The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

Wow, wow, wow!

I haven't had this much fun reading a fantasy book in a while! I don't know if I was unlucky or if this is the trend in published books lately, but fantasy, unless it's a romance with an elf or a "dark, morally gray" vampire, is usually a hefty tome with intricate politics in the background (which I generally prefer to romance). And here we got a complex and multi-layered detective mystery set in a rich fantasy world!

Despite its complexity, the descriptions of the world weren't overwhelming. Rather, we discovered it gradually with the protagonist, when necessary. Thanks to this, we avoided infodumping, and everything was cohesive. (There's nothing worse than establishing the rules of the world and then bending them for the sake of the scene. Fortunately, none of that happened here.)

Ana and Din completely stole my heart. Each of them was unique in their own way and (by fantasy standards) very unusual. They weren't perfect. They had their weaknesses, but they were able to skillfully mask them and thrive despite their shortcomings in certain areas. Although I adored Din and his special engraving skills, I greatly admired Ana. Authors often aim to write a genius character who ultimately comes off as rather pale and naive. This is because it's impossible to write a character smarter than ourselves. However, here the author avoided this trap, as most of Ana's thoughts are unknown to us. She shares her final conclusions with the reader, which are, of course, brilliant.

I try not to blindly buy paper books – I don't want to generate a carbon footprint for something I'm not sure I'll like. I only decide whether to buy a paperback after reading an ebook/audiobook. I have no doubts about The Tainted Cup, though. This series will definitely find a home on my shelf.