This series is just amazing! The suspense, dynamics of the characters are just incredible! Can’t wait to read the third instalment.

Dinios and Ana Dolabara are back for another murder investigation, this time in the far-away territory of Yarrowdale where the muggy and oppressive atmosphere presses over everything - the murder, Dinios, and the other government agents he's working with. This book peels back more of the empire to show us the machinations of how this weird world, so dependent on Leviathans, actually functions. The mystery here was extraordinarily compelling, and we're up against confounding evidence, a host of suspects and of course a powerful, corruptible elite.

Some things I thought were fun: the Shroud, learning about the security measures used in the Empire, Malo, Ana's own appetites (it brought up bile in my throat but it was a nice detail), the Yarrow language - a paper thin veil for Hindi.

I can't put my figure on what could have made this book better except to say I wish we knew more about Malo, and I agree with RJB's assessment (in the author's note) that a more glossy, Roman-ized Yarrow would have probably made the core theme of the book more impactful, For now, I can see a lot of Westerners feeling safe and secure as they read this book, convinced that the wolves can never enter through the gates of their own vaunted democracies.

A Drop of Corruption is a fantastic continuation of the Ana and Din series. Robert Jackson Bennett writes such smart mysteries - once I reach the end, I feel like I should have paid more attention to the clues he laid out, but alas, I'm always surprised by who has perpetrated the crime(s). I really enjoyed getting to learn more about Ana and Din - I feel like their characters were more fully fleshed out in this second book in the series. The world-building continued as well, and I found myself more comfortable with the imagery in this book. I would recommend A Drop of Corruption for both mystery and fantasy lovers and look forward to the next book in the series.

5/5

The Tainted Cup was one of my favorite books of the past year, a series debut that ingeniously blended fantasy and mystery in a punchy yet poignant fantasy world featuring an unconventional investigative pairing. Robert Jackson Bennett serves up his follow-up in a novel no less witty nor utterly transformative. Ingeniously plotted, A Drop of Corruption takes our detective duo far away from the influences of their pesky empire, to Yarrowdale, a canton teeming on the edge of change – to be absorbed into the empire or continue to stand on its own. Corruption and the unsettling biology of the Leviathans take root as investigative assistant Din and the ever-brilliant detective Ana Dolabra delve ever deeper into the strange murder and a new conspiracy that could threaten the safety of Yarrowdale and the entire empire. Snaking back upon itself continuously in Bennett’s typical style, A Drop of Corruption nurtures the flawed reality of those who relentlessly pursue progress within an empire and the costs of those who continue to unearth the corruption at its heart. A Drop of Corruption is not just a perfect sequel it is a perfect book. The characters are at their height, the dynamics polished and razor-sharp, and the mystery just as world-altering as its predecessor. Robert Jackson Bennett is a formidable talent and I'll be needing a million more mysteries with Ana and Din.

My full review is now live on my blog!

Wow.

I meant to just take a peek into this story and get a feel for what it was about, and somehow once I started, I ended up staying up the ENTIRE night because I just kept wanting "one more chapter". It was THAT good.

I had read the first book in this series, but didn't take the time to go back and read my review (because I wasn't REALLY going to read it now, remember?) so it did take me a little bit to remember the world and the characters, but truly, it was easy to jump right back into this world and remember the MMC Dinios Kol (glorified investigative assistant). and of course, who could forget the wacky but brilliant FMC Ana Dolabra (Din's boss and extremely eccentric boss)?

What I liked so much about the first book was the almost Sherlock Holmes type of feel that book had in the middle of a complete Fantasy genre storyline. The two MC's worked so well together, and Din just really came through as he tried to understand Ana's really wacky behavior.

In this book, as he better learns how to "handle" his odd boss, we see Din develop as a character and we see the actual growth he is experiencing. We also get to better see Ana and start to realize that there is definitely something that is not "normal" about her. Yes, she is brilliant, but the things that he just thought were "crazy behavior" before - well, now he is beginning to believe there is something more going on. She is NOT what she seems....is she?

As in the first book, this book takes off from the very first page and the plot just gets crazier and crazier. It was AMAZING seeing Ana trying to figure out what the heck was going on and to be honest, I was just hanging on for the ride. I SERIOUSLY had no clue at times and just when I thought I might be understanding what was going on, then there was the "twist" and i was back at "WTF?" But it wasn't done in a frustrating way. It was done in a perfectly timed buildup of tension and clues and gave you just enough to realize that you NEEDED to find out what was going on.

I'm not going into the plot - I couldn't if I wanted to. Don't read too many reviews. Go in cold because it is SO much fun riding along as we watch Ana and Din do their thing.

So, if you haven't gathered it yet - I LOVED this book. I'm loving this series, and it is definitely set up for another book, possibly several more books. I cannot wait. I am definitely a fan. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone. This book will be out for publication on Apr 01, 2025.

If you thought The Tainted Cup was good, wait until you read a Drop of Corruption! This is even better than the first, with a whole new crime to be solved, all knew threats to be handled, all new suspects to investigate. only this time, the person they hunt, is even smarter than Ana. the twists and turns made me dizzy, but at the end, i was able to look back and see all the breadcrumbs laid out before me. i delighted in all the new things I've learned about the world, the history and the people. looking into the secrets that Ana keeps, the hints of her origins, i am already dying for book three! it's an amazing read, and one of my absolute favorites! I've read The Tainted cup three times already, and this is definitely going to be going on my re-read roster as well!

I've enjoyed other books by this author, but the first in this series The Tainted Cup was my favorite read of the year by far so I was so excited to get an arc of the next installment but also so scared that it wouldn't live up to the first one. Thankfully, I can firmly say that this sequel continues the quality of investigation we saw in the first book with Ana Dolabra and Dinios Kol solving the weird and strange cases that plague the empire in their quest for justice.

In A Drop of Corruption, we find Ana and Din in Yarrowdale investigating the disappearance of a local member of the Treasury, there to negotiate with the King of Yarrowdale the joining of the empire, something not everyone in the kingdom welcomes. However, the investigation is isn't as clear-cut as it first seems. We follow Ana and Din on the twisting turns of the crime into the strange and murky halls of the The Shroud, the creepiest place in the empire by far.

I love hearing and following Ana's brilliant, Sherlock Holmes-like deductions with Din playing her not-quite-as-lost Watson. He is developing into a good investigator in his own right although he still struggles with whether or not investigating the ills of the empire are the right role for him. In the end, I have little criticism for this book except for one thing: the final reveals. While I was lost on where the story was going throughout, the final reveals ended up being too obvious and I knew what was coming both for the villain and Ana's history well before it happened. What I love most about these books is that nothing makes sense until the end reveal, but in this case, that didn't happen and I missed the magic.

However, I still really loved this book, if only slightly less than the first one. I cannot wait for the next installment and have already preordered this beautiful cover for my shelves. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this early copy! All opinions are entirely my own.

Iudex investigators Ana Dolabra and Dinios Kol are at it again, tasked with solving an impossible crime: the vanishing of a Treasury officer that heralds a far greater mystery - one that threatens the future of the entire Empire!

Wow, this was freaking amazing! Now that the world has been established, Robert Jackson Bennett had free reign to craft a more interesting and complex mystery - he took that opportunity and ran with it.

The world Bennet has created is so incredibly intricate and well thought out! I absolutely devour every nugget of new information we learn. I am also enthralled by our characters - Ana and Din are such a good duo. I cannot wait to see what shenanigans they get up to next, and I sincerely hope that we get to to see Malo again in a future installment.

This series is shaping up to be a favorite of all time, and I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity to read this sequel months in advance!

Robert Robert Robert. Can I call you Bert? Don't worry I won't be the Earnie to your Bert. But I will review this by saying you did it again. Another good book.

I would like to thank Penguin Randon House for providing a digital copy of this novel via NetGalley. What an aptly titled book! This is a story separated into five acts. I enjoyed this sequel even more than the first book. I really enjoyed the development of the relationship between Ana and Din. The murder mystery had many layers and I can honestly say I did not see everything coming. I much enjoyed the way the author peeled away the layers of the mystery slowly. There was a revelation regarding one of the characters towards the end of the book that I much enjoyed. There is some great commentary on kingdoms and autocracies both throughout the story (through specific events and character dialogue) and in the author's note at the end of the book. This book contains one of my favorite author's notes of any recent book I've read.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett was a really interesting book. I very much enjoyed it.

When I say that The Tainted Cup was one of my favorite reads this year, I want you to know that I mean that. That I bought The Tainted Cup as gifts for friends and family and mere acquaintances, that I IM'd my coworkers that I don't even like on Microsoft Teams about it, that I interrupted workouts to peddle this book to gym goers. No one was safe.

When I say that A Drop of Corruption is now ALSO one of my favorite reads this year, I want you to know that I mean that as well. I'd feel bad about restarting the cycle with everyone I know, but this book will also improve people's lives so 🤷🏾‍♀️ Get ready for me to gush about A Drop of Corruption as well. GIRD YOUR LOINS

What this book is: Sherlock Holmes, Heart of Darkness, Mars Attacks. You'll get it.

Like the first book, we jump immediately into the case: a locked room abduction/murder, a bank heist, and lo - a government conspiracy?

And, of course, our beloved characters. Din is lonely and disillusioned about his job, has creditors hounding him, and fantasizes about a future dying heroically in the military. Ana is Ana, but we get a tiny peek into her background this time around! We also have Malo, a young local warden with augmented senses who's helping on the case. She's a great side character, though I did roll my eyes a bit over her being a living (and reliable) polygraph.

A Drop of Corruption is more than just a mystery. It's about power, divinity, past, present, future, and how frankly boring nihilism is. I was a little disappointed that the land proud of their history and resistant to being taken over by the Empire was a despotic, slave owning kingdom disdainful of technology and reveling in their degradation, symbolized by their rotten teeth. I guess the only thing worse than imperial bureaucracy is autocratic monarchy.

Still, I need there to be a hundred books in this series. Like I literally want to die of old age with new entries still being published (though I'm younger than RJB so he'll need to get himself some longevity augmentations). I want Din and Ana traveling the Empire solving mysteries, making new friends and enemies, and staring leviathans in the face. For as Ana said:

"...the drop of corruption that lies within every society shall always persist."

I just about threw a party when I received the ARC for A Drop of Corruption. I’ve been looking forward to this book since I read the last one, which I also read early, so it’s been well over a year.

A Drop of Corruption is a masterpiece. I genuinely think it’s better than the first one. There are some things I’d like to highlight:

1. The world in this book is so interesting and vivid. You learn much more about the world in this book, and you get to explore a different part of the empire (or the sort-of-part-of /sort-of-not-part-of the empire). Yarrow is a rich kingdom, different from other places that have subscribed to the conformity of the empire. You also learn a bit more about the interactions between the empire and the leviathans, particularly how the bodies of leviathans are processed to create reagents. The Shroud is also a really cool thing that makes the world so much more interesting.

2. The mystery in this book is sprawling and intriguing with many interwoven parts that all come together in the end. This is, of course, my favorite kind of mystery. One of the best parts of the experience of reading this book is trying to make connections and solve the mystery along with Din.

3. Everything I learn about Ana makes her more and more interesting. I am beyond curious about her history and how she came to be the way (and what) she is. She’s a fascinating character.

4. Despite everything fantasy (and I love fantasy) about this book, I like how grounded the characters are. They deal with real world problems (like debt). It helps the story feel real, which in turns feeds the immersion.

Overall, I loved A Drop of Corruption, and I am very much looking forward to book 3.

I received an advanced copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In this second adventure/mystery Ana Dolabra is once again contacted to solve an "unsolvable" crime. Along with her aide Dinios, she sets out to discover not only how a treasury officer was murdered but how his body left a "locked room." As the investigation continues, it becomes clear that this is much more than just a murder that needs to be solved, but a plot by a wickedly intelligent criminal to bring about the destruction of their world. Not knowing who can be trusted and being thwarted at every turn by their nemesis this is the first time that Dinios has doubts about Ana's ability to solve the crime. If you loved the unique world building in "The Tainted Cup", you'll be excited to rejoin Ana and Dinios as they work to save it from destruction.

Did I think the sequel would be better than The Tainted Cup? Eh. Was it? Hell, yeah.
While the shock factor of this new world is only just getting settled, this new part of the empire that is explored in this installment only brings more wonder. What more, it delves into the lives of the people powering the empire in more detail and highlights the precarious knife's edge the empire is walking with the biological enhancements.
The series still feels very sci-fi to me and I am totally here for it.
Din has matured since his first investigation and I kind of wanted to be along for the journey and get a glimpse into all the other investigations that Ana and Din had taken up since the walls. Maybe a novella later?
The betrayals, murders, elaborate plots to serve complicated motivations and crude alliances where the allies turn on each other were all super intriguing to read in this book. It's like the empire is getting revealed in bits and pieces to us readers and it will all come together like a puzzle. The world-building that delved into the various communities within the empire and its efforts (or lack thereof) to annex other lands is truly painting a broader picture. The experiements and the secrecy of it all "for the safety of all" were also truly thought-provoking in terms of who is benefitting from it ultimately and how much is it really for the good of the people.
If anything, the murders were more shocking in The Tainted Cup whereas these murders were political, which was apparent from the get-go. Book One had more possibilities while this one's goal was clear from the very beginning. But the political intrigue was still very entertaining to read about and ponder.
I am ready to read more about this world and the wait for the next book would be excrutiating.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

"A Drop of Corruption" is the second in a series that started with the incredibly engrossing "The Tainted Cup." Thankfully, this book is a worthy follow-up. Once again Ana and Din are presented with a murder mystery that requires in-depth investigation to pick away at the layers of fretvine woven together.

Much like in the first book, Ana and Din are presented with a corpse that is puzzling in nature. I love how the initial description of the victim is so well-described that I can see it clearly. It's also strange, so I was immediately curious to find out what was going on.

The world that Bennett has created has layers upon layers, and I feel like this second book has contributed and added on to what we have learned about it in the first. I loved seeing more lands and meeting new characters. (Malo is fantastic, and I hope she shows up again.) I think the 'magic system' for lack of a better term, is creative.

Of course, the characters are well-developed. I noticed some reviews wish that more was revealed about Ana and Din's backstories, but I feel like we got a lot about both of them. (There's one scene in the end, where we get a good dose of information about how Ana is capable of the mental processing she does and has the ability to solve these cases.) I wouldn't want to much when there is so much more (hopefully) of this series to come.

If you are someone who loves a good mystery and can appreciate a well-crafted fantasy realm, then I can't recommend this series enough.

Another winner! I loved this continued collaboration of Ana and Din in the strange land of the Empire. The mystery here seems unsolvable until uncannily brilliant Ana peels back the layers.

Notes for the copy editor:
Chapter 9 "I cannot say," said Sujedo slowly. I believe the speaker should be Tufwa, not Sujedo.
Chapter 25 "There is a seat e, and many of these eerie stone sculptures, but nothing else." I don't know what "seat e" refers to.

I found this sequel falling into the normal stereotype of the second book slump. I did not like Din questioning leaving the Iudex so soon. I think that would have been a fair storyline in later books but only five investigations and he was done? Also I did not connect to Din at all in this book. He had no emotional capacity. He was heartbroken for his missing partner from last book but also never talks about it, or his inner monologue doesnt. Also, the mystery will interesting because of the use of the leviathans, it was completely easy to guess, and I found myself frustrated it took them so long to catch on, and it took me completely out of the book.

WOW, another great addition to the series. As I read through the book I slowly picked up where it was going and I enjoyed that. It wasn’t too predictable but if you followed the story and the hints that were dropped you’d see where it was going. I love Din and Ana, they’re amazing and the addition of Malo made it better. The characters in this book were nicely written. Only thing disappointing to me has nothing to do with the book itself but I show the same disappointment that Ana did to our antagonist in regards to their motivations. Oh what could’ve been. But excited for more if there are any to come

I was beyond floored I received this ARC and will forever be grateful.
This story is wildly entertaining just like the last. We got to learn more about Ana and Din, discovering more about our main characters. Along with this we also had expansion of the world building and new magic/tech. At the heart of RJB stories I am thinking about our world and how it can relate with the worlds he creates. The authors note especially left me feeling raw. Highly recommend this book and series to fantasy, sci fi, and mystery lovers all.
I hope to meet up again soon with Ana and Din on their next adventure.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.