A Drop of Corruption is the second and latest book in the ongoing Shadow of the Leviathan fantasy mystery series. It’s a direct sequel to last year’s The Tainted Cup (which I reviewed here) and you should definitely go and read that book before this one. I’m going to address this review to people who’ve read the first book and are curious if it’s worth continuing the series - and the short answer is, definitely yes.

A Drop of Corruption doesn’t stray far from the framework established in The Tainted Cup - it’s an entirely separate mystery following Din and Ana as they travel to a new, remote part of the Empire, meet a cast of intriguing characters augmented with bio-magical enhancement, and proceed to unearth a cascading series of mysteries in their effort to get to the bottom of an impossible puzzle. This time, they travel to Yarrowdale, a remote backwater kingdom in the process of being absorbed into the Empire proper (in a scenario somewhat like Hong Kong’s preplanned transference to China) to investigate the death of one of the Empire’s civil servants. Yarrowdale is so politically tricky for Din and Ana to investigate because of its vast importance to the Empire - it is protected from the seaborne leviathan attacks by a massive, bio-mechanical construction called the Shroud, inside which the fuel that provides the Empire’s augmentations is extracted from recovered Leviathan corpses.

Like all his work, its a fast read, with prose simple enough not to get in the way of a binge read, yet still robust enough to feel substantial and elegant. Bennett understands that truly propulsive mysteries can’t be stretched out for long, and wisely constructs ADoC’s plot around a nesting doll of mysteries. The book features several confounding scenarios, whose major questions are answered only to reveal yet another confounding scenario, on and on until the book reaches its satisfying conclusion.

A constant stream of answers that lead to new questions is a requirement for a good mystery, but what makes these books great mysteries is the influence of their genuinely inventive and fascinating setting. In the hands of a lesser writer, this could make all mysteries easily solvable by deus ex machinas, as the answer is some heretofore unseen magical spell. But Bennett grounds his supernatural elements by laying out their rules as they’re revealed. No one casts spells in these books, or draws energy from demons. Instead, many people are augmented with bizarre drugs and alchemical concoctions that give them specific enhancements. Din can remember everything he experiences, though he needs to sniff particularly unique scents during a scenario to help him recall them later. New character Malo has enhanced hearing and smell, which lets her act as a ward against would-be eavesdroppers and as a dog when tracking down a fleeing suspect. These magical abilities are just really fun flavors to add into the mix, as they open up new ways of gathering clues while also necessitating that Bennett (and his villains) come up with more and more elaborate ways of working around them.

A Drop of Corruption finds the perfect balance of worldbuilding; as a sequel, Bennett can drop readers back into the world with only a brief and very helpful refresher prologue, trusting that they’ll understand the basics and explaining the rest as it comes up. But at the same time, he hands out little nuggets of interesting lore that are like catnip to worldbuilding sickos like myself, continuing to solidify Bennett as one of the best conjurers of unique fantasy worlds working today.

All in all, this is a really fun and satisfying mystery novel, though like most of Bennett’s work, I think the plot details will fade away as time goes on. But that’s the side effect of an enthralling read that keeps you hooked until the end, so I think it’s a worthwhile trade. I can’t really imagine anyone who liked the first book not enjoying this one too. And if you’re weird and just want to read this first, you might be a little lost with the setting, but not with the story. I’ll be sad to see the last of Din and Ana’s adventures, but I’m sure it’ll be wrapped up in yet another expertly-crafted mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

I love love love love the mystery case in this one. It was suspenseful and confusing but don't worry the plot ties up nicely at the end. Ana is still my favorite character even if she's really odd. Hmm I would say the characters feelings aren't much explored especially Din he seems distant here.

"The Tainted Cup" was such a pleasant surprise when I read it last year, with it combining fantasy and murder mystery perfectly while also offering an intriguing magic system and lovable characters. Needless to say that I was thrilled when I got an arc for book two. I even made it my first read of the year, hoping for a 5-star book, and well … I was not disappointed.

"A Drop of Corruption" brings a new murder case for my favorite supernatural investigators Din and Ana, this time not set in the Empire but in the hot and swampy Kingdom of Yarrow. At first they are confronted with a seemingly impossible locked room mystery and some severed body parts, but the story quickly becomes something far bigger than that. The investigation leads them from a seaside town to the jungle to the high court and reveals political schemes, biological weapons and more gruesome deaths. And what can I say? I followed along with greatest interest for the entirety of the book.

Book 2 is expanding the world in the most interesting way, for Yarrowdale is home of the Shroud, the place where gigantic leviathan carcasses are brought to and are experimented on. It's a mix of body horror and magical science talk, making it very fascinating to read. The characters are explored a little more as well, but I wish there would have been even more of that for I like them very much. Ana is still the eccentric and rude yet brilliant creature with the strangest habits, and Din is a stressed-out bisexual icon, who is struggling with money and his job, and somehow always finds himself in the world's most deadly places. Book 2 also adds Malo as a new character and I did like her no nonsense, ever slightly annoyed personality a lot as well as her alterations. With her heightened senses, Din's infinite memory and Ana's gift for comprehension of basically everything they are quite the unstoppable trio now. I don't know if Malo will return in book 3 though, because no side character of book 1 returned in book 2.

I do hope for many more books in this series. There is not really an overarching plot throughout books 1 and 2, and I'm sure there are more mysteries to solve and places to go for Ana and Din. I'm very excited to see where this series is going in the future. (I also take my enjoyment of "A Drop of Corruption" as a call to finally read "Foundryside". I've owned a copy for years now, why in the world have I not picked it up yet?)

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Another fantastic book from RJB (my second of his) and a wonderful continuation to this series. I am newer to the fantasy genre (read it very sparingly) and this is perfect for newbies like me. You still get a lot of complex world building, but the characters do a lot of summarizing (that isn't overly obvious or annoying) to help someone like me keep up. The mystery (just like the first book) was complex, but not overly difficult to follow (helped by previously mentioned summarization). I loved returning to this world and beloved characters and cannot wait for the next installment.

So grateful to Netgalley & Del Rey Books for the gifted ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

I will post a full review on my Instagram feed closer to pub date. I plan to do a re-read of both books in audio form to capture anything I might have missed the first go around. I enjoyed listening to the audio of the first book so much I cannot wait for the second. I hope the narrator is the same!

4.75/5

It was so great to go back to the little canton of Yarrowdale, with my favorite neurodivergent duo! I hope this series keeps going and going. It's such a fun and refreshing mystery fantasy world.

A Drop of Corruption is the gritty sequel to The Tainted Cup, probably my favourite book from 2024 and an incredible fantasy mystery novel. Bennett’s world-building and sharp prose continues to grab my attention and refuses to let go.

This time we’re in the canton of Yarrowdale, a state that is about to be absorbed into the Empire but holds a lot of its old traditions and resentment. It’s a very familiar situation to real-life politics and a great way to build the world but also distinguish itself from the first book.

We also meet new characters with rich back stories, motivation, and personality (Malo is great) as well as new threats and technology. I find there’s a little less lore around the Leviathans this time around, but more around how people use their parts to influence this world. I liked that a lot.

Our Iudex investigators, Din and Ana, remain as weird and captivating as ever. Mostly it’s Ana being weird and intense and Din just trying to do his job without losing his mind (or his neck). But this time, the mysteries around Ana’s peculiarities and her genius start creeping in. And somehow, Din is canonically super hot now.

I found that there were parts of this book that felt slightly repetitive, especially when it came to Ana and how she “grins” like a menace or “purrs” when she speaks. It made her more caricature-ish and I hope this will change as her backstory unfolds. But these are small nitpicks in an overall excellent mystery. This is a worthy sequel to The Tainted Cup and I can’t wait for the third book!

I really loved this book. It was a perfect continuation of the first one in terms of further development of both characters and worldbuilding. I particularly enjoyed learning more about Ana - I think we learned just the right amount to stay intrigued without getting annoyed that we aren't getting enough. The new side characters like Malo brought a freshness to the way that Din interacted with the world and brought out different sides to him which fleshed him out even more. Furthermore, the mystery was just as gripping and twisty as in The Tainted Cup. I put some of the pieces together right before our characters figured things out which made me feel so accomplished, but there was a lot that took me completely by surprise. I will definitely continue to recommend this series and author. Thank you very much Del Rey and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this early.

This is excellent fantasy. The first book was a standout for me the year I read it due to both the fantastically unusual world building and the fiendishly complex mystery. I leapt at the chance to read this one with that very high bar in my head and it did not remotely disappoint. Everything I loved in the first book is just as brilliantly drawn here. (Though I would have liked to see something of Kepheus.)

Visiting another far edge of the Empire, this one so distant it is not technically part of it Din faces a new host of fascinating problems in the local architecture and a mystery that grows in glorious twists and turns. There's some truly terrifying stuff in these books and it is delightful. As befits a sequel the reader learns more of both Din and Ana themselves but also more of the Empire and its complex workings, yet none of this intriguing world building ever overshadows the feel of the characters.

I liked Din even more in this than in the first, and as always felt a heaping helping of sympathy for what he suffered in the pursuit of justice. Ana continues to feel withdrawn and oddly alien but their rapport is growing in this book and it was interesting to learn further very intriguing tidbits about her along with the mystery. She is still not entirely a likeable character in some ways but I very much feel she is not quite intended to be. She is an interesting one and I liked seeing not only that growing rapport between them but Din coming a bit further into his own. Malo, new in this one, and very central to this investigation was also wonderful.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this book. It's well drawn enough to feel extremely visceral at points and both setting and story are likely to linger in my thoughts for some time. There are new characters here and new systems within a world that already felt very complex, but they are introduced with such a deft hand that I never felt bogged down in exposition. Everything comes about very organically in the story.

As a second book in a series I cannot fault it. There is no dragging here, no feeling of things unsatisfying left untouched at the end, yet there are looming lurking questions and I am desperately curious to see where it will take us in the future. I loved this. It is really brilliant stuff and was an absolute joy to read. Absolutely recommended without any reservation to those who read the first. Delightful stuff and a great way to finish out the previous year and begin the new one. This book is likely to be a standout read for the year as well.

As a long time murder mystery genre fan, A Drop of Corruption does a wonderful job of combining that genre with a fantasy world that I got lost in while reading. The fantasy genre has never been my favorite, but this author made this accessible for novice readers like myself. I envy the imagination that can dream up this type of world! This is the second book in the series and we now visit a different land in this wonderful world. I loved that we got to travel with the investigators from the first book and get to learn more about their unusual grafts. While you could read this as a standalone, I highly recommend reading A Tainted Cup first!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am obsessed with this series! It masterfully mixes fantasy and mystery plot lines to create an intriguing story you can’t put down! The first book was mostly a murder mystery, this book focuses on a high stakes heist! I loved the world building and the exploration of the magic system! I also loved the political intrigue and social commentary! But my favorite part of this series has to be the characters! The humor is top tier and even the side characters have incredible character development and are so engaging! This is my first Robert Jackson Bennett series, but I can’t wait to read more of his books this year!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I randomly read the first book, The Tainted Cup, nearly a year ago and end up loving it. But this book was fantastic. Personally I think it surpasses its predecessor, which was already incredible.

In A Drop of Corruption, we get a deeper understanding of Ana and Din, namely their dynamics and also their personalities. Both character have a significant character developments, with Ana being more trusting towards Din and vice versa. The subtle hints of each of their background is also what I really like about this book. It’s not much, but enought to keep you captivated that you want to know everything about them. It really is interesting to read and I hope that we explore more of their characters in the next book.

The mystery is MYSTERYING in this one. It felt very compelling and grips you since the very first page. With its many twists and turns, I found myself thinking of theories as I read. This book is definitely more complex and carries a higher stake compared to the first one, especially as it concerns the Empire.

Which leads me to the worldbuilding. In A Drop of Corruption, we delve deeper into the Empire: its origins, the rulers, the citizens, and more. We also got to learn more about the Leviathans. We learn about their connection to the Empire, their purpose, and how they can contribute to the Empire's future. This opens up numerous possibilities for the next book and I really hope that the author delves deeper into this.

I enjoyed reading this so much! A definite five stars. Without a doubt, A Drop of Corruption is my favorite book of 2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House publishing for this advanced reader copy!

I absolutely loved reading the Tainted Cup last year, a fantasy mystery with a plant based magic system and characters with augmented abilities, say less.

In A Drop of Corruption we pick back up with the two main characters from the first novel, Ana and Din, as they are on yet another investigation to solve a mysterious crime. Similar to the first book, this packs a punch with its world building and unique storytelling. My favorite part of this book was reading about some of the grotesque imagery, which was reminiscent of Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer.

This also has a very satisfying ending, with multiple twists and turns along the way. I highly recommend this, and it is a guaranteed hit for anyone who enjoyed the Tainted Cup!

The Tainted Cup was one of my favorite reads of 2024, and the sequel didn’t disappoint! In A Drop of Corruption, Din and Ana travel to a new location on the outskirts of the Empire to solve another complex criminal mystery that reaches all the way to the royal court!
I won’t hide that the murder mystery in this installment seemed a bit weaker than in the first one, and many elements involved in its solution felt overly complicated to me. I also missed the Leviathans from the first part, but that’s just a personal preference. Still, the book makes up for this with other aspects. A Drop of Corruption wonderfully expands this impressive world that has been created with such imagination. This book is much heavier on politics than the previous one, which was a strong advantage for me. Another area where this book shines is character development—we learn a lot of new things about Ana and Din, and by this point, it’s hard not to be completely absorbed in their story. I don’t know which of the two protagonists is my favorite. Ana is really fascinating, and I’d love to learn more about her past, while Din deserves the world. Among the secondary characters, Malo particularly stood out, and I hope we’ll see more of her in future books.
Overall, I’m sure that readers who enjoyed the first book and were hoping The Tainted Cup would evolve into a crime series set in a rich, gradually expanding world will be very satisfied after reading A Drop of Corruption. I personally can’t wait for the next installment.

I usually don’t fall so hard for books that romance isn’t the main plot but I can’t get enough of this series. I love the world Bennett paints in these books and his writing makes it easy to imagine. The level of imagination that has gone into this series is honestly impressive. We learn so much more about Ana and Din in this book and I am truly invested in both characters. The side character, Malo, really makes the book with her surly humor. The mystery kept my interest and I was delightfully shocked by the ending. I am excited to see how Din grows, as I feel he is destined for great things!

This was the best way to end my reading year of 2024! Everything I loved about the first book in this series is true of this sequel as well, and perhaps even more so since sequels have the benefit of not needing as much setup time for setting and characters. I was totally baffled by the mystery of this story and was left guessing until the very end. The fantasy setting continues to be vibrant and nuanced and I often found myself laughing at the characters and their interactions. As with The Tainted Cup, I had to take one star off my rating to account for the scattered language and same sex romance allusions, but thankfully they did not escalate or take up any more space than they did in the first book. If you're looking for an engrossing, captivating page-turner, I would highly recommend A Drop of Corruption!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an eARC of this book!

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett is a compelling sequel to Tainted Cup in the Ana and Din Mystery series. Bennett once again delivers a sharp, immersive blend of mystery, dark fantasy, and intrigue that keeps readers hooked from the first page.

Set in a richly imagined world of political corruption and sinister secrets, it follows Ana and Din as they navigate a tangled web of deception and danger. Bennett’s world-building is top-notch, with vivid descriptions and complex characters that feel both familiar and unsettling. The stakes are higher this time, as Ana and Din confront deeper, more personal threats while trying to unravel the dark forces that haunt their city.

Bennett’s prose is precise and engaging, balancing tension with moments of quiet reflection. The mystery unfolds slowly, drawing readers deeper into a world where nothing is as it seems. The character development is particularly strong, with Ana and Din facing their own personal demons while unraveling the overarching mysteries surrounding the city’s corruption.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommendation: Perfect for fans of dark, atmospheric mysteries with deep, complex characters and intricate world-building.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC of this book.
This was a fantastic sequal to the Tainted Cup which was one of my favorite book of 2024. I do think that this book was slightly weaker then the first one mystery wise but the overall character and world growth was amazing. The ending was unexpected and the Epilogue was amazing. I am really looking forward to another novel in the future. The author did a fantastic job with this world/book!

Stars: 5 out of 5.
The second book was just as good as the first one. I loved every minute of it, even if the more I learned about the Empire, the more I felt like it was a terrifying place to live in, especially if you chose to serve it.

I mean, the whole motto of the Empire is "You are the Empire". While that could be uplifting to some to think that they are a small part of a bigger whole, in reality, it just means that they are just a cog in a huge machine that is the Empire and that they can be easily disposable and replaceable. Oh, and it's assumed that they would dedicate their whole lives to safeguarding that Empire. Since it is in constant danger of destruction from the Leviathans who come ashore every year, I wouldn't think that it's a very nice place to live. The psychological toll must be enormous, especially in the cantons closest to the sea walls.

Din and Ana are an absolute joy to follow in this book as well. Din especially has a lot going on with him in this story - from a financial crisis not of his making but one that he feels responsible for, to trying to decide what he wants to do in life. I understand that he feels stuck. the Iudex wasn't his first choice of assignment, and the more crimes he solves with Ana, the more he despairs about his purpose. What's the point of investigating crimes when it won't rectify the wrongs? The victim is already dead, the family devastated, lives broken to the point where they can't be fixed. He feels like no matter what he does, he isn't making a difference, unlike the Legion who has a concrete enemy to fight on the walls.

I am glad that by the end of this book Din made peace with his life and finally understood that the Iudex also matters, maybe even more than the Legion, even if theirs is a thankless job. Because, as Ana said, let the Legion defend the Empire, but it's the Iudex's duty to make sure there is an Empire left worth defending.

This book is also darker and seems more desperate than the first one, though the inclusion of Malo brought much-needed levity to an otherwise pretty bleak story. I liked her, and I hope that we see at least a little more of her in the next book as well. 

We also learned a bit more about Ana and what was done to her, which is again... horrifying. This is a cruel world where surviving another wet season justifies a lot of atrocities perpetrated against their own people. I am looking forward the next book in the series. Hopefully, we will learn a bit more about the Leviathans and where they come from (or why they come ashore every year).

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I read The Tainted Cup, I was in a really deep reading slump, and yet the book was able to yank me out of that slump and became one of my favorite reads of 2024. Roughly 40 books and half a year later, that statement still holds true, but now, it has been joined by its sequel.

Everything I loved about the first book was present here, but with an even more gripping atmosphere and tenseness that got me to stay awake later than I probably should and helped me out of yet another reading slump. The mystery was intriguing and it really felt like we were peeling away layers of an onion, though we are still nowhere close to its core. The character dynamics shone even more here. I loved Ana and Din's dynamic in The Tainted Cup, but here, their bond has deepened, and Din has really picked up on Ana's quirks. RJB didn't need to tell us that they're close, he showed it (which I just absolutely love).

And the atmosphere! There were moments when I was gripping my kindle so hard, tense while waiting for something to be revealed.

RJB was already high on my auto-buy list after I finished the Founders trilogy, but now, he's really cemented himself as the top author on my list. Whatever he puts out, I will most certainly buy.

And I really, really hope that we can get more than 3 books in this series 🤞🏻.

A huge thanks to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this book!

in this return to the empire we follow detective ana and her assistant din as they try and solve the mystery of a treasury officer who disappeared from his room without a trace and later turns up dead. there's intrigue, twist and turns, dead ends, corruption and just overall good times.

what i love most about these books is that the mysteries are always intriguing, and the way ana solves them is mesmerising, but when you look back, all of the clues were always there, almost as if you could've solved everything yourself. the way this author weaves webs of deceit and intrigue only to unravel them all in the end in a way that just makes so much sense is utterly captivating.

the worldbuiling is incredible and the characters are so engaging and interesting and i am so happy we got to return to them!