Reviews with content warning for Classism - The Tainted Cup

Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

16 reviews

eviethebookworm's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

A solid science fiction murder mystery! Attack on Titan meets Sherlock Holmes meets Star Trek.

I do however have a major gripe with Rob’s use of the adjective ‘queer’ throughout the book. Especially considering there’s LGBTQIA+ representation, there’s certainly an awareness as to the connotations of using it as a way to describe strangeness. I would have rated this novel higher had there been more care during editing to whittle it out of the manuscript more (because I KNOW that there would have been so many more instances of it).
But alas, it cropped up seven times in the span of 170 pages or so. And that’s only after I got annoyed enough to start marking them!

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fatimaelf's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Incredible beginning to what’s sure to be an incredible series!

I read Robert Jackson Bennett’s Founders trilogy last year, and honestly, it’s stuck with me ever since. That series is in my top five read series of all time, because of the world building, and the social commentary, and the characters, and the stakes.

If the rest of this series is anything like the book I just read, then it’ll join my top five, unequivocally. The POV was first person (a sad realization for me, but ultimately my disdain for it is merely a personal preference) and it worked really well here. Din is a seemingly stolid, uncompromising character, devoted to rules and laws — but he grows so much over the course of the book that he grew on me too, and I liked him as our narrator and a character in and of himself. His boss, Ana, is a sassy demon of a woman, and I loved her instantly. She’s the brilliant Sherlock of this Sherlock and Holmes type fantasy mystery, but much more lively, funny, and sarcastic. These two were our main characters, but every supporting character felt real and grounded too, and none were wasted in the least. Bennett has always had a firm grasp on his characters and their quirks, how what happens to them changes them, and why they make the choices they make, and in this it is no different.

Where the book really shone, though, was the plot, against the backdrop of a fully realized, firmly established fantasy world. The way the story unraveled was nothing short of intoxicating, each new revelation earned and leading to the next. Bennett has a clever skill in revealing a new problem or question just as you might tire of the specific answer the characters are searching for, and for providing just enough information to keep you satisfied but still guessing. When we got to the climax, just before the reveal, I genuinely found myself aching to read even faster than I already was, just to know what was happening.

Fantasy has always had a well regarded place in our culture as a vehicle to shine light on problems in our world, and Bennett does this beautifully as well. We begin with a murder, which leads to more murder, and ultimately a race to uncover what might be a plot to unravel an entire empire via its defense of its shores from giant monsters referred to as leviathan. In the course of the investigation, we discover how the Empire functions, with class issues (as with the Founders trilogy) at the forefront: the way those with money derive their power, and what those with power do to keep and grow it. And then there are those affected by those actions, those impacted personally or professionally, and what they do or don’t do in response. The mystery was worth every bit of its name. It was so well crafted, and perfectly understandable.

Was the book perfect? Probably not. But I was so engaged and enthralled by the story unfolding that I didn’t much care to note the faults — beyond one small little irritant during the reveal, whereby Ana says that the presence of a certain something would definitely prove the guilt of someone, and I’m not sure it does — and that’s why I’ve given it five stars.

Knowing Bennett, we haven’t seen the last of the leviathans, and what they truly are is likely far less insidious than the Empire’s populace believes. We also haven’t ventured beyond the Outer Rim of the Empire, and though they’ve said that’s where corruption lies thickest, somehow once we go inward I think we’ll find that to be untrue.

I genuinely cannot wait for the next book. I don’t normally read unfinished series, but now that I have, I will be given the pleasure of having to reread this book before consuming the new one. Here’s hoping I don’t have to wait long.

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nightstitch96's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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saltycoffee's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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mariakureads's review

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adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

My first favorite read of the year!!!
This was just fun from the first paragraph! It was fast, action-filled, and full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The dialogue is fast-paced, well-written, and witty. I was in love with the first-person POV of Din, the "Watson" to Ana, the "Holmes" if you will of this mystery thriller, they have such an interesting dynamic, which I loved as he's her apprentice and so about the book vs her more dynamic vibe that I can't get over how much I loved reading about her from his perspective because there's just so much truth coming across that she feels real.

Bennett's use of language to create the world's, characters, backstory, and tension was atmospheric and his choice of the first person POV gave, me the reader, a front seat to what Din saw and experienced and I love that feeling.

I didn't know what to expect as this is my first read from this author but not my last! I need to know what else Ana and Din get themselves into as Ana is still very much a mystery as she was at the beginning of the book, actually more so.

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korpney's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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blewballoon's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

This was my first time reading Robert Jackson Bennett, but I've heard lots of good things about their writing. This didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed the "biopunk" universe where technology was based on plants and biology. I liked Dinios Kol and Ana Dolabra very much, which I had been a little worried about before reading. They charmed me quickly and I enjoyed their conversations. I wasn't really trying to solve the mystery, but I did manage to put together some pieces for myself before the reveals. When I talked about it with my friend, they said that sometimes fantasy mysteries are a bit easier to solve because the author has to explain how the world works, and what they are required to point out and explain for things to make sense tends to be relevant to solving the mystery. I listened to this on audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job, but I do think it made it a little harder for me to follow all the unusual names and keep things straight. With regards to content warnings, there is a fair amount of body horror and gore, but (extremely mild spoiler)

there was one weird gross sexual scene that I'm not sure how to accurately content warn about. I'll file it under Sexual Harassment I suppose? I found that scene unsettling.

Content Warnings