The Tainted Cup Book Preview

Description:
Hello everyone! Today I am teaming up with Dutton to bring you a book preview of The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet which comes out on February 8, 2024.
My Thoughts:
Book: The Tainted Cup
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars
I would like to thank the publisher, Del Rey, for sending me an ARC. While I have been aware of this author, I have never read anything by him. The plot is complex and full of so many twists and turns. This is one of those books that once you think you have everything figured out, something else comes up.
In this one, we follow Din Kol, who is an engraver. He has found himself in the service of Ana, who happens to be best investigator in the Empire. Together they must team up to solve a murder. The problem is the further they get into the case, the more they realize just how many layers it has. Peeling back the layers is not going to be as easy as it looks. The deeper they get into the case; the more Din comes to realize just how brilliant Ana is. He gets to see how her mind works. To most people, Ana comes across as this odd being, one who don’t really belong. Yet, the further we go, the more we come to realize just how everything she sees and thinks is put together. Once she starts going through the murder bit by bit, you get to see this and it makes for one wild ride.
I loved Din and Ana’s duo. Din was bottom of his class and really isn’t all that great at what he does. Ana is the oddball and has been cast to the side by society. Neither one of these two are wanted and this is what makes them very good at what they do. Ana has the brains, while Din is the one who gets what she needs. I think that had it not been for the differences in their character and the fact that they are opposites that the plot would not have worked the way it did. We needed these two characters and needed to have them come together in order to make everything work. Without it, how the case was solved would not have worked as well as it did. Not only do we have them, but we have a great cast of side characters, which also helps so much with the plot. All of them have a complex past and history. Some of them we are not sure as to what their role is or why they are important. Once again, once we got to the end, everything made all that much sense and all of these little pieces came together.
This book is fantasy and it does have a magic system. While the magic system does play a role in the plot, it is not the sole focus of the plot. It’s there, but it doesn’t take away from the main plot, which is solving the murder. Again, without it, the big reveal would not have worked out the way that it did. We needed everything to bring the story home. There are so many moving parts, but we did it and all of those little details to make everything work.
The suspense and this sense of the unknown is kept up for most of the book. While the writing is easy to get into, it does a great job at capturing the mystery and allure that goes along with this world. We have the Empire, which we don’t really get a firm grasp on. Then, there are the titans, which gave me Attack on Titan vibes, that attack and destroy everything and anyone who gets in their way. You don’t know when they are going to appear. Plus, we have the murder and these things called contagions, which only add so much more to the world. Again, all of these layers set everything up so much and give us this sense of not knowing what is going to happen next. It is the sense of the unknown and the layers that made me enjoy this book so much.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and I will be picking up more from this author. Also, while this is part of a series, the story felt contained, so you probably could read this as a stand-alone.
This book comes out on February 8, 2024.
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[@Dazdingo]

Love this, big fan of Founders trilogy and Robert Jackson Bennett

[@alysonserenastone2917]

This was my first Robert Jackson Bennett book. I cannot wait to read more by him.