amazing world-building, story-telling, character creation, and writing i've seen in a while...

9 characterisation
9 how interested in turning the next page
9 am i likely to remember the story in a year
10 plotting
9 writing ability
9 writing style
9 continuity
10 editorial (publishing) mistakes (lower number, more mistakes)
8 suspension of disbelief (fantasy) - plausible (sf)
8 is the story predictable (lower number, more predictable)
10 am i recommending others read it ( )

This is my first review after a long hiatus from writing them, but I knew that when I came back The Tainted Cup would be one of my first books to tackle. I loved this book so much. So much in fact, I read it as an ARC, and then turned around and purchased it when it came out so that I read it yet again. Our story opens on Dinios Kol arriving at a murder scene. Not your typical murder scene, mind you. Din is presented with a the scene of a man killed by a tree sprouting from his body. Yes, you read that right. Intrigued? What follows is a sweeping story full of magic, intrigue and plenty of danger as well.

I really loved how Robert Jackson Bennett laid out this entire plot. I've already mentioned how quickly it moves, but it doesn't do it at the expense of the reader. We meet Ana Dolabra, Din's boss, and discover that she is an eccentric but utterly brilliant investigator. Our protagonists are tasked with uncovering a most sinister plot, before more people are murdered. If that weren't enough though, Bennett also throws in the very real threat of a leviathan bombarding the city, the further into the rainy season this investigation goes. Ana's intellectual prowess, combined with Din's ability to engrave memories down to the most minute detail, make for a fascinating storyline. This book is impossible to put down once you've started, I can tell you that.

Truly I could gush about the magic system, and the world building, and even the secondary characters for ages. They are all perfectly executed. I'll resist though, and leave all of that for you to uncover. What I will say, is that Robert Jackson Bennett always climbs to the top of my read list because his books are my favorite kind of Fantasy: accessible Fantasy. They are vibrant and fascinating, but also written in a way that any person can come right in and cozy down into. The Tainted Cup is a sweeping Fantasy story, but it doesn't feel cold and unapproachable, and I love it for that. ( )

Kinda like the invisible library meets ninth rain but make it mostly interrogations and boring.
Needed more leviathans. ( )

New Robert Jackson Bennett book snuck out right under my radar and I'm not okay/can you guess where I'm going as soon as payday hits tomorrow??

This was a refreshing take on a murder mystery, with quite a bit more fantasy woven in than I had anticipated. It definitely took my full attention to keep up with the world building as well as the mystery, but the characters are great and the plot is exciting and puzzling (in a good way). Excited to see this is the start of a series. ( )