A Dark and Drowning Tide provides a sapphic academic rivalry amidst a “backpack fantasy” expedition, a murder mystery, and political machinations galore.

Peevish and self-sabotaging folklorist Lorelei Kaskel paired with sunny and whimsical naturalist Sylvia von Wolff is a winning duo. The two bicker like there is no tomorrow, but their affection for each other is undeniable, though part of the fun is waiting for them to get over themselves and realize it. What I did not expect was to be so endeared to the morally gray supporting characters. The layers to their friendships and relationships compelled me, especially upon seeing their interactions shift with the addition of Lorelei. I did not root for them as I did with Lorelei and Sylvia, but I found their motivations and desires no less rich.

The German-influenced setting of Brunnestad is also beguiling. It is simultaneously delightful, brimming with enchanted forests and magical beings to commune with and study, but also foreboding, as there is no shortage of tricksters and wayward paths. I liked that the group’s travels throughout the country highlight their dynamics as much as the setting and political background itself.

The pervasiveness of anti-Semitism is also impossible to leave unaddressed. Lorelei’s struggles to succeed and prove her worth underscore both her personal past and external prejudice toward the heritage she cherishes. The story honors the people of Yevanverte’s sacrifices without ruminating too much on them as victims or tragedies.

Another elegantly mesmerizing take on academia, folklore, and marginalization from Allison Saft!

This book is extremely slow, like it drags. I was excited for a sapphic murder mystery book with lots of magic, but at almost a third of the way through this book, I could not tell you a single thing that happened other than the actual murder. The side characters have no personality. They all act very childish and are difficult to stand. And I honestly have no desire to keep track of who’s who and what they do.
Overall, I had an extremely difficult time getting into this book. I wouldn’t NOT recommend this book, but I won’t be finishing (DNF @ 29%)

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 23%. This was my first book from Saft and I'm so bummed it didn't work for me! I found the world building, specifically the introduction of the folklore elements, to be incredibly clunky and confusing. I know the beginning of the book was primarily to set up the conflict, but I found myself so confused as to what was happening. Once the conflict hit, I didn't have enough of a pull or connection to any of the characters to make me invested in their dynamic or dilemma. I have a few other Saft books on my TBR, but this one was sadly a pass for me.

This gothic, academic sapphic rivals to lovers, murder mystery, epic quest novel is wildly imaginative and beautifully written.
It’s filled with magical creatures, sentient forests, a host of unlikable characters and an expedition of a lifetime.
This story follows folklorist, Lorelei, as she travels with a group of nobles on a quest by the king to find the source of all magic.
Lorelei was a tough character to like. For those who love Nesta Archeron, you will love Lorelei Kaskel. The cruel injustices of the world has hardened her heart. Unable to look past her own hardships leaving her closed off, bitter and blind to others sufferings.
She has a different type character arc but it felt true to her character.
I think that having only Lorelei’s POV really worked against this novel. If we were given Sylvia’s POV as well it would’ve brought so much more to the story.
It was difficult at times to just be reading Lorelei’s POV since she was such a prickly and unpleasant character. She was extremely well written because her character does invoke such a strong reaction from the reader. I just think that being given Sylvia’s POV, it would’ve given a much needed break from Lorelei’s incessant self pitying, self centered personality.
Sylvia was a bright light in this story. I adored her character. She was whimsy while also being strong willed, gentle while also combative. Her love and respect of the creatures in this world was so beautiful and I loved every second of her encounters with them.
I didn’t really feel the chemistry between Lorelei and Sylvia. Maybe it was just due to Lorelei’s nature but I just kept feeling like Sylvia deserved so much better.
This was very plot heavy and executed perfectly. The expedition was everything I could’ve wanted. I do think that we could’ve delved more into with the politics of this world since it plays a huge part in the story.
The ending felt very rushed and left a lot of loose ends but I guess that can just be left to the readers imagination.
Overall this was a beautifully written and completely immersive gothic fantasy that sucks you right in and keeps you guessing the entire time.

You’ll enjoy this book if you like themes/tropes of
Academic rivals to lovers
Forced proximity
Grumpy x Sunshine
Reluctant allies
Epic quest
Gothic
Murder mystery
LGBTQIA+

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Stunner.

Saft really did an excellent job with this one - I tore through it. It's atmospheric, well-paced, full of beautiful bits of folklore woven throughout. This folklore manages to create an immersive world without lingering on unimportant details, and each smaller story contributes to the overarching plot. Each character is unique and compelling and tragic in their own way - nobody is clearly a "good" or "bad" guy, which I LOVE. Lorelei is not "likeable". She's grumpy, she's standoffish. She's wonderful. Truly didn't know what was going to happen with the murder mystery, and tension was high the entire time. Lorelei and Sylvia are a great example of academic rivals/haters to idiots who are also in love. They're wonderful.

Highly recommend especially as fall comes up - it's not a "cozy" book, but it matches the autumnal dark academia vibes in ways that other books wish they could.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

I was curious to see where Saft took this book, because I do love a good enemies to lovers, a good academic rivalry, and a good murder mystery, so it should have been right up my alley. And I mean it was, but it also wasn't? It was all of those things, but it was also kind of this odd adventure story, which is fine, but I almost feel like that's the main heart of the book and thus it's been marketed a little strangely. That doesn't make it bad, I think it just skews the expected vs reality of the book, which can be a bit jarring. It was certainly a super cool premise though, and the world building was quite a lot of fun, so points to Saft for that, cause she knocked it out of the park there. I also really enjoyed our main character, she was prickly on the outside but actually rather squishy on the inside, which I love. I think the biggest issue I had with the book was the romance though. Sure, it was enemies to lovers, and grumpy sunshine, but Lorelei was honestly kind of terrible to Sylvia, and for quite a long time too. It had that Cruel Prince feel to it, but it would kind of be like The Cruel Prince if it was from Cardan's POV but he also just straight up hated Jude instead of hating that he really liked her? I'm not sure I'm explaining this correctly, but basically Lorelei was so cruel to Sylvia (more mentally than physically) and it wasn't because she liked Sylvia from the beginning (not that that would make it okay), but because she was jealous. It also took her a REALLY long time to come around. And I'm honestly not sure they really talked it out in the end. Also the entire premise of the book was that Lorelei was sure Sylvia wasn't the killer, but honestly THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF THIS! She basically just said "she's too nice to do this, and obviously she wouldn't have been surprised to see me if she was the one that did it" which is terrible logic. I think it would have been better to find out that Sylvia actually did it but she had a good reason, and thus Lorelei had to grapple with that. But alas, that was not the case. So while there were things about this I enjoyed there were also things I felt were rather lacking. I certainly won't be steering people away from this book, but I'm also not sure I would hand sell it. I will be curious to see what Saft comes up with next, because for the most part it was an enjoyable read, and the prose was very pretty.

Lorelei is known for being a bit of a viper. Academically ambitious and eager to prove her worth to herself and her peers, she is relentless in pursuing the coveted "expedition lead" for a groundbreaking, upcoming project. Her academic rival, Sylvia, may be a thorn in Lorelei's side, but once on the expedition, Lorelei realizes that even her rivals may be her friend when facing real enemies.

This book includes:
- a phenomenal "who done it" ala Clue or Knives Out
- multiple Sapphic romances with LGBT protagonists and side characters
- dark academic atmosphere
- strong character development
- folklore
- political machinations and betrayal
- interesting world-building
- soft magic system

I looooved "A Dark and Drowning Tide." It was incredibly atmospheric in the academic and expedition settings, but never at the detriment of plot development or character building. Lorelei was a complex, protagonist and Saft never reset on her Laurels when it came to pushing Lorelei's growth even into the final chapter of the book. I also adored Sylvia's character and related to her so much. I feel like I can't say too much because it is a short, fast-paced book and I don't want to spoil anything. But seriously, this is a must-read.

I predict this book will be a huge hit. I recommend this to seriously anyone who enjoys atmospheric fiction, who done it thrillers, sapphic romance, rivals to lovers, intense political drama, or even steampunk fantasy. If you're not a reader, but you loved "Knives Out" this is for you as well.

I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Allison Saft, and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863

Ended up DNFing this book 75% through because I honestly just felt no connection to either the world or characters. I actually DNFed a different book by this same author, so I likely won't be checking her out again.

I have to say that I really enjoyed Saft's writing of Jewishness and dealing with clear antisemitism. That being said, it got to be a bit heavy handed in such a way that it felt like "well this isn't how it is NOW" when antisemitism clearly still exists.

I felt like the entire premise was set up very weakly. I got my IC version of this book and was confused about the inclusion of a magical creature on the back, because the magical side of this world felt very unimportant. This book could just as easily have existed in a historical period and had substantially teh same plot. The main character, Lorelai, was really annoying, as she hated the majority of the characters for what seemed to be like no reason. She didn't like Sylvia... because she didn't? So when Lorelai was unnecessarily mean to Sylvia, it just felt uncalled for. So when the romance happened, I really wanted to give Sylvia a pep talk about how she deserved better than a total jerk.

In sum, this book felt like it lacked a foundation in world building, relationship building, and even plot (like... why were they on the boat again? For what?) and I just couldn't be bothered to finish it.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft in exchange for an honest review. What a beautiful adventure and love story. There is a quest for water that imbues power, a treasonous plot to overthrow the king, and enemies finding the chance for love. I really enjoyed this book.

A wonderful sapphic fantasy! I really enjoyed the dark academia setting of it. The author created wonderful characters. It took a little bit for me to get into but I found that the further I got into it the excitement grew. I really liked the folklore aspect of the book. Def give it a try..

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the gifted copy.

I’m so sad because this was one of my most anticipated releases for the year, but it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. It had too many things going on for a standalone, especially world building (which is something that it has in common with A Fragile Enchantment). It had a whole conflict between two different groups of people that I think could have been completely cut from the story. I wish that it had just been a historical fiction book with light fantasy, that way we could have focused more on the plot rather than the history of the world. There was also a lot of important things that happened between the main characters years before the events of the book that we were told about and it felt like an afterthought. I liked the vibes though, the writing and the relationship between Silvia and Lorelei, but that was it.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries meets A Study in Drowning meets Death on the Nile.

This book is everything I love in an eerie gothic story. There’s folklore, magical creatures, and academia. The atmosphere is top tier. Reading this felt like walking through the mists at dusk. The characters are messy and hard to trust. Oh and one of them is a murderer!

I loved unraveling this story, its mystery, and encountering the dark magical creatures along the way.

Reasons to read:
- Folklore & magic
- Gothic and eerie atmosphere
- Academic expedition
- Murder mystery
- Rivals to lovers
- Slow burn sapphic romance

I really enjoyed this one! Very atmospheric and dark; I loved watching the romance develop, and I appreciated that the mystery was more of a subplot as someone who typically doesn't care for mysteries. The ending felt a little rushed, but that didn't knock it down much in my opinion.

An atmospheric gothic fantasy that delivers equal parts mystery, romance, and tension. The world-building is rich, with dark, eerie settings that pull you in from the start, perfect for those who love a brooding, moody vibe. The chemistry between Wren and Hal is a slow burn, full of angst, but with a depth that feels genuine and engaging. What really stood out for me was the blend of magic and mystery, making it impossible to put down once the secrets started unraveling.

This book is probably one of my most anticipated reads of 2024! I really enjoyed the world building and the magic system. Every aspect of the book was so weak written. The who done it aspect was fantastic and had me guessing the whole time in which I thought it was and what was gonna happen next. I loved the romance aspect and how it wasn’t the main plot but was supporting the plot. I think my favorite characters were Ludwig and Sylvia; don’t get me wrong I liked Lorelei as well but it’s hard to top Ludwig and Sylvia’s personality. I did enjoy how matter of fact and no bs Lorelei was and I loved how her and Sylvia had the whole academic rivals to lovers relationship while being almost polar opposites. I was very happy with the ending and felt everything ended very nicely. The pacing throughout the story was fantastic and I really enjoyed the folklore aspect as well as learning about all the creatures.

I loved this book so much, I immediately found a secondhand copy of the illumicrate special edition to buy. My only regret is not reading it sooner. The sapphic pining in the book was immaculate. The creatures are world building were wonderful. I can definitely see myself rereading this whenever I feel the itch to read something fairy-tale adjacent.

Dang. I didn't want it to end.

A good recommendation for fans of Gideon The Ninth (sapphic dark academy fantasy mystery exploring a land's ancient legends and folklore, woohoo!), it follows an expedition to find the source of magic that holds the fate of a kingdom in the balance. Folklorist Lorelei Kaskel is emotionally cold, unforgiving, and analytical, and infuriated by the expedition's naturalist, Sylvia Von Wolff, who consorts with faeries and monsters with a kind of natural whimsical wonder. But the two are forced to work together, when a murderer strikes the expedition before it sets off. At first only being able to trust each other with figuring out the murder and trying to find the source of all magic, the two grow closer as the danger increases both from the monstrous quest, and from increasing internal threats the closer they get to their goal.

A Dark and Drowning Tide mixes classic closed-room whodunnit with a dark academia/political fantasy/epic quest elements, there's never any doubt that the murderer is among the members of their expedition, and Saft does a great job of building out the characters as cold-and-distant Lorelei is forced to become closer with them if she wants to ferret out the killer. Lorelei is the sole member of the group who isn't in some way connected to the aristocracy, and the class issue is further complicated by her Yevanish background, which reads as ethnically Jewish in a decided hostile European medieval setting of Bruunestaad; a country made up of barely-held-together conquered nation-states, of which each member of the expedition represents a different concern. This divide is never more apparent than when the nobles squabble about the lack of social freedom in their positions of power and nobility, when by contrast Lorelei needs a chaperone to leave the Yevanverte, an implied ghetto where Yevanish people must reside in the capital city and are not considered citizens unless given a special dispensation by the king.

Saft does a fantastic job of building the world and setting the stakes; upon reporting the murder and asking whether they should turn back, Lorelei is quickly threatened with her people being scapegoated if she can't bring the source of all magic back to the king, who has also promised his hand to the regent of whatever land the source of magic is found in. This begins a game of cat-and-mouse, where discovering the killer's political ambitions may be the key to Lorelei (and her people's) survival.

As said previously, this is the rare book that I would recommend for fans of Tamsyn Muir's The Locked Tomb (a difficult series to do Reader's Advisory for) fans of dark academia looking for a little fantasy in their dark mysteries, or fans of sapphic fantasy.

Opinions are my own and do not represent my institution.

This was exactly what I want in an autumn read: a sinister and eerie atmosphere steeped in magic, a great mystery, and plenty of yearning.

This book was a love letter to folklore. The breadth of creatures included, as well as the Bruenestaad folk tales sprinkled throughout, really contributed to the atmosphere and richness of the book. Saft really excels in setting, and this was no exception. And because this was a quest book, we got to see so much of the world she created!

In addition to setting and magic, Saft did a wonderful job with characters: each character was delightfully complex and well fleshed out. To do this all through the lens of a very biased narrator, and see how her perceptions of the other characters change throughout the book was masterful. The prose tied all of these strengths together with vivid and beautiful turns of phrase.

There were a couple things I would have liked to see done better. One was the romance- the burn was so incredibly slow. I loved the way she made it so obvious to the reader that they were in love, and so long for the main character to figure it out, but honestly it was too long, and I would have like the delicious yearning to have started earlier. I think this could have helped with the overall slow pace of the book that dragged at times.

I think the politics of it all left a bit to be desired, particularly in the way it all wrapped up. I think some clever politicking might have been sacrificed for excellent character and relational development, and that’s my preference anyway!

Overall this was a really great story that’s perfect for this time of year when the fog starts rolling in.

A love story set in a magical realm during an epic quest - yes please! So surprising and beautiful at every turn, this Sapphic romantasy is full of gorgeous prose and atmospheric aesthetics. I loved the brash and bold MC, the grumpy/sunshine love affair, and the Jewish cultural and historical allusions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

I want to start by saying that I did really like this book and it’s characters and I would recommend it if you like dark academia. However I have to be honest and admit that it took me the whole first half of the book for me to really become invested and form any attachment. Listening to the audiobook made it a bit hard to keep track of all the characters and their specific traits which I feel like wouldn’t have been as much of an issue if I had just read it (which I did read some parts from the second half and it helped). The different settings for the book all felt so magical and were so beautifully described I couldn’t help but be transported into different magical lands. The world building was well done and all of the characters felt very unique.
Lorelei and Sylvia truly made this book for me. The were such opposites and their tension was absolutely amazing. Seeing the hatred turn into something else was so gratifying and I really enjoyed all their moments together. (Spoiler: Lorelei’s betrayal did leave me shocked but I’m glad it was resolved the way it was). The second half felt a lot more fast paced which I enjoyed and the ending was gave me everything I wanted.
If you like dark academia, murder mysteries or sapphic opposites attract than you should absolutely give this book a chance.