DNF @16%

The lack of world building and the writing style made it boring and hard to follow the plot.

An incredibly unique story full of nuanced and fascinating characters, A Dark and Drowning Tide is one of my favorite books of 2024. Allison Saft is amazingly gifted when it comes to world building, as she has demonstrated in all of her previous work, but this novel may be her best yet. The world in which Lorelei and Sylvia inhabit is absolutely engrossing and Saft’s depiction of their environment left me longing for a world which I was sad to ever leave. The unique perspective and experiences which shape Lorelei’s background, in particular, were equally compelling, and contributed to the heroine’s memorable voice. I look forward to returning to this story for a reread when my copy arrives in the mail!

I was very excited to receive this title, and even though I had some problems with it, it was still a good book. I just felt as though I couldn't gel with the writing style. I also did not feel connected to any of the characters at any point in the book which overall didn't make me care about the plot.

If you’re looking for a book that wields folktales like a sword while simultaneously unraveling a murder mystery during a grueling expedition, you’ve found the perfect story.

Lorelei is a folklorist tasked by the king with finding the Ursprung—a fabled water source harboring the original magic of this world—alongside a group of powerful, nobility specialists and her own mentor. When her mentor is found murdered at the start of their journey, Lorelei must take up the leadership mantle and continue the trek to the Ursprung… even with the murderer still hiding amongst their team.

My absolute favorite part of this book was the world building. From the folktales Lorelei tells readers and her peers to the magical creatures spawning up alongside their trip—this world felt LIVED IN. I loved getting to visualize Allison’s descriptions of the creatures and then doing my own research (much like Lorelei) online to see artwork of them.

A wonderful surprise was the sapphic, academic-rivals romance. I tend to find rivals/enemies romance tropes to be lackluster, but Allison proved me wrong. Their rivalry is built off of insecurity, yearning, and tons of miscommunication, but that is due to assumptions made for years during their tutelage. Even when readers think the romance is set in stone, another hurdle is thrown that sets the relationship back tenfold because these characters are flawed and make mistakes. It made the couple have to fight more for their truth, which is something I think is missing from most rival/enemies romantic plots.

Overall, A Dark and Drowning Tide was one of the perfect books to get me into the fall spirit, and I cannot wait to read more of her work in the coming years!!

This book has a lot of great things going for it and I enjoyed it overall. Dark academia with rivals who set out on a journey to find the source of magic. They are joined by a group of friends who each have their own personal goals for the quest, even if that pits them against one another (a kind of toxic found family). Our main character is very much an outside, both of this particular group and the society as a whole.

There's a murder mystery and creatures from folklore as well as lots of stories from folklore. A rivals to friends to lovers relationship. Political intrigue. A solid read.

I really enjoyed A Dark and Drowning Tide. The plot was mysterious and full of adventure, and the romance was sooooooooo good. Lorelai and Sylvia have such a fun dynamic. I also just really enjoyed the group dynamics overall. I liked the tension between characters that increased as the story went on.

A Dark and Drowning Tide follows the story of Lorelai, a folklorist on an expedition with a group of nobles to search for a spring that is supposed to be the source of all magic in their land. When her mentor is murdered shortly after the trip begins, Lorelai is tasked with finding the culprit. Each of the members on the expedition have their own motive, with the exception of Lorelai's rival, Sylvia von Wolff. Lorelai begins her investigation to unmask the murderer and keep the expedition moving forward as smoothly as possible, but things do not go as planned. (Shocking, I know.)

This felt like more of an adventure-y historical fiction than a dark mysterious fantasy. I enjoyed it, but I do wish that the fantasy and magic elements had felt a little more important throughout the story. I loved all the creatures and the parts they played throughout the book, particularly the nixies. I think they're neat.

The romance in this book was fun to read. I enjoyed the little hints of Lorelai pining for Sylvia throughout the book before she would inevitably shut herself down. Like, girly, it's ok to think your hot ethereal rival is beautiful! That's just a fact! You can be a little in love with your sworn enemy who drives you crazy. As a treat.

Lorelai is very broody and holds a lot of disdain for the people around her, and rightfully so. Most of them (with the exception of Ludwig and Sylvia) treat her like garbage! I would also be grumpy and wary of other people if I were in her shoes.

Anyway, Allison Saft has done it again. I have thoroughly enjoyed every book I have read by her so far, and I cannot wait to see what she does next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a digital ARC of this book!

An alluring blend of folklore and magical intrigue, A Dark and Drowning Tide is a sapphic fantasy romance perfect for fans of Ava Reid and Freya Marske.

We are drawn into a world of fantasy, fairytale, and politics inspired by nineteenth-century Germany as Brunnestaad is still in its infancy after its king, Wilhelm, completed the campaign for unification his late father had started, unifying the different provinces under one kingdom. With unification tenuous and threats still beyond their borders, Wilhelm orders an expedition to find the Ursprung, a mythical spring that can grant unbridled magical power in order to secure his reign.

Enter Lorelai Kaskel: a folklorist tormented by guilt and grief at the murder of her younger brother, turned cynical by the path she chose that led her to be named co-leader of the expedition alongside her mentor, Professor Ziegler. Succeeding in finding the spring is her one chance at freedom. Lorelai is a Yevani, a ethnoreligious minority in the world of Brunnestaad who have been persecuted for centuries and whose movements are heavily restricted. She’s determined to see this through and be granted authority by the king to travel the world and fulfill her dream of becoming a naturalist.

This dream is ruptured when her mentor and the leader of the expedition is found murdered in the dead of night, all of her notes and journals vanished without a trace. Each member of the expedition is a suspect with their own hidden motives. Lorelai must work with her academic rival, Sylvia von Wolff, to solve the murder while assuming leadership of the expedition as more dangers lay ahead—mythical monsters, forests that rearrange themselves at night, and tensions simmering among the remaining members of the expedition.

I cannot reiterate enough that fantasy with unapologetically Jewish elements has become one of my favorite subgenres. I think part of it is that antisemitic tropes have been so deeply ingrained into the fabric of fantasy and fairytales, which is a key element of A Dark and Drowning Tide. As a folklorist, Lorelai is deeply familiar with the ways in which the Yevani have been portrayed through fables and fairytales. We are told many of them that echo our own—most notably The Jew Among Thorns, a fairytale collected by the Brothers Grimm, becomes The Yeva in the Thorns. Saft and many other Jewish fantasy writers are intimately aware of this and use fantasy as a way to engage in a conversation about that history, which makes their writing all the more refreshing.

Allison Saft is a master in the craft of yearning and a well-built slow burn. Her writing style is exquisite, always deeply evocative and heart-wrenching as she unfurls the layers of her main characters until their bloody, still-beating hearts are exposed on paper. I fell in love with Lorelai and Sylvia von Wolff and found myself letting out guttural, inhuman noises at their frustrated yearning. (A tried and true sign of a masterful romance, if I may say so.) If you’re a fan of rivals to lovers and unabashed sapphic desire, this book will pull you under its current like a riptide and leave you gasping for air.

At its core, A Dark and Drowning Tide is a bruising love letter to folklore, an unabashed confrontation of the prejudices that lie at the center of many fairy tales, and a burning but tender love story.

A sapphic dark academia story perfect for my transition into fall. The atmospheric mysterious vibe was great. Saft has a way of writing these beautiful settings that are extremely immersive. Definitely need more!

I went into this book pretty blindly, which I think was a really great experience! Although there were some pretty common tropes, I still felt like it was done in a fresh way. I loved the dynamics between the characters and all the complicated relationships within the members of the group who have known each other for so long, and also seeing Lorelei uncover things about them since she doesn't know most of them. The drama was top tier! Though some may complain about it, I actually enjoyed the slow burn of the romance and loved seeing their relationship progress and how they both had their own growth. I loved the atmosphere, the writing, and the mystery of it all! This was an excellent debut book and I'm excited to see more from the author!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Dark and Drowning Tide has a darkly whimsical, fairytale-esque quality to it that utterly ensorcelled me. I say ensorcelled because there’s no other word to describe the way that this story has captivated me; it’s all that I can think about. 

Featuring a seamless blend of dark academia and folklore (with a heavy splash of a rivals to lovers romance), this novel felt catered specifically to my very niche interests. There’s fey-like creatures, a (reluctantly) reverent main character, and so much lore that I hope Allison Saft one day writes a spin-off novel that takes place in the same world. 

Not only that, but ADADT’s cast of characters leapt off the page and felt as impossibly real as they were impossibly flawed. In particular, Lorelei was such a fantastic protagonist. It’s nice to be in the head of someone who is, for lack of better word, cruel from time to time, and I enjoyed how this novel not only explored her relationship with Sylvia, but also her relationship with herself.

Speaking of Sylvia… I, like Lorelei, was positively charmed by her. I love a hopelessly optimistic character and Sylvia was no exception. She’s fueled by a wonder and a love for the world that endeared me to her so quickly, and I would have loved nothing more than to have a few chapters from her perspective.

Nothing compares to the dynamic between Lorelei and Sylvia either. Their relationship was SO good, especially because I’m a sucker for the trope where Character A is totally oblivious to the feelings of Person B. I think that Saft explored their dynamic so well (again: please give me a spin-off novel!!! I want more!!!), and my favorite parts of A Dark and Drowning Tide were easily the scenes where Lorelei and Sylvia were just bickering with one another. I couldn’t get enough.

I could ramble for so much longer about how well this novel integrated history into a fantasy world, or how much I loved Lorelei, but I will try to wrap things up here by saying this: read this novel. You won’t regret it.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style of this book. The beginning of story created enough intrigue to keep me reading. I enjoyed the main characters and the tension and angst in their relationship that develops throughout. In the end, however, I did not care too much for the mystery and plot and I lost interest by the end of the book.

An okay read
I was expecting much more of a sapphic murder mystery but unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. It was written well though so was still fun.
3 stars

I don't have enough words to properly say how much I loved this. Slavic mythology? Check. Sapphic yearning? Check. Dark academia that actually touches on class disparity and xenophobia? Check. I was sucked into a murder mystery and a doomed expedition, and honestly, didn't see who the true culprit was until the reveal. Once I got halfway, I had a hard time putting it down until I finished. Prose was gorgeous without being too flowery. I can't wait to see what Saft releases next.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a folklore filled sapphic adventure, rooted in all the dark academia vibes. I fell in love with the brilliantly laid out story and devastatingly beautiful characters.

Allison Saft’s adult debut has the same shine its voice as her young adult work with higher stakes and further emphasis on political plot points. Saft is really adept at containing stories that other authors might force into a series; all her work stands alone, and it’s better for it.

A Dark and Drowning tide was everything that I could have wanted from a queer, gothic fantasy romance. Unreliable, but somehow incredibly likeable characters. Plot twists that were completely unexpected, betrayal, secrets, and so much more.

Lorelei, a folklorist must join her academic rival to solve the murder of their mentor after setting off on a expedition with five others to find a magical spring with which promises untold power for the king, who plans to harness its power to secure his reign of Brunnestaad.

I unexpectedly love this story. When I requested it, I was intrigued by it's beautiful cover and as I read the synopsis I became interested immediately. Although it had a slow start, the plot drags you in and doesn't spit you out until its resolution. The characters had witty banter, and I often found myself laughing while reading dialogue. I was truthfully shocked to find out who murdered their mentor, and even more shocked to unravel all the other mysteries that we read about throughout the story. Such a solid, quick fantasy read!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine, Allison Saft, and NetGalley for the eArc of A Dark and Drowning tide, available now!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I know we are not meant to judge a book by its cover but come on, the cover for A Dark and Drowning Tide is STUNNING! Now for the contents behind the cover, I overall really enjoyed this story. The writing was lush, with so much description and I loved the folklore and magic system in the book. Throw in a murder, a deadly quest, political intrigue, and sapphic witches and you have the makings of an entertaining book. I will say there were some parts that dragged for me, mainly the middle, but the ending was action packed and I would say accurately paced. I do think the concept of “is this the right thing” was not explored as much as it could have been and although I understand why Lorelei and Sylvia made the choice they did, I am unsure if it was the correct one.

The romance in the story I would classify as a subplot, it is by no means the focal point of the book. They were academic rivals who disliked each other from the beginning, into the middle, and practically to the end. A true enemies to lovers storyline! If you enjoy slow-burns, you’ll appreciate a Dark and Drowning Tide. This was my first Allison Saft book, but a lot of her other books are on my TBR. I look forward to going back and reading her previous publications, as well as future stories she writes!

THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A SLOW-BURN ENEMIES TO LOVERS! Their relationship was as complex as the characters themselves and I was as thoroughly invested in each of their well-being as I was the riveting murder mystery and well-crafted political intrigue. The creature design was unique and didn't solely draw on the well-trodden British folklore paths.

Thank you to NetGalley and DelRey for the advanced copy.

I had requested this so long ago that I had completely forgotten the synopsis, all I remembered was sapphic academic rivals to lovers with a lot of folklore. So, when the murder mystery plot hit I was completely surprised and delighted. I loved the character development, how folklore and the history inspiration were woven in to a story about two broken young women, with a lot to say about the nature of bigotry, classism, and imperialism.

I am a hard sell on a romance forward story, but this one hooked me. Lorelai's self-loathing and lack of awareness, as well as covering her feelings with anger in order to protect herself could be a little grating for some but I ate it up. She was dark and moody and everything about her spoke to my elder emo soul. Her tenacity and determination made her so likeable for me, when by all standards she is not a likeable character.

This was just enjoyable all around.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft is a brilliantly told dark academia brimming with folklore, eerie atmosphere, and a sapphic slow burn romance full of tension. This is the first book I've read by the author and it definitely won't be the last. I immediately fell in love with the atmospheric prose and vivid world building. The story was filled with interesting folklore. I adored all of the mythical creatures. The plot was fast and engaging. The characters were very complex and I loved seeing them grow throughout the book. A Dark and Drowning Tide might be one of my favorites books of the year so far.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.