Review – The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, Book 1) by Robert Jackson Bennett (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 410 pages
Publisher:‎ Del Rey
Release Date: February 6, 2024
ASIN: B0C4JB56TJ
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series
Source: Ebook Borrowed from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars

“In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.”

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series. I borrowed this on ebook from the library.

Thoughts: There was a lot about this book I really enjoyed and a couple things I didn’t like as much. At its heart this is a who-dun-it murder mystery, which is honestly not my favorite type of story. However, that mystery is surrounded by an amazingly creative world and some intriguing characters.

A high imperial officer is murdered in an extraordinary way when a tree erupts from his chest. The new assistant imperial investigator, Dinios, is sent to investigate and report back to his master…the rather eccentric Ana Dolabra. As additional deaths start to happen in a similar manner, Ana and Dinios suspect that the initial death is part of a much broader plot. This is a plot they must unravel quickly as the threat of an approaching leviathan is about to hit the walls that protect this Empire from the watery monstrosities that threaten it.

I absolutely fell in love with the crazy blend of steampunk, Lovecraftian, and fantasy elements that makeup this world. This is an empire besieged by the monsters of the sea and using rings of enormous walls to protect against that threat. Humanity has embraced bio-modifications in the forms of grafts and contagions that give them super human abilities…but always with a cost. I enjoyed the characters as well. You have the bright-eyed Dinios who has been modified to become an engraver and forever remembers everything he sees. Then there is his superior, the eccentric Ana, who runs around blindfolded so that her other senses will be sharper and has a mind comparable to Sherlock Holmes.

There were some things I liked less about this book as well, but a lot of them have to do with my personal preferences. This is very military in feel, and I not a fan of that. I am also not a huge fan of murder mysteries; although I did feel like this was very well done with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. I felt like the characters were kept at a distance and had some issues engaging with them. The main characters are very well done but the side characters felt like after-thoughts in a lot of cases.

If you love Jackson’s amazingly creative world-building and magic systems (in this case it’s more body and genetic modding) you will love this book. If you love a good mystery, I think you will love this book. If you love personal characters that are easy to love and engage with, well, this book is a lot weaker in that aspect. I will admit that both Ana and Dinios were starting to grow on me as the book went on, and I do plan to read additional books in this series. I felt like we had just started to scratch the surface of this amazing world and am eager to spend more time in it.

My Summary (5/5): Overall this was very well done and I loved the world and some of the intriguing aspects to it. The characters grew on me as the story went on, but always felt a bit distanced. The murder mystery was well done but just not my favorite format for a story. I would recommend to those who enjoy amazing world-building and murder mysteries with some quirky characters thrown in.