5/5

An unthinkable murder looms large in an empire beset by leviathans, strange contagions, and corruption blooming at its heart. Undeniably humorous and brilliant in its craft, The Tainted Cup is a bold new murder mystery that reinvigorates the classic investigative pairing with a plot almost serpentine in the way that it constantly twists and turns back upon itself in an act of reinvention. Robert Jackson Bennett has constructed a stellar fantasy world alongside an inventive magic system. This is an unpredicable, but nevertheless brilliant mystery equipped with a duo to rival Watson and Holmes. The kind of story to seep in and take root in the most unexpected places.

My full review will be posted on my blog closer to publication!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and the Del Rey for allowing myself to receive the ARC version of this book.

Wow - this is not what I was expecting. I have never really gotten a sci-fi/fantasy/distopia conglomeration but this book definitely checked all the boxes. Add in some Sherlock and Holmes and you have a great book for book club but also this is a book that I would read with my significant other. I will be buying him a copy of it for Christmas!

Cannot wait to read the next mystery in the second book!

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is very different from books I usually read. I did finish it. Since it is a genre, I am not familiar with, take my review in that vein.
I was not sure about the magical aspects of the story. I did enjoy the mystery and the way the main character Ana Dolabra solved it. Along with her assistant, Dinios Kol who is magically altered.
The writing was good and mystery interesting. I give it 3 stars

Agatha Christie meets Sherlock Holmes? Why, yes, I’m in!

A mystery set in a fantasy. This is a book unlike any I have read. And I read a lot.

Investigating a murder of a highly ranked officer who has suddenly died when a tree erupted from his body! And even in this strange world that is something new.

Ana Dolabra is the investigator, along with her assistant, Din. Din is an engraver, magically altered to have a perfect memory. He is to observe and report to Ana. His boss is brilliant but also odd.

Ana and Din are the Sherlock and Holmes. She is such an interesting character, with her boundless curiosity and insatiable desire for information.

Din is finding our more and more about Ana and her abilities, but is she on to his?

What a different and refreshing story this is. Mystery/Thriller/Fantasy is a new one for me and we loved it.

Netgalley/ RHPT/Ballentine/Del Rey, February 06,2024

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Ana is a detective who is known for her brilliance. Her next case is a man who was murdered with little to no on. With her assistants help they will delve into a world they no little about. A Good read

This is a who-done-it in the fantasy world.Took awhile to get a handle on the language used (been a long time since I read any Shakespeare!) but once I got used to it the story-line had me. Give it a good long chance and you won't be disappointed.

Thanks for the chance to read this book.

This book is truly amazing, and I can't wait to tell you why. The beginning was a bit difficult to get into, as the dialogue was very different from what I'm used to. It's not exactly modern language, but more like the old world, similar to William Shakespeare's time. However, once I got used to it, I was hooked. I had to ignore the timeline as it didn't seem to make sense. The sea monsters, yet combine with advanced science were confusing to me; therefore, I treated it as a fantasy/sci-fi and just enjoyed the story. The plot was easy to follow and really drew me in. The characters were so colorful, especially Ana. She has such flare, bluntness, and an enigma that is hard to resist. The way she solved the mystery with theatrics and style can only be compared to Sherlock Holmes. If you're a fan of Sherlock, then this is definitely the book for you, but with a unique twist on the setting. I would love for this to turn into a series, just to explore more of Ana's captivating character. This book is a must-read of the year.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! The old english kind of verbage gives A Haunted Mansion vibe & I love that. It is faced paced, unputdownable! It's a classic mystery of who done it but with a magical twist to it. Thank you

This book sucks you in from the very beginning. It is one of those you hate to see end. The writing is just so enjoyable and you were able to just feel like you were in the story. All the characters, all their quirkiness, all their unique traits and abilities made it such an enjoyable book. The descriptions, magic, and all the feels were just combined in a perfect plot. If you are riding the fence on this one, trust me, it is worth your time.
I do feel like the little bit of romance towards the end was kind of just thrown in there. I think the book would’ve even been fine without any romance because you were so invested and enthralled with the mystery and solving what was going on that you really didn’t even have to have it. Now I have to go back and read everything this author has written. If it’s even half as good as this book, it will be worth the time and effort to read the others.

What appears to be a simple murder mystery at the outset expands and develops, along with your view of the world and characters, into something complex and surprising as the story unfolds. The mystery elements hooks the reader from the first chapter and sets the quick pace of the book.

A host of very quirky characters make the cast. Initially, the eccentrics were annoying, but as I saw the characters encounter certain challenges and build relationships throughout the story, I became very invested in their development and wellbeing. There was also an element of dyslexia representation that was woven into the story very well.

Overall, this book had my hooked. I was intrigued by the world, engaged by the plot, and loved the characters. This book had me reacting from cringing in certain situations the characters found themselves in to literally laughing out loud at some of the dialogue. I recommend this for a fun, murder mystery set in a very imaginative world with a great set of characters. I’m looking forward to book 2 and seeing what hijinks the characters get up to as well as to see how the world expands based on the hints and foreshadowing from book 1.

wowowow this was so good. this is my first of bennett's work and i absolutely loved it. his worldbuilding is great and well-thought but i absolutely /loved/ the main characters. it felt like bennett truly made each character their own and the character voices were great. i loved bennett's attention to detail and how he wove the worldbuilding into the story; it really made the world immersive and it felt full of life. aside from that the mystery was so fun and even though ana was a know-all type of character, she was absolutely my favorite and i need more of her immediately. im excited to get into bennett's other works after this great one! thanks to netgalley for the advanced access :)

Reviewed for NetGalley:

A very slow start, interesting middle, but then some slow pacing again.

Ana was by far my favorite character, adding a little quirkiness to the cast of the characters.

Enjoyable fantasy.

I typically don't read books with the genre of fantasy, but this is a great mix between fantasy and mystery. I was intrigued by the summary so decided to give it a go. I would say this book is a great way to get your feet wet with a fantasy novel. It was not overwhelming for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author does a fantastic job at world-building and characterization. I enjoyed the mystery aspect and the puzzles. I am excited to see where this series goes in the future books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I've always heard such wonderful things about Robert Jackson Bennett and have been wanting to read his Foundryside and Divine Cities series but haven't had time to dive into full series yet. So, when I saw the opportunity to read the first entry in his new series I absolutely jumped at the chance.

I saw another reviewer mention this was a mash cup of Knives Out and Attack on Titan and I couldn't agree more.

Ana and Din make such a great pair and I found myself particularly enjoying their interactions.

The Tainted Cup has very "lite" fantasy elements. It gave me steampunk vibes with many of the citizens having alterations to their mind and body. We also have these giant "leviathans" that threaten the citizens. The inclusion of them felt a little random in this book and I wonder if Bennett will explore more of them in future installments.

I did enjoy the murder mystery element though I found it difficult to keep track of all the characters and their roles. Certain parts did drag for me and I wish I cared more about the characters motivations.

Overall this was a solid 3.5/5.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group and Del Ray for this review copy.

I’m shocked that so many rated this book so highly. I wanted to like it, but I struggled so much to get interested. Some of the items in the world were cool, but not enough. I kept waiting for something to click, but it never did. The characters just didn’t do it for me. There was no connection, no reason to invest or care in them. I didn’t even realize it was supposed to be a murder mystery because there was no suspense!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Robert Jackson Bennett is such a genius I swear. I found RJB through Foundryside and was blown away by his complex worlds, intricate characters, and mind-blowing world building; andTHE TAINTED CUP is no exception to RJB's intimate writing style but -- BUT --- I LOVED THIS ONE. LIKE LOVED IT.

I devoured this in only a couple of sittings and was pleasantly surprised at how difficult it was to figure out what the F was happening. The murder mystery truly was a mystery and when reveals did happen, I gasped along with the characters especially as our voice-y and foul-mouthed Ana laid out everything.

But Dinios Kol <3 I love him so dearly. He is a disaster but in the best way because he is a competent disaster with drive and purpose and conviction. RJB expertly layers and weaves his story, his difficulties, his disabilities, and his intelligence with expert care.

Honestly, one of my favorite aspects of this book was that every character was nuanced, no matter how big or small -- and the nuance extends to not just the characters but the world and the magic!! Which!! The magic is so freaking cool!!!

Ugh, no spoilers but I AM ITCHY for book 2 because of the ending and how RJB layered so, so many threads to be unraveled and revealed and this book is just so so good!!

Thank you so much to Del Rey and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Din has been hired as the apprentice to the strange Investigator Ana Dolabra. He has taken grafts to be an engraver. One does as one must to support their families. Typically their investigations are of the tax fraud variety. However as the story unfolds, Din finds himself investigating a murder. And the cause of death is gruesome. As Din and Ana continue their investigations they realize this not an isolated incident and the repercussions could ruin the entire Empire. Will they be able to catch the culprit before more are killed?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I found this book hard to get into as it was a little slow to start and very detail-oriented. However, as the action picked up, I was hooked and the last quarter of the book, I couldn’t put it down as I needed to find out the ending.

This is a fun twist on the Holmes and Watson dynamic. The characters are well developed and dynamic and you know I love an irreverent female lead. Ana gives zero fucks and everyone accepts her as she is.

That being said there were plenty of loops and twists that I wasn’t expecting, hence why I was on the edge of my seat as all was revealed at the end.

The world building was done nicely and I was intrigued by the background of the leviathans. I would love a story about who they are and where they are coming from. I thought there might be a teaser in this book but could be wishful thinking.

All in all I highly recommend this book to mystery and fantasy lovers alike. I, of course, am both!

Oh no! I fear I'm the outlier in this situation! Please take my review lightly as it seems that most people loved it while I struggled through it.

My two main issues were with the fantasy world as well as our two main characters. This is ironic because I've seen several people say this is their favorite parts of the story. While I saw one reviewer say that this is an easy fantasy read for those who don't often read fantasy, I felt the opposite. It took me ages to get into this universe. I think half of it was the fantasy world itself, the other was the writing style. I felt like I was trudging through it, never feeling fully immersed or entertained by it. My other issue was the two main characters. I just didn't...really....care for them? I kept waiting to form some kind of attachment or to even care for what they were doing, but I was never sold on Ana and her eccentricies and I couldn't care less for Dinios. For a murder mystery, I felt very little suspense and mostly just impatience.

Again, I have to say I feel like I read a completely different book than everyone else. It's a little mind boggling honestly. I'm not sure if it was just me and the genre or perhaps the writing style? Maybe the characters? Either way, this wasn't the most enjoyable or immersive read for myself. But, as with most books, this is subjective. I encourage other readers to check out other reviews as it does seem that there were TONS of people that enjoyed it and I am clearly on the outskirts of it all.

A big thank you to PRH Ballentine/Del Rey for the chance to give my honest feedback!

Loved this. Fun & different fantasy world with amazing characters!! Definitely going to be looking up more by this author. Thank you Random House Publishing and Netgalley for this gifted ebook!

Robert Jackson Bennett will forever be an insta buy author for me. He creates worlds and stories that I would consider almost high fantasy but makes it so easy to read. This book sucked me in and kept a toght hold on me until the end. I truly cannot wait until his next book.