25 April 2025
A Drop Of Corruption Review And Book Club Questions
Reviewed by: Melissa Ng
Quick Facts
Book Publication Date: 1 April 2025
How I Read It: Advanced reader copy from NetGalley
Where You Can Find A Drop Of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett: Amazon Australia* | Kobo US* | Kobo Canada*
Content & Trigger Warnings: Death, gore, vomit, coarse language, violence, murder
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of A Drop Of Corruption.
If you haven't already, you can read my review of The Tainted Cup (Book 1) here.
A Drop Of Corruption Summary
Over in the canton of Yarrowdale — where the Empire’s influence starts to wear thin — a high-ranking Treasury officer has vanished from a locked room.
No signs of forced entry, no witnesses, and a building crawling with guards. A classic impossible mystery.
Naturally, the Empire sends in its best: Ana Dolabra, the famously eccentric, possibly unhinged investigator, and her ever-dedicated assistant Dinios Kol, who has a magically enhanced memory.
But what starts as a disappearance quickly becomes a murder — and not just any murder. The killer can move through locked doors and warded thresholds like they’re nothing, always staying one step ahead of Ana.
The deeper they dig, the more dangerous things become.
The killer has their sights set on the Shroud, a secure compound where the Empire dissects dead Titans to extract the magic it relies on.
If the Shroud falls, so does everything else.
This time, Din isn’t sure Ana will be able to outwit their opponent. And for the first time, neither is she.
A Drop Of Corruption Review
Second books in fantasy series can be tricky. They often feel like filler between a strong start and a dramatic finale. Luckily, A Drop Of Corruption avoids that trap completely.
It’s a smart, sharp continuation of The Tainted Cup that builds on the world, deepens the mystery, and keeps the tension high from start to finish.
What I liked:
✔️ More world-building: This book dives deeper into the workings of the Empire and the ominous presence of the Leviathans. There’s also more context around Ana’s background, which adds depth to her character and motivations.
✔️ The cat-and-mouse mystery: Pyktis makes an excellent antagonist — calculated, elusive, and just one step ahead, making Ana second guess herself. The pacing stays strong as Ana and Din solve smaller puzzles along the way while the larger mystery unfolds.
✔️ Better pacing than Book 1: Unlike The Tainted Cup, which leaned heavily on a big info dump at the end, this book lets the revelations flow more gradually. It made for a more balanced, satisfying read.
✔️ Ana and Din’s dynamic: Still one of the highlights of the series. Ana is brilliant and chaotic, Din is grounded and observant. They complement each other in ways that make every conversation entertaining.
✔️ Themes of corruption and control: The commentary on how power is maintained, who gets to wield it, and what people are willing to sacrifice for it is well done. Definitely read the author’s note at the end — it gives extra context to what the story is really grappling with.
What didn’t work as well:
❌ Character backstory could’ve come earlier: We get important information about Ana’s history, but most of it arrives late in the book. A few breadcrumbs earlier on would have helped build that emotional connection sooner.
❌ A little long: The book’s length is justified — there’s a lot of plot to get through — but some scenes could have been tightened without losing momentum.
Final thoughts
A Drop Of Corruption is a strong second book that expands the world and raises the stakes without losing the clever structure and character dynamics that made The Tainted Cup so engaging. If you enjoyed the first book, this is an easy yes.
I’ll definitely be continuing with the series — and I’m also now eyeing Robert Jackson Bennett’s backlist.
A Drop Of Corruption Book Club Questions
- What were your favourite and least favourite moments in the book?
- How did you feel about the mix of genres - fantasy, sci-fi, mystery?
- What made you pick up book 2 in the Shadow Of The Leviathan series?
- How do you think A Drop Of Corruption compares to The Tainted Cup?
- What did you think of the world building? Did you feel you learnt more about the world and the leviathans?
- Do you think Din and Ana have grown or changed as characters?
- What did you think of the addition of Malo? Do you think they added a different dynamic to the story?
- At the beginning of the book, did you have any predictions about what happened to Sujedo and how he managed to disappear from his room?
- Did you enjoy the cat and mouse style of the mystery?
- Pyktis always seemed one step ahead of Ana. How do you think she handled that?
- How did you feel learning more about Ana’s backstory? Do you think this will play a greater role in book 3?
- If you could be magically altered, what ability would you like to possess?
- Were there any twists or reveals that shocked you?
- What do you predict will happen in book 3?
- Will you be continuing the Shadow Of The Leviathan series? Why or why not?
- If A Drop Of Corruption was adapted into a movie or TV series, which actors would you cast for each character?
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