The Tainted Cup was an incredibly unique and addictive murder-mystery set in a fantasy world.
The story follows our main character Din, who is the assistant to an eccentric but renowned government detective, Ana Dolabra. When you read the synopsis, it implies that the main character is going to be Ana, but it’s actually Din who is the highlight of the story.
CHARACTERS
Due to the said certain eccentric habits of the detective Ana, it is Din who goes out and conducts the investigation, observes the crime scenes, etc. He is her eyes and ears.
Din is witty, earnest and kind. He’s an easy character to relate to. Underneath his clean-cut demeanour though is a touch of recklessness and curiosity, as well as strength and determination. His relaxed banter and witty back-and-forth with Ana will remind you of Sherlock and Watson.
You’ll also find certain distinct habits of the characters in the writing style, such as Din’s habit of comparing everyone he meets to birds. It’s hilarious!
On the other hand, Ana is a genius who devours books at the speed of light. She connects threads that you would not think are in the same universe as each other. A random fact will be mentioned in a seemingly insignificant conversation and turn out to be pivotal later. She’s an enigmatic character who will amuse you and keep you hooked in equal measure.
There’s incredible representation of dyslexia and autism in the story, though I don’t want to reveal where, to avoid spoilers.
MAGIC SYSTEM
The magic system is related to making modifications to human beings that give them unusual abilities like super strength, a flawless memory, a heightened sense of smell or sight- but at a cost.
Din has been magically altered to have a perfect memory. Anything he observes or makes note of is stored in his memory forever. The most interesting part is how he uses specific scents while memorising things so that the scent is associated with that particular memory and he can then use that scent later to induce that memory and recall it quicker.
As for themes, topics like corruption, privilege and the exploitation of the backbone of society- the common people- is the focus of the story.
WORLDBUILDING
At first I assumed that due to the magic system and the world being so exceptional and complex, the writing would be bogged down with long descriptions and info-dumps. But that was not the case AT ALL.
Robert Jackson Bennet flawlessly weaves the information about the world and magic in little bits and pieces throughout the narrative, quite subtly so the reader isn’t overwhelmed. It makes it very easy to visualise the world, as it is described in simple words; I think this skill of his has only improved with the number of works he’s written. (I’ve read Book 1 and 2 of the Foundryside trilogy).
Two of the concepts were quite reminiscent of the anime, Attack on Titan. Firstly, the concept of the Leviathans- giants that rise out of the sea and cause destruction- as well as the Empire being structured like a series of concentric circles, with the most elite being in the innermost circles, thus being the safest. It is certainly not the exact same thing but Bennet puts his own spin on things.
PACING
Apart from the worldbuilding, the author turned the book into an addictive page-turner through the innumerable little clues and revelations expertly placed throughout the story. The narrative maintains a strong, steady pace that is constantly moving. No chapter or event is boring or irrelevant to the plot. As the reader, you are constantly made to wonder what significance this little detail is going to have, or how that person is going to change the plot.
Despite being around 400 pages long, it took me just 2 days to finish the book because I couldn’t put it down.
In conclusion, I highly recommend this one!
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