Away from the walls of the Empire is the port city of Yarrowdale, a quasi-Empire outpost responsible for processing the reagents behind powers like Din’s engraving. And here occurred a murder even more vexing than the last, where a Treasury official vanished without a trace. What Ana and Din begin to unfurl are the cascading consequences of a top-secret program, infighting to sustain a dying monarchy, and a murderer at the center of it all who can seemingly predict their every move. A Drop of Corruption probes at the tantalizing false promises of autocracy, the thankless job of justice, and the oft-stifled battle cry of a society worth fighting for. Even with all the dangers within every page, Bennett has crafted a world I’d love to live in, with characters as fascinating as the leviathans themselves.
A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett, (List Price: $30, Del Rey, 9780593723821, April 2025)
Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina