#ana dolabra

[rizeam]

Okay, dear mutual of mine. I need a new audiobook to read sooo should I read the holy, the grand, the famed "THE TAINTED CUP"? Is it worth it? 👀

im going to tell you EVERY SINGLE THING i love about this book:

pathetic-looking empire: almost every setting in this setting is described so vividly about COMPLETELY washed up. There is mud everywhere. Every single citizen is in a consistent state of anxiety because of the eldritch monsters in the ocean.

the characters: we have the bisexual mistreated target employee and his outrageously rude (by that i mean iconic) boss. It's like watching Watson be half impressed and half terrified of Sherlock.

the magic system: it's very cool :D the powers some characters control has a cost. the powers are somewhat unnatural and not that glamorized

the mystery itself: the way the case goes is very satisfying, the evidence and answers don't come out of nowhere

the dialogue: reading this book's dialogue is the absolutely HIGHLIGHT of the entire book. listening to the audiobook version will be hilarious. It's a novacaine level of crack but with a different ✨flavor ✨

the names: they're really unique like---Dinios? Strovi? Fayazi? have you ever heard any of these anywhere else?

In conclusion, you should 100% read it :D. It was a ton of fun the entire time!

Also, thank you for asking me about this mutualll 🎀

[space-blue]

Warm up sketch... This is Ana Dolabra, the fem Sherlock the world has been waiting on (at least tumblr). If I can make even just ONE moot read The Tainted Cup, then I'll be happy!!

Fun fact, Robert Jackson Bennett is the person responsible for my overwhelming preference for 1st person writing. It's not otherwise very popular in SFF, but he CRUSHES it in City of Stairs, which was an influencial series to me when I was starting out as a writer. I decided 'why not, let's try some present tense', and the rest is history.

Anyway his books are always mental. I love his worldbuilding. I wish I could rent a condo in his brains for a while, study him like a bug in my petri dish.

IDK how to dress Ana, but I might make a full length of her in am ao dai...

[aki-chan2014]

A drawing I did of Ana Dolabra from The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. It's been a while since I've done a properly coloured in drawing, so it's a little rusty but I like how it has turned out. Plus I just had to draw something bc of how much I loved the book. I've even got a Din drawing in progress too, so look out for that.

[quoteablebooks]

"The Empire is strong because it recognizes the value of all our people. Including you, Dinios Kol. And when the empire is weak, it is often because the powerful you have denied us the abundance of our people."

Ana Dolabra The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

[dwellordream]

Books Recs of 2024

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. Mystery/fantasy centered around Din, a young assistant investigator assigned to help an eccentric and infamous detective, Ana Dolabra, solve a series of murders. Din is an engraver, his brain altered so he has a photographic memory. However, no one is quite sure how he got his current position, since he failed every single one of his final exams except the combat portion. Ana is an exceedingly odd woman who refuses to go to any crime scene in person and often performs mad science experiments in her spare time. As Din struggles to keep up with the case, which revolves around a bioweapon being unleashed on a series of the empire's best engineers, he also worries what will happen when Ana finally uncovers his secrets.

Highfire by Eoin Colfer. Urban fantasy (very comedic fantasy) about a dragon called Vern (short for Wyvern), who teams up with a juvenile delinquent named Squib (real name Everett Moreau) to take down a corrupt sheriff who is plaguing the Lousiana bayou. Vern is a very small (seven feet long) dragon who is the last of his kind (as far as he knows). When he is spotted by a local troubled teen, his first instinct is to hunt Squib down and kill him, but he quickly realizes the two of them have a common enemy- the murderous sheriff who is running drugs through their territory.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi. Magical realism about a romantic-minded art historian who is swept off his feet by a mysterious and charming heiress. After a whirlwind courtship, the happy couple return to her childhood home; a Gothic manor on a lonely island. The more time our narrator spends around his wife's past, the more questions are raised- increasingly sinister ones about who she is and what exactly she is capable of. Once upon a time, she was best friends with an equally odd and dreamy little girl named Indigo. But no one has seen Indigo for many years now- and the Flower Bride may be behind her disappearance.

Chlorine by Jade Song. Horror/magical realism. Since childhood, Ren's entire identity has been wrapped up in swimming. If she can be strong enough, fast enough, special enough, success is sure to come her way. As the end of high school approaches, Ren's passion for swimming becomes less about her future, and more about past legends of mermaids and sirens dragging sailors into the deep. School, friends, and her parents' expectations all fall away- Ren will make her home in the water, no matter what she has to do.

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride & Jo Piazza. Realistic fiction. Jen and Riley have been best friends for as long as they can remember, despite their vastly different childhoods. Riley is from a middle class Black family; Jen was raised by an impoverished white single mother. After twenty years of doing almost everything together, their lives are at a crossroads- Riley is a news anchor about to take Philadelphia by storm, while Jen is expecting her first child with her police officer husband. When Jen's husband is involved in the murder of a Black teenage boy by a fellow officer, Riley finds herself expected to cover the story- and Jen finds herself expected to answer for her husband's actions- and her own beliefs about what racism looks like.

Queenpin by Megan Abbott. Crime thriller/noir. Our nameless heroine lives a mousy existence working as a bookkeeper for a rundown local night club, but her life is turned upside down when the infamous Gloria Denton, a gun moll and smuggler, takes her under her wing. Gloria transforms her young protege from a timid girl to a sophisticated, cunning woman capable of handling gangsters, conmen, thieves, and bookies, but when she falls for the wrong man, her relationship with Gloria is strained, and they must decide just how far they can trust one another.

Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen. Historical fiction. Based on the real life trial of Katharina Kepler, mother of the famed Johannes Kepler, Imperial Mathematician to the Holy Roman Empire. Katharina is a busybody, a domineering and devilishly clever woman with a particular talent for healing. She is also a fiercely loyal mother to her adult children, but when an old neighborhood grudge flares into accusations of poison and witchcraft, Katharina is determined not to meekly confess and beg pardon. The more she lashes out at her neighbors and the authorities, the more charges begin to pile up against her- despite her son's desperate attempts to save her from torture and execution.

Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott. Crime thriller/noir. Based on a real life murder case in 1931 Phoenix Arizona. Naive and sheltered Marion Seeley is deposited in Phoenix by her disgraced doctor husband, who is forced to take a job with a mining company in South America after his medical license is revoked. Marion befriends the vivacious Louise and Ginny, two fellow nurses, who introduce her to the underground party scene in Phoenix. Politicians and businessmen flock to the secret parties held by them, and it's a quick way to make money on the side. Drawn in by the luxury and thrills, Marion falls in love with Joe Lanigan, a powerful local politician, but as their affair intensifies, her friendship with the other women fractures, culminating in a gruesome crime.

[abigailspinach]

2, 15, 17, and 24 for book ask, please!!

2. Did I reread anything?

I had a mega re-read focus year. I think I wanted comfort books?

I did almost a complete reread of Anne of Green Gables (Skipped Anne of Avolnea and Rainbow Valley - sorry Anne's twee progeny). I also reread Emily of New Moon (another LMM protagonist who is both a writer and an orphan) but Emily is bitchier and more goth and a little bit psychic and the most frustrating love interests.

Plus I reread all of Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric and Desdemona novella. Pen is just a good boy who respect women and has a chaos demon living in his head and it's amazing. 10/10 would recommend.

15. Did you read any books that were nominated for or won awards this year (Booker, Women’s Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer, Hugo, etc.)? What did you think of them?

Hmmm, scrolling through my notes.

I read "Redemption in Indigo" which won loads of awards in 2008 when released. "Karen Lord’s debut novel won the prestigious Frank Collymore Literary Prize in Barbados, the Mythopeic, Carl Brandon Parallax, and Crawford Awards." I enjoyed it. I really like Caribbean literature and should make a point to add some more to my TBD for 2025.

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

I hadn't read any Robert Jackson Bennett before because the print copies were very expensive and the e-book queue at the library was long. His previous works looked rather grimdark and I need to be in the right mood for that. I pre-ordered the e-book for the "The Tainted Cup" and I really enjoyed it. It was really fun. Great characters and I love a Watson and Holmes riff.

From Amazon "A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, BookPage In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible. Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home. At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective. As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect. By an “endlessly inventive” (Vulture) author with a “wicked sense of humor” (NPR), The Tainted Cup mixes the charms of detective fiction with brilliant world-building to deliver a fiendishly clever mystery that’s at once instantly recognizable and thrillingly new."

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

The House Witch - started charming-ish but it just kept going and nothing happened that hadn't happened three times before.

Can't Spell Treason without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

My blood pressure kept rising in annoyance so I had to stop. Characters felt shallow, choices made were bizarre, worldbuilding slight. Too cozy for me?

[libertyreads]

Book Review #4 of 2024--

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. Rating: 4 stars.

Read from January 17th to 20th.

Before I get into the review, a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at Del Rey Books for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Tainted Cup is a Holmes and Watson-esque novel that follows investigator Ana Dolabra--a detective whose eccentricities are matched only by her brilliance--and her assistant, Dinios Kol who are called to work a case after a high imperial officer is killed when a tree erupts from his body. As they follow the clues, Dolabra and Kol just might uncover a darker secret than this poisoning. The Tainted Cup comes out on February 6th and is available for pre-order now.

I had such a fun time with this one. I'm a bit of a Sherlock Holmes fan girl so I was worried that picking this one up would set off a chain reaction of disappointment. But the way this story unfolds in this fantastical world and the way the mystery gets laid out for the reader makes it so much more fun and accessible to the reader. In most of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I've read over the years, there would be leaps in logic that were too difficult to follow unless you had very specific, detailed knowledge. And, while Ana does had a little bit of that going on, the author managed to find a way to keep the reader invested and to keep the reader's suspension of disbelief going. The world building and the pace of the story worked really well for me. There was a small section at the beginning where it felt like you were just thrown into the story, but given the fantastical world and how short that feeling lasted I'm going to say that part was still a thumbs up from me.

The characters are probably what I think could have used the most work. We do get some of the Holmes and Watson-esque interactions between our investigator and her assistant but I felt like we could have gone further with it. I still feel like I know so little about Ana. Maybe that's a choice the author made because of her being a representation of Sherlock Holmes. But I just wanted more from her. I also spent a lot of the book thinking there would be some dark reveal about Dinios but it never went in that direction. And I kind of wish it had. He's a little too squeaky clean for me. But know that's coming from a girl whose favor characters are all morally grey.

Overall, this was a fun and engaging read that I think fans of Sherlock Holmes can enjoy while acknowledging that it's separate from the original stories. It always felt like the plot was pushing me to read more and more which made it a faster read than I was expecting.

[elliepassmore]

The Tainted Cup release!

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Bookshop.org

Barnes & Noble

This book is perfect for fans of Knives Out and SFF! This is a book where the sci-fi/fantasy elements are the backdrop and the main focus of the story is on the murder that's occurred. Bennett balances humor and seriousness as the mish-mash investigative team tries to puzzle out what happened and why. I absolutely loved the character interactions and thought each character felt well-rounded and realistic. There's also some good rep in this book, with the MC Din being dyslexic and Ana being autistic.

The mystery was a lot of fun to try and figure out. Ana is often able to make large leaps before everyone else, but as the book continues, she becomes more secretive and gives space to the readers to piece together the clues ourselves. This is a very enjoyable read and is definitely my favorite of the year so far!

If you're looking for a more in-depth opinion, check out my review here!

[bookcoversaroundtheworld]

The Tainted Cup - US

In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.

Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

The Tainted Cup Robert Jackson Bennett

Where has this book been my whole life?! No, seriously, I loved every minute of The Tainted Cup. Think the Chronicles of Amicae (by Mirah Bolender) meets Pacific Rim. Only there are more plants. (Side note: if you still need to read the Chronicles of Amicae but loved The Tainted Cup, please read it next).

The Tainted Cup was a fascinating read. It's one part mystery investigation (with strong Sherlock vibes from our brilliant yet quirky Ana Dolabra) and one part fantasy (thanks to the magic and contagion risk, not to mention the Leviathans). In truth, there's still so much to learn about the magical system, politics, and even the monsters, so I'm very excited to get my hands on the next book in this series.

The mystery investigation is satisfying. It's a multi-layered murder mystery with the potential for treason and deep corruption. Throw in a naive protagonist and several unique threats, and it was quite a compelling read.

Long story short, I loved The Tainted Cup. If I could go back in time and reread it all for the first time, I would do so in a heartbeat. Note to self: Look up everything Robert Jackson Bennett has written. I've been missing out, and I need to remedy this ASAP.

Highlights: Fantasy with Mystery Elements Contagions & Plants Pacific Rim meets the Chronicles of Amicae

[mythic-raccoon]

No pressure tags: @containeraddict @omnipresence-daily @apollos-constant-crisis @28ratsinatrenchcoat

5 Favourite Characters Poll (Tag Game)

I was tag by: @star-mum

Rules: make a poll with five of your all time favourite characters and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favourite.

Thanks you so much for the tag

Tags <3: @meeks-beas @practically-an-x-man @outer-space-face @trashworldblog @mydearlybeloathed

[reviewsthatburn]

*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book. 

THE TAINTED CUP by Robert Jackson Bennett follows the trend of the witty, arbitrarily restricted genius of several recent popular iterations of Sherlock Holmes, but with a danger that feels at once too remote and too specific to make a lot of sense to me. I can tell it's aiming for a thing that I don't like, and so I'm not going to finish it. I like banter, I like witty dialogue, but I think I'm finally at a point in my life where I don't like someone explaining to me how smart they are with information I literally had no access to until this moment. The biggest factor in this DNF is I'd started to feel like I wasn't allowed to finish other books until I struggled through this one, and I don't like books that make me feel like I can't or shouldn't read other books. I'm definitely bothered by one character's personality quirk of wearing a blindfold at all times, and treating a refusal to leave her home as an affectation that exists to annoy other people. The narrative calls attention to it but refuses to explain. I don't enjoy being told repeatedly that I don't need to know something, or at least don't get to have it revealed at this time. It doesn't feel mysterious or interesting, just irritating and petty.

Full review at link

[siriuslygrimm]

Cultivated Corruption

#BOOKREVIEW - Cultivated Corruption - #TheTaintedCup #blog

A horrifying death of strange circumstances that occurred within the walls of a powerful family’s home kickstarts an investigation that reveals the extent of scheming that impacts the safety of the entire Empire in The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. As the assistant assigned to investigator Ana Dolabra, whose eccentric behaviors include rarely leaving her home and frequently donning a…

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Fiction, Adult, Fantasy Mystery

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Content Warning: Murder, Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Ableism, Drug use, Classism, War

Summary:

In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.

Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears--quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.

Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps—not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Featuring an unforgettable Holmes-and-Watson style pairing, a gloriously labyrinthine plot, and a haunting and wholly original fantasy world, The Tainted Cup brilliantly reinvents the classic mystery tale.

*Opinions*

Robert Jackson Bennett’s other series, The Founders trilogy, was so well received, that it made me interested when this book came out earlier this year. This is compared to a fantasy Sherlock Holmes and Watson (that is like the first line of the description on Goodreads) and while I think that is a fair comparison to make, that does not take into account the huge amount of world-building done in this novel that I think is the true highlight. At its heart, this is a murder mystery, but all the bones and muscles that surround it are what this a truly enjoyable read for me.

The narration follows Dinios Kol, an assistant investigator of the Iudex who has recently been assigned to the eccentric Immunis Ana Dolabra. As the Iudex division is tasked with finding justice when crimes happen within the Empire when the body of a dead Engineer is found at one of the most influential family’s homes with a contagion growing out of his body, Din and Ana are tasked with finding the murderer. Especially because the death happened on the lands of the Haza family and it is unclear if they may be involved or a target of this assassin. The investigation takes Din and Ana out of their smaller town and into the beating heart of the effort of the Empire to keep the Leviathans from making landfall. With the loom of another Leviathan attack, Din and Ana find that many more individuals have been killed with the same contagion, and clues that point to more than one murderer may be at play. Yet, corruption runs deep in the Empire and soon it becomes clear that Din and Ana will only be able to rely on one another. 

This novel reads like a police procedural and I don’t mean that in a bad way. As someone who grew up watching CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, and those types of shows, there was a familiarity to the structure of this novel. We are introduced to the first victim, we get information that leads the team to believe that something else is going on, more victims are found and then it is a race to find the killer(s) before they strike again or strike a member of the team. Now, I am not saying that this book is predictable in any way, but Bennett did not reinvent the wheel with the plot structure. I don’t think that every novel needs to do something weird or different, there is comfort in knowing the way a story is going to go even if you are unsure of the steps it will take. As someone who did countless assignments to Law and Order in the background, there was a coziness to it even with all the death and gruesome events that took place.

I think the mystery itself is well crafted so that the reader can pick up on clues while reading so when Ana or Din come to a conclusion, you can follow the logical steps of their explanation to get there. A pitfall that a lot of writers fall into with a Sherlock-esque character is that their leaps in logic are not backed up with textual evidence so the reveal doesn’t feel earned, but just told to the reader. I also hate when the reader is not given the information needed to solve the mystery, it makes it feel as if the writer wants a big twist instead of a fulfilling conclusion. I don’t feel as if Bennett fell into this trap and whenever Ana explained her thought process, it was the aha! Moment it was meant to be. I also appreciated that Din was not just the assistant in her eyes, but also made a number of connections and discoveries himself without Ana’s assistance. He wasn’t just a vehicle for the story, he was a character. 

My favorite part of this novel, however, had to be the world that Bennett wrapped around his mystery. It was lush and dangerous and you are just dropped in to figure it all out. Everything that we are presented with, from the idea of the contagions to the leviathans, to the augmentations and grafts, to the Empire itself is fascinating and I would read a whole novel just about the history of this world. This novel does have a feeling of science fiction about it because it is obvious that science has a large part in this society, but then the Leviathans put it firmly in the realm of fantasy. Bennett’s descriptions are visceral and so well done that I felt like I was in the jungle, or the mud, or looking at a dead body right alongside Din. I cannot wait for other books to see this world expand further.

While in the acknowledgments of this novel, Bennett stated that Ana ended up being close to a Hannibal character, I think she was given enough humanity throughout so that the reader cared about her without her ever being soft. Much like other brilliant minds, she is eccentric and incorrigible and oftentimes rude, but she is also given enough moments when it comes to Din that you see her as a person as well. Then there are small moments where you see that she does care for Din and doesn’t want him to be injured during the investigation. I think having her being overstimulated easily so she had to have her eyes blindfolded, leaving Din to be her eyes, not only is a great plot device for him to be the active member of the investigation but also made her have a vulnerability aside from the inability to talk to people properly. 

Din grew on me throughout the novel. During the first fourth I did not like him or Ana all that much, but the mystery was interesting enough to keep me interested. However, by spending all the time close to Din and what he was thinking and experiencing, I started to care about him and worry when he was put into numerous dangerous situations. I also appreciated that both he and Ana have disabilities that they have to find workarounds to manage. The small bit of romance in this novel was so sweet and so well done, I appreciated its addition to the story, even though it was a small part of this whole novel. I don’t know if we’ll see them together again, but what we got was a perfect accent to the story. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this reading experience and gave this a 4.5 rounded down to a 4. I got this from the library but I am totally going to buy a copy and continue on in the series. I need to know more about this world if nothing else. 

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something like this maybe

Warm up sketch... This is Ana Dolabra, the fem Sherlock the world has been waiting on (at least tumblr). If I can make even just ONE moot read The Tainted Cup, then I'll be happy!!

Fun fact, Robert Jackson Bennett is the person responsible for my overwhelming preference for 1st person writing. It's not otherwise very popular in SFF, but he CRUSHES it in City of Stairs, which was an influencial series to me when I was starting out as a writer. I decided 'why not, let's try some present tense', and the rest is history.

Anyway his books are always mental. I love his worldbuilding. I wish I could rent a condo in his brains for a while, study him like a bug in my petri dish.

IDK how to dress Ana, but I might make a full length of her in am ao dai...