In the second installment of the Shadow of the Leviathan series, Din and Ana travel to a remote edge of the Empire’s lands in search of a Treasury Officer who managed to disappear from a locked room. Yet when the disappearance turns into a murder, the pair soon find themselves chasing down an extraordinarily brilliant and cunning and foe whose target seems to be much bigger than all were first led to believe. 

I’ve always love mystery novels because they give me a chance to read AND work through a puzzle, and Robert Jackson Bennett writes some great puzzles. I remember stumbling upon THE TAINTED CUP last year and becoming immediately sucked in by the incredible, strange world, and my love for Din, Ana, and this entire series only grew with A DROP OF CORRUPTION. Alongside Bennett’s writing style, I think what I like so much about these books is the relationship between the two main characters, as well as how fleshed out all the rest of the characters are. Everyone we meet seems to have a purpose, with each of their individual threads coming together to create a beautiful and complex world. 

Murder mystery and political conspiracy, plus leviathan monsters and body augmentations that essentially grant superpowers, this series has it all and more. In addition to each book’s unique plot line, there’s an undercurrent of “something big is coming” that weaves it’s way through the novels and has me counting down the days until the next piece of the story is in my hands!

Thank you to Random House, Del Rey, and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.