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lbelow's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
4.75
An excellent book and a compelling start to a new series! I'm not often one for Sherlock/Watson duos because a lot of authors take that kind of "smart" to mean "callous". And there's no denying that the Sherlockian character in this book is weird AF (and I suspect on the autism spectrum due to her sensory issues), but she also does things like take the time to check in with Din after he's had a near-death experience. The other thing I loved: the disability rep. Din is dyslexic and that reflects in how he navigates the world as well as the workarounds he comes up with to capture information.
This world is just as weird and unique as its main characters. And it's introduced with just enough finesse for the aspects of the world explored to tie back to the plot. As for that plot, some of the twists I guessed, and at least one important piece I did not. With the way that information is presented in this book, that makes me excited to reread this and pick up on the clues I missed during the first pass.
I recommend this book and will be searching out more by this author!
This world is just as weird and unique as its main characters. And it's introduced with just enough finesse for the aspects of the world explored to tie back to the plot. As for that plot, some of the twists I guessed, and at least one important piece I did not. With the way that information is presented in this book, that makes me excited to reread this and pick up on the clues I missed during the first pass.
I recommend this book and will be searching out more by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Cursing, Blood, Ableism, Body horror, Murder, Gore, Sexual harassment, and Mental illness
Minor: Drug use
hyuzen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A fantastic, deep, well-realized setting. This would apply to Robert Jackson Bennett's Foundryside just as easily as The Tainted Cup. He's adept at digging into the minutiae and logistics of the world's he creates. In this setting, an Empire uses concoctions developed from attacking Leviathan's to augment and modify humans. The empire's citizens are instrumentalized into tools to sustain the empire.
Din, the main character, has been granted a perfect memory, which he uses to gather clues for his boss, and investigator. What starts as a kind of Holmes and Watson pairing looking into a murder starts to tease a bigger mystery that looked like it may delve into a conspiracy against the empire itself but eventually turns out to be slightly more mundane and grounded. That's not necessarily a knock against it as it keeps the stakes relatable. Told in first person perspective we learn about the secret disability Din manages that may make his job difficult.
The groundwork for the romance is better established compared to Foundryside which I appreciated.
As someone with perfect memory investigating a murder, Bennett dwells on the gore and violence, trying to make it stick in your mind the way it will forever be lodged in Din's. An improvement on the prose in his previous trilogy, but still nothing incredible.
But Din is a fairly dry character, fitting into the Watson mold. Sancia was a more interesting character to follow.
Din, the main character, has been granted a perfect memory, which he uses to gather clues for his boss, and investigator. What starts as a kind of Holmes and Watson pairing looking into a murder starts to tease a bigger mystery that looked like it may delve into a conspiracy against the empire itself but eventually turns out to be slightly more mundane and grounded. That's not necessarily a knock against it as it keeps the stakes relatable. Told in first person perspective we learn about the secret disability Din manages that may make his job difficult.
The groundwork for the romance is better established compared to Foundryside which I appreciated.
As someone with perfect memory investigating a murder, Bennett dwells on the gore and violence, trying to make it stick in your mind the way it will forever be lodged in Din's. An improvement on the prose in his previous trilogy, but still nothing incredible.
But Din is a fairly dry character, fitting into the Watson mold. Sancia was a more interesting character to follow.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Drug use
blewballoon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was my first time reading Robert Jackson Bennett, but I've heard lots of good things about their writing. This didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed the "biopunk" universe where technology was based on plants and biology. I liked Dinios Kol and Ana Dolabra very much, which I had been a little worried about before reading. They charmed me quickly and I enjoyed their conversations. I wasn't really trying to solve the mystery, but I did manage to put together some pieces for myself before the reveals. When I talked about it with my friend, they said that sometimes fantasy mysteries are a bit easier to solve because the author has to explain how the world works, and what they are required to point out and explain for things to make sense tends to be relevant to solving the mystery. I listened to this on audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job, but I do think it made it a little harder for me to follow all the unusual names and keep things straight. With regards to content warnings, there is a fair amount of body horror and gore, but (extremely mild spoiler) there was one weird gross sexual scene that I'm not sure how to accurately content warn about. I'll file it under Sexual Harassment I suppose? I found that scene unsettling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Classism, Ableism, and Drug use
vigil's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Ableism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Murder, Medical content, Gore, Drug use, and Pandemic/Epidemic
snowwhitehatesapples's review
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Also on Snow White Hates Apples.
I stepped into this book without any expectations (I know, silly me because I’ve not read an RJB book before) and came out devasted by how much of an absolute stunner it is. From lush imagery and rich worldbuilding to a tense murder mystery that keeps the pages turning, there is so much to gush about when it comes to The Tainted Cup and if I had a stronger lyrical bone in my body, I would write an ode to it.
What I loved about this book is not limited to just the aforementioned points. I adored the seamless blend between mystery and fantasy — how everything felt different yet familiar at the same time. It was both comforting and refreshing to experience the common elements of a murder mystery book in such fantastical ways. Moreover, the presence of enormous leviathans that are both boon and bane to the world brings to mind Attack on Titan , Pacific Rim and other similar works. So, if you’re a fan of those, this book would definitely tickle your fancy. Doubly so if you’re a fan of murder mysteries as well.
Other than that, I also greatly adored the neurodivergent characters, the Holmes and Watson-style detective duo that’ll, without fail, make you tender-hearted. In a world where people can readily augment themselves in so many different ways just so they’re perfect for specific tasks to keep the Empire functioning, the characters here are still faced with their own relatable trials and tribulations. Our protagonists — or more evidently Din as he has yet to reach the status Ana has achieved — have to work doubly hard to gain worth and recognition. Being dyslexic has resulted in him failing all but one test which earned him the status of being an engraver. However, despite his hard work and capabilities, being dyslexic is also a dangerous flaw for an engraver to have because memorising everything is their speciality.
These struggles add a new layer of depth to the story as no longer is it simply about human survival against monsters, but also human survival within systems where power makes little allowance for differences that don’t benefit those holding the reigns. It is a complex world filled with many moments that impressively come to a circle — a compelling, multilayered book that resonates and echoes events that have happened in our reality.
I cannot wait to see where the next book in this series will bring us.
I stepped into this book without any expectations (I know, silly me because I’ve not read an RJB book before) and came out devasted by how much of an absolute stunner it is. From lush imagery and rich worldbuilding to a tense murder mystery that keeps the pages turning, there is so much to gush about when it comes to The Tainted Cup and if I had a stronger lyrical bone in my body, I would write an ode to it.
What I loved about this book is not limited to just the aforementioned points. I adored the seamless blend between mystery and fantasy — how everything felt different yet familiar at the same time. It was both comforting and refreshing to experience the common elements of a murder mystery book in such fantastical ways. Moreover, the presence of enormous leviathans that are both boon and bane to the world brings to mind Attack on Titan , Pacific Rim and other similar works. So, if you’re a fan of those, this book would definitely tickle your fancy. Doubly so if you’re a fan of murder mysteries as well.
Other than that, I also greatly adored the neurodivergent characters, the Holmes and Watson-style detective duo that’ll, without fail, make you tender-hearted. In a world where people can readily augment themselves in so many different ways just so they’re perfect for specific tasks to keep the Empire functioning, the characters here are still faced with their own relatable trials and tribulations. Our protagonists — or more evidently Din as he has yet to reach the status Ana has achieved — have to work doubly hard to gain worth and recognition. Being dyslexic has resulted in him failing all but one test which earned him the status of being an engraver. However, despite his hard work and capabilities, being dyslexic is also a dangerous flaw for an engraver to have because memorising everything is their speciality.
These struggles add a new layer of depth to the story as no longer is it simply about human survival against monsters, but also human survival within systems where power makes little allowance for differences that don’t benefit those holding the reigns. It is a complex world filled with many moments that impressively come to a circle — a compelling, multilayered book that resonates and echoes events that have happened in our reality.
I cannot wait to see where the next book in this series will bring us.
Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review! The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is available at all good bookstores.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Vomit, Cursing, Murder, Alcohol, Classism, Death, Gore, Blood, and Violence
mrtlives's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
Minor: Drug use
dogearedbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved this so much. Going to be so hard for another book to beat this as my fave of the year. It is queer! Has all my fave things and I loved everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: War
Minor: Drug use
nadiajohnsonbooks's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book was a departure from my usual reading habits. When I read fantasy, it tends to be sweeping, swashbuckling, and romance-forward. This treasure of a novel was none of those things, but it was a delight from start to finish. The culture and politics of the world Bennett created are so rich and intriguing, and I'm dying to know more about the bizarre system of nature-magic that keeps their world turning.
Dinios Kol is an Assistant Investigator in the Iudex, the branch of the Imperial government that investigates and prosecutes crime. His brain has been altered through the application of magical suffusions to give him complete, perfect recall of everything he sees and hears, making him a useful tool for his boss, the eccentric, foul-mouthed recluse, Ana Dolabra.
Din is called upon to investigate a peculiar death scene on Ana's behalf: an Imperial officer has been found in a house belonging to the influential Haza nobles with a tree growing out of his chest.
Their investigation takes Ana and Din to the outer limits of the Empire, where heavily guarded sea walls are the only thing protecting the people from incursions of gigantic monsters who come from the deep. There, ten more officers in the Engineering division have died under similarly botanical circumstances.
This book manages to balance complex worldbuilding, dark and violent intrigues, and humor tremendously well, with Din playing the straight man to the other characters' eccentricities. He proves to be a competent investigator, but he's like the Watson to Ana's Sherlock, who keeps most of her intellectual machinations to herself until they can be revealed to the best possible dramatic effect. I loved to see the representations of neurodivergence, particularly with Ana (who has sensory issues, among other complex needs) and Din, who has dyslexia.
The conclusion of the mystery was so satisfying, and I quite enjoyed the dynamic between Din, Ana, and the other principal characters. And, as a dedicated romantasy reader, I appreciated that there was one teeny tiny little kernel of a romantic spark, which I have put in my pocket and will treasure forever.
I sincerely hope that Bennett will be giving us more of this world, and soon.
Dinios Kol is an Assistant Investigator in the Iudex, the branch of the Imperial government that investigates and prosecutes crime. His brain has been altered through the application of magical suffusions to give him complete, perfect recall of everything he sees and hears, making him a useful tool for his boss, the eccentric, foul-mouthed recluse, Ana Dolabra.
Din is called upon to investigate a peculiar death scene on Ana's behalf: an Imperial officer has been found in a house belonging to the influential Haza nobles with a tree growing out of his chest.
Their investigation takes Ana and Din to the outer limits of the Empire, where heavily guarded sea walls are the only thing protecting the people from incursions of gigantic monsters who come from the deep. There, ten more officers in the Engineering division have died under similarly botanical circumstances.
This book manages to balance complex worldbuilding, dark and violent intrigues, and humor tremendously well, with Din playing the straight man to the other characters' eccentricities. He proves to be a competent investigator, but he's like the Watson to Ana's Sherlock, who keeps most of her intellectual machinations to herself until they can be revealed to the best possible dramatic effect. I loved to see the representations of neurodivergence, particularly with Ana (who has sensory issues, among other complex needs) and Din, who has dyslexia.
The conclusion of the mystery was so satisfying, and I quite enjoyed the dynamic between Din, Ana, and the other principal characters. And, as a dedicated romantasy reader, I appreciated that there was one teeny tiny little kernel of a romantic spark, which I have put in my pocket and will treasure forever.
I sincerely hope that Bennett will be giving us more of this world, and soon.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood, Drug use, Terminal illness, and War
devynreadsnovels's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Animal death, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, Addiction, and Alcohol
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