Any book with this amount of intense sapphic yearning is bound to get five stars from me. Lorelei is my new crush and I will carry her with me for all of my days. I LOVE black cat/golden retriever vibes holy shit. The magic system and creatures are so fucking cool and you don’t have to super understand the intricacies to have a good time with it. The whodunnit mystery aspect kept things going at an entertaining pace. The elements based on Jewish experience and folklore were gorgeous and the politics kept my interest. What a good fucking time!!!

A lush, atmospheric fantasy steeped in folklore, with a clever murder-mystery and simmering sapphic chemistry. Saft's prose is rich. The pacing and romance sometimes move slowly, but the emotional climax and magical revelations are worth the wait.

Lush descriptions of this world and fairly deep character development did not save this book from having the most unlikable FMC. Also, the colonialism…?

I really like Alisson Saft's writing.
And although I loved the prose, and for the most part, the characters in this book.
I didn't actually end up loving the book. I can't quite put my finger on what threw me off.
Maybe, I will try again another time, and love it!

This one combines a few different genres. It is heavy on fantasy with world building. There is romance with major tension. It is also a murder mystery with twists and turns along the way. It also gives dark academia vibes that drew me in.

It took me a while to get into it. I felt like it was a bit of a slow burn on the romance. I was confused about some of the characters' back stories. I am glad I stuck it out. It was interesting to see how things went.

This premise was so so exciting but the book fell very flat for me. The entire resolution felt like it didn’t actually resolve anything? Just a big disappointment

A Dark And Drowning Tide
Allison Saft
3⭐️

Pub Date: 9/17/2024

Dark academia, adventure setting, with people in a ship for a journey. And then there's murder. This book reminded me a lot of Voyage Of The Damned plot. Obviously the premise/plots are different however they both gave off the same vibes as I was reading them. But in addition to that, there's mystery and academic rivals turned into Sapphic romance aspects to this. It took me a while to actually be immersed into the story. It got interesting as I proceeded but it didn't captivate me. The world building was brief but adequate and well written. The characters were not very likeable to me, even the main ones. One thing I really liked about this though is the addition of various folklore. That was a really nice touch and I had fun trying to figure out if I know them. I think this book is good and can be enjoyable. There are so many positives to it but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you @netgalley and Ballantine- Del Rey Books for a gifted e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 70%

I don't like how the politics are talked about in this one. I don't like that someone from an oppressed group was able to be manipulated into being apart of the people who are oppressing her people

3.75 (rounded to 4)

I think the most dazzling part of this book is the atmosphere and world that Saft has built in this book, although I do think it lacked depth. When first introduced to the magic system, I thought it to be new, but I don't know if it was really delved into. I found the characters, especially Lorelai to be unique in how she included folktales in her character development. It had such a distinctive voice compared to other books I have read and I enjoyed that this was more adult from the author.

Plot wise, I did struggle a bit. I think what really compelled me was the characters and the romance. I think I ended up forgetting it was a murder mystery for a large part of it. Definitely moreso of a fantasy book with romance and hints of murder mystery. I also wished we had more of them together at the ending since it was suchh a slowburn. But regardless, the romance was my favorite part! While not my favorite of Saft's books, it definitely deserves a place on my bookshelf.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a dark academia fantasy romance and I really enjoyed it! The world building and details were so good, I was captivated. I definitely recommend reading this!

A Dark and Drowning Tide completely pulled me under with its moody, immersive setting and haunting tone. From the very first chapter, there’s this creeping sense of unease that lingers throughout the story, and I loved how the author built that tension slowly, layer by layer. The coastal imagery, the folklore elements, and the themes of grief and isolation all blended together beautifully.

The protagonist’s journey felt intimate and raw—watching her navigate fear, memory, and the murky line between reality and something darker was deeply compelling. I appreciated how the supernatural elements were woven in subtly, never overshadowing the emotional core of the story.

The reason I’m giving it four stars instead of five is that a few parts felt slightly underdeveloped—certain character motivations or pieces of the lore could have used a bit more depth. Still, the atmosphere and emotional weight carried it through.

If you’re drawn to gothic fiction with a slow-burning mystery and lyrical writing, this book will absolutely deliver. A dark, melancholic read that leaves a chill long after the final page.

I do think the sapphic fantasy needs more representation in the broader fantasy genre but it being sapphic cannot be what makes the story unique in the genre. Where I struggle a little bit with A Dark and Drowning Tide is that the story - separated from the romance - does feel very generic YA to me. I think the background characters were exactly that, meant to fade into the background. And even now trying to write this review I can’t remember anyone but the main couple’s names.

Ultimately, I’m glad this story was written. And that it is well written. But I would have liked it to step more outside the genre norms of YA and do something different, agnostic of the romance.

Thank you to the publisher Del Ray for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

I didn’t particularly like Allison Saft’s previous books. A Dark and Drowning Tide so far is probably my favorite by Saft.

I thought the book was 50 page too long, but I liked dark academia, rivalry romance and queer couple.

I also appreciate the fact that the ending wasn’t a perfect ending but more like a compromise or suddenly have a magic wand to make all the complicated court politics go away.

3.5 ⭐️

DNF. I was really looking forward to reading this, but it did not live up to my expectations as soon as I got into it. I couldn’t connect with the characters and it just seemed like the story was dragging and not much was happening.

This is my first book from Allison Saft, and I have to say that it absolutely will not be my last. I was drawn to this book because of its cover (because it's *stunning*) and the fact that one of the main characters, Lorelei, is a folklorist; as someone who is getting a graduate degree in American Studies, part of which deals with folklore, this was a huge draw to me. That's not really a career path that too many stories follow, and I was super interested in seeing what Saft did with it. Allison Saft's writing is absolutely beautiful. It's lyrical, it's magical, and it's atmospheric. And it's able to be all those things without being too overwhelming. It's accessible. It's easy to follow along with.

I believe this is Saft's adult debut, and I think she knocked it out of the park. I really enjoyed the way that she combined academia with the fantastical and the magical. It didn't feel too stagnant because we're following Lorelei as she's a part of an expedition, so that allowed for a lot of different settings for the characters to settle into and exist in for a time. Overall, I think this was a fantastic and sensational adult debut and I know that there are going to be so many readers who are going to fall in love with this world and these characters.

I was drawn to this book purely because of the cover. It’s giving dark academia, gothic and sapphic which in my opinion is a stellar combination. I tried reading this book at least 3 different times before deciding that it probably was not for me. The characters were just fine like they didn’t particularly hold my attention all that much and the writing just felt excessive to me honestly and I wasn’t really vibing with it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Del Rey for the early copy.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft is a lush, atmospheric fantasy that weaves romance, magic, and mystery into a haunting tale of self-discovery. Set in a coastal town steeped in secrets and ancient rituals, the novel follows a determined heroine grappling with grief and power as she unravels the truth behind a series of eerie disappearances. Saft's prose is lyrical and immersive, drawing readers into a world both beautiful and menacing. While the romance simmers and the stakes rise, the novel balances heartache with hope. Perfect for fans of gothic fantasy and emotionally driven storytelling. A captivating, moody read.

unfortunately this style of story is just not for me, despite me really wishing it was. this cover is beautiful and its queer but alas the folklore was not doing what i wanted it to do.

A Dark and Downing Tide was my introduction to Allison Saft’s writing and I am very pleased with the overall experience.

Saft writes beautifully and crafts her scenes very well. Seldom did I struggle to “see” what she was trying to show me and I fell right into the plot with the characters. While the words themselves crafted a very intriguing plot, I feel the book could have used more in terms of overall development, backstory, and (romantic) tension. By the time the story was well on its way, I found myself wondering when and where I missed the backstory and the foundational development.

While I did want Sylvia and Lorelei to eventually find their way to one another, I did not personally feel like there was enough “desire” and longing built up before they confessed their feelings for one another. I would have liked to see a little more time being spent on the tension between the two characters.

Overall A Dark and Drowning Tide was an enjoyable fantasy read and I’d highly recommend it.

Allison Saft has done it again. A Dark and Drowning, like Saft’s other books, was phenomenal. I read it in one sitting and fell in love with the characters. I’m super sad to be leaving this world behind but I can’t wait for what Saft brings out next.