Yes I loved this! Kol and Ana are a fantastic pair. Fantasy mystery is such a great genre.
I was thoroughly entertained the entire time. I cruised through the book and got through it very quickly (much faster than I thought it would). There is never a dull moment and the pacing is solid as the mystery unravels and new questions arise. I would finally understand the clues seconds before the reveals so the reveals were both thought provoking and satisfying.
I like the small moments where we get to see Kol’s personality peak through duty and his politeness. I think it’s almost perfectly my sense of humor.
I also like the overall message the story was trying to tell, and the author’s note at the end really ties it all together. Excited for more mysteries and to return to this world.

In the second book of the Shadow of the Leviathan series, we again follow Ana and Din as they try to solve a mysterious murder that threatens to upend the Empire's tentative hold on Yarrowdale, as well as the Empire's source of magic.

I thoroughly enjoyed following Ana and Din on another adventure. The way they work together is nothing short of magical. I love seeing Ana work things out in the way she does, and seeing things the way she does. Some of her methods are very unorthodox and there was definitely a moment or two where I questioned my own sanity for holding Ana in such high regard (oysters, anyone?), but the way her character is written is so engrossing, and let's not leave Din out. He brings his own brand of entertainment. He and Ana work so well together, and I really love that.

I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery, and had a somewhat easier time following it compared to The Tainted Cup. I also enjoyed trying to solve the different pieces of the puzzle myself or trying to suss out any breadcrumbs the author might have left for us. I thought the book flowed well, and it never felt like it had fluff in there just for a higher word count. Every word had its purpose.

I highly recommend this book, but first make sure to read The Tainted Cup.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of A Drop of Corruption. It took me forever to read this ARC and I it took about two chapters for me to kick myself for sitting on it for so long. This is one of the best books I have read, and is one of my favorites of all time. Din is my favorite messy neurodivergent bisexual and I like Ana even more than the inspiration for her character (Sherlock Holmes) - which is really saying something. While I liked the first book in this series, this second book stood out as my favorite by far. I loved the character development in this one, the villain was more insidious, and the Watson-Holmes dynamic between the two was pure literary gold. I think with a lot of the world building done in the first book, Jackson-Bennett could focus on the characters and their relationship more, and answer some more of the mysteries left from the last book which made it much more satisfying for me. Now I want to go back and re-read both so I can pick up more of the details that I might have missed.
The setting in this book is so visceral and I felt like I experienced this book more than read it. It crossed several genres that were perfectly represented all while being perfectly plotted with two delightfully flawed geniuses who meet their match in the perfect evil villain. I cannot overstate how good the writing was on this book. I would not recommend this book to everyone as not everyone deserves it, but this is hands down one of my best recs for thoughtful readers across multiple genres.

I think I liked the second novel much more than the first novel. There was more of a partnership between Ana and Din Kol. I also felt that Din Kol was coming more into himself. There was still some hesitation but it felt like he was more assertive, comfortable in his position.

The ending made me want to know so much more about Ana. I do hope at some point we meet members of Din’s family (please don’t follow the stereotype of them being in trouble or even Ana or Din). I feel that will make Din more relatable, but I also want to know more about Ana. These glimpses make these characters more realistic.

Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗽 was a book that took me by surprise with how much I enjoyed it, and I have been anxiously awaiting it’s sequel, 𝗔 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. The second installment of these series didn’t disappoint! While the first book has a heavy focus on introduce our detective duo, Ana and Din, and their pursuit of solving a mystery, this second story had more of a focus on the politics and corruption within the world. There a was still a mystery with twists and turns, which I appreciated, but I also was intrigued by the world itself and enjoyed learning more about it!

This is a high fantasy story, set in a very detailed world, but the grooming mysteries and banter between Ana and Din drives the pace and keeps me wanting more! Fans of Sherlock Holmes should definitely give this series a try!

Thank you, NetGalley and Del Rey for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this Arc! I started this long awaited journey in March but unfortunately life began life-ing and I had to put it down for a few months, but I am so glad to have finally been able to finish this adventure. This second installment mastered being different from the first book but yet still connected to it. Sometimes with mystery series it can feel very same-samey and repetitive but that was not the case here. I love exploring the different parts of the empire, meeting new characters and even delving into the nuance of the politics in Yarrowdale. I highly recommend this series!

Obsessed with these books. The chops it must take to write a twisty murder-mystery set wholly in an epic fantasy world with unique weapons, fantastical poisons, super-human abilities, and leviathans, all while continuing to give the reader twist endings continues to blow my mind.

Loved that we got to see more of the greater world in this book, Bennett did a great job of making the world feel lived in and expansive while still maintaining familiarity. There was substantially less plant-magic in this sequel, but this was balanced out with significant detail on the different alterations affecting various characters, which was so interesting to explore.

Din and Ana were crowned my new fave investigative duo in The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption only solidified their title. Safe to say this series is one of the best fantasy-mystery mash-ups out there at moment.

A locked room murder mystery is taken on by Ana and Din. It’s complex and interesting and hard to guess who did it or why. I’ll be waiting for the next installment. (Not a cliffhanger.) Definitely read The Tainted Cup first.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)

This was an intriguing, high-concept mystery set in a gritty fantasy world full of political tension, arcane science, and locked-room murder — so basically, right up my alley in theory. Ana Dolabra is a fascinating character: eccentric, brilliant, and totally unpredictable. The dynamic between her and Dinios Kol gave me slight Holmes-and-Watson energy (with a darker twist), which I enjoyed.

That said, I found myself more intrigued by the setup than fully pulled into the execution. The pacing dragged at times, and while the worldbuilding was impressive, it could also be dense and overwhelming. I also didn’t feel as emotionally connected to the stakes as I wanted to be, especially as things escalated toward the Shroud.

Still, this is a clever, ambitious mystery/fantasy hybrid with a unique voice, and I think readers who love cerebral puzzles, morally gray characters, and magic systems wrapped in bureaucracy will really enjoy it. I’m curious to see what comes next for Ana and Kol.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I'm a big fan of The Tainted Cup so I was so excited to get my hands on A Drop of Corruption! This second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series did not disappoint! This book, as its predecessor does, blends fantasy and mystery in the best way possible. We follow Din once more as he helps his superior Ana to solve an impossible crime. This story really adds to the worldbuilding giving us more information on a new Canton and how /where magic is obtained from fallen Titans. I really thoroughly enjoyed this one. Readers who liked the first one and want to know more about the world and people that Robert Jackson Bennett introduced us to in The Tainted Cup. I can't wait to see where the next one takes us!

I loved being back in this world and I'm so attached to these characters. Both Ana and Din are so loveable in their own weird ways and the side characters in this story were really fleshed out. The story was compelling and I was keen to resolve the mystery however, I felt this book was a little too long and a lot of content felt like filler which could have been edited out. I will definitely still continue with the series though.

Din and Ana are back (!) and Jackson Bennett killed it again. The world creation? The plot?? The character development? all a chef’s kiss.

Highly recommend if you enjoy fantasy and highly recommend the first book if you haven’t read that one, though it’s not needed to pick this one up.

I continue to love the fantasy/mystery blend, especially with the duo Bennet has created here. Book two did not quite live up to book one - a difficult task for sure - but I still really enjoyed it. Bennett continued to develop the two main characters through this new mystery and hinted at the possible addition of recurring characters to the cast. I genuinely hope that Bennett continues this series for quite a while.

Robert Jackson Bennett does not disappoint - in the second of the Ana and Din mysteries, we move to a city-state in the throes of change (the handover of sovereignty to the Empire is quickly approaching) while one of the Empire's most important resources lies just off its coast. Din has grown more comfortable in his role as Ana's assistant, while she grows proportionally weirder. We get glimpses of her oddness that may be linked to the mystery they've been summoned to solve - I appreciate that we don't get an explanation that dispels her strangeness into mundanity, even if I remain very "OMG, what is WRONG with you?" about her. My only knock is that some of the descriptions of the Shroud (a government research facility) lost me completely. I realize it's sort of a netherworld where perception and reality are distorted in a Southern Reach way, but I remain flummoxed as to what the actual physical space was. It's a minor complaint in an otherwise top-notch read, and one I'm sure won't bother many readers - it's likely a failure of my own imagination. Either way, this is a super recommendation! Worth your time!

This book is second in the Ana and Din series. Would highly recommend reading the first before starting A Drop of Corruption as it helps you understand the two main characters' backgrounds. It's a great mix of fantasy and mystery, with the two similar to Sherlock and Watson.

“The ocean cannot tell the difference between a rich man and a poor one, nor one full of happiness, or despair. To those waves, all are so terribly small.”

the tainted cup was my favorite publication of 2024, so i was beyond elated when this book showed up on my doorstep in 2025! and opening this book, and instantly being back with din and ana, just reminded me how beloved this book series already is to me and how it is probably my most anticipated current ongoing series. i know, right? a lot of praise, but it really is from my heart.

the very basic premise of what this series is doing is that it is a genre blend of fantasy and mystery, where we follow two character, din and ana, who are very coded as sherlock and watson, while they try to solve murder mysteries in what very much feels like an attack on titan world, filled with walls and leviathans that attack those walls. yet, also in this world, people have medical augmentations that allow them to enhance themselves, with abilities to do things better, but at a cost. and in this second installment, we really get to see that cost with classes in this world.

in this book, din and ana are visiting a town in the middle of trade negotiations, called yarrowdale, which is a port town, and it feels a little extra scary when the wet season is approaching and when leviathans attack walls in this world! but this town hasn’t experienced an attack in living memory, and they also have something called the shroud, which is a leviathan graveyard with a lot of mystery behind it. and maybe some more mystery will be added to it, because this story starts with dinios kol, an altered mind rememberer, traveling to this town to meet an officer and to see what is left of a body. and one moldy tower room later, ana dolabra comes to hopefully solve another case with din, and in a new city, where body parts are continuing to be found.

this series really feels like a breath of fresh air for both of its blended genres and it really feels like magic to read. din and ana’s relationship really just means the whole world to me, and seeing them both trust more, listen more, and even love more is just so beautiful. am i crying over a scarf? yes!! also, malo is such an amazing side character, who i was feeling all the emotions constantly for. i really hope we get to see them again in more stories. but yeah, the characters, the story, the writing, the messages, the mystery, it’s really all so top notch and i just really recommend this series to everyone who has even somewhat similar reading tastes to me.

other random things i loved about this story: din is for sure pan or bi and we just really love to see it, always. i also always will love an unsettling castle setting. i was obsessed with how we got more backstory in this second installment, and seeing more of these character’s pasts and how they are choosing to live in the present. i love the constant theme of patterns and how they are all around us, for better or worse, if we really begin to look. i love that this book looked at debt and the systems that want to keep people down and at the mercy of their leaders. and i very much love to appreciate the discussions around the corruption of government and how those in power are more than willing to treat the citizens they view as lesser, regardless of any and all costs.

i truly love everything about this series, but i do feel like no one, and i mean no one, is writing author notes the way robert jackon bennet is writing author notes. both books in this series have heavily discussed classism, capitalism, and which groups of people thrive, and die, because of these things. But this author’s note, the final thing the reader is left with upon closing this book, really emphasizes how fantasy stories have treated autocracies. how such a majority of stories are written about one true heir, who is divine, and righteous, and deserving of taking over and ruling the land, and knowing what is best for all people. and how that romanticization is never the real world reality. it was just really powerful to me and i really applaud what this author is saying to his readers, both in his storytelling and with his voice, especially in 2025.

“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?”

trigger + content warnings: death, vomit, blood, kidnapping, fungus + mold depictions, medical debt, loss of parents in past, colonization, slavery / captivity, classism, contagion, illness, poison, bugs / insects, gore, smoking, drinking, animal deaths, forced medical treatments, medical experimentation, talk of suicide ideation, a character who feels a little agoraphobic, and a little sexual content

Robert Jackson Bennett (https://www.robertjacksonbennett.com) is the author of nearly 10 novels. A Drop of Corruption was published early last April and is the second volume in his Leviathan series. It is the 33rd book I completed reading in 2025.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and mature language, I categorize this novel as R.

Ana Dolabra and her assistant, Dinios Kol, have been called again by the Empire to solve a mystery. This assignment has taken them to Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire, where a Treasury officer has disappeared. Dolabra is brilliant, but even the kindest personality assessment paints her as quirky and eccentric. Kol follows her direction and uses his ability as an engraver to remember everything he sees and hears.

Immunis Mineti Sujedo had come to Yarrowdale with a team from the Imperial Treasury. The team was there to continue discussions with the King of Yarrowdale regarding it becoming a part of the Empire. Yarrowdale had become important to the Empire when the Shroud was placed in the adjacent harbor. The Shroud was used by the Apoths to extract chemicals vital to the Empire from the blood of Leviathans.

Sujedo had disappeared from what appeared to be a locked and guarded room. The missing person case turned into a case of homicide when remains were found. As the investigation proceeds, they find evidence that Sujedo was involved in a theft from the Royal Treasury.

Kol finds himself dispatched by Dolabra into the jungles around Yarrowdale, looking for smugglers. She also sends him to the Shroud itself. He collects a lot of data for Dolabra, and she repeatedly sends him into danger in pursuit of justice.

Before long, their investigation is complicated by the death of the King of Yarrowdale, then another of the Treasury team. At the same time, there is intrigue and betrayal at the royal court. At first, these deaths are thought to be unrelated, but Dolabra and Kol soon find a link. Political agendas are being pursued by both the Empire and Yarrowdale. The investigators must dig through the political muck to arrive at the truth.

I enjoyed the 12 hours I spent reading this 458-page fantasy. I have had the opportunity to read three other novels by Mr. Bennett, which were all enjoyable. Those were Foundryside, Shorefall, and The Tainted Cup. The chosen cover art is simple, but I like it. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

(Content warnings: graphic body horror, gore, death, murder, blood; moderate violence, slavery, colonisation, medical content)

I think the books in this series might be as close to perfect speculative murder mysteries as they come. In pulls you in quick and it doesn't let go: a compelling mystery with crazy twists and turns that never feel unearned, characters that are just plain fun to follow, and a world unlike any other. I remember one of my minor complaints about the first book was that Ana, while very entertaining, felt a little flat as a character; here, we are granted glimpses into her past and why she is the way she is that are so much crazier than I could've imagined. I had enormous fun from start to finish.

Ana Dolabra is a a brilliant investigator, and her assistant Dinios Kol are sent to the edge of the Empire to investigate an impossible crime. A Treasury officer has disappeared without a trace from a locked room. Ana detects that they’re investigating a murder, done by an adversary who moves like a ghost. Worst, the killer is targeting a high-security compound, the Shroud, where the Empire’s greatest minds dissect fallen Titans and extract their magical blood.

The character’s development was fantastic. I didn’t expect to find bits and pieces of information about them and their past. It made this novel more interesting to me. It is installment in Bennett’s “Shadow of the Leviathan”series—following “The Tainted Cup “. This novel is Things are not what they seem in a place where leviathans roam the land and plots against the empire flourish. It is part fantasy and part procedural, the second installment in Bennett’s Shadow of the Leviathan series—following “The Tainted Cup.” It is engaging to read. I hope that there will be a third book It is a wonderful imaginative novel.

Sometimes it takes me a bit to get used to a new world. Such was with The Tainted Cup. This time, I was ready. Rich story, more depth, we learn more of Din and of oh so peculiar-in-her-ways Ana (I think of her as a bit of Elsbeth, except a lot more coarse and … much better written.) Well crafted, well written. This could be devoured in one sitting (if I didn’t have so many other books pulling at me!) Thanks to the author/publisher for affording me a review copy through NetGalley. I look forward to the next in the series!