The Tainted Cup – Robert Jackson Bennett
Information
- Goodreads: (5 days before release date) 879 Ratings with an Average of 4.35.
- Series: Shadow of the Leviathan Book 1
- Age Category: Adult
- Genre: Fantasy, Murder Mystery
Summary
We follow Din and his boss, Ana Dolabra, as they investigate a murder – which ultimately turns into an investigation of multiple murders. Ana reminds me of a mix of BBC Sherlock Holmes mixed with Benoit Blanc from Knives Out, but she’s an old woman who constantly wears a blind fold and swears alot. Throughout this novel, the two investigate brutal deaths which involve grass/trees growing from within a person’s body.
Review
I gave this a 4.5 star. It was super close to perfection, but there are a few moments around the middle that I didn’t really find myself caring about much. Still, it was a ton of fun. The magic system is interest, but I also feel it kind of leans towards sci-fi. People and living things are being genetically altered to be able to do specific things that is needed. For example, Din is an engraver, meaning his mind has been altered to be able to remember everything. There are mushrooms that are altered to draw in the air, filter it and cool it, then release it back into a room. I think that is so fascinating and led to a world that I found myself genuinely curious about and interested in learning more of. Of course, this helped those info-dumpy moments feel not as much of a slog to get through. Din and Ana’s relationship is fun, but also not the most engaging part of the story. I’m excited to see more of their dynamic; it reminds me of an estranged aunt with her nephew tagging along. But I’m much more interested in them individually. I like Din, he’s precious and sometimes quite slow, despite being clever and a great assistant. Ana is the one I find myself drawn to the most because of her ‘experimental’ alteration. I want to know more of her background and who she is as a person. Of course side characters don’t really seem to have a lot of depth, but I don’t know if they’re necessarily supposed to for the story that this is. It felt more like these are people that exist in this world, but only for this book. They don’t really need more than surface level information because our main characters will know them on a surface level. It seems like a series where the side characters will consistently change due to the two investigators moving around so often. It doesn’t really bother me as much when that’s that case; it would be incredibly difficult to add a ton of substance to every single new person we meet. The mystery was interesting and kept me wondering what the hell was going on. I don’t really think I could’ve fully guessed everything and I’m hoping to see more mysteries like this within this series. I also wouldn’t mind learning more about the leviathans, as I feel a large mystery regarding them is coming, especially when the one Din saw appeared to by trying to say something and it had been noted that there is a familiarity between the people and the leviathans. There seems to be so much promise with this series and I genuinely cannot wait to read more of it.