a fantastic sequel that lives up to the heights of the first book.

robert jackson bennett has quickly become a standout author for me; i loved the tainted cup, and the founders trilogy is some incredible fantasy writing. i was so excited to read this sequel, and it lives up to the first book.

we're back with din and ana, this time in yarrowdale, a canton of the empire that din and ana serve. there, din and ana are faced with an impossible mystery, and as they start to unravel it, they start to reveal a dangerous conspiracy that involves the shroud, an all-secret compound that the empire relies on. the plot is fantastic; in the first book, there were times where i was confused and befuddled, but i was able to follow the plot of this book completely. there were moments where i was shocked; that ending was so unexpected. this book definitely dives more into the leviathans and the magic, and i liked the worldbuilding with the shroud. the politics of this book were engrossing, especially with yarrowdale not formally being in the empire.

the characters are enjoyable as always; din and ana's dynamic is such a fun one and you can really see how their relationship has grown from the first book. i also loved some of the new characters, especially malo. her quips and dialogue were enjoyable to read, and i loved her relationship with din, with her teasing him. thelanai was a very complex character as well; her arc is engrossing and a bit sad.

honestly i think i like a drop of corruption more than the first book! one of the best books i've read this year. if you're a fan of fantasy, mystery, and robert jackson bennett, this book is a must-read. 4.5 stars for this book!

thanks to netgalley and random house for the arc!

Tainted Cup was one of my top five reads of 2024, and I can tell Drop of Corruption is going to be a top fave for 2025. Book Two had nearly everything I was hoping to see, along with an expansion of the world, politics, and lore.

We see more of the fantastic world building as a murder takes the investigators to the edge of the Empire, and we see even more of the graft-magic system as different super-human abilities take center stage in this chapter.

Din, our resident bisexual disaster and certified pretty boy, is back. He is depressed. He is in debt. And he gets right to the bisexual disastering we love him for. His grafts give him the ability to remember everything he sees, which is a fun narrator device, especially as he recalls the information previously learned as it becomes relevant.

Ana is wonderful as the pattern seeking crime solver, and she is just as inappropriate and crass as the first book.

The mystery was fun, the easter eggs of clues were a delight to chase down and ponder, and RJB does a great job of explaining the science technique before it is done--so you feel like you have an opportunity to keep guessing at the weapons, guilty parties, motives, and potential future targets. And the leviathan blood and eldritch plants keep that horror/suspense element without being too grotesque.

There is more dry humor and hilarious dialogue in this one, which is an easy way to my heart.

This is a wonderful Sci-Fi/Fantasy/mystery read with a queer MC, in a queernormative world, and diverse cast filled with strong and interesting male and female characters.

I didn't want to put this one down at any point. I've already called my local shop to pre-order it. I only wish the book had a glossary, as certain titles refer to the abilities granted.

Thanks to net-galley for access to the ebook!
4.5 stars.

Worthy sequel and well written. The e-arc had a few grammatical mistakes and needs another pass to fix that.
But beyond that, The writing was similar to the first and the mystery has a satisfying conclusion with some more light shed on the characters and motivations.
I enjoyed this book as much as the first one but there were some parts where it dragged a little. Could use the deft touch of an editor to trim down some parts.
If there is a third book in this series, looking forward to it. quite an enjoyable read!

4.5 stars.

I absolutely loved A Drop of Corruption. It was so much fun to be back in this world with Din and Ana.

In A Drop of Corruption, Ana and Din are called in to solve the case of a murdered Treasury official in a region that is in the process of becoming an official imperial canton. From there the case snowballs into a much larger conspiracy, and Ana and Din have to race against the clock to stop a catastrophe.

I thought the mystery in this one was great. The clues were set out in a way where I felt like I was solving the case alongside the characters, which made the reading experience really satisfying. I also loved the twists and overall just had a lot of fun with the plot.

I also really enjoyed the political aspect of the plot. There are a lot of characters with different perspectives and opinions on the impending shift of power from the Yarrow king to the Empire, and that felt like a very well-developed, thoughtful conflict that raised questions around cultural differences, justice, and power. I feel like the book left me with a lot to think about, and I feel like this quote, presented without context, helps give you a sense of what this book is doing:

"[redacted]…that though the Legion defends our Empire, it falls to us to keep an Empire worth defending.”

Across Ana and Din, as well as some of the side characters, I feel like this book has some deeper character development, which is one of the things I was missing in A Tainted Cup, so I'm excited to be learning more about them.

In this book, Din is really struggling with feeling like his job is valuable, and he's dealing with some family difficulties as well. His relationship with Ana develops in significant ways as they debate about the importance of their role.

We also get some big reveals about Ana that I think raise even more interesting questions that I want to know the answers to. We learn more about how she is the way she is, and yet we still don't get any clarification on why. I appreciated the way these reveals were laid out, and I'm very intrigued to learn more about her and why the Empire needs her.

The only quibbles I have with the book are that 1) it kept repeating some pieces of information as if it didn't totally trust the reader to remember them or get the significance, and 2) multiple characters had the same vocal quirks which I found jarring in a book that's so much about cultural conflict in a politically tense region. That said, neither of these impacted my enjoyment to any great degree.

Overall, I think this one is even better than book one, and I hope we get more books in the series!

I read A Tainted Cup just this year and knew I had to get my hands on A Drop of Corruption. RJB brings back a lot of what made the first book so engaging to read. Ana's scathing wit. Kols dutiful yet conflicted commitment to the job set in front of him. World building that is well woven into the details of a complex mystery. At first I thought I was in for almost a repeat of the same rhythms from the first book (which there definitely are but in a good way like RJB is playing the hits from his last album), but I felt there definitely was a deepening of the world along with exposing more of the main characters' own vulnerabilities that made the second book feel fresh. Note on the world building - this has to be one of the more fascinating settings that I've read for a fantasy in quite some time. The lore of the titans and the empire really gets expanded on here where at times I found myself more in it for that versus the mystery itself. Great read overall, with a great message that feels so relevant to today's current events.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC publishing April 1, 2025.

I think Robert Jackson Bennett could write a dozen of these “Ana and Din Mystery Novels” and I would eat up EVERY SINGLE ONE. Beyond being two of my favorite characters of all time, the way RJB weaves fantasy world building and character development into a murder mystery story is just utter brilliance.

A Drop of Corruption darker in tone than The Tainted Cup and as such, allowed for a deeper dive into the “dark underbelly” of the magic system and what has created the society, so while the mystery itself stands alone from book one in the series, the expansion upon the world and unraveling of the main characters secrets (arguably my favorite part about this second installment) would require knowledge obtained in the first book. It also took place in a completely different setting and while I mourned the loss of some supporting characters from book one, that feeling was quickly replaced with the introduction of Malo who was an excellent sidekick for Din and emanated masc lesbian vibes that I was LIVING for. I have very high hopes she will show up in some of the other books in the series.

The mystery component was solid, starting as a locked-room type murder mystery that has you wondering how Ana will solve it and while I was able to guess components of how it would all be wrapped up, I was kept on the edge of my seat to see all the pieces finally come together in the end. I am typically very annoyed by books that do reveals via “tell and not show” but because the tendency is integrated into who Ana is as a character (monologuing her brilliance in connecting the seemingly unconnected), I honestly can’t mind it.

As a side note, Robert’s author’s note at the end talking about the dangers of autocracies (as is a theme throughout the book) literally gave me chills as I read it during inauguration week. Its relevance to our current political state and tie-in to the underlying theme of what you just read is worth a few minutes to read.

I loved it! I will read as many of these stories as RJB is willing to put out and that is no lie.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group – Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

Fantasy • Sherlock & Watson • Murder Mystery
Expected Publication • 1 April 2025

‧₊˚‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡⊹ Thank you @delreybooks for the ARC! ⊹

❥ A blend of Sherlock Homes mystery combined with fantasy, augmented abilities, court politics, and queer normalization.

Read The Tainted Cup first for best results. If you’ve done that, read on...

Ana and Din are back. Ana continues to be highly eccentric, leaning autistic. In this book we learn a bit more about her backstory and why her tastes appear even more eclectic than before.

Din in this book somehow turns into a gentleman fu*kboy which I found honestly a bit bizarre, but I’m hopeful that this particular proclivity will tamp down once he reunites with Captain Strovi, hopefully in a future book in the series.

My favorite scene in this book involved the Augars, a group of neurodivergents who can easily spot patterns and communicate nonverbally.

·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ Final verdict: An enjoyable followup to The Tainted Cup, especially when read with buddy reading friends! 🥐🍵

Usually when you read a modern mystery the clues are stacked one on top of another until your sleuth has their ah-ha moment. RJB on the other hand is over here building the Great Pyramid of Giza. Clues are spread far and wide and build not in a linear manner but on themselves and others until the very end. So looking at this from that standpoint alone - wonderful murder mystery.

Now. Add in the exceptional world building we’ve all come to know and love and you have an enthralling and immersive novel.

Our dynamic duo of Ana and Din are back and better than ever. The supporting cast is also wonderful and bring such a balance to Ana and Din’s dynamic. What I love about the writing here is that there’s a right and wrong way to have a lot going on in a book. Done wrong and you just roll your eyes - oh look another random thing! But when done right you get a novel like this. So many quirky and crazy things happen but you can see they have importance even if you don’t know what it is at the time.

I can’t wait to see the next installment of this series.

I loved this book. It's becoming one of my favorite series.

The world building is unique and beautiful, yet terrifying. The mystery was a bit stronger in this one, since much of that world building was established in the first book. Though this one takes place in an entirely different part of the land and had even more world building that focused just on this area.

The character are interesting. Very Sherlock and Watson- which I hate, hate, hate, when people compare books to other books, but if you want a similar vibe to those two I do think this book has it. But in its own unique way. Ana with her crazy oddities and mystery solving abilities and Din with his more just along for the ride (and still putting things together).

I know there is at least one more book planned for this series and that the author would be willing to write even more- and currently, I would be excited to read them.

Would 100% recommend, but start with the first one.

A Drop of Corruption is book two in the Ana and Din fantasy mystery series. With a Sherlockian like mind, Ana Dolobra is called in to investigate when a treasury official disappears and then his body is found. Her assistant Din records all the details with his mind to read back to Ana as needed. The case quickly turns complicated as a theft is apparent and a long running conspiracy where the leading suspect is a dead man. Twisted and impossible to predict, the mystery keeps you guessing until the end and Ana’s deductive skills are incomparable. Great world building and a complex mystery makes the pages fly by for another good read by this author. My voluntary, unbiased, and non-mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

4.25/5 stars

Drop of Corruption was my most anticipated read of the year so I was so excited to get my hands on an ARC! And Robert Jackson Bennett did not disappoint.

We reconnect with our characters Din and Ana as they unravel another mystery, this time on the other side of the world. Tons of new characters help them (and hinder them) along the way, and Ana continues to be her gross, weird self.

The reason this wasn't a 5 star read for me is because The Tainted Cup left me craving to know more about leviathans, and sadly this book has little to do with them (at least, living ones). Think if Charlie Day in Pacific Rim got to set up his dream lab to study the kaiju.
Anyways, A Drop of Corruption almost felt like a standalone instead of a part of a series. The world shrinks to a small region and we learn little more about the empire and the leviathans. I'm not aware of what Bennett's plans are for the series but if this is only a trilogy I may end up feeling shorted on the worldbuilding and large scale story that I want to see.
If this isn't just a trilogy but rather a large serial (akin to Sherlock Holmes) then I can't wait for more smaller stories with some of my new favorite characters.
Overall A Drop of Corruption is a fantastic read and the only reason it isn't perfect to me is because The Tainted Cup had got me so hyped lol.

4.5 stars.

I loved this follow up! Captured the magic of the first book but I could feel that we developed from the first book and were learning more, not only about our characters but alsoso about the world that we are in and the dark secrets it hides

This book intrigued me after the first, as I wonderwd where and what we could do after the ending of the first book, but I fel the way in which the books were connected but wholly separate allowed this book to both stand on its own and be a great development from book one.

Overall, a strong follow up and Im looking forward ti seeing what's next, not only in this series but what else the author has to show.

After finishing The Tainted Cup last year, I couldn't wait for more of Ana and Din's adventures/stories. This second installment is darn near perfect and well worth the wait.

There is nothing better than a well written, well thought out, fantasy/murder mystery; this is a perfect example of that genre. The Sherlock/Watson vibe of Ana/Din is unmistakable but thoroughly entertaining, nonetheless. The plot was wonderfully intricate and definitely hard to unravel. There were a few soliloquies that dragged on a bit longer than needed, and few descriptions of places/things that were a bit more tediously pedantic than necessary, but that may just be me wanting to get on with the story, instead of hearing about the denseness of the trees in the forest. We get more backstory on both Din and Ana, leaving us with some mighty interesting questions. And Warden Malo was a delightful addition to the cast of characters.

The mystery itself was like being in a maze, thinking turning left is the right decision, then finding out going to the right was actually the correct path. This was so much fun! Is it too soon to say I can't wait for the third installment?

One caveat; you will get much more out of this tale if you read The Tainted Cup first, in my opinion.

Yarrowdale, an independent canton in the process of being taken by the Empire. The Empire’s Treasury officer was assigned to take care of it had disappeared into thin air. Empire calls its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, Ana Dolabra with her assistant Dinios Kol, sending them to Yarrowdale. Neither will they know that they will face unfortunate dark schemes ahead which means more death.
Political-crime plus Sci-fi with fantasy as a base. The political schemes are very complicated and deep. To understand them, you must read the first book to know what is going on and understand this book, because this book is a high heavy fantasy book which combines three book genres into the story. If you just jump straight to this one, you will get overwhelmed and confused because of the heavy world building.
The events that happened, like when the victim found and many more, are more intense than in the first book. Each homicide starts at a slow pace, but then it is happening so fast. The murder method on each one is very different, but it still connects each other in a mysterious way. Something big is happening in the second book in a way that I never expected.
Past dark secret, plot twist combined with conspiracy theory. Oh, wow! I’m not expecting that. I think the homicide is at the level of assassination, not just an ordinary murder method level (just straight with knife or ordinary poison). When I started to see who the suspect was, it turned out the suspect was a ghost and I needed to start from zero again.
Ana and Din? They’re both stunning! And they have more solving mystery chemistry than in the first book. Each event that happens to them is very tense. I saw more of Ana's personality and I like her more! I’m not telling you more because you guys definitely need to jump in on this book series! Believe me, you won’t be disappointed!
Since this book is a very high heavy fantasy, it is really helpful to have a language dictionary. The author makes a special language for the story and this book starts using more of it than in the first book. It is really fun to try to translate it by readers ourselves before the meaning is revealed in the next sentences. It is like translating to finding a treasure chest.
There are some words that have very specific meaning in the story. Which means, the book really needs a glosarium to describe the author’s own words in the story.
Especially about the tribes, heritages and lineage in the story, along with their physical characteristics. There are more than three tribes in the story. Without a clear and specific description of them, I got confused about it with other tribes' characteristics. If it also has example character illustrations to describe each tribe's physical characteristic differences and a clear explanation about their main abilities and power, it will be very helpful to understand the story.
Also, it is a little bit hard for me to understand the places where the events happened, so many pathways, doors, rooms, etc. Since this also has a sci-fi element, the building also has a particular unique architecture so is really nice to have a blueprint on complicated place which have so many events there.
To be honest, I like this book more than the first one. I really hope that someday, this book will be made into TV shows.

10/10 mystery that kept me guessing every time. Every time I thought I had figured it out there was another twist.

This book is a solid continuation of this series, and I think it has a lot of very relevant things to say about the nature of power, government, and society (Bennett goes on about the cultural relevance of this topic in the author’s note, which feels very apt and shows that he is not only aware of the environment into which this book is being released but also the impact that has on readers). However, Din lacked the charm he had in book one. His dyslexia is no longer relevant (I really appreciated how he accommodated his disability with his perfect recall in book one). He’s also more of a vehicle for the plot than a character in his own right.

I really liked Malo as a side character, though, and I do hope she reappears in a later book. And Ana also got more interesting as we begin to understand a bit more about her (she was more present this time than in the previous book). But there’s very little about the Iyalets or the science/magic system or the Empire’s government or even the kingdom of Yarrow that they’re in.

So like cool mystery and themes that are relevant to the real world, but it could have (should have?) gone deeper.

"You know, you are not a stupid person, Din."

"Thank you, ma'am," I said, pleased.

"Or, rather, not an unusually stupid person."

"Thank you, ma'am," I said, far less pleased.

Ana and Din return in this solid installment in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, investigating another puzzler of a crime.

The events of this book take place in a different corner of the fantasy world than those of book one, but magical corruption and contagion are still things to watch out for. The Empire is in negotiations with the kingdom of Yarrow regarding its impending annexation when a member of the Imperial treasury goes missing from a locked room at the top of a tower, parts of him later found floating in the canals. Once Ana and Din arrive to look into the matter, they come to realize they are pitted against a mastermind of uncanny intelligence and the ability to parse patterns and predict their next moves before they themselves even know what they plan to do.

The investigation sees our unusual duo team up with the local wardens led by a woman named Malo, and an organization of Apoths tasked with obtaining the reagents that provide the people of this fantasy world with their special augmentations directly from the corpses of the dreaded leviathans. We also delve more into Din's circumstances, his desire to return to Talgaray in service to the Legion in order to both be a hero and to be closer to his lover, as well as into the mystery of what, exactly, Ana is that allows her to accomplish the things she does.

The mystery was good and twisty, and the writing amusing, and the lessons once again go beyond magical mayhem to say something about the ills that come part and parcel with society. I will certainly continue reading on on this series to see what Ana and Din find themselves dealing with next.

My review has been posted on Goodreads, and I will post it on my blog (jessicacrawfordwrites.com) on April 1st, 2025, and will share it on my Instagram site (@shelfesteem101) around the same time.

4 stars

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore and Netgalley for the arc!

The second installment of Robert Jackson Bennett’s Shadow of the Leviathan series. In this book we follow Din and Ana as they try to solve a particularly interesting case in a remote place not technically part of the Empire (yet). Their victim seems to have disappeared from his room, from which no-one saw him leave, and ended up dead and found in a swamp days later. As Din and Ana investigate they stumble upon a plot that spans back and appears to be a revenge plot that could have disastrous effects not only for the city they are in, but for the entire Empire. 

In this book the stakes are definitely upped from the previous book, The Tainted Cup. Din and Ana’s adversary is seemingly unbeatable, as they seem to be able to get in and out of any room and are able to anticipate our duos every move. Robert Jackson Bennett is able to combine a gripping mystery that appears to be small-scale with the precarious survival of the Empire, which rests entirely on the harvesting of the remains of the mystical Leviathans. The investigation takes them to backwater swamps but also introduces us to the Yarrowdale court and Yarrow king, thus diving deeper in the political intrigue and scheming. 

I love it when books put one brilliant character against another, like Sherlock and Moriarity. In this book Ana seemingly has met her match, as her foe appears to be two steps ahead at all times. Ana is unpredictable, chaotic and smart, just like the last book. However, her dynamic with Din is what makes them great and keeps the book moving. Her chaos and brilliance is what makes the book moving, but Din’s dry humor and humanity give the story the quiet emotional moments it needs to not spiral out of control. Din is struggling with having to pay off his father’s debt, as well ws with his placement in the Iudex, weighed down by the seemingly hopelessness of his job. These additions to his character made him also more relatable and likeable as a main character.

The mystery of A Drop of Corruption was far more interesting to me than the one in the first book. This book being the second book, did not make me go through the whole struggle of me having to get to like the main character as Din felt more fleshed out and likeable. 

I really like the world in which the Shadow of the Leviathan series takes place, with the natural magic I haven’t yet seen much anywhere else. The different magical mosses and mushrooms and the kinds give a whimsical ‘magic forest vibe’ that I just really enjoy. I also like that the world-building is expanding a bit, with small new introductions that are not overwhelming and are easy to understand. The mystery of the Leviathans and their blood is also expanded on which I am really glad for as this made the expansion to a bigger scale logical. 

I cannot wait for the next book!

A Drop of Corruption was exactly what I expected and a great continuation of the Shadow of the Leviathans series! What I love most about this series is that each book has its own independent mystery to solve, yet the greater mystery of the empire and the strange workings of the human augmentations are continuously explored; that mystery is ultimately what keeps you engaged and waiting for each book.

I had such a hard time predicting what would happen next or what the ultimate outcome was in A Drop of Corruption’s storyline and that is the markings of a great mystery! I also enjoyed that Ana had more of a presence in this book, though Din is still very much the main character. Ana’s background is steeped in intrigue and oddities and I LOVE IT!

I absolutely recommend this book (and series) to anyone who wants to experience a world with a well built out political and military system, fantasy elements that have a scientific spin, and a Sherlock/Watson duo vibe!

By the last page I already knew this was pretty much perfect, but then I read the Author’s Note in the end and knew that it just got even better. You see, Bennett just happens to share the same views on hereditary power and strongmen in charge of autocracies as I do, and he’s very much clear about it, and it is such a refreshing view in the fantasy genre that otherwise seems hopelessly hung up on royalty and chosen ones and all that absolute nonsense. Me (and Bennett apparently) — it seems that we’d prefer a bureaucracy of checks and balances any time over any strongman who claims to been born out of “right” gametes.

“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.”

And true to that, Bennett gives us another fantasy murder mystery adventure with two investigators - a brilliantly eccentric Ana Dolabra ( “If she isn’t included in whatever this is, there’ll be hell to pay,” I said. “This is not a threat, but just … physics. When defied, she breaks things.” ) and her pragmatic assistant Dinios Kol (who suffers from a bit of tired disillusionment from the job where every day, despite making a difference, you see more stuff happen that makes you feel that the difference you made is non-existent) in an Empire that runs on graft alterations of humans in a fascinatingly complex fantasy world where the Iudex - the law - are among exactly those checks and balances that keep everyone accountable and keep even the powerful in check.

“This work can never satisfy, Din, for it can never finish. The dead cannot be restored. Vice and bribery will never be totally banished from the cantons. And the drop of corruption that lies within every society shall always persist. The duty of the Iudex is not to boldly vanquish it but to manage it. We keep the stain from spreading, yes, but it is never gone. Yet this job is perhaps the most important in all the Iyalets, for without it, well … The Empire would come to look much like Yarrow, where the powerful and the cruel prevail without check. And tell me—does that realm look capable of fighting off a leviathan?”

It’s a wonderfully complex murder and political mystery that flies along through a few hundred pages without ever missing a beat, without ever dragging or rushing, paced perfectly and with constant tension and high stakes and the satisfying feeling you get when you read a story that’s plotted and executed with confident mastery. The fantasy world feels unique and well-developed, and Bennett’s world-building is top-notch as usual, and the characters are fun to follow (although a few scenes with Ana’s peculiar feasts made me want to unsee the paragraphs I just read and skip dinner), and I’d be glad to read a few books set in this universe.

“But … when we come, the deed is already done. The body is cold, the blood cleaned away. We often find the killer, but that heals nothing, as far as I can see. It only leads to a rope, or a cage, and many more tears.” I swallowed. “Is it so strange a thing, ma’am, to helplessly look upon the slain and dream of instead saving lives?”

Bennett, as usual, develops pretty serious themes throughout, seamlessly integrating them into the story without the slightest didacticism. The corruption that comes with power and greed and the need for someone to put in the effort to keep that corruption in check — it’s something we all can use more of in the real world just as much as Bennett’s characters can use it in theirs. As Ana says to somewhat disillusioned Din, “I suspect you shall come to realize what many Iudexii eventually learn—that though the Legion defends our Empire, it falls to us to keep an Empire worth defending.”

5 stars with no hesitation. I love it as much as his Divine Cities series, although this one is a lighter, less gloomy read.

——————

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House / Del Rey for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“You know, you are not a stupid person, Din.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” I said, pleased.
“Or, rather, not an unusually stupid person.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” I said, far less pleased.