Leviathans – LairOfBooks

Title: A Drop Of Corruption (Shadow Of The Leviathan #2)

Author: Robert Bennett Jackson

Original Pub. Date: April 1st 2025

Genre: Sci-Fantasy/Mystery

Format: eARC

Publisher: Del Rey

Pages: 465

GOODREADS|BARNES & NOBLE|LIBROFM| AMAZON

☆☆ARC PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW☆☆

The Highly anticipated sequel to The Tainted Cup (spoiler free review) is finally here! This is one I was counting down the days for release and after devouring it in two sittings I can say it was worth the wait! Our favorite foul mouthed genius Detective Ana Dolabra and her assistant Dinios Kol are back in full investigative mode as they travel beyond the Empire’s reach to Yarrowdale. This time an officer of the treasury has been murdered in the most unusual way, an abduction from his quarters while the doors and windows were locked. Every exit fully guarded and every departure/arrival is noted. He however has simply vanished leaving behind a bloody room with very little clues to what may have transpired. Strange cases call for the eccentric Ana and her partner Din but this case is different in ways that leave even Ana worried. Their killer seems to think like Ana and predicts her every move. A lot is at stake in this game of cat and mouse when they realize “The Shroud” is the target. Vastly protected and operated from within by augmented officers of the Empire, The Shroud is a mass that allows the Empire to study and dissect fallen Leviathans in order to harness their magical liabilities. Those that work within the Shroud have basically sacrificed their lives with no guarantee that they’ll be able to walk away. The Shroud is taxing on their minds and bodies, some have come to think that it would be best if it didn’t exist.

This one is going to be for the readers who enjoy a slowly unraveled mystery, it packs a ton of plot twists and turns that will keep you guessing at whether Ana could even solve this case. This time the killer is just as genius and presents her with a real challenge while also making it difficult to keep certain aspects of her identity and augmentations a secret any longer from her assistant Din. We see her physically ill while also insatiably hungry for the strangest foods that would poison the common man. We get some answers to the mystery that is Ana while also still seeing her serve raw and unfiltered commentary at the expense of Din and those he chooses to bed. They are the true definition of an odd pairing and it makes for such a good time! As always the sci-fi elements are in the background mostly seen in the setting of the story. At it’s core this is mostly a mystery with scifi/fantasy elements, the trifecta is easily one I can get wrapped up in and will definitely be revisiting when book 3 in Shadow Of The Leviathan series is released.

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