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This was a great read. Like Bennett's "City of ..." series, this one mixes mystery with fantasy and again carries off Bennett's skill in creating a page-turner. Describing The Tainted Cup as crossover or hybrid though doesn't do justice to the variety of narrative and thematic elements appearing in the book. I really enjoyed the world-building of Daretana as a society heavily dependent on plant-based materials and biological sciences. The two primary characters, as detectives, were fascinating and in lesser hands I think would have been difficult to pull off. Bennett however makes them relatable and it is fascinating to watch the trajectories of their development through the book. There are also elements of a domestic spy thriller, as Bennett again visits infighting amongst the bureaucratic concerns of states. If that weren't enough, there are Kaiju elements as well.

I don't always feel surprised reading a Bennett book, but the pages fly by and I never feel as though something is unconvincing or poorly rendered. Very much looking forward to the next one.