Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Tainted Cup

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

49 reviews

kwthor's review against another edition

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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

4.0

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mmccombs's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

Really interesting ideas and I mostly had a good time, but I found myself losing interest and then getting confused about what was happening, then having to rewind the audio, and mostly being like huh okay I guess. The vibes were great, the fantasy was really imaginative, the main characters were really fun. However, there were maybe too many characters, too many twists, and too much fantastical elements going on. Tbh, I thought this was just a straight Sherlock Holmes retelling (very much misinformed lol), so I was kind of shocked by how fantastical it was! Which was a treat, I just wasn’t mentally ready for all of the new words and concepts and world-building. It was good but not great for me!

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fatimaelf's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Incredible beginning to what’s sure to be an incredible series!

I read Robert Jackson Bennett’s Founders trilogy last year, and honestly, it’s stuck with me ever since. That series is in my top five read series of all time, because of the world building, and the social commentary, and the characters, and the stakes.

If the rest of this series is anything like the book I just read, then it’ll join my top five, unequivocally. The POV was first person (a sad realization for me, but ultimately my disdain for it is merely a personal preference) and it worked really well here. Din is a seemingly stolid, uncompromising character, devoted to rules and laws — but he grows so much over the course of the book that he grew on me too, and I liked him as our narrator and a character in and of himself. His boss, Ana, is a sassy demon of a woman, and I loved her instantly. She’s the brilliant Sherlock of this Sherlock and Holmes type fantasy mystery, but much more lively, funny, and sarcastic. These two were our main characters, but every supporting character felt real and grounded too, and none were wasted in the least. Bennett has always had a firm grasp on his characters and their quirks, how what happens to them changes them, and why they make the choices they make, and in this it is no different.

Where the book really shone, though, was the plot, against the backdrop of a fully realized, firmly established fantasy world. The way the story unraveled was nothing short of intoxicating, each new revelation earned and leading to the next. Bennett has a clever skill in revealing a new problem or question just as you might tire of the specific answer the characters are searching for, and for providing just enough information to keep you satisfied but still guessing. When we got to the climax, just before the reveal, I genuinely found myself aching to read even faster than I already was, just to know what was happening.

Fantasy has always had a well regarded place in our culture as a vehicle to shine light on problems in our world, and Bennett does this beautifully as well. We begin with a murder, which leads to more murder, and ultimately a race to uncover what might be a plot to unravel an entire empire via its defense of its shores from giant monsters referred to as leviathan. In the course of the investigation, we discover how the Empire functions, with class issues (as with the Founders trilogy) at the forefront: the way those with money derive their power, and what those with power do to keep and grow it. And then there are those affected by those actions, those impacted personally or professionally, and what they do or don’t do in response. The mystery was worth every bit of its name. It was so well crafted, and perfectly understandable.

Was the book perfect? Probably not. But I was so engaged and enthralled by the story unfolding that I didn’t much care to note the faults — beyond one small little irritant during the reveal, whereby Ana says that the presence of a certain something would definitely prove the guilt of someone, and I’m not sure it does — and that’s why I’ve given it five stars.

Knowing Bennett, we haven’t seen the last of the leviathans, and what they truly are is likely far less insidious than the Empire’s populace believes. We also haven’t ventured beyond the Outer Rim of the Empire, and though they’ve said that’s where corruption lies thickest, somehow once we go inward I think we’ll find that to be untrue.

I genuinely cannot wait for the next book. I don’t normally read unfinished series, but now that I have, I will be given the pleasure of having to reread this book before consuming the new one. Here’s hoping I don’t have to wait long.

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julalbert56's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a fun story! The ending was a bit underwhelming but I absolutely loved the characters, they were definitely my favorite part of the novel.

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micheala's review against another edition

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4.5

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.

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nightstitch96's review against another edition

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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

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saltycoffee's review against another edition

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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

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madscientistcat's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

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paracosim's review against another edition

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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.

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mariakureads's review against another edition

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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.

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