Reviews

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

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lyakimov's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 stars.

I loved how unique the fantasy world was - focused all on plants, fungi, and nature in general. I like how bizarre everything is. There are so many layers to the society and we are really gaining a foundation of the Empire, and I am sure that the next books in the series will lead us to other places, which is super exciting. I liked Talagray and would like to revisit, but also expand our worldview a bit and see how life works in the inner rings. The setup of the world also was well done, and didn't feel like we were info-dumped with a ton of exposition every other chapter, like some other books do.

The characters were all so fascinating, especially taking their respective suffusions and alterations into consideration. The mystery was intricately woven and so well done. It didn't feel too rushed nor too drawn out; the pacing was great. Also, I think that the threat of the mystery was well-balanced with the crisis of the sea wall breach and the looming approach of attacking leviathans. It puts things into a wider perspective, thinking about the whole of the Empire, and I really hope we delve more into that during future books.

ka_ask2002's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

Attack on Titan if Hange Zoë was allowed to rule. Sprinkle in some Agatha Christie and boom, that’s the book

stthais's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

cosmicamelia's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved this and I am excited for more. Love the absolute dork of a MC and his quirky mistress. I didn’t realize there were going to be Kaiju so that was a fun surprise. I loved the world building, love the plant punk. Well written and characterized.