Thank you so much to NetGalley and Robert Jackson Bennett for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Tainted Cup coming out February 6, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.
 
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes aspect of the book. I thought Ana and Dinios were a really good duo. I did love the eccentricity of the characters. I thought the writing was really good. I usually love fantasy, but I think some of the world building went over my head. I wasn’t as invested in the characters as I wished to be I think they weren’t that many secondary characters that seemed fleshed out to me. I think the main focus was on Ana and Dinios and I would’ve liked to see a little more of other characters. I would definitely check out other books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys high fantasy books!

This book is about to become my personality, I swear. I'm a sucker for Sherlock and political intrigue, but when you add in giant sea monsters? Yes please!

Also it's absolutely phenomenal on audiobook - I felt like I was listening to a fantasy true crime podcast. I'm not sure if the effect would've been the same in text. I loved how they flipped Sherlock on its head by having it be an eccentric female instead, and adding an assistant with an analog of dyslexia. The plot bobs and weaves until we finally get the ouroborosian ending of my dreams. As is classic in an Arthur Conan Doyle book, everything is connected. And the worldbuilding?? There's so much going on between aquatic kaiju, botanical contagions, and mysterious powers that grant the bearer strange boons and flaws. I definitely need to annotate my copy to keep this world fresh for the sequel.

I cannot wait for the next one and to see where our intrepid investigators uncover next. You killed it, Robert Jackson Bennett.

*Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

OK so, I LOVED THIS BOOK. I loved it SO MUCH I think I might be a little incoherent in this review, but I'm going to try to tell you why it was so good and why you should read it, even though there's only the tiniest little smidgeon of a hint of romance. Let's do it:⁠
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First off, we're thrown into a fantasy world with pretty minimal exposition. We see the world through the eyes of Dinios Kol, a young Assistant Investigator. Din is a "Sublime," meaning that he's been given enhanced abilities through "suffusion" and can now remember everything that will ever happen to him. This is his first "real job," and he's been assigned to work for middle-aged, eccentric Investigator Ana Dolabra. We know that Din has somehow finagled his way into his position, but we also see that he's working really well with Ana. His impostor syndrome is intense, but he doesn't let it stop him from doing a good job.⁠
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This is for sure, 100%, an epic fantasy. But the relationship between Ana and Din also feels like it's been inspired by one of the most famous "investigator and assistant" duos: Sherlock and Watson. In this case, Din goes out and does the legwork. He sticks his nose everywhere it needs to go and regurgitates it for Ana. Ana spends most of her time in her quarters, blindfolded and in seclusion from sensory overload, but she's able to deduce all sorts of conclusions from his investigations. Din is an integral part of Ana's work, and their evolving relationship was wonderful to read.⁠
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This book focuses on the investigation itself, which takes Ana and Din from their starting provincial canton to a slightly larger, still provincial, city, as they follow leads. There's an overarching sense of dread, too, since the city where they spend most of their time is the first defense against an existential threat. Will they discover whodunnit? Will they survive long enough that the answer matters?⁠
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I was enraptured by the entire book, especially Din's earnest efforts to do the very best job he can coupled with his stoic acceptance of Ana's "guidance."

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

The Tainted Cup is a murder mystery fantasy that just hit all the right notes for me and is my favorite Robert Jackson Bennett book yet. Dinios Kol is an engraver, enhanced to have perfect memory, and a newly minted assistant investigator to Ana Dolabra, an eccentric but brilliant detective, able to analyze clues and find patterns out of them. When a prominent Imperial officer dies in a grotesque and targeted manner within the opulent estate of a prominent wealthy gentry family, they are assigned the case and uncover a vast conspiracy that may bring the Empire’s downfall. All this while set in a world where vast leviathans rise up from the sea to threaten the Empire which has adapted to a militaristic Imperialist system.

I love me a good murder mystery and I love epic fantasies, and The Tainted Cup just blended the two together perfectly. With the ever-present threat of leviathan monsters breaching the outermost of the tiered walls of the Empire, there is this constant simmering tension throughout the story that builds on a rather bleak world where our main protagonist Din only allowed himself to be enhanced and join the Imperial system for the pay in the hopes of lifting up his family into the inner walls. As much as I love me a hard magic system, I thought the book’s plant-based magic system was really interesting and Robert Jackson Bennett was really innovative in how he incorporated the plants into every aspect of his story and world, including the very method of murder (a fully grown tree bloomed out of the person’s body) in the inciting incident.

It needs to be said that this is first and foremost a murder mystery, just with a high fantasy setting. There is undoubtedly a Watson-and-Holmes dynamic with Din and Ana. We see the entire story from Din’s perspective as he observes everything for later recall then analysis by Ana. New to the job and desperate to do well, he hides a shameful secret—he is dyslexic and even his engraver modifications cannot help. That he is gay was also a pleasant surprise, but doesn’t factor in the plot. We don’t get much out of Ana yet, but see her as this brilliant but difficult to deal with figure thar Din see her as.

While Din and Ana are great characters and an excellent pair of neurodivergent leads, this is very much a plot driven narrative. It is about the mystery, and what a twisty one this is. Think Sherlock Holmes or Knives Out. Robert Jackson Bennett manages to build a really effective mystery and leaves enough clues and uncover enough layers that readers may actually be able to figure it out for themselves (I did figure some stuff out but most I did not). Comparing this to his other works, The Tainted Cup is more in line with his The Divine Cities than his The Founders Trilogy.

The Tainted Cup is a brilliant murder mystery in a high fantasy setting with a compelling lead duo of neurodivergent investigators. I am eager for more.

This was a well-crafted mystery, with a sparkly new duo hunting through the bodies and clues in a deadly fantasy world. I loved the dynamic between Ana and Din. It was strange and laugh out loud funny, while sometimes touching. The world the author built was interesting and felt complete without being overwhelming. I ended up really loving this book and will for sure pick up the next in the series when it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for access to this arc.

This has all the makings of Watson and Holmes on a fantasy level! Robert Jackson Bennett brings us a clever multi-murder mystery combined with a detailed fantasy world and characters.

The Tainted Cup is a murder mystery set in the Empire of Khanum. Signum Dinios Kol has been called in to investigate a strange killing in which a tree has sprouted and bloomed THROUGH Commander Taqtasa Blas. But Dinios Kol is an Engraver, meaning he remembers everything he sees or hears. He deduces that this killing was no accident and this rapidly poisonous plant, called Dapleglass, is currently being weaponized through out the whole Empire. Kol is the assistant to Investigator Anagosa Dolabra, who has an incredible knack for solving murder puzzles. Together, Kol and Dolabra are determined to solve this murder case, but as they dig deeper, they are unsure who they can trust now. The murders by Dapleglass are growing in number and there are greater issues looming. The Leviathan has breached the walls of the third ring and will destroy the entire Empire if it remains alive. The clock is ticking. Can Kol and Dolabra get to the bottom of this murder before the Leviathan strikes again?

I thoroughly enjoyed the cleverness of Dolabra and Kol in their solving of these murders. Bennett left no stone unturned and covered all bases by the end of the story. In addition to his incredible world-building, there were many moving parts to this plot - so many that it was difficult for me to keep up at times. I admire the differences in characterization of Kol and Dolabra. However, often times, I felt exasperated by the character of Dolabra. She was like drinking from a firehose! Our narrator, Kol, was at the opposite end of the spectrum. He came across dull, impersonal, and reserved. Overall, this was a thought-provoking and very creative story. Many Fantasy readers will love it!

A very special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having read another of his novels, this author is adept at creating worlds. There is a real sense of place, but at the same time it's not overly descriptive to the point of boredom. The plot here is interesting and gets a bit complex as the novel goes on, but things do get resolved in the end. The primary characters are interesting and far from typical. There are some really good action scenes as well.

Thank you Del Rey Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I absolutely adored THE TAINTED CUP (TTC) by Robert Jackson Bennett! THE TAINTED CUP is a showcase of Bennett’s creativity and range as a fantasy writer. TTC is much different than his Founders Trilogy in which I have only read FOUNDRYSIDE, but I found myself enamored with the way Bennett can construct vivid landscapes within a brand new world.

TTC has several story elements that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Fantasy world? Check. Murder mystery? Check. Monstrous leviathans trying to destroy the city? Check. A unique magic system? DUH. There’s even more things I could list but I don’t want to exhaust myself nor you. The heart of this story is a murder mystery so you can expect plenty of reveals and twists throughout the novel. The pacing of TTC is great and kept me engaged throughout which I feel is important for a story centering a murder and corrupt politicians.

TTC follows an eccentric investigator, Ana Dolabra and her apprentice Dinios Kol. I loved the choice RBJ made to write the story from the apprentice Din’s perspective. I think it added another layer of complexity to the story because you never know what Ana is thinking as the lead investigator of the murder. Ana and Din are reminiscent of Holmes and Watson. Their evolving relationship was always fun to read and I thought they had great (platonic) chemistry as partners.

There is a lot to love about THE TAINTED CUP and I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks when it comes out on February 6th! And I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series goes!

4.5/5 stars

Wow, what a ride! This was a mix of fantasy with contemporary language, sci-fi, and a Holmes/Watson-style whodunnit detective story…with a side of closed-door romance. It had LGBTQIA+ representation, a main character that seemed neurospicy, some really funny moments, and insane world-building. I’ve never read anything else even remotely like it!

Initially, I was a bit nervous to realize that it’s part of a series—I don’t know if my brain can handle another series where book 1 ends on a cliffhanger—but I was happy to discover that this was more like an Inspector Gamache novel by Louise Penny in that the major mystery of this book actually gets solved within this book.

This was my first Robert Jackson Bennett novel, but it won’t be my last! The Tainted Cup is out TOMORROW (Feb 6th, 2024), and I absolutely recommend picking up a copy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I loved this book so much! An absolutely incredible take on a Sherlock Holmes/John Watson style mystery, and I was obsessed with these characters. The pacing and plot were so well executed, and while a few of the reveals in the mystery I could see coming, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

It's higher. stakes but it reminded me of Emily Wilde and Veronica Speedwell, two cozy mystery/fantasy series. I loved loved loved this one. I need the second book, like, yesterday.

Thank you to DelRey and Netgalley for the advance digital galley of The Tainted Cup! This is my honest review of an an unfinished advance copy with all my own thoughts and opinions!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

The Tainted Cup is a fantasy murder mystery about an Assistant Investigator who is assigned to his first death case alongside his master/mentor, the Investigator of their small town. What started as a odd murder that was quickly wrapped up, turns into something much larger than he realized it would be. With the clock counting down, Din and Ana must work quickly to solve the mysteries that continue to mount up, all before the tragedy strikes the Empire's shores.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

OVERALL: 5🌟
STORY: 5🌟
WRITING: 5🌟
CHARACTERS: 5🌟
ENJOYMENT: 5🌟

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

STORY:
I LOVED THIS STORY! What an imaginative version of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson! Mr. Bennett had me hook, line, and sinker with this tale. From the wide, unique, and creative worldbuilding, to the variety of characters with their own quirks, eccentricities, drives, and histories, to each twist and turn that just adds to the mystery—I could not put this down. I was up till 5am finishing this book, purely because I could not go to sleep without getting to discover all the secrets and answers to the rising amount of mysteries. This was beautifully crafted and I just could not get enough.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

WRITING:
Mr. Bennett's writing is an joy to indulge in. He's got a fantastic way of immersing you in his world and holding you captive there. The placing of his plot was immaculate. This is absolutely one of those books I need to go back and re-read, but also annotate to find all the foreshadowings he peppered this tale with. Incredibly well done.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

CHARACTERS:
I love with neurodivergent characters are the heroes of a story. And this one is no different.
Minor spoiler? Our main character, Din, whose perspective the story is told from, is dyslexic and while he himself struggles with this fact, it turns into a valuable power that just made me smile. Ana, (his mentor) is on the autism spectrum, which gives her mind a sharpness and ability to see patterns that most neurotypical people just normally cannot catch. Together, these two make a sharp team that push the tale forward and keep things incredibly interesting.

I especially adored the banter and back and forth we received from Kol and Ana. Their interactions were sharply written, true to the spirit of Sherlock and Watson.

Alongside our intrepid duo, we have a host of side characters with ranges of personalities, histories, and drives. And all of them do a wonderful job of complimenting our main characters.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

ENJOYMENT:

i stayed up till 5am reading this. i posted a slightly feral I LOVE THIS BOOK reel and 2 insta stories at around 60% through my read through. safe to say... THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. I've already informed my partner that we will be getting a physical copy of this book and I'm making him read it.

If you love immersive fantasy with unique world and magic mixed with fast paced and plot twisting murder mystery, this is the book for you! I HIGHLY recommend this book. I wish I could give this one more than 5 stars dammit.

This is well-written but just not for me. I’m not going to post reviews anywhere because I realized early on I’m just not the right reader. There’s nothing I can say beyond acknowledging I just don’t like fantasy as much as I wish I did. I think I need some connection to reality.

This is one of those situations where I start wondering if I read a different book than everyone else did. Or if I just missed out on something that everyone else caught onto within the story. Because I was so confident that I was going to love this read. SO confident. But I just ended up reading to finish rather than out of any degree of interest or enjoyment.

The one thing I really loved without fail was the worldbuilding. I constantly wanted to know more about the alterations, the titans, the class system. There was so much to take in and I couldn't get enough of it.
I was also especially interested in our main character, Din. He's quirky and likeable and just about the only character that felt fully fleshed out. We got peeks into his romantic life, his relationships with his family, his motivations concerning his career - he's a character that's easy to feel close to. Unfortunately, he was pretty much the only one I really cared about.

Everything else about the book just felt like background noise. Like the kind of story that keeps the reader at a distance to enhance the mystery, but instead just prevents becoming fully invested. It's not that I disliked the other characters or the story itself - I just didn't care at all. I didn't feel strongly one way or another. I didn't feel close to any of the characters. I wasn't especially engaged in the mystery element. I wasn't captivated by the Sherlockish revelations that kept enlightening us while we trailed along one step behind.

There's not much more to say. Tons of early reviewers loved this book and I hope most readers will. I wish I had been one of them because this felt right up my alley until suddenly it wasn't.

Special thanks to Del Rey for an ARC in exchange for review.

This is my first book by Robert Jackson Bennett, but it won’t be my last! I was intrigued by the idea of a mystery story set in a fantasy world with magically engineered plants and plagued by leviathans. And I have to say, the premise lived up to my excitement for it. I was hooked from the first page, wanting to know more about the world and get to the bottom of the mystery.

The worldbuilding is fantastic. Little parts of it are explained here and there until suddenly you have the full picture of how the world works without realizing it. It’s a really interesting and unique world as well, with plants engineered and used to provide people with enhancements such as speed, problem solving, strength, or memory. The main character Din is enhanced to remember everything he experiences in perfect detail. The flip side of this is that there are many contagions in the world and these enhancements often eventually cause health disorders or early death. On top of that, there are leviathans that emerge from the sea during the wet season, and the empire is barely able to hold them back.

The characters are well done. They feel true and real, and some of my favorite moments were in the simple character interactions. Bennett could have delved deeper into their motivations and emotions, but based on where we left off, I think we will be getting more of that in the next installment.

My only big criticism is in how the ending plays out. There is too much standing around and explaining for my tastes. I would have liked to see the mystery revealed in some way other than a monologue. That being said, I am looking forward to seeing how the events of book one affect the politics of the empire. I think there will be some great political intrigue at play, and I can’t wait for it!

TLDR; I really liked it, there were some moments I loved, and I only see the series getting even better from here.

4.25/5 ⭐

Read if you like:
🔎 Murder mysteries
🧠 Dyslexia and/or neurodivergent rep
✨ Unique fantasy worlds
🌿 Plants/botany

Wow, that was good!

An extremely riveting murder mystery taking place in a sci-fi fantasy world where augmentation is the norm. We follow Signum Dinios Kol, Din for short, as he works alongside his eccentric investigator as her “eyes and ears” sort to speak. The investigator, Ana Dolabra, doesn’t leave her residence, instead entrusting Din and his engraver abilities, which give him perfect memory. When a foul murder takes place and Din and Ana get put on the case, they get a bit more than they bargained for. With elaborate twists and turns, the investigation has them uncovering many secrets and dodging dangers from all sides.

So there are so many things to enjoy about this book, from the unique and immersive world-building to the suspense and mystery. I struggled to put this one down. Genuinely. Character-wise Din and Ana, are absolutely amazing. I loved their little quips and their mentor/apprentice relationship. However, I will note that this is plot-driven and not deeply character-focused. We do not get a deep dive into Din or Ana’s histories, but that doesn’t make them any less relatable or interesting. I do feel the author is leaving things open to expand on further in the next books.

There were a couple of things that I wasn’t too fond of, nothing too crazy though. One is the irrelevant romance, it’s kind of sprinkled in and isn’t 100% believable or adding much to the story. In my opinion, either involve it with the story as a bigger subplot, or not at all. The sprinkle of it made me excited and then disappointed. The other thing was that a big secret, hinted at throughout the whole story, is revealed in a less-than-spectacular way. There are so many twists and turns throughout the investigation that it would’ve been nice for this reveal to be done with just as much care.

However, there was SO SO much to love! I was drawn in pretty early on and kept excited the whole time. I truly can’t wait for the next book and this one isn’t even out yet…yikes.

Some things I really love:
- We have disability (dyslexia) and LGTBQIA+ rep!
- Crazy twists
- Modern lingo
- Unique “magic” system (I wouldn’t say it’s magic I consider it more scientific enhancement)
- Interesting setting and creatures

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for providing me with an eARC.

2 stars

I’m so glad everyone else seemed to get a different, fantastic copy of this book. I did not get that book. It starts out fairly interesting and pulling you in the way a lot of typical mysteries go. Soon after though you are weighed down with so much terminology that has no meaning, a world you are trust into with only some unlikeable side characters as a guide. The main character is the only sort of bright spot. I couldn’t care less about the mystery, I was just trying to sludge through each sentence. If you are a huge Sherlock fan give this a try, but I finished so many other books I had paused in an effort not to read another word.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars, rounding up. You gotta love a good fantasy-ass murder mystery. Tons of excellent, intriguing worldbuilding. Bennett uses just enough of the fantastical elements of his world in crafting the murder mystery puzzle to make it novel, but still understandable and satisfying when it's unraveled. He also effectively navigates the problem of showing there is more going on in this fantasy world yet to unpack without overshadowing the plot of THIS book; I think of Marina J. Lostetter's somewhat similar fantasy-mystery <i>The Helm of Midnight</i> which while otherwise excellent hammers the sequel hook a little too hard. It's entirely possible that RJB may still spiral out into an "<i>it goes ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP</i>" expansion of scope in subsequent books but for right now it's doing a very good job of walking that fine line.

4.75/5 stars. Attack on Titan meets Knives Out meets Sherlock Holmes with a sprinkle of The Last of Us.

I truly loved reading this book. The Tainted Cup combines a Sherlock and Watson-esque murder mystery duo with the imaginative world-building of fantasy. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of either genre.

What I appreciate about Robert Jackson Bennett is the creativity of his novels, and this addition to his backlog is no different. The world in which this story is set is so interesting and different than anything I have ever read before, I can't wait to learn more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At the edges of empire, a royal engineer is murdered. The method is unique, a seed was ingested then grew suddenly and rapidly, leaving a gruesome corpse tree. It is Dinios Kol's first major case in his new role as assistant to the eccentric imperial investigator Ana Dolabra. Kol is young, but has received the training and organic implants that make him an engraver, one who can remember everything they have witnessed with perfect clarity, typically aided by their smelling of scents carried for this purpose.

The canton where they investigate is tasked with being the first line of defense against the Leviathans that rise from the sea during the wet seasons. As these creatures approach land, the royal engineers man the walls with their battlements seeking to kill the Leviathans before they can breach the walls. For one season a year, death and destruction loom, forecast by the tremors of the earth that hint at the approach of a Leviathan.

The Tainted Cup is a clever, engrossing crime procedural set in a fantastical world. Politics are of key importance to the plot as this canton hosts agents of powerful factions that seek to influence new career imperial functionaries. Both Kol and Dolabra are clever, but as they investigate the murder, the clues steer them to a wider more troublesome issue that threatens the Empire and an atrocity hidden in its past.

Recommended to readers of cerebral fantasy or political intrigue. Sherlock Holmes in a land threatened by Kaiju.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a perfect blend of fantasy and murder mystery. A quirky and complex story, giving those Sherlock Holmes vibes. I was invested the entire time.