A review by tashasbooks
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

adventurous challenging dark medium-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

4.5

Wow, wow, wow. This is my first book by this author (which is crazy!) and I absolutely loved this. The Tainted Cup combines an eerie fantastical and dystopian world with a murder investigation. 
 
Dinios Kol is an assistant investigator to the eccentric Ana Dolabra. Since he started this job, they mostly have been working on wage fraud, until he is called to investigate a horrible murder. Din visits one of the gentry's mansions where a high ranking officer was killed by a literal tree that erupted from his body. Din is an engraver, meaning he can remember every single thing he sees, touches, and hears and must memorize it and report back to his investigator. As they follow the crime, it leads to them investigating a nearby province where other similar murders have occurred of engineers which are essential to protecting the empire. At the same time, Din realizes how great of an investigator Ana is and is worried she'll find his secrets. 
 
I found the world building was extremely unique, and almost dystopian? It's an empire that is made up of three rings, with the outer wall meant to protect against leviathans which are huge monsters that try and attack during the wet season each year. The blood of leviathans allow the empire to "graft" people where they can have enhanced senses (such as Din being an engraver). However, this can lead them to be more susceptible to contagion, where things like plant based growth occur in their body. 
 
I feel like in a lot of fantasy worlds, the "empire" is a bad thing, but this wasn't necessarily the case here. Throughout the book, Ana teaches Din that the empire can be good and bad. There are gentry who hold a lot of political power and control, but I will say it's not completely ignored by the government. We follow a story that divulges into the infrastructure of an empire and how each individual supports the entire system, which was a unique look outside of most fantasy based books. 
 
Ana and Din have a straight up Sherlock and Watson dynamic, and it was so fun to read! Ana is definitely eccentric, but she is so smart and hilarious. Din on the other hand is very rational and has a very straight moral compass. He doesn't have a sense of humor, which makes his interactions with Ana some of my favorite parts of this book. He is the sole perspective we do read from and we learn about the twists in the investigation and what Ana figures it out as he learns it. I do think that Ana is neurodivergent based on how her character is described (not explicitly stated), with her aversion to social situations and overstimulation, but it doesn't stop her from her job and brilliance. Character wise, I think there is still so much more we could learn from their background because most of what we do know and learn is in the present. 
 
The mystery had so many twists and turns, and I was able to figure out some things, but others completely surprised me and I loved the entire reveal as it unfolded. The clues are there if you are smart enough haha, so once Ana draws her conclusions it makes sense and isn't just magical ability. The investigation and mystery aspects was well balanced in a fantasy world. It felt very seamless and there was no info-dumping on the reader. At its forefront, this book is a mystery that just has a unique setting and fantastical background. 
 
This is the start of a series so I am really hopeful that we get to explore further in this world and the history of the empire. I do think the scope of this book took place in such a small part, and I would love to see a setting in the inner two rings. There's also not a ton of background to the origin and history of the established empire. 
 
Overall, this is an incredible book and I look forward to further sequels. If you like a mystery with a Sherlock and Watson characters in a fantasy setting, definitely pick this up! 
 
Thank you to Penguin Random House Ballantine/Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!