Reviews

I thought this was going to be just some steampunk murder mystery but I was pleasantly surprised by the vibes of "attack on Titan", "nausicaa of the valley of the wind", plus bio warfare and fantasy politics.

I really enjoyed the world building in this one for sure, and kept wanting to know more about leviathans. Love it when I can constantly question and have a taste for wanting "more".

Sadly there was just something missing for me to trip over my feet in love with this. Still, really enjoyed this and may be purchasing copies for my friends.

boards_books_and_brews's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1)
Written by Robert Jackson Bennett
Read by Andrew Fallaize
Book 54/250
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Audio
Pages/Time: 432/13min 52min
Published: 2024
Rating: 8.5/10
Narration: 8/10

“But though they receive no worship, it’s the maintenance folk who keep the Empire going. Someone, after all, must do the undignified labor to keep the grand works of our era from tumbling down.”

The Tainted cup is a solid start to a fungal-fantasy crime trilogy. I understand that’s a lot to take in, and I didn’t even mention the Attack on Titan-esque world it’s set in! The RJB’s newest book has a lot going on in the best ways; the world really feels lived in and there are endless avenues to explore! I am looking forward to “A Drop of Corruption” coming out in April of 2025.

jw101's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

siedood's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

elizar0cks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This mystery is in a world that really grabs you into the book. It's extremely well written. The characters have a lot of depth and the story draws you in. Sometimes reading it was looking at all the connections of a spider web. I enjoyed the takes on government and working people. Some good take aways.

Loved! Would recommend, it is a slow burn.

crunchy108's review against another edition

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reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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