If you took Sherlock Holmes & John Watson and plopped them into a fantasy novel, you'd get something similar to The Tainted Cup. This was fun to read. Ana Dolabra's witty one-liners had me laughing on more than one occasion.

This is the type of fantasy where you are pretty much just dropped right into the middle of the world and it took me a bit of time to get my bearings. I did have to go back and jot down some notes on who all of the characters are, which I sometimes have to do anyway in fantasy novels with unique names and abilities. Once I did that I was able to fly through the story.

While the mystery is tied up at the end of the book, I still want to know more about the world itself. I will be anxiously awaiting a sequel!

Before I even got to the ending I was thinking, "I hope this is a series and there are more books" so that means it's really good and I can't wait for more of these characters. I want to know so much more about them!

This was a murder mystery, but in a unique setting that I would classify as fantasy. Not sure if others would agree, but it's what I'm feeling. The mystery started of a bit confusing and slow, but it was because we were entering a new world and had to get the lay of the land and figure out how the world worked and what all the words meant. Once I got into, I devoured it in two days! The mystery was satisfying and Ana is such a character. I liked that a lot of my thoughts were addressed on the page (ooo oooo what about.... Oh ... Yes, I'm just as smart as Ana until she blows me away). All of the details I caught were eventually wrapped up and tired with a bow.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review The Tainted Cup! I thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery and was entranced in this story from the very beginning. I look forward to reading more by this author. Great read!

Thank you to author Robert Jackson Bennett and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for making this e-ARC available for free via NetGalley.

I requested The Tainted Cup because I thoroughly enjoyed Bennett's Foundryside trilogy. This new book definitely met my high expectations. I loved the various characters, the unraveling of the mystery plot and the interesting setting. The magic felt fresh and interesting. The setting was well built, though a couple of aspects of the setting did call to mind Attack on Titan manga and anime. I thought the characters were developed well and that the main characters, Ana and Kol, complemented each other well.

I look forward to the sequel and recommend this to readers who enjoy murder mysteries, fantasy worlds and dry humor. I would give it 5 stars, rounded up from 4.5.

This took me a little bit to get through, partially because I was reading other things at the same time, but I really did enjoy myself from the first page. It was basically Sherlock Holmes set in this really original fantasy world. It even had a Watson narrator, except he was a Watson who was modified to be able to remember everything he saw. Also he was dyslexic. And the Sherlock Holmes character was an autistic-coded woman who was absolutely hilarious. And in was in this world focused on fighting off these gigantic monsters whose blood also seeped into their plants which they then used for all their technology—it was so unique and fun, and all this was revealed slowly and in the context of a murder mystery that really pulled me through the story. I'm officially a fan of murder mystery high fantasy, because a lot of times high fantasy can be so hard to get into because of the new world but the mystery solved that for me. I can't wait for more from this series!

A epic fantasy murder mystery, need I say more!!

This was a fantastic start to a new trilogy from Bennett. We follow Din the apprentice to Ana who is an ‘Iudex’ which is like a judge mixed with an investigator and we travel with them to the city of Talagray where they try to find the murder but find a much larger plot unfolds.

I’m looking forward to reading future instalment’s and hope we can see more of the leviathans and find out a bit more about their lore. I also would like more Strovi and Din pls and thanks.

What I don’t get is why is it named the Tainted Cup - there was no mention of this in the story or have I just missed something?

Robert Jackson Bennett does it again. For transparency, I was already a fan from reading his Foundryside series, so I jumped at the opportunity to get an e-ARC of The Tainted Cup.

While some folks have compared The Tainted Cup to Sherlock Holmes, that's selling it short - and I actually enjoy Sherlock Holmes! Ana is such a compelling character, and her quirks made me laugh out loud at points. Din and Ana complement each other so well, and I cannot wait to see how their relationship develops over the course of the series.

The book itself presents an intriguing mix of fantasy and murder-mystery that will appeal to folks who enjoy either genre. I personally tend more towards fantasy, but it's fun to read a book like this that is not high fantasy, but feels more approachable. The world unveils itself slowly over the course of the story, almost effortlessly along with the plot.

All in all, I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to read this book ahead of its publication, and I will be eagerly awaiting future additions to the series! Thanks to Del Rey Books and Netgalley for the opportunity!

ARC Review

Well, unfortunately I do not have any comparison titles for this book as it was well outside of my normal genre… or more so… a mashup (?) of several separate genres I read-- whatever it was, it was BLOODY brilliant.

This is my first RJB book as I've have had the second Foundryside novel on my shelf for years, not realizing when I bought it was number two. The Tainted Cup has pushed me to order Foundryside immediately so that I can ready more of his work.

Anyways, The Tainted Cup follows an investigator Ana who is raving mad, and absolutely genius (I can only hope I grow to be as eccentric as she) and her assistant Din who can do nothing but role his eyes and push on through Ana's antics. I enjoyed their relationship and disparate personalities so much, I feel as though I could read dialogue between them and them alone for hours.

But! For those of you that shake your head and say "no!" to dialogue between only two characters, no worries. We have a full cast of characters full of investigators, elitists, townsfolk and the like to keep us entertained while Ana and Din try to solve several murders before the Leviathan (giant sea beasts) breach the towns wall and they have to evacuate.

This novel wraps up perfectly, but leaves just enough mystery in the last chapter's dialogue that you know another is coming, and you can't wait. (Me, it's me, I can't wait).

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

I went into this book not expecting a lot, only to be greeted with one of the most engrossing mysteries I've read in a long time. The Sherlock Holmes and Watson nature of the two main characters was delightful and kept things interesting even in places where the story slowed down. The world this all took place in was fascinating and exciting in equal measure, with magic based off nature and biological enhancement, and an empire protected from enormous leviathans via three walls in a fashion that reminded me of Attack on Titan. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery, interesting characters, or both!

This book wasn’t for me. I thought I was reading a magical fantasy type book, but it didn’t feel that way to me. However, the storyline was written well.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I was really excited to read it given the early feedback but I was left wondering if I was reading the same book as they were. I think the writing style doesn’t mesh with my preferences.

I wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters. There were times I didn’t know what was going on. The leviathan angle was underserved in the plot. You could have had a similar mystery without that element.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

The Tainted Cup mixes fantasy and mystery perfectly. I don't read a lot of mystery because I often see the ending coming and for this one parts of it feel into place quickly but the ending was not what I saw coming.

Ana is an investigator assigned to Daretana and while she is there she gets a new assistant Din. Din is an engraver, altered to have a perfect memory. After weeks of fraud cases there is a murder and it is a strange one even for this world where the sea is full of leviathans and contagions are common. A military officer is killed by a tree erupting from his chest. Din goes to the scene and he engraves what he sees and brings it back to Ana, who interacts with the world as little as possible. Together they work to put the pieces together as the Leviathan's attack the sea walls.

This was such an original world and I loved the characters. Ana who is brilliant but limited and Din who is at times sure of himself and at others feels like a fake. I'm really looking forward to more of the series. While the mystery of this story was wrapped up nicely there was so much more to learn about this world. I really really want to know why the Leviathan's attack the sea walls in the wet season and why do they have faces?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

In The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett carries forward the strengths of the Founder’s Trilogy, but in a different type of story—a murder mystery.

The world-building is as strong as ever, aided by taking familiar elements and combining them in unique ways and clear, precise writing. Every few months, the Empire of Khanum comes under assault from massive leviathans (think Kaiju), the prose clearly and terrifyingly captures their scale. The leviathan’s corpses, especially their blood, contain unique properties that the empire has used to create their technology, including enhancing individuals for strength and smell and other attributes. And yet, the safety of the Empire is threatened by the schemes of the wealthy, land-owning gentry.

The story’s sole narrator Din—a likable, resourceful, determined protagonist, plagued by feelings of inadequacy—is an engraver, someone enhanced to have perfect recall, and an assistant investigator to the brilliant, eccentric, and acerbic Ana. The duo, always a pleasure to follow if you don’t mind a lot of snark (the comparison to Holmes and Watson is definitely valid), find themselves caught up in a scheme when the calm of Din’s home is shattered by a gruesome murder.

The murder mystery that follows is full of shocking reveals that skillfully expose the inner- and true-workings of the empire. (Its only weakness is that some suspects could have been more developed. The intrigue came more from the why than the who.) Much of the joy of The Founder’s Trilogy comes from its action scenes and cleverly executed heists based on its innovative magic system. In The Tainted Cup, those are largely replaced by probing investigative questions posed to suspects and the bureaucracy of the empire. This may sound less joyful, but there are thrilling action sequences at key moments, the details of the empire rarely bog down the pacing thanks to the precise prose, and the battle of wits at play in the questioning is as engaging as any well-executed sword fight. Combine all this with a steadily growing sense of danger, and The Tainted Cup is every bit as engaging.

The conclusion satisfyingly brings all the threads together with a message that celebrates difference and offers hope in the face of anger and entrenched corruption. It is also thorough enough to allow The Tainted Cup to stand alone, while leaving enough questions to create eager anticipation for a sequel.

This review will be posted to X/Twitter at laramie_graber and to Goodreads at Laramie Graber on February 6th.

I was intrigued by the blurb for this book, but knew I was stepping outside of my comfort zone as a primarily romantasy reader. The first two-thirds of the book were a bit slow paced for my liking, but the last third definitely paid off.

The book follows a young man as he tries to prove himself capable of becoming an assistant investigator, working with a quite eccentric superior. There are extensive fantasy and sci-fi elements, as well as strong, immersive world building. I enjoyed discovering culprits along with MMC as he used his unique abilities to help unravel a series crimes that went back years.

All said and done, I’m glad I branched out and tried a new genre. It has inspired me to continue. I’ll likely buy a physical copy of this book once it releases for my teenage son, and I’d definitely read more of the author’s work going forward.

We are led to believe that this book is going to be a fantasy novel with magical elements. I don't see where magic played any part in this novel-at least not magic the way I understand it. I did find it interesting that the people of this world have augmentations/grafts added to their bodies and/or brains. These augmentations allow the user to do many amazing things.

This book kept me somewhat engaged if only to find out the why's of the mystery. I did not like the main characters, Din and Ana, one tiny bit, and I felt nothing for them. Some of the secondary characters hit the mark better than the main characters. They kept me going.

The swearing and usage of modern colloquialisms were atrocious, considering (the world? the time period?) the rest of the odd language used in this novel.

It is a very twisty mystery that many fans of this author and of this type of fantasy will enjoy.

*ARC supplied by Del Rey | Random House Group, the author, and NetGalley.

I've seen so many people excited about this book, but I sort of struggled through it. It unfortunately wasn't for me.

At the beginning of the book, I did find it interesting and the world building seemed impressive and unique. But after that the book quickly started to lose my interest.

While I generally love crime-solving duos, I did not love this one. I found the characters one-dimensional and uninteresting.
I also didn’t really care about the mystery or anything that happens really. There were also Leviathans. The Leviathans existed. That's about it.

I guess the combination of mystery and fantasy didn’t really work for me. There were too many mystery and fantasy elements for a brain foggy individual like myself to keep track of and stay engaged.

The book was described to me as fun. I didn’t fall into the category of people who found this book fun. I'm not sure if using the word f*ck every other page is supposed to constitute fun. And I personally just find the use of modern swear words grating in a fantasy like this. Also whoever compared it to Knives Out, no, stahp.

I recognize I’m in the minority of people who didn’t like this book, so I do recommend anyone with an interest in fantasy and mysteries to give this a try.

When I received this ARC, I was so excited to see what Robert Jackson Bennett is about to release especially with the synopsis that had been provided. This was an interesting mix of genres of Fantasy and Mystery, which is something that I have not read from before, but I adored it.

The entire plot was driven by an interesting main character, Dinios Kol, and the investigator he was hired to help, Ana Dolabra. Kol is an engraver, where his is able to remember everything and report back to Ana with what he found. Bennett created characters that are reminiscent of Holmes-and-Watson especially in how Ana and Kol interact with one another. Ana is quirky and people do not necessarily like her or think highly of her, but she is inevitably smart and does her job well. Kol is quiet and understated, while he has his own secrets, he is able to prove himself as a helper to the detective. Bennett created an interesting fantasy world that was built fairly well. The entire Empire is constantly threatened by the Leviathans and contagion, but Ana and Kol's purpose is to follow the murders of people from the citizens in the Empire.

The only reason this was a 4 instead of a 5 star was because while a lot of the book was interesting there were some areas that dragged on a little more than necessary. And while eventually I loved the characters it took a while for me to gain an interest in the characters at the beginning. I started to enjoy the book more when they traveled to the borders of the Empire.

I recommend this book for those that enjoy fantasy and mystery books, but are okay with less action in the beginning and a lot of world building.

4 1/2 stars rounded down

Thank you NetGalley and Random House/Del Rey for the ARC of this magnificent book.

Exciting read, excellent writing!

This is a high caliber Sherlockian mystery set in an exciting fantasy world. It is told from the perspective of Din (Watson’s equivalent). Din answers to Ana, a quite eccentric investigator/detective whom Din attempts to contain at times for social propriety’s sake. Both are clever, resourceful, “self-assembled” individuals. Characters are well developed, even the minor ones.

People are being murdered in a most extraordinary way.: with a poison activated by moisture that causes a tree to grow from the person’s body. To complicate matters, our fantasy world is troubled by Leviathans who must be kept at bay by a group known as engineers, lest they kill the population and destroy the land. The mystery is carefully constructed and it is difficult to predict (a must in any good mystery).. The world is an exciting place to be with its different Cantons (multi-cultural), augments, different factions, and its 1% also known as the Haza’ family. There is also a subtle romance.

This is my first Robert Jackson Bennett read. What I appreciated most about this book was the exceptional caliber of writing. I have read many books of late that I cannot believe even make it to market for the poor writing. Bennett is my hero! First, he writes brilliant descriptions; I could picture what was happening in my mind. I still see the tree coming out of the chest of the first person murdered. Then the character development; the reader knows immediately that Ana is kooky and Din is a bit stiff and uptight; I could see him standing all rigid in his too small blue jacket. The author, Bennet paints pictures with words and transports the reader into the story. In my opinion that’s the way it should be!

I highly recommend this brilliant book. I plan to buy kindle for my 91 year old mother, and hardcover my 28 year old daughter.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Fantasy, Fantasy Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Science Fiction
Gore Level: I'm going to call it medium. Yeah, it's a bit gross but not constant.
Language: Deplorable. I feel justified in saying this because even the author apologizes to his nana in the author notes. Tons of f-bombs. I wouldn't have finished the book if the story and world weren't so interesting.
Sexual Content: Medium. Things are mentioned but no sex on the page.
Representation: Neurodiverse character. Gay character on the periphery of the storyline.

— A world where certain people are augmented from the titan sea creatures that attempt to breach the sea wall every year.

— Mysterious murder. Done by plant and made to look like a contagion.

— Detective who reminds me of Sherlock: she's perceptive, wants illegal smokes, and is oh so quirky.

— Love the representation of dyslexia and other character traits from the autism spectrum.

— More deaths that lead to a catastrophe.

— More deaths.

— A solution that is part social justice, part reality, part awesome (you'll have to read to see what I mean).

I do recommend this book for adults with the caveat that there is a lot of swearing. I mean a lot. (Maybe that doesn't bother you, but that's why I've knocked it down one star because it eliminates some people from a potential audience.)

Happy reading!

What a genre mashup! A detective fantasy mystery, is all combined in this masterpiece. I know it sounds like a lot but trust me IT WORKS!!!!