A review by the_midwest_library
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

Wowowowowow I loved this. What a quirky book, but in the best way possible. The magic system is so RJB, if you enjoyed the physics/engineering based magic in Foundryside you'll love this. It's more....biological but still based in the hard sciences. 

I adored our main characters. This book is a bunch of neurodivergent people together in a room trying to solve a murder mystery of the most complex, interwoven political nature. Everyone has excellent flaws, skills, and expertise that just made the group so compelling to read. 

I liked this more than Foundryside, Ana is fabulous, I love her. She reminds me of a really extreme version of Ophelia from A Winters Promise, which is a really bizarre comparison but for some reason that's where my brain went.