"A tremendous disappointment" ~ Ana Dolabra

The prose continues to be beautiful. The imagery, world-building, and character creation is stunning as expected.

But I was bored. I kept having to remind myself to come back to the book and at around 70% I just started skimming to get to the end. The mystery was not compelling or particularly interesting. In fact, the most compelling writing came for me in the Author's Note about autocracy at the end of the book. Perhaps that note explains some of my dissatisfaction with this volume because it seems that the author sat down not with a story in mind, but rather a lesson to teach and I think the storytelling suffered for it.

I love this series so much! A Drop of Corruption absolutely lives up to The Tainted Cup, and it was fun jumping back into Din and Ana's story. This book does another great job of creating an interesting and creepy mystery set in a fantastical world, and even expands on the overall setting more. I honestly hope this series continues for a long time because I love learning more about the politics and cultures explored through the story.

Thank you Del Rey for the ARC!

This is my first book from Robert Jackson Bennett and it absolutely won’t be my last. While technically the second in a series, since it’s a murder mystery A Drop of Corruption is able to stand on its own. I’ll be going back and reading book one, as soon as my library hold comes in!

Our main character is Din, a young assistant investigator to one of the most bizarre (affectionate) detectives I have ever read. I’ve heard the duo compared to Holmes and Watson, but I don’t think that is fair to either set. Yes, Ana is brilliant at deductive reasoning but also she is so, so gross. Holmes would never. I say this with love because I really enjoyed the book and the character, but wow did this woman turn my stomach more than once.

The world of this series is one of organic inventions, vines grown into houses and ferns that have been engineered to detect contaminants. And many, many human augmentations. All of these are made possible by the blood of the leviathans, enormous sea beasts who come to shore once a year and who corrupt everything they might come in contact with. There is some fantastic body horror in this book, it reminded me somewhat of Annialation, though the stories themselves are very different.

There’s also of course the murder mystery that Din and Ana must solve, layers upon layers deep, and connected to the mysterious Shroud- the citadel out at sea where the leviathan’s dangerous blood is processed. I won’t say more about that as murder mysteries are more fun to discover with the characters. I definitely recommend this book!

Sherlock Holmes meets Annihilation, but in a dark fantasy pseudo-Medieval world. I could read infinite books in this world.

Life got in the way and it took me a bit longer to finish this one then I would have liked. Thoroughly enjoyed Din and Ana's newest adventure. It's like magic Sherlock Holmes. So many twists and turns, kept me guessing until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and RandomHouse for the ARC!

I loved this book just as much as the first one and I already can't wait for more in this series. The mystery is complex and engaging and while the world-building is detailed, it doesn't bog the pacing of the book down at all. Not to mention the banter between the two main characters is delightful as always.

Another amazing book! I love how unique this world is and how the mystery can be solved if you listen close enough. I didn't solve it, but I appreciate how it's possible!

The characters are unique in the second Sherlock Holmes and Watson-ish fantasy mystery. You don't normally get this sort of mash up of genre, but it works so well! I loved this sequel and highly recommend the series. The world expands and new features come up that play a key role in the story. I will never get enough of this series! Dinios Kol is a fantastic MC who deals with some of the most difficult people 😆

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for an ARC ebook!

A Drop of Corruption continues the adventures of Din and Ana as they solve mysteries throughout the Empire. This case takes them to the canton of Yarrowdale, which is on the outskirts of the Empire. A high ranking Treasury member is found dead, but no one knows how they could have left the tower where they were staying without anyone seeing, and with the room still locked from the inside.

As expected from RJB, the story is amazing. The worldbuilding is excellent, you get to learn much more about the Empire's history and its relationship with the surrounding nations. The mystery is great, and the Sherlock Holmes reveals by Ana are spot on. I actually thought this piece was an improvement over Book 1. It also delves into Din's emotional journey with his family and obligations and him finding his placed in the Empire.

My biggest stamp of approval is that RJB does a great job of keeping the mystery engaging, the whole book was gripping and kept me wanting to read more, while walking the fine line between telegraphing the reveals and having them be so out of nowhere it feels cheap. Sure, there were pieces I figured out before the book revealed it to me, but I got other pieces wrong, and never had the full story. For me, that's the sign of a good book! I hate when the reveal adds in new info I never could've guessed.

Overall, RJB delivers another enthralling read, and Book 3 can't come soon enough!

Great book, great series, great author! This series could be enjoyed by those who love fantasy as well as those who love mysteries. I really like the characters and hope that the author will write more in this world with these characters. This one kept me guessing as to who was behind everything, and it was very enjoyable.

I really REALLY enjoyed the first book in this series, and this one was even better (rare phenomenon). In this sequel, most of the worldbuilding was already done, so that we had more time to concentrate on the actual murder and on our two favourite detectives. I truly enjoyed this book, and would always like to read more from this author.

The sequel to The Tainted Cup builds on everything that made the first book great, and delivers even more of what I loved: a high stakes, super high fantasy setting with a mystery plot that’s genuinely clever and intricate. It felt a bit easier to get invested this time around, since we already know the world and how it works as well as the dynamic between Din and Ana. I still think the Sherlock Holmes comparison holds, especially since in this book we get to see a bit more of how her mind works as the layers of the mystery grow. I also really enjoyed Din’s arc in this one, he’s definitely becoming more unravelled, but in a way that’s fun for the reader (and not for Din). His backstory added some emotional weight and his perspective compared to Ana really sets the tone for the book. There were a lot of new side characters introduced and they were all compelling in their own ways. I really hope that some of them continue to appear as the series progresses. It made me feel so smart that I was able to predict portions of the mystery, but it was also so fun to see some of the bigger reveals that I had no idea were coming. Overall I think I liked this more than the first book and I’m really looking forward to what comes out next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for this e-ARC that I chose to read and review

(As someone who couldn't finish the book I don't feel right giving it a 1★ since it wasn't a bad book hence why 3★.)

A Drop Of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett is a fantasy whodunnit in which I sadly had to DNF at 46%.

I have had this book for two months now and I keep trying to go back to it, but for some reason I can't get into it. (I almost always finish a book under two weeks so two months of struggle is a lot for me.)

I love that there is lgbtq+ represention and I love the dark and gruesome detail added to the crimes. I also love the junglelike setting.

But for me, as much as I tried to like the world, it was hard to picture. Trying to understand everything that went within the politics of this world was hard to keep track as well. The pace is slow which is terrible for a reading slump. This is something comparable to the first book as well. Worst yet, I didn't care about MC nor felt compelled to care about anything in the novel.

If you like the classic detective mysteries mix with high fantasy, I do believe you will love this book. I have learned that I am not the biggest detective mystery fan and have been reading less high fantasy lately, so perhaps that adds to my dislike.

I appreciate Netgalley and Del Rey for giving me this opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review. I do see why people love this book, but this is why reading is so subjective. If you liked the first book and wanted to continue reading about the world and characters, I say go for it.

Robert Jackson Bennett gives us the further adventures of Ana and Din. There is murder, intrigue, lying, politics, scheming royals, power games, and many layers of secrets to keep/unravel. The mystery is challenging and unpredictable, the writing tight, and the characters are full of surprises.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC, apologies it’s late. I’m loving this series and hope there’s more! Not sure if this is what Jordan intended, but this gives me Holmes vibes and I love me a fantastical mystery. Very high fantasy, so maybe not the best for new to fantasy readers, but those deep in the trenches, this is for you!

So many times book 2 is just a builder book in a series and it suffers for it but not this book!
I love the Sherlock Holmes vibes in this one even more than the first.
The complicated web that the bad guy weaves and the way Ana and Dim work to figure everything out.
Ana and Din are the best duo and their dynamic only becomes more complex in this book.
I hope RJB plans to have many, many more stories with Ana and Din moving forward.

A Drop of Corruption - Robert Jackson Bennett
🪓🪓🪓🪓

*Spoiler-Free as Possible*

“I find myself in a storytelling mood, and I think I've a fascinating tale to tell. It is a story of corruption, betrayal, and murder”.

Murder mystery meets epic fantasy in RJB’s Shadow of the Leviathan series, and boy is book two is just as wild as the first. While we’re outside of the immediate dangers of the sea wall and the Leviathans, our story takes place in a part of the empire that might be just as, if not more, dangerous. A trivial disappearance grows into a terroristic threats that Din and Ana must solve the puzzle to stop in its tracks.

Though the focus is on Kol I can’t help but say Ana is my favorite character in the series at the moment. The absolute eccentricity that emanates from the page when she’s in the scene fills my heart with joy 😂. And me imagining her with Yzma’s voice from Emperors New Groove makes it even better. I’m just waiting for her to tell Kol to pull the lever. But not only does Ana bring some of the funnier moments in the book, she has her own darkness and mysteries that I want to learn about.

RJB teases us a little in A Drop of Corruption about Ana’s background and of the empire itself. We get more history of the empire and their ancestors, and I’m just craving more. I also need to know if my prediction of the Conzulate being the Leviathans is right or not. I need book three!! There’s this underlying condition in this series that’s just wanted to burst free with some overthrowing the government anarchy. I want this series to be more than 3 books to be able to explore more lore and politics.

Thank you Random House for sending me a review copy!

I’ll admit, I preferred the first book over this one. Not that the mystery in this installment was any less intriguing—if anything, it was even more entertaining in parts. We explored a new corner of this fascinating world, with fresh elements like the Shroud and the augurs (forgive me if I’ve misspelled that). I actually found myself more curious about the culprit and his whereabouts than I was in the previous book.

That said, I struggled to stay engaged. Despite my interest in the plot, I often found it hard to pick the book back up. Some sections felt slower than I’d hoped, and that really impacted my overall enjoyment.

The characters are still strong, and the dialogue remains witty and engaging, but I’m not sure that’s enough to carry me into the third installment. Still, I’d definitely be open to trying something else from RJB in a different series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Del Rey for the ARC.

RJB has charmed me again! A Drop of Corruption follows Ana and Din, the Sherlock-Watson duo, as they travel to the seaport city of Yarrowdale to solve a seemingly impossible murder. While A Drop of Corruption deviates from the traditional murder-mystery narrative, I think it works in the book’s favor. The audience knows who committed the crime halfway through the book, yet RJB manages to keep the intrigue alive and bustling. We know who the murderer is, but we don’t truly know who it is until the very end. The worldbuilding was weaved seamlessly into solving the mystery, and I once again found myself entranced by the universe that RJB created. Still, A Drop of Corruption is not devoid of parallels to the politics of our world. I applaud RJB for creating a fantasy that doesn’t let autocracies prevail in moral vaccuums, unlike many fantasy books today. I don’t believe I’m left quite as charmed as I was after finishing A Tainted Cup, but I am charmed all the same. I look forward to Ana and Din’s next adventure! 4.5 rounded down.

I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in it and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

4.5

I continue to love this series. The mysteries are truly top notch when compared to all of the other fantasy mysteries I have read. You can truly solve them yourself if you pay close attention, but they aren't easy by any means. The exploration of the world throughout the mysteries has been another thing I have been truly impressed by. Clearly, our characters have lived in this world longer than we, the readers have, yet by including different cultures, politics, and unknown characters we get a true understanding of how this world works without it feeling info dumpy.

The growth of Dinn and Ana's characters is very evident. Bennett has clearly taken time to really think through how the characters would grow in their careers but also with their interactions with one another. All of the characters have more going on than just the primary mystery, many of them have devastating backstories that we learn about throughout this tale. It makes them feel real and the stakes feel that much higher.

I can't wait for the next book!