The Tainted Cup is a highly entertaining combination of historical fantasy and murder mystery, with wonderful central characters. The book starts with a brutal, strange death of a high-ranking individual, seemingly speared by a tree in his own home.
Enter the eccentric Ana Dolabra, a Sherlock-esque, reclusive investigator. Her newly employed assistant, Dinios Kol, is thrown headfirst into this strange case, using his powers as an engraver; a person who can remember everything they hear and experience.
Ana and Din begin to build a bond, and as a single death reveals many other wrongdoings, the reader is dragged into a weird society, with many other wonderful characters. Not to mention the literal leviathan that may break the city walls and destroy everything at any time.
I must admit, I was pretty hesitant to read The Tainted Cup, as I’m not a huge fan of epic fantasy. But I was so pleased to find that this book is incredibly character focused, and all the world building is done through natural, well-written dialogue.
A great example of Bennett’s character focus comes towards the end of the book. There is an opportunity for the author to create a huge, epic scene to close the book with a literal bang. Instead, he creates a gorgeous, intimate scene between Din and Ana, which I highly appreciated, and was one of the most memorable moments.
I opted for the audiobook reading, and Andrew Fallaize delivers a flawless performance. He effortlessly creates the huge cast of characters; he took an already impressive book to a whole other level.
I’m so glad this is part of a planned series, as I was genuinely bereft when the book was over. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a “gateway drug” to fantasy.
California Reading 