainly breaks the mold and does so in a dangerous world of magically augmented people and wild plants and animals that present their own unique dangers to the populace. The characters are complex, the hints present, but the interplay between the investigator and her assistant sings with multifaceted urgency on every page. A thrilling story, well told. Highly recommend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and am glad that this is book 1 in a new series. There’s a Holmes/Watson feel to the mystery but the setting was so different from any other sci-fi books that I’ve read. It was reminiscent of Frank Herbert’s “DUNE” in that computers weren’t there and humans had developed their skills to fill the void such as Din closely resembling a mentat. It’s written really well and kept me flipping to get to the end. I was disappointed to say goodbye to this world for now.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for an ARC of this book.