Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Tainted Cup

This world is so unique and interesting. I loved the main characters and their idiosyncrasies. The mystery unfolded really nice, too. I enjoy ones where you can figure out some of the mystery yourself and then the rest needs to be revealed.

Fantasy Mystery, Magic System, Crime Fight

“We get some say in what kind of person we are, Din. We do not pop out of a mold. We change. We self-assemble.”

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katieo156's review

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adventurous challenging funny mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

I took this book out from the library while away, didn't finish it, and picked it up from my library the day I landed. I love the world building and the bureaucracy of it, even if I still don't know what the hell the colors mean (I'll get there!). I adore Din and can't wait for him to come into his own- I absolutely love reading a well choreographed fight, and I do presume

everyone is a little bi until proven otherwise,

so it was nice to be right :) Ana is hysterical and had me laughing out loud more than once. The side characters were also great, and you really feel for all of them, including the titans! What the hell is up with that and WHY do they have faces?!?!? I think the mystery was decently done, and there was enough given away that I could anticipate the twists, which I love! Readers should be able to solve it! Needless to say I will be picking up the next installment the second it comes out <3

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zarap's review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

SO FUCKING GOOD. I loved the mystery and the worldbuilding and the characters and the in-world politics and the neurodivergent representation and the ending and just EVERYTHING OKAY.

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blacksphinx's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

When I was a kid, my grandparents bought me an anthology of all the Sherlock Holmes stories. When I got into Edgar Allen Poe, they pointed out to me that he's considered to have written the first detective story, and I read The Murders in the Rue Morgue with relish. This seed of detective/murder mystery fiction love has laid dormant all these years, but I think this is the water it needed to sprout.

This is a richly alien fantasy world with fun characters and a well-realized mystery. I am so proud I figured a piece out before our Sherlock expy laid it out for us! This book also made me realize how little the characters in the books I read swear, and once I got used to it... it was kind of nice to have a smart lady running around who says the word fuck. I also loved that the author understood that Sherlock is not a cold or mean person, which shines through in the way he writes his expy, Ana. Her and our PoV character Din have such great rapport while being their own characters. I also loved the disability representation, when it clicked that the protagonist actually had dyslexia and it wasn't some magical side effect I teared up.

Can't wait for the next book in the series!

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