I obtained a assessment copy from the writer. This doesn’t have an effect on the contents of my assessment and all opinions are my very own.

A Commerce of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

Mogsy’s Score: 5 of 5 stars

Style: Fantasy, Thriller

Collection: E-book 3 of Shadow of the Leviathan

Writer: Del Rey (August 4, 2026)

Size: 400 pages

Writer Data: Web site

I’m already an enormous fan of Robert Jackson Bennett’s Shadow of the Leviathan sequence, however even then, I truthfully wasn’t ready for simply how unimaginable A Commerce of Blood turned out to be. After two excellent books, who would have thought it, however this would possibly really be my favourite installment to date, and that’s saying one thing as a result of The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption have been already amongst my favourite fantasy mysteries in recent times.

This time, our investigative duo of Ana and Din are dispatched to the agricultural canton of Sapirdad, the place two of the Empire’s strongest households are locked in a bitter feud. Open violence appears all however inevitable when the son of 1 household seems to have brutally murdered the daughter of the opposite. With tensions already at a breaking level, it would take just one fallacious transfer to ignite the powder keg, which suggests our protagonists should tread rigorously, particularly once they start to suspect the younger man is probably not responsible in any case.

Nonetheless, with the Empire’s meals provide hanging within the steadiness, that they had higher be proper. However anybody who’s adopted Ana and Din is aware of nothing is ever easy, and this case is not any exception. They instantly sense one thing amiss, uncovering indicators suggesting that is greater than only a tragedy born from generations of hatred. As they start pulling on the threads, the thriller solely grows stranger with every new clue, revealing unsettling organic phenomena and a conspiracy that reaches far past a single homicide.

I’ve at all times had a comfortable spot for fantasy mysteries, and surely, this sequence represents the style at its best possible. Each e book has managed to captivate me, however this one took it one step additional, holding me in its grip from the very first web page. The setup alone is irresistible, that includes rival households, doomed younger lovers, and political tensions threatening to boil over, to not point out an unimaginable homicide that solely Ana and Din might hope to untangle. You’ve received the “who”, “what”, “when”, and “why”, however then the story drops the stunning twist of the “how”: a weird mycological course of explaining how such against the law may even be achieved.

Higher but, I really like how each e book additionally manages to increase the sequence’ universe in significant methods. One other case means one other nook of the Empire to discover, and every new place provides a recent glimpse into how this imaginative world features. Life in Sapirdad, for instance, revolves round rising meals and elevating livestock, although in fact, nothing described right here resembles what we consider as atypical farming. There are concepts right here that really feel like they got here straight out of a fever dream, resembling cats being conditioned to assist harvest crops with the help of a brain-affecting cordyceps-like fungus, and but one way or the other, impossibly, all of it is smart. I can solely describe all this as absurdly sensible.

As well as, the character work is each bit as satisfying. Ana stays delightfully eccentric, however for readers who’ve been on board because the first e book, I believe it is going to be Din who stands out for displaying immense development because the starting of the sequence. For one, he’s now not merely the assistant scrambling the sustain with Ana’s astounding mind. He feels extra like a real companion now, contributing observations and making connections, carrying a lot of the investigation in his personal proper. Watching his confidence steadily improve with every installment has been extremely rewarding, and this one continues that arc. I additionally cherished the supporting forged, significantly Din’s sister, whose introduction provides one other welcome dimension to his private story.

As at all times, the thriller itself is exceptionally constructed. Each clue issues, with every growth constructing naturally on what got here earlier than, making the eventual resolution really feel without delay surprising but in addition inevitable. Robert Jackson Bennett one way or the other manages to jot down mysteries which might be intellectually satisfying and extremely detailed whereas by no means sacrificing pacing or momentum. I devoured this e book in file time, discovering myself always saying “only one extra chapter” till all of the sudden, there have been no chapters left in any respect.

All that’s left to say is, the e book hangover afterward was actual, and I feel that’s in regards to the highest praise I may give. A Commerce of Blood isn’t simply one other wonderful sequel, as a result of it one way or the other even surpasses the 2 books I already adored. However between its addictive thriller and excellent character work and fantasy worldbuilding, that is merely the style firing on all cylinders, and if this sequence one way or the other wasn’t already in your radar, it positively must be.

Extra on The BiblioSanctum:
Overview of The Tainted Cup (E-book 1)
Overview of A Drop of Corruption (E-book 2)