Brimstone vs The Tainted Cup: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: American literature, Fantasy
Brimstone
Duty. Blood. Honour. Power. Saeris Fane doesn't want power. The very last thing she needs is her name whispered on an entire court's lips, but now that she's been crowned queen of the Blood Court, she's discovering…
vs
The Tainted Cup
The Tainted Cup is a 2024 fantasy murder mystery novel by Robert Jackson Bennett. It is the first novel in the Shadow of the Leviathan series and was followed by A Drop of Corruption (2025). The novel won the 2025 Hugo…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Tainted Cup highest: The Tainted Cup 4.4 · Brimstone 4.0.
- The Tainted Cup is the quickest read — about 7 hours vs 12 for Brimstone.
- Brimstone has the widest readership — 386166 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Brimstone | The Tainted Cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (386166) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (188) | 4.4 (892) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (1151) | 4.5 (602) |
Reception
| Brimstone | The Tainted Cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 386166 | 892 |
| Editions | 4 | 3 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 250945 | — |
| Pages | 672 | 419 |