“I find all these mentions of doom somewhat less delightful, ma’am.”

First and foremost, the LARGEST THANK YOU to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for the eARC of probably most anticipated book of the entire year. Let’s do this again next year with the third book please? (:

WOW. Sequels are TOUGH for a lot of author but RJB gently leads you through the aftermath and next tale for Ana and Din. Did I say gently? I mean, yanks. (Also RJB if you wanna throw out a novella of the few cases mentioned that take place inbetween please feel free to send it my way.)

Sweet summer chaos child Din is having a rough go, his father’s debtors re breathing down his neck and he misses his boy and is ultimately having a job crisis. We get to see so much more of Din’s personality in this, and boy is STRESSED.

“What a colorful colloquialism.”
Ana is her usual charming and unhinged self, her dry wit and epic deductions always give my brain the best little scratch and I just eat them up every single time.

Our duo is headed to a northern section of the country jungle strewn and Empire (sort of) controlled, except for the smugglers, murder, and theft. It was really awesome to see a different side of the empire and political game. I do think this book leans into the political side as much as TC, and the mistakes of humanity; even for the “greater good.”

If you liked The Tainted Cup, you’re also going to love this sequel. I did.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I was very excited for a chance to read the second early. This book did not disappoint. The world building was excellent as well as the introduction of new characters that I loved. I hope there are more books coming!

Thank you Netgalley and Hodderscape for having provided me with an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I read this book as soon as I finished The Tainted Cup, the previous installment in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, and immediately I was aware of a change in broadness and scope of the tale I was about to read. For if the epic fantasy and mistery/thriller elements are still here, the new setting and its implications soon tell the reader that something is abrew, something way bigger than before. We are in Yarrowdale, a city still not under the siege of the Empire, and its waters lays the Shroud, a semi-living structure where dead Leviathans are brought to be dissected and for their blood to be collected for precious Grafts, highly requested by the Empire. We have here bigger political implications than in the previous books, for the Treasury Iyalet is trying to convince the king of Yarrowdale to abide to the pact his predecessor stipulated 100 years ago, still, the resistance of Yarrowdale and its proud people, people who are used to the jungle and its mysteries, keeps strong.
This time Ana and Din will face someone who seems... perfect in their endeavours: no traces left, anywhere, motivations unknown, and a tie with the Apoths that seems unexplicable by the Apoths themselves. Unless they are hiding things too, which Ana is eager to find out. Less so is Din: he has to repay his father's debts, higher than before, and he secretly wants to leave his Iudex post to join the Legion, after witnessing their efforts at the Walls in Talagray. We now have a character way more human than before: not just a record player for testimonies, but a butchered man, a sleepless figure who finds solace in strangers' beds at night, who keeps doing his job but can't find motivation in doing so, for the people actually protecting the Empire, in his opinion, are somewhere else. This is what I liked most in this book: Din, his character, finally exposed to his flaws and issues and doubts, adorably battered and exquisitely perplexed by his findings.
Bennett's writing keeps giving: tension, humor and wit are perfectly mixed as the story goes on and the mysteries pile up, making the reading experience pleasant and intriguing at the same time.
And, oh, Ana: she is still the creepy, ghostly figure she's ever been, except this time she seems ready to reveal a tiny bit about herself: tiny but huge in its scope, something that, for sure, is given to us in order to make the next books even grander than the first two.
When, Bennett, when can I have more?!

3 Stars for A Drop of Croton – A Quirky Mystery That Could Use a Little More Magic

Picture this: a locked room, a missing Treasury officer, and a detective with a name that sounds like she moonlights as a very fancy blade. That’s A Drop of Croton for you—a clever whodunit brimming with puzzles, magic, and just enough danger to make you double-check your door locks.

Ana Dolabra, the Empire’s Sherlock Holmes (but sassier), tackles a case involving murder, titan blood, and a villain who makes Houdini look like an amateur. At her side is her ever-confused assistant Din, who spends most of the book blinking in disbelief at Ana’s genius—and possibly regretting all his life choices.

The setup? Delightful. The stakes? High enough to give me a nosebleed. The execution? Well, that’s where the three stars come in.

Don’t get me wrong—A Drop of Croton is fun. The mystery keeps you guessing, and Ana’s razor-sharp wit shines like polished steel. But the pacing felt like riding a horse that keeps stopping to eat grass. Just when you’re ready to charge ahead, the narrative pulls back, and you’re stuck waiting for something exciting to happen.

And then there’s the Shroud, a place so important it basically keeps the Empire from collapsing. But despite the high stakes, the story didn’t quite make me feel the full weight of the danger. It’s like being told the kingdom is in peril but never seeing anyone panic about it.

Still, there’s a lot to love here—snarky banter, clever twists, and a world filled with magic harvested from actual titans. If you’re in the mood for a cozy mystery with a side of fantasy, this might be your cup of croton tea (see what I did there?). Just don’t expect a runaway page-turner.

Would I recommend it? Sure, especially if you’re looking for a lighter read. Ana’s charm alone is worth the ticket price. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself wishing for a little more titan blood in your veins to get through the slower bits.

I loved exploring more of this world alongside Din and Ana. When in The Tainted Cup we were introduced to the world and its major characters, A Drop of Corruption dives more deeply into the complicated and complex politics and also the relation between humanity and the Leviathans. It feels like another layer of worldbuilding is slowly unfurled and shed light on and I loved every second of it.
The mystery is well though-out and exciting, despite some things being predictable for me. However being able to predict the mystery is always part of the fun for me. If I can figure it out before the obvious reveal the author has done a great job at hinting at it. There were many moments when I was on the edge of my seat just because I could feel the creepy atmosphere (and anxiety) through Din's eyes.
I highly recommend this book! I had the best of time reading it.

The second in the series comes with an even better constructed mystery. As we learn about a new area of the soon-to-be empire we meet an entirely new cast of characters. They're all well-drawn and 3 dimensional. It seems hard to write a good mystery, where each step reveals a bit and leads to the next. Most mysteries seem to hop from point-to-point without any seeming rhyme or reason. Bennet constructs this mystery like a house of cards that is entertaining to watch build up and then collapse as all is revealed.

Robert Jackson Bennett has done it again. This is one of my favorite series ever, with an incredibly unique world and characters. I devoured this book in a day and can’t wait for the next one. The mystery, the characters, the magic, the world- all expertly done. This has something for everyone in it and I cannot recommend it enough. 10/10.

I read The Tainted Cup earlier this year and LOVED it so Drop of Corruption was top of my wish list and I was not disappointed!

This was everything I wanted and hoped it would be. It’s a well-paced, gripping fantasy mystery with a captivating investigative duo set in a wonderfully rich fantasy world that I could not put down.

I love this investigative duo and, much like a fine wine, they have only gotten better with some age. I love their dynamic here and how much they have clearly settled into a rhythm of working together.

The world building continues to astound me – it’s just so rich and vivid! It’s a world unlike any I have read before and it just feels so layered and textured I can’t get enough.

What I will say though, I wish there hadn’t been such a big time jump! While I think this might have been done to move along the wider political plot, I am hoping the author might return to these earlier years of Din and Anna working together – I need to know all the different adventures they went on and mysteries they solved! I want to see how Din went from book 1 to book 2 and everything that happened in between. I am just hoping there might be some flashbacks in the future or some books released that cover this time period as I feel a bit cheated!

I have no other words – this RJB’s series was an absolute STAND OUT of 2024 for me and my only complaint is that I want MORE. I could go on, but really what else is there to say? This was brilliant and I can’t wait for the next instalment.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the spirit of full disclosure, when I requested this book from NetGalley I just liked the cover and the blurb sounded interesting. I hadn’t read an ARC before and was excited for the opportunity. Thanks NetGalley and Robert Jackson Bennett for supplying me with a new experience and a fun read!

Originally, I didn’t realize ADOC was the second in a series. I immediately downloaded The Tainted Cup and began reading. I had a hard time getting into that book and felt like maybe I was not the target audience for this series. I didn’t feel smart enough to be delving so deeply into this new world. RJB writes stunning imagery that is easy to imagine and beautiful to bring to life in my mind. However his plots are involved. Not only that but the world building, new terms and magic system within this fantasy were a lot of work for me. Again, I found myself being somewhat offended about how little I felt I could follow. I became so frustrated with how insulted my intelligence felt while reading that I dragged my feet through the entirety of the book. About 70% through It started to come together and make sense.

Anyway, less on TTC and more on A Drop of Corruption. I spent weeks avoiding this book, only to pick it up, as my deadline to review was approaching, and be immediately interested in Dins new case.

The subtle sarcasm and dry humor in the dialogue is enjoyable, but also an acquired taste. It takes a bit of getting used to before understanding the seemingly chaotic exchanges between characters and different ranking folk. Dins character is achingly strait laced while Ana reads like a whirlwind of chaotic energy. The dichotomy between them is engaging enough to muddle through the less enjoyable parts (rotten seafood, mold, bloody organ-less bodies etc)

ADOC behaves like a true mystery with the added intensity of a fantastical setting and a crumbling empire in need of saving. How these marry so well is a credit to Robert Jackson Bennett because there is so much going on at once.

All together, I really enjoyed the humor, the intelligence and the overall weird that this book brought. The characters were compelling, the wit is razor sharp and the concept is next level.

Again, major thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advance copy. I’m glad I got to step foot into Dinios Kols wild world.

Obsessed. RJB is at it again and even better than before. Every aspect of the groundwork of the first book has been enhanced in the second installment, from the depth of the worldbuilding, and the intrigue of the murder mysteries, to the furthered dynamic between Din and Ana. A Drop of Corruption is simply thrilling, and I'm eagerly awaiting the April publication date to pick up a physical copy.

Massive thank you to NetGalley for the arc! Truly an excellent start to 2025.

I really loved The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet, it was one of my top books of 2024, so I was very much looking forward to this sequel and I am so happy I got to read it before release date! Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for approving me for this arc.

And yes, I loved A Drop of Corruption, it's a 5 star read for me, just like the first book was. It was a fast paced, action packed, fun filled, entertaining, and amusing romp in a truly amazing and unique world that hits several of my buzzwords. Leviathans. Weird Ecology (including fungus). Plant based technology. Mystery-Fantasy. Quirky characters.

And then it has it's serious points too, as it casually and easily digs deep into various social and political issues that are so easy to pretend don't exist in a fantasy world. The colonialism aspect to this book is quite interesting. It doesn't just look at the colonial aspect as a bad thing, it truly shows us the various good and bad parts of what it means for this empire to have annexed this land. In some ways it is a very good thing, not least cause it would end slavery! But it also shows us that it's not all good, there are bad aspects. And good or bad, there will always be supporters and detractors. And most interestingly, the empire itself might not want what it seems to want.

But truly the draw for me in this series is the world. This weird ecological world, with the technology that is plant based. Oh how I love stories that grow buildings out of plants. This book is not super heavy, it's relatively light reading, it has humour and fun and silliness and moments that have you rolling your eyes at characters. But then this world will occasionally just hit you with some extreme body horror moments. What else can you call it when plants, people, and objects all merge into single things. Dead things, thank goodness, but still. Deliciously horrifying for sure. I love it.

We learn some more interesting things about our characters, not too much as the story is very much more plot heavy than character driven. But just enough to really leave you wondering what we will learn next. And they are as quirky as ever of course. Ever suffering Din and his, uhm, 'interesting' immunis, Ana. We get to see Din in some embarrassing moments, he blushes a fair bit in this one and it's hilarious every time. And of course he is thrown into the most dangerous of dangers, because of course he is. We have several new characters who have their own stories and histories, and of course their own quirks and personalities. For while these books aren't super character driven, we still end up with unique individual characters, and that is always something to be desired.

I wish I could see the Shroud. I have these ideas in my head on what it looks like, or at least how it moves, but I wish I could see what it actually looks and moves like. So creepy, so amazing. When I envision this world I kind of see an Avatar like world, but dingier, swampier, less fluorescent, and more horrific. Which, I mean, how perfect is that?

The only issue with reading a highly anticipated book before its release date is that you now have to wait even longer for the next sequel. Oh dear. What have I done?

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett takes us on another investigation with Ana and her assistant, Din. Unraveling the mystery of this murder is complex and requires sacrifices by Din to discover the clever truth. Political aspects of their world are explored in more detail in this sequel, a Treasury officer has been murdered and the Empire is more at risk than ever before. Corruption, betrayal, and secrets are prevalent in a world where people are not what they seem.

I recommend this book for fantasy and mystery fans. Reading The Tainted Cup would be a must before diving into the sequel. It sets up most of the world building and back story of the main characters. Ana and Din are eccentric characters, you will be entertained by their unconventional methods and banter back and forth. This story is filled with revelations at every turn while it builds to a startling ending.

Thank you Random House Publishing/ Del Rey and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

I recently had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of "A Drop of Corruption" by Robert Jackson Bennett, the second installment in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. Scheduled for release in April 2025, this novel continues the adventures of Ana Dolabra and her assistant, Kol, in a world that masterfully blends fantasy with mystery.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first book, The Tainted Cup, I was eager to dive into this sequel. Bennett's unique world-building and distinctive approach to fantasy had left a lasting impression. In A Drop of Corruption, the dynamic between Ana and Kol evokes the classic partnership of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, enriched with sharp humor and a darker, atmospheric tone reminiscent of The X-Files. This fusion creates a compelling narrative that holds the reader's attention throughout.

What sets this series apart is how utterly unique its fantasy elements are. I’ve never read anything quite like it—Bennett’s ability to weave complex mystery into a richly imagined world is unmatched.

While the first book delivered a profound "wow" factor, this sequel, though slightly less impactful, still offers a captivating experience. The mystery at the heart of the story is intricately layered and brilliantly paced, with each revelation peeling back another layer of intrigue. However, I found the resolution in this installment somewhat less satisfying compared to its predecessor. Additionally, I was left yearning for a deeper exploration of Ana's background, her motivations, and the overarching connection between the two books. The groundwork laid in this sequel suggests that future installments may delve further into these aspects, promising richer character development and a more interconnected narrative.

Overall, A Drop of Corruption is a commendable continuation of the series, showcasing Bennett's talent for blending genres and crafting engaging mysteries. While it may not have reached the heights of the first book, it remains a thoroughly enjoyable read that leaves me anticipating the next adventure of Ana and Kol. I rate this book four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this advance copy. I look forward to seeing where Bennett takes this series next.

Another brilliant fantasy plantpunk (?) mystery. RJB is as reliable a writer as they come: always innovate, surprising, and exciting.

If ‘Holmes & Watson meets VanDerMeer’s “Annihilation”’ sounds up your alley, mark this series down in your TBR. And go read everything else from this guy while you’re waiting.

For the first book in this series, The Tainted Cup, I wrote, “Wow! Two of my favorite things in one book—a murder mystery (plural, actually) and a fully conceived fantasy world unlike any I’ve ever read.”

That’s still true with A Drop of Corruption. Except this time, you get to learn so much more about Ana and Din. As I noted previously, the series contains great characters—imperfect and absolutely fascinating. And the Leviathans are back but in a completely new and unique way. And there are more people enhanced in a wide variety of ways, including the absolutely brilliant murderer.

Unfortunately, the murderer has not counted on going toe to toe with Ana Dolabra, the eccentric but genius investigator, and her assistant, Dinios Kol, who is getting more and more astute when it comes to investigating. And, because it's a fantasy world, there are also sword fights and clueless royalty and their constantly plotting minions. What’s not to love?

I already can’t wait for #3 (please let there be a third book in the series!) and the second hasn’t even been published yet! I bought a hard copy of The Tainted Cup when it came out last year, and I’ve already pre-ordered A Drop of Corruption. These books are definitely keepers.

Thank you Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett was a fantastic fantasy. Full of complex characters trying to solve a crime that could destroy all they know. A race against the clock to find a genius criminal who knows how to hide in plain view and is always several steps ahead of the authorities. Will the authorities be able to solve the mystery and catch this madman?

This was a wonderful sequel to The Tainted Cup. Each chapter was engaging and made me want to keep reading and reading and reading.

thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Del Rey for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

a great follow-up to one of my favorite books of all time. I do kind of feel like this book was very much "suffering from success" so to speak because Bennett did such an incredible job with the characters and mystery in the first book that a lot of the particular delights of the second one are... very similar to those of the first one. but don't get me wrong, there are a lot of delights. and horrors! this series is so gnarly. I do think the mystery kind of spun its wheels for a bit, as the "who" is figured out by the first third or so, but it does go completely insane in a good and very earned way at the end.

the end of the first book made me feel torn apart in the best way possible. this book doesn't really have anything like that, but I would genuinely read 900 books of Din and Ana doing their thing in this unbelievably cool world.

In a drop of corruption, Robbert Jackson Bennett masterfully weaves another captivating murder mystery into his richly imagined world. The return of Ana and Din provides deeper insights into their personalities and abilities, offering readers a more intimate understanding of these compelling figures. Bennett cleverly expands the world-building, seamlessly integrating the mystery into the empire's unique history and further enriching the narrative. Thank you to Netgally, the author, and publisher for the ARC. I look forward to Robbert Jackson Bennett future novels!

After having early access from Net Galley, grateful for the opportunity to read Robert Jackson Bennett’s second instalment of A Drop of Corruption, after previously reading The Tainted Cup.

This book was brilliant- I loved the constant twists and schemes that unfolded. However, it lost some stars for me as I felt it became a bit repetitive, however the last 30% of this book wrapped up so well. I can’t wait to read more from Bennett! 3.5 stars.