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A review by smalls16
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A very fun combo of sci-fi, fantasy, and detective mystery genres! One of my favorite things in sci-fi/fantasy is when magical abilities/systems are used to hold up a mirror to our own concepts of ability, societal worth, bioethics, etc and this book does it really well without hitting you over the head with it.
It does have a little bit of the classic sci-fi/fantasy struggle of lots of new made up terms, geography, and names that get a little hard to track (but not too bad). The sociopolitical commentary on empire was pretty light/felt a little half-hearted to me. On the flip side, sometimes it’s nice to just escape to a novel and leave the heavy principles as more of a background vibe.
Really hope this turns into a long series!!
It does have a little bit of the classic sci-fi/fantasy struggle of lots of new made up terms, geography, and names that get a little hard to track (but not too bad). The sociopolitical commentary on empire was pretty light/felt a little half-hearted to me. On the flip side, sometimes it’s nice to just escape to a novel and leave the heavy principles as more of a background vibe.
Really hope this turns into a long series!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Violence, and War