I haven’t written a book review on here in a while, so to make up for it, here’s two in one day! They’re the first and second book in a series by Robert Jackson Bennett, who has really been moving up in my estimation when it comes to fantasy. I really enjoyed his Divine Cities trilogy, so I jumped over to this one when the first one was on sale. I was not disappointed. (Honestly, the fact that I bought the second is the biggest recommendation I can give to a series these days. If I liked it enough to continue on with the rest, when there are so many other books out there that could be taking my attention, that says a lot right there.)
The Tainted Cup takes place in a world where island-sized monsters attack the mainland periodically. Civilization has used the blood of those monsters to create augmentations for people that allow them access to special powers. The protagonist, Dinios Kol, has the ability to remember literally everything he ever experiences. He works for a woman, Ana Dolabra, who has other abilities of her own, though those aren’t as clear at first. She’s a reclusive detective who almost never goes out in public, choosing to send Kol out in her stead. He sees everything and then reports back exactly what he saw, and she makes deductions based on that. A Drop of Corruption continues the story, and a third book in the series is coming later this year.
Tainted Cup won a slew of awards, and they were all well-deserved. The books read like a classic murder mystery in the same vein as Sherlock Holmes. “Sherlock Holmes, but with magic” is a good hook, and Bennett delivers on the premise. The mysteries in each case are nice and twisty turny, with real tension and well-executed characters. The world building is spot on, with it all feeling very lived in and real. It had a style that reminded me a lot of many of Brandon Sanderson’s books, so if you’re a fan of that style of fantasy, you should definitely check these out.
I gave them both a 9/10.