Book Review - Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennet
4/5 🌟

In this sequel to the Tainted Cup we follow Ana and Din as they get caught up in another murder mystery. This time they find themselves called to the backwater region of Yarrowdale to investigate the gruesome murder of a Treasury Officer that ended up in pieces in a swamp. How did this officer get removed from a locked room and why was he specifically targeted? All of this would not have been interesting enough to warrant Ana's time if it weren't for the Shroud. The Shroud is where slain Titans are dissected to create the biological agents that are used for the body modifications used all over the empire.

In this sequel Robert Jackson Bennet perfects what he started in the Tainted Cup. He cleverly builds out the world and lets us meet the people who create the reagents that are the foundation of the empire's power. They show us again that all is not well in the empire and that it might not be as stable as some want us to believe. Yarrowdale's setting as a Kingdom within the empire is extremely interesting and shows us clashes of culture and value. It provides an interesting narrative on colonisation and the class systems it upholds to exert power.

He also takes the Sherlock Holmes analogy to a new level by introducing an almost Moriarty like character that can go wit for wit with Ana in her deductive skills. He also give Din's personality more depth and backstory than in the previous installment.

Then why is this not a 5 stars again? Because while we get a better look at the world and its politics there is no plot development on a higher level. What is the overall plot we are witnessing? Is there even a higher level plot for this series or are they just fun installments Agatha Christie style? If so that is fine, but that makes me worry about how these murder mystery romps could become stale with the next installment.

This book is still highly recommended, the world with its fantastical botanical backdrop and amazingly written characters is very much worth the read! So I hope Bennett surprises us and brings the big fireworks for the next one!

Robert Jackson Bennett is quickly becoming a go-to author for me! This follow-up book to the spectacular The Tainted Cup does not disappoint. The author really knows how to build a world and suspense while keeping things interesting. It's not too much detail a la Hemingway so that you tune out -- everything he details in the story feels new and fresh. The characters are weird but extremely likable -- and smart. I'm usually more of a traditional mystery fan but this series tops the list for me -- keep the books coming!!!

I love this world! I loved the "magic" system in the first book and this one has made me love it that much more. Just the fact that everything feels steeped in science and so organic is just incredible. I know some people don't care for Din's character because he comes off kind of washed out and "stiff", but I think that's the point. To see him slowly become more human seeming because of his interactions with others, but mostly Anna, while Anna herself seems barely human at all, just feels endearing.

The murder mystery plot absolutely had me on the edge of my seat and guessing the whole time. I was suspicious of everyone and I loved it!

And the reveal at the end has me absolutely ravenous for the next book.

I loved jumping back into this world. In book two of this duology, we get more insight into Din and his feelings about his current role and the struggle that he is having with being on end of every tragedy vs. saving people from such tragedies. I did continue to enjoy Ana and her quirkie antics. That being said, I did not enjoy this book as much as I did The Tained Cup. I would still recommend picking this up, but know that it isn't as good as the first.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodderscape for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are my own.

I am very haphazard in my reading. I don’t pay attention to series, I forget characters almost as soon as I finish a book. So when I picked up A Drop of Corruption to read, I went in with no preconceived ideas.

Then I started reading, and thought wait a minute! I remember these characters. Went back through my book log and sure enough I had read (and loved) the first book in this series, The Tainted Cup.

Everything I loved about The Tainted Cup applies to this book too!

The two main characters - Ana - someone who can put together pieces of a puzzling mystery like no other (very Sherlock Holme-ish) who can become so stimulated that she frequently wears a blind fold. And - Din - her assistant. An engraver, who after sniffing a vile of fragrance, can “engrave” things in his mind. All he has to do, is sniff the same scent again, and it all comes back.

This time they are off to solve a mystery of a man who died in a locked room. Everything locked from the inside. Lots of twists and turns, politics, kings, leviathans. It has it all.

Everything about this book works. The story building, the plot, the characters, the word play, the humor, the mystery.

An excellent follow up to The Tainted Cup.

This book takes place months after the end of The Tainted Cup. In this story, Din & Ana are sent to investigate a disappearance in a distant city at the edge of the empire. Things are a bit tense between the two and the case is a baffling and difficult one to crack. So, Ana and Din certainly have their work cut out for them.

Highly recommended for fans of The Tainted Cup and fans of fantasy mysteries. 5 stars.

An excellent follow up to a great new series. With much of the world building done in the first book Robert Jackson Bennet is free to better explore the characters of this world. On top of that the mystery slowly drip feeds more lore without overwhelming. And what an ending. I cannot wait for the next book.

I was so excited to dive back into Din and Ana’s investigative skills, and I was not disappointed!!

The way Din sees and engraves details is one of my favorite things about these books, and it was also rather nice to learn more about his personal life finally.

Investigators Ana and Dinios are used to unusual crimes, so investigating the disappearance of a Treasury officer from a locked room is a relatively trivial matter. It's only a matter of hours before Ana not only works out how the person disappeared, but also deduces that they have been murdered as well. But as to who did it and why? That's a much trickier mystery to solve. The culprit seems to possess an almost supernatural ability to circumvent security measures and to anticipate Ana's investigation. The only thing Ana knows for sure is that the murderer's ultimate target is the Shroud, a high-security factory where the Empire harvests the leviathan blood that drives so much of it. And if the Shroud falls, the Empire could fall with it.

A DROP OF CORRUPTION is another rousing success from Robert Jackson Bennett, at once both a twisty mystery and harsh critique of colonialism. Returning fans will settle right back in with Ana and Din's familiar cadence: Din does the leg-work, interviewing witnesses and assessing crime scenes, while Ana takes the information and works out how the pieces come together. I was glad to see how Din had grown into his role, understanding that Ana's sometimes odd requests always have a reason, and knowing what kinds of information Ana is looking for.

Even though Ana and Din are working on behalf of the Empire, this is not a book that takes the side of the Empire. Instead, it uses the mystery to examine the messy can of worms that comes from colonizing an already inhabited land. While many of those Din interviews are high level officials, there is attention paid to the common folk who get caught in the middle of the political games between the Empire and the native regional government. The story also acknowledges that there are no clean solutions to the problem, as the Empire pulling out of the colony comes with its own set of headaches and injustices.

This book never feels like a lecture, however, because the message is blended with the absolutely engrossing world-building. A DROP OF CORRUPTION continues to iterate on the weird alchemical enhancements introduced in the first book, introducing us to new weird ways people alter themselves in this world. And in the process of delving deeper into the science of alchemy...well let's say some past things that may have registered as off to some readers may start to make sense.

In short, A DROP OF CORRUPTION further solidifies Robert Jackson Bennett as an autobuy author for me. From his deep, intricate world-building to his real world commentary, every one of his books is a full meal. Even if you're just here for the mystery, you're going to have a great time. But for those who just want to lose themselves in a completely different world? You need to pick his books up.

I didn't think this book could be better than The Tainted Cup. It is better! I'm not big on pure fantasy fiction, except for these wonderful books! I was so excited to read it and I still smile when I think of it. Ana and Din are a great characters and fit together like odd shaped puzzle pieces. It shouldn't work, but if does beautifully. We have another murder mystery that is very well-thought out and difficult to figure out, even for the best of us armchair detectives. I cannot wait for the next book...

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

No sophomore slump here. It was suspenseful and clever. The worldbuilding is unique. I can't wait for the next installment.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC.

This book may contains:
- politics
- botanical body gore
- general body horror
- spice (just a little, very subtle)

This book is an easy 5 stars for me. I really love Din and Ana's adventure in solving murders and crimes. And I think it's safe to say that this book can be read as a standalone (you don't really have to read the 1st book to understand it, BUT, I suggest you to read the 1st book because in my opinion it's a little bit better than this one).

It follows Din and Ana's next case which took place in Yarrowdale. A man mysteriously vanished into thin air, and then found dead (well, rotten) days later, far from where he vanished. The author did a great job making us keep guessing who actually killed this man—and why.

We also learn many things about Din and Ana's background (wait, did I say we know something new about Ana? YES I DID?!). Just like the first book, the dynamic between these two investigators are just perfect *chef kiss* I also love Din and Malo platonic relationship, feels like Din just found a little sister who will roast him at any given circumstances😂

Honestly, I can't wait to read a dozen more of Din and Ana murder mysteries😌

We're back in the land of the Leviathans in Drop of Corruption, #2 of the Shadow of the Leviathan series. The Empire both fears and needs these great sea creatures in order to survive, and any threat to them is a threat to the entire Empire.

Once again our eyes into this world are provided by Dinios Kol, an Engraver with a mind altered to remember (and record) all that he experiences. Din is assistant to Ana Dolabra, the brilliant, blindfold-wearing investigator. Together the two solve complex imperial deaths for the Empire. And in Drops of Corruption, there are a lot of murders to investigate.

The world building in this series is fantastic, from the Leviathans to the Empire (and its hierarchy) to the altered states (Din forgets nothing, there are those with other enhanced senses), to the seas and the technology of the realm. The fantasy genre usually is not one of my go-to's, but the character building, the layered mysteries and the completely inappropriate Ana and the earnest, resourceful Din all pull me in.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub date 4/1/2025)

This book reads very much like the first. Characters continue to grow believably, everyone has reasonable motivations, everyone feels real.

My only complaint is the troupe of "genius predicts things that aren't predictable'. I understand the villain is magically genius, but there's certain things that can't be predicted without background information, something that comes up organically in the plot. So when a major plot point gets all hand-wavy mystical guessing, it takes the power away from the villain, makes him lucky instead of scary.

This was a great continuation of the series that introduced a new setting, new characters, and added to the complex history of our main characters. I loved the new mystery and the intrigue around what goes on with the people and research of our new area. I also liked that introduction of more the more political side of the world and learning more about how the government works. Everything about this book is just weird and I love it.

Robert Jackson Bennett is back! And he’s advancing the stories of Ana and Din, an imperial investigator and her assistant. Regular readers know how much I adore RBJ, and I’ve been extremely excited for this next release.

_A Drop of Corruption_ rejoins Ana and Din months after the events of _The Tainted Cup_. They’ve been traveling the empire solving crimes for months, but this latest is a bit different. Specifically, it takes place in Yarrow, a tributary state to the East of the Empire. Ana and Din are there to investigate a mysterious body - and the disappearance of an Empire diplomat… Perhaps predictably for an RBJ novel, things get political quickly.

I’ve repeatedly shared that Bennett is one of my favorite modern fantasy authors. His blend of fantastical surroundings and hardcore political intrigue are the perfect amount of complexity to keep me engaged. And when you add mystery to the mix - let’s just say that my anticipation has been high.

## When worldbuilding meets mystery
Now, just because RBJ is one of my favorite fantasy authors does not mean I’ll let him off the hook on mystery. (In fact , it may give me slightly higher expectations…) I like my mysteries fair play - that is, fully solvable with the facts and information given in the story. This is frequently tricky to pull off - many modern mystery writers “prove” the point in a specific chapter. It’s even harder in a fantasy setting, where different rules govern the world and the physical possibilities.

_A Drop of Corruption_ falls prey to this challenge. I’ll keep this spoiler-free, but the mystery relies on many elements of the fantasy setting that were not immediately clear to this reader. This is true both in the literal sense, but also in a broader sense. Several components of both Yarrow and imperial culture required detailed explanation, which frequently only came once Ana pried after it. Other components required understanding of physical clues - but it’s hard to make assumptions about physical constraints in a fantasy setting. The result was that Ana leapt to conclusions that were practically impossible for a reader to draw, based not only on her augmentations but also existing in the fantasy world.

From a fantasy standpoint, this level of detail is not necessarily bad. In fact, it’s one of the elements that I love most about RBJ’s writing - the sense that the world has been fully fleshed out. But from a mystery standpoint, it can be very tricky to keep both “baseline” Imperial facts and “new” Yarrow facts in your head for evaluation. In contrast, several side plots, which required simply human understanding, were much more accessible and solvable.

## Politics, fictional and real
BUT. All this worldbuilding, as usual, allows RBJ to establish the themes he’s most interested in exploring. Here, it’s an exploration of power and the lengths individuals and nations will go to keep it, alongside the usual exploration of colonialism.

I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy that explores colonial themes lately, so you’d think I’d be tired of it by now. But _A Drop of Corruption_ has a different twist on the theme. Yarrow is a tributary state of the Empire, and one with deep economic ties to its partner / colonizer. It’s in Yarrow that fallen Titans are dissected, harvested, and researched. Yarrow relies on the Empire for its prosperity - and the Empire relies on Yarrow for its science.

This means that Ana and Din’s case - the disappearance of a Treasury officer and diplomatic envoy - moves from simply criminal to political. Much of _A Drop of Corruption_ is devoted to untangling this political context. Ana and Din’s criminal seems to have access to the best research in Yarrow, and almost supernatural levels of intelligence. So untangling the origins of the crime requires upsetting already-tense relations on both sides of the border, and constantly testing the bounds of Imperial vs. Yarrow hegemony.

The result is a story that explores the temptations of tribalism and autocracy. This message is woven more subtly through the start of the story, but comes through loud and clear by the end. Did it hit a little close to home given the state of the world? Perhaps. But that’s maybe when we need that story the most. I wrestle with the ending - I’d love for the Empire to be a better governing body, and a fast resolution there would be _so satisfying_. But that’s not how lasting improvements are made - words that bear repeating in these turbulent times.

## Political fantasy with a mystery flavor
To be clear, I tore through _A Drop of Corruption_. Ana continues to be her creepy, frustrating self. We learn more about Din in this installment, and it’s fun to explore the Empire with him. Together, the pair make a memorable crime-solving duo, creating political havoc everywhere they go. It’s easy to get lost in the twists and turns of the crime-solving without realizing there’s a bigger political plot afoot. And for many a fantasy mystery reader, that’s the sweet spot.

If you like the sound of a political fantasy with a mystery twist, I continue to recommend this series. If you’re looking for a more fair-play mystery, it may be less of a fit. For me, _A Drop of Corruption_ was everything I was hoping for.

Until next time, stay cozy, and stay curious!

“What are we, if not instruments in service to one another?”

Oh man, this series is truly incredible, relevant, and important. I would read countless books of Ana and Din fighting the good fight. RJB’s author note sums up my feelings about this book and our current political landscape beautifully.

Because all the characters in this story-like all of humanity, apparently-have a little blank spot in their heads that says, "Kings. What a good idea." The idea is powerful, and seductive, and should not be underestimated. To be a civilization of any worth, however, means acknowledging the idea-and then condemning it as laughably, madly stupid. May we come to live in such a worthier world, and soon.

4.5 stars, thanks NetGalley and publishers for the ARC!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of A Drop Of Corruption.

I'm usually a little hesitant with second books in a series, but A Drop Of Corruption exceeded my expectations. What's not to like? A fantasy mystery, quirky characters, and great world building.

I enjoyed learning more about the world and getting deeper into the leviathans. Pacing was good with reveals and twists to keep me reading.

Can't wait to see how the story continues in book 3.

I was so happy to get this book! Can I request the 3rd yet? I don't love some of the character developments but I guess that's part of the story-this series blows my mind at the world building and the mystery. I had to relisten to the ending to make sure I didn't miss anyhing and I love this book!!!

“And the drop of corruption that lies within every society shall always persist.”

The second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series was a great addition to the storyline. It answered a lot of the questions from the first while still leaving some things open for the future. I did find some of the twists predictable, but I enjoyed the ride nonetheless.

Din was the perfect awkward lover boy throughout this book and I wouldn’t change him for anything. Ana was her usual badass self. Malo was honestly such a great addition, she added a new element to the character dynamic between Din and Ana.

I cannot wait to see how book 3 goes. Fingers crossed Din and Kepheus cross paths!