This world is so unique and interesting. I loved the main characters and their idiosyncrasies. The mystery unfolded really nice, too. I enjoy ones where you can figure out some of the mystery yourself and then the rest needs to be revealed. 

Fantasy Mystery, Magic System, Crime Fight 

“We get some say in what kind of person we are, Din. We do not pop out of a mold. We change. We self-assemble.”

When I was a kid, my grandparents bought me an anthology of all the Sherlock Holmes stories. When I got into Edgar Allen Poe, they pointed out to me that he's considered to have written the first detective story, and I read The Murders in the Rue Morgue with relish. This seed of detective/murder mystery fiction love has laid dormant all these years, but I think this is the water it needed to sprout. 

This is a richly alien fantasy world with fun characters and a well-realized mystery. I am so proud I figured a piece out before our Sherlock expy laid it out for us! This book also made me realize how little the characters in the books I read swear, and once I got used to it... it was kind of nice to have a smart lady running around who says the word fuck. I also loved that the author understood that Sherlock is not a cold or mean person, which shines through in the way he writes his expy, Ana. Her and our PoV character Din have such great rapport while being their own characters. I also loved the disability representation, when it clicked that the protagonist actually had dyslexia and it wasn't some magical side effect I teared up.

Can't wait for the next book in the series!

A fun mystery!! I couldn’t guess much in the first half - lots of worldbuilding and set dressing. Creative world and neat characterization. The title sucks though. Completely inscrutable until the end when

the plot is revealed

Best.

Book.

Ever.

That's it. That's the review. Drop everything you're doing right now and go read this masterpiece. I beg you.

Ok, but seriously. This is the first book by Robert Jackson Bennet that I've read and it certainly won't be the last. I've had The Founders trilogy on my TBR for ages, and I can't wait to read it, especially now that I know his writing style is magnificent and I'm in love with it.

What a great introduction to a series! I'm 100% sure it will become amazing and beloved by so many people. I can't wait for the next books to be published and be back in this world.

The plot of The Tainted Cup is extremely interesting and engaging. It starts as a very strange, but simple murder, but as the story continues and our main characters discover more clues, the plot becomes something much, much bigger. The scope of this entire investigation is huge. I loved every single second of it. I couldn't stop reading; I wanted to know what would come next. This story is heavily inspired by Sherlock Holmes, and you can clearly see it. I enjoyed finding all the little clues and trying to guess what they meant and what they would lead to. Everything is connected in some way or another, and it was so satisfying when we finally learned who was behind it all and why. I felt particularly proud of myself when I found the answer to one the questions in this mystery

I knew that Uhad was the third poisoner!

. That is to say that if you pay attention, you might be able to connect all the pieces together and find the answer alongside our main characters. Though it will be hard, because there are so many shocking twists!

This is a fantasy series, and as the first book, you can expect tons of worldbuilding. But it won't be too boring and annoying; Jackson Bennet did a great job blending the worldbuilding parts with the rest of the story, creating a perfect balance. Right from the beginning we are told things such as: ''I wondered if even the air was expensive in here, then saw it was: a massive kirpis mushroom had been built into the corner of every main room—a tall, black fungus built to suck in air, clean it, and exhale it out at a cooler temperature''. And you know exactly what to expect: a captivating, fascinating and extremely creative world with a magic system that will continue to surprise you the more you read.

And finally, the characters in this book are the most lovable you'll ever find. Our two main characters: Din and Ana are the perfect pair. They complement each other perfectly, working together in perfect harmony to solve the mystery. Ana is very eccentric right from the beginning and I felt a bit frustrated by her. I found her annoying and rude; HOWEVER, none of that is true (except the eccentric part), for she is very well developed throughout the story, and you just can't help but grow to love her dearly. She's a very interesting main character with a fascinating backstory that I can't wait to read more about in the future books. And Din, my beloved. My sweetheart. My honeypie. My everything. He's so amazing and incredible. I love him so, so, so much. He's smart, he's strong, he's sweet, he's funny, he's everything you want in a main character and more. So much more. His character development in this one is top-notch. I can't wait for everyone to read this book and fall in love with Din.

There are some other characters, though not as important as our main two, who are still well-written. I really loved Miljin as well. I didn't trust him at the beginning, but as the story progressed, he became very dear to me and I wish him nothing but the best.

You really need to pick this book up and give it a chance. You will be so surprised and have the best time ever reading it. I'm sure it will be in many people's Best of 2024 lists at the end of the year. It will definitely be in mine.