A Drop of Corruption

By Robert Jackson Bennett
** Publication Date 1 April 2025 **
5 stars

Robert Jackson Bennett has created a fantastical world that is both advanced and ancient in its ways. His writing brings this whole world to life. You can imagine the fretvine buildings, the seas, the leviathan. There is so much to absorb and capture in this unusual place with very unusual people. It’s wonderful. I was so excited to return and see what was in store for us this time around. 


Din and Ana return with another mystery to be solved. This time in the canton Yarrowdale, a Treasury officer has gone missing. From a fully locked and guarded room. This is the type of mystery only the brilliant and eccentric Ana Dolabra can explain. Though there will be a lot of challenges along the way. Cryptic messages, humans turned into plants, plants growing human parts. It’s a grisly one, but most in the Empire are. So many people with secrets and secret agendas. For Din, it’s hard to know who or what to believe. 


This time Din is paired with an Apoth named Malo. She’s a tough girl with a mouth full of hina root, the Yarrow version of chewing tobacco.. But she’s also smart and enhanced in such a way that she will be very useful to Din and Ana in their quest to find this mysterious Pale King that is wreaking havoc throughout Yarrowdale.


While you don’t necessarily need to read The Tainted Cup prior to this one, it will help explain Ana’s bizarre behaviors and Din’s backstory. Book one gives you a lot of background on the Empire, while this book brings more information about the Khanum to light. 


I just hope that this series goes on for a while. It’s an extraordinary place. Bennett’s words are magical. Please also take the time to read the Author’s Note at the end of the story. It was profound in its own way.