Absolutely loved this sequel to The Tainted Cup! The expanded worldbuilding, the character building and development, the introduction of new side characters, and the new mystery to solve - all ways this book evolved from the first and absolutely stunned! Ana and Din are one of my favorite duos, and I absolutely adore their interactions. I'm really not much of one for "murder mysteries," but this goes far beyond that. The world itself is a character, and I yearned to know more about it after the first book. This book did that in spades and evoked such gothic horror feelings with the introduction of the Shroud and the murky swamp-like atmosphere. I know there is a third book coming, and when it does, I want to be the first to get my hands on it!

*I received this eARC from NetGalley and am providing an honest review.*

Book Summary:

Dinos Kol is not on the path he expected, not at this point in his life. He wanted to serve on the Wall, where the bravest soldiers go (and don’t always come back). However, instead, he’s working for Ana Dolabra, a famous and mercurial investigator.

As such, he’s been sent to Yarrowdale, borderline outside of the Empire’s borders, to solve a crime that shouldn’t be possible. It begins with an empty room, a missing person, and part of a body, and it only gets more confusing from there.

My Review:

Yes! I absolutely fell in love with this world when The Tainted Cup was first released, so you can imagine my delight when A Drop of Corruption was announced. I was lucky enough to grab it from Aardvark both times, though I did re-buy The Tainted Cup so I could get the fancy foiled cover. I’m a sucker for pretty covers, I guess.

A Drop of Corruption carries the adventure forward in new and exciting ways. It expanded our view of the Empire, while also showcasing the Empire’s limitations and borders. It was fascinating to see, even without the murder mystery to keep me invested.

On that note, this novel very much felt like a battle of the minds. Ana went up against another brilliant character, and watching the two duke it out was highly entertaining, a mirror match, of sorts. Yes, this does offer some answers about who and what Ana is.

Meanwhile, Dinos is still dealing with some personal drama, ranging from debt to his off-hours habits. These details help to make the character feel more real and human, though I can’t help but feel like we’re setting up for a conflict down the road. Guess I’ll have to keep reading to find out! Now the wait begins again.

Highlights:
Fantasy with Mystery Elements
Contagions & Plants
Pacific Rim meets the Chronicles of Amicae
Sherlock Holmes vibe (battle of the minds)

Another great book in the series! I was worried this wouldn't live up to the first book but it definitely delivered. I love the world building, characters, and mystery. I can't wait to read the next!

I loved, loved loved The Tainted Cup and I am equally enamored with this installment in Shadow of the Leviathan. What makes Bennett’s writing so extraordinary is that he is talking about creatures in a culture, in a land of which we have no comprehension and he makes it all so believable.

Dropped into an otherworld with rules and strictures and mind and body grafts and danger, so much danger, the fantasy become reality - for the characters and the reader. When I am able to embrace a story and never question that it is all happening because I have been so completely captured by the writing - that is writing at its very best. The social commentary embedded in the story is potent without being distracting - many try to tackle that while few succeed - Bennet has mastered it.

Great characters with sometimes outrageous dialog that you can hear as you read the words, their voices swirl in your head as you try to make the situation reasonable. At times so much is said with so few words - nuance prevails.

Favorite quotes:
“That’s what faith and the divine is, isn’t it? A line stretching from the little beings like us, to the ineffable, the incomprehensible.”

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

A Million thanks to Del Rey/Random House and NetGalley for a copy.

More like a 2.5 star read for me; I don't know why I keep reading these except the plot lines are interesting and the main characters are rather like watching a train wreck. I can see how they're compelling . . . . just maybe not for me. I like the idea of the politics and the world building but both Din and his boss are . . .not to my taste. If you like characters with heavily skewed moral compasses that are actually fairly rude, then uh, I would recommend away!

if I get the next book in the series, I'll probably request it from my library. Thank you NetGalley for a free advance copy to read, sorry it took me a long time to review!

I once again love Ana Dolabra, but I really liked Din in this story as well!

A Drop of Corruption is the continuing story of Dinios Kol, the assistant to the brilliant but very eccentric Ana Dolabra - an expert in solving mysteries. Din uses his augmented memory to bring exact details of people and places to Ana to help her solve the most unsolvable mysteries the empire can throw at them. This time, the empire has sent them out to Yarrowdale, where there has been what appears to be a... bank robbery? But one that cannot have happened. An impossible bank robbery. It's up to Ana - and so therefore Din, to figure out how, and most importantly why, this could have happened. 

Y'all, this one was even better than the first one in my opinion. As I said, Ana has always been my favorite character, because she's just so.... her. But Din definitely grew on me in this one as well. I was glued to my seat the whole way through this one and the story went from a simple (okay, not simple at all) bank robbery into... something much more than that. By the end of the story, the mystery was so much more than a bank robbery - and I didn't see any of it coming at all. 

We learned more about Din, and more about Ana in this one, and I was absolutely on board for it. A Drop of Corruption introduced another character, Malo, who is a warden in Yarrowdale. She has been augmented as well, and her skills include upgrades to her senses. I really hope that she remains a character in the next book as well, because she definitely has the sort of attitude and sense of humor that i enjoy.

All told, I really enjoyed this book a lot. I am excited to see what else happens to Ana and Din (and hopefully Malo) in the next volume.

It is very difficult for authors to come up with a unique take on fantasy and magic systems as the genre has become mainstream. However, Bennett has managed to create a fully-fleshed world in this series with interesting characters and engaging storyline. Detective Ana Dolabra steels the show anytime she appears on the page as a eclectic and brilliant female Sherlock who is always the smartest person int he room. Her assistant, Dinios Kol, who is our protagonist, started the series as a shy, inexperienced detective who seemed to be taking on a job he was not qualified for but has shown great growth of the two books of this series and you will be eager to find out what happens in the next book. The mystery of the story is interesting and engaging. I recommend picking up this series as you will be eager to find out what happens in the next edition of this engaging series.

Robert Jackson Bennett has done it again!! I fell in love with the Tainted Cup when I first read it, and it was a true pleasure to continue with these characters and this world. It was well written and well developed, and my interest never wained!

I didn't love the first book like everyone else seemed to, but this one surprised me a lot!
The characters were more refined and well written, with less stereotypes and more personality. The mystery itself grabbed my attention more and was more well developed.
The world continues to be amazingly creepy, but I enjoyed this location more. Overall it was a big win!

I was not expecting my love for Robert Jackson Bennet and his writing style to happen so quickly, but wow does he write a good book. I can't wait for the next installment for the series. When I saw the original comparison to Sherlock Holmes I did not believe that I would enjoy it because I have tried many books that claims similarity and they have not tickled the same itch. Ana and Din's relationship drives this book so much and I appreciate their connection throughout the book.
Not only is the world building so interesting, but the mystery elements create a driving force that makes the pacing of these books so fast even for being as long as they are.

If you like high fantasy worlds with an urban fantasy setting crossing with mystery I fully recommend this series. It is a unique story and I have recommended it to as many people as I find that enjoy these themes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the e-ARC in exchange for the honest review.

Once again I am captivated by the perfect detective-assistant duo of Ana and Din and yet another tantalizingly otherworldly biopunk mystery (this one even better than The Tainted Cup, IMO!), and once again I am left with bittersweet disappointment as I have to wait probably another few years for another installment. The only caveat is that it felt a bit removed from the first book in a way that felt like it could have benefited from a bit more worldbuilding scaffolding, and I found it slow at first, but - as always for me with Robert Jackson Bennett - it was still an immensely enjoyable read.

Even better than the first in Robert Jackson Bennett's Shadow of the Leviathan series, A Drop of Corruption once again deliciously blends high fantasy with Watson & Holmes-ian detective fiction. In this case, Ana and Din must solve what is initially a locked room murder, set in a canton at the edge of the Empire's reach. We come up against the culture and politics of the realm of Yarrow, a new-to-us region caught between Empire and its own king-led autocratic fuckery. There are ever-weirder pharmacopeia and human augmentations in Yarrow, which borders both Heart of Darkness-ish jungle and the sea. And Ana and Din have their work cut out for them when it comes to the puzzle set before them here. Once again, character development, world building, ramping up of stakes, witty banter -- all the juicy, plot-thickening goodness is here. And the reveal is smart, satisfying, and leaves us with crumbs to explore in further books in the series.

[Thanks to Del Rey/Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

I need MORE ‘detective murder mystery thriller fantasy’ stories in my life!!!

This series continues to be one of my absolute favourites, the writing style, the world building, the creepiness, the VIBES (immaculate ✨) the humour, the banter!!!

Din and Ana are maybe my most favourite duo, they work in the best way! A Drop of Corruption jumps right into attempting to solve, again, what looks like an impossible murder case - twists and turns follow and I was like 👀 the whole way!

Cannot recommend this series enough and I NEED THE NEXT BOOK PLS *grabby hands* go read this and come talk to me about it thanks.

An excellent sequel! I love the world Robert Jackson Bennett has created for this series. There are touches of horror mixed in with the fantasy and the Watson and Sherlock Holmes vibes continue in the sequel with Din and Ana. I really enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about the Leviathans and Ana's back story. My only complaint is the pacing felt a little off in the middle but otherwise, can't wait for the next book!

The follow-up to Shadow of the Leviathan was just as bizarre as its predecessor. This was a dark and disturbing story that follows Din and Ana to a new mysterious murder they must unravel. The characterization and imagery are amazing. If you like dark fantasy (not romantasy), this one is for you!

I love Robert Jackson Bennett's body of work. There are only two of his books I have not read, but I love every one of those I have. In fact, if I look back, I've rated every one of those books as five-star reads. I feel no shame in saying that streak continues with A DROP OF CORRUPTION, book two in the Shadow of the Leviathan series.

I love Mr. Bennett's work because his stories are intelligent, well-crafted, and always unique. His worlds are fascinating in their foreignness and complexity. He builds those worlds seamlessly within the story, avoiding tedious paragraphs of nothing but exposition. The characters he creates are equally memorable, vibrant, and real, and his characters run the gamut from ordinary people to gods to inanimate objects.

Most importantly, he writes damn good stories. A DROP OF CORRUPTION is essentially a locked room murder mystery, done in his unique style. His version of Holmes, Ana Dolabra, is not just an eccentric this time around. She's almost monstrous at times, and I will say that her meals make for some of the most disturbing scenes in the entire novel. And that includes the extremely mutilated dead bodies Ana and Din are there to investigate.

As for the mystery, it is as intricate as you expect, but he never makes it impossible to understand. For as intelligent and clever as his stories are, Mr. Bennett excels at ensuring readers follow along with Ana's hypotheses and understand the complicated mechanics of the Empire and its various customs. He uses the mystery to answer questions about Ana's and Din's past as well as to flesh out the Empire, its past, and its current political issues.

By the end of A DROP OF CORRUPTION, you know Mr. Bennett is still leading his investigators down a certain path. The path is visible, but what is at the end remains a mystery. While we know more about Din's motivations and Ana's more unusual characteristics, there is still a lot that continues to be hidden from us, and that is half the fun of reading his stories. Mr. Bennett never rushes a story, but each scene builds upon the next much as a layer of bricks builds a wall, and his pacing is as careful and deliberate as a mason's is. The payoff is an overall story well worth the wait, with each book in the series providing enough entertainment and clues to keep you going. Fans of fantasy and Sherlock Holmes novels need to check out the Shadow of the Leviathan series and recognize the brilliance of Mr. Bennett for themselves.

Thank you to NetGalley and DelRey for an E-Arc of this book

Drop of Corruption was somehow better than the already excellent Tainted Cup. Despite my already heavily laden TBR, this book has me considering the idea of adding Bennett’s other series to it, because I was enthralled by it from start to finish. I read it in a single sitting, and even though that was part of my readathon, I think I would have done so anyway.

The mystery within the novel is awesome. It’s a bog standard locked room mystery enhanced by virtue of the setting of these books, making it instantly dynamic. Bennett continues to capitalize on the incredibly interesting magic system that he built in the first book, by expanding it massively, both with the introduction of the Shroud, and new forms of mutations. I was able to guess about half the twists, but the other half were done so subtly I completely missed them.

He also paints a much more interesting political landscape than the first one, setting this story in a kingdom on the brink of being made into a vassal of the empire. The vibe that it has is so good, and I’m kind of sad to be leaving it behind in the next book.

If the last book was Ana’s book, this is Din’s book. I thought he was decent in the last book, but he was very much there to be a bit of a foil to Ana, who consistently took centre stage. Here, he is the focal point of the story’s emotional beats. Every single one is centered on him. He feels like a much more fleshed out character, with his background expanded upon, and his relationship with Ana being made much more two way than it was for most of the first book.

The continued decision to have the Leviathans just be part of the background remains one of my favourite elements of the books, with this book explicitly stating that the defense against them is less important than what Ana and Din do. I hope this decision continues throughout the series, since it makes the threat of them feel a lot more real, since naturally things would just have to go on even in spite of the existence of this larger than life threat.

Overall, this book was phenomenal. 5/5 stars no notes. I need the next book ASAP

9 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2025/04/09/a-drop-of-corruption-by-robert-jackson-bennett-review/

With the Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett became the latest author to foray into the fantasy law-keeper/mystery genre. Titanshade, Servant of the Underworld, Moon’s Artiface, Drakenfeld—while the author’s crime debut became just another of the entries into the rather new sub-genre, A Drop of Corruption may be the best yet. It takes us to a new corner of the Empire (technically beyond it), where leviathans do not strike, but are yet well-known. A place with its own quirks and culture, its own natives and kings.

The story starts a little slow (just like the first one did)—getting to know the culture and surroundings, meeting the new cast and reacquainting with the old—but soon enough we are back into the thick of things with the same thoroughly complex mysteries as before. And as before, Dinios Kol is there to guide us on this journey, all well dealing with his personal demons, warming to the investigating task, dealing with the … eccentricities of his Sherlockian master, Ana. Once everything gets rolling, I just lost myself in the story.

Very little ruins the immersion, and that only briefly. The world-building is vivid, and complex. Thorough. It took me much less time to adapt to the world than before, and the learning curve is much less pronounced in the second installment. It helps that, while Yarrowdale houses a different culture, history, setting, and language, the Empire remains the same. And Din, being of the Empire, is as much lost as we are. What I’m basically saying is: if you enjoyed the first—this is just more of the same. If you were on the fence before—honestly, I liked this one more. Easy to recommend this one, even at (what has become a pretty much standard) $14 an ebook.

This was a worthy follow up to the first book. I fell more and more in love with the characters. The mystery this time around was even more convoluted (in a good way). The author is getting more comfortable in his writing and world building and it shows. I like how this book felt like a story that built off the first but also can kind of serve as stand alone mystery.

Okay, this was great. Same quality, if not a little better than the first book in the series. It's another solid murder mystery with the characters we already know and love, and their interesting dynamic + dry humor, but this time the themes are different. This is very much a critique of autocracy, and the author's note makes it very clear if it wasn't already.

This is well written, the worldbuilding continued to be amazing, the characters are solid, and they continued growing on me, and the pacing of the mystery was great. A super entertaining read with a very timely message that hits hard without getting preachy. I really enjoyed this, 4.5 stars rounded up!