Reviews with content warning for Death - The Tainted Cup

I picked this up having enjoyed The Founders Trilogy previously. Plus a fantasy murder mystery sounded like it could be a fun time.

Ana and Din gave me Sherlock/Watson vibes, but not quite as far, with Ana's conclusions being easier to follow. But as someone who doesn't commonly read mysteries I'm not comfortable saying if it's a "fair" mystery, as I'm just along for the ride and never trying to figure it out first.

Bennett does fantastic worldbuilding, and this was no exception. I'm really excited to get more answers about the world in future books. I do wish we had gotten a little more information about the different races in this book.

Content Warnings

nightstitch96's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious 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

Content Warnings

saltycoffee's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.0

Content Warnings

paracosim's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Attack on Titan meets Pacific Rim and Sherlock Holmes in this stunner of a story. I was obsessed with this book from start to finish. The description sounded amazing, the body horror drew me in, and the cover is gorgeous. Seems too good to be true, right? Nope! The Tainted Cup was incredible. I struggled to put it down, even at work, and spent a good portion of my shift hiding in the back room just so I could finish one more chapter…then one more…then another…
The writing was beautiful but easy to follow along with, and the characters…Oh, man, I love the characters. They were all very distinct in their appearances and personalities, and the interactions between them were often hilarious; I don’t know how I’m going to live without them until the next book comes out. I have endless theories about the leviathans.
If you begin reading and find yourself confused, give it a few chapters. Things will make more sense once you’re around the 10% mark. I already want to reread it.

Content Warnings

mariakureads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

My first favorite read of the year!!!
This was just fun from the first paragraph! It was fast, action-filled, and full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The dialogue is fast-paced, well-written, and witty. I was in love with the first-person POV of Din, the "Watson" to Ana, the "Holmes" if you will of this mystery thriller, they have such an interesting dynamic, which I loved as he's her apprentice and so about the book vs her more dynamic vibe that I can't get over how much I loved reading about her from his perspective because there's just so much truth coming across that she feels real.

Bennett's use of language to create the world's, characters, backstory, and tension was atmospheric and his choice of the first person POV gave, me the reader, a front seat to what Din saw and experienced and I love that feeling.

I didn't know what to expect as this is my first read from this author but not my last! I need to know what else Ana and Din get themselves into as Ana is still very much a mystery as she was at the beginning of the book, actually more so.

Content Warnings

blewballoon's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

aileron's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

sarahweyand's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feedback are my own.

The worst part about this book is that I can't consume the sequel immediately. This book has me in a chokehold. This book is my favorite book so far this year and will probably be in my top five in December. I've been looking for this book in stores to buy a physical copy even though I already read an ARC and I don't ever do that with books I've already read. I LOVE.

There is so much about this book that's going to appeal to such a variety of people. There's a mystery at the heart of the plot that is well-thought-out and twisty, a Sherlock Holmes-level detective with a sense of humor to die for, BIG MONSTERS, politics, a very interesting magic/worldbuilding systems, fantastic writing.

I also cannot give enough praise to authors writing a series who keep their plot arcs confined within a single book. Of course, there are overarching plot points and themes that will weave all the books in the series together and compel you to want to read the next book, but the mystery and inciting incident in this book has been solved. I have answers and I can find peace in waiting for the sequel.

Absolutely cannot recommend this one enough - might become a go-to recommendation for me. A real real great time.

Content Warnings

More...