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coris 's review for:
The Tainted Cup
by Robert Jackson Bennett
I really enjoyed this murder mystery! It's very well written, the pace moves along nicely, the main characters are interesting, the side characters ... can be a bit forgettable, but maybe that's just me. The plot comes together well, and I wasn't left thinking "but what about..." more than is necessary to tease the next book.
But, to the description of it being "wholly original" -- that's quite tricky in my opinion. One could very well summarise this by comparisons:
But, to the description of it being "wholly original" -- that's quite tricky in my opinion. One could very well summarise this by comparisons:
- A central Holmes & Watson pairing (female, neurodivergent-coded Holmes; younger male Watson narrating.)
- The world setup from Attack on Titan (ringed walls to protect people & land, further in = better off, mostly people going about daily lives but the wall defenders are on a war-footing.)
- Attacks are by the evolving kaiju from Pacific Rim.
- Shifting ecology, mold and plants-out-to-get-you from Southern Reach by Jeff VanderMeer.
- Body modification and general grimdark vibe of New Crobuzon (China Miéville)
- I can't think of an immediate comparison for the alchemy, that might be wholly original, but I think this more likely shows more of a gap in my reading history.
It pulls together its parts very well, I'd recommend it, and I'll definitely go on with the series -- but yeah, if there's anything you don't enjoy in the list above, steer round this one.