The Tainted Cup

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was astoundingly entertaining in ways that I was not expecting. I requested a copy of this book simply because I adored the first two books in Bennett's last series. (I was disappointed by the last book, but that's neither here nor there.) ANYWAY, I was excited to see what he could do with a murder mystery, and I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED.

Bennett is a master of world building, and boy does that shine through here in The Tainted Cup. This is a beaten-down world hanging on by its fingernails. Every wet season, there are leviathans that breach the world's walls and threaten to end life as everyone knows it. It's not a world I'd want to live in, but despite that, Bennett makes you want to keep reading to see what else he's layered in! Among other things present in the novel – people use the leviathan's blood to alter themselves into superhumans. Our main character, Din, has been altered to have a perfect memory. Other characters have been altered to be geniuses at math, have super strength, can see in the dark, etc. This was SO cool, and really made for interesting twists as the book went on as sometimes these alterations have no visual hints.

The murder mystery itself is just phenomenal, and I'm not going to spoil it for you. You do find out ALL the answers by the end of the book, so don't be worried about cliffhangers. I really hope that Bennett writes more in this world, because it is just plain fascinating. Not to mention the characters themselves are just endlessly entertaining. I loved Din being confused, but willing to help, and I loved Ana for being just batshit insane and three steps ahead of everyone else most of the time.

Fantastic. If you're looking for a wildly original book to grasp your attention, look no further than THE TAINTED CUP.