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.

I enjoyed the adult fantasy novel A Dark and Drowning Tide.

The story takes place in a world where magic is linked to water and a group of scholars has been put together to try and find the location of a fabled spring that grants the worthy with unlimited power. The current young king of Brunnestaad believes that it would help him maintain control over the region which was once separate countries with a shared language but different cultures. The different characters on the mission all represent not only different areas of study like folklore and botany, but also the different regions excluding Lorelei, the main protagonist, who belongs to a much maligned religious group which is confined to a specific area of the city and is looked down on because they are believed to be naturally without magic. My only real disappointment with the story was that the novel felt like it could have been a third in a trilogy. Chapter 2 does a lot of character sketches and outlining of prior events and relationships that would make for interesting prequel stories.

Besides the fantasy elements, the novel also has the mystery of the one of the scholars murders early on in the journey, and also has a frustrating but sweet rivals to lovers Sapphic romance. If you enjoyed Emily Wilde’s Encyclopadia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, than you will likely enjoy this novel as well. You can also check out Saft’s YA novels: A Fragile Enchantment, A Far Wilder Magic, and Down Comes the Night.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early! Unfortunately I got really sick and it put me behind schedule so I did miss pub day but better late than never lol.

I liked this a lot, I think Saft writes character dynamics really well and I love the use of myth and legend and folklore as a whole in stories. I've mentioned this in past reviews but I also really like how she weaves real world cultures and theologies into stories, along with the injustices that come along with them. It adds a extra layer of depth to the characters and their motivations and the ways they react to things that I appreciate.

Sylvia and Lorelai were lovely to spend time with and ugh I love a good romance between rivals. The competition. The hardheadedness. The tension. So good!!!

Two academic rivals, a murder mystery, and some sapphic romance, what else could you possibly want? Lorelei is a folklorist with q cuik temper who has finally got the job she wanted and is heading on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. Along for the ride is her rival Sylvia, a talented, insufferable, and absolutely gorgeous woman who gets under Lorelei's skin like no one else. During the journey Lorelei's mentor is murdered and the only person Lorelei knows is innocent is Sylvia, together they'll have to find a way to work together in order to find out who in their expedition is the murderer, if they even manage to have one conversation without arguing. With so many secrets within the group and complicated feelings that grow between Lorelei and Sylvia, can they find out who the killer is before the entire trip is ruined and the kingdom becomes at risk? This was a great academic rivals/expedition murder mystery romance. Lorelei and Sylvia are true opposites attracts and made an interesting pair to read as their constant bickering and dynamic was really fun to read. I loved that while we read everything from Lorelei's perspective, Sylvia completely turning Lorelei's thoughts and perceptions upside down was great. I had a fun time reading this and would definitely recommend it for fans of murder mystery romances!

Release Date: September 17,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A world of folklore and magic, Saft spins a dark and romantic story of an academic expedition shrouded in murder, mystery, danger, political intrigue, and romance.

After a few chapters, this book had me HOOKED. There was so much folklore and fairytales and wonder that the story had a dreamlike quality with a dark undercurrent that felt like at any moment it could become a nightmare.

Lorelei is cold, witty, intelligent, and pushed everyone away from her out of self preservation. She’s brusque but inside, she’s complicated and tortured by her own demons. And I loved her and her dynamic with Sylvia, who was the opposite in almost every way. Their relationship grew slowly and showed that they knew and accepted each other the way they are.

I just loved this book!

This was such a beautiful story. I enjoyed the expedition, murder mystery, rivals to lovers romance all wrapped into one. Lorelei's ability to relate almost any situation to folklore was perfect and added immensely to the world. The mutual pining was devastating in the best way.

I enjoyed the writing and the development of the characters. The setting felt real and well thought out.

Yet another amazing story by Allison Daft. She's very quickly become one of my favorite authors. I loved this darker fantasy with sprinkles of romance and intrigue. The perfect fall read!

I wanted to like this so badly! When I started it I literally thought it was going to be a 5 star read. I really enjoy how the way Allison writes… but I cannot get past 40%. The book just feels like it’s dragging at this point. I will try again at another time to finish it.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I really enjoyed it! I thought the magic and quest were interesting and different for fantasy novels, and the relationship that developed between the love interests was fun to read as well.

This was such a fun read and one that had me staying up a bit too late just so I could finish. I don’t think this was doing anything new but what it did do was done very well. I particularly enjoyed the layered experience of: reading about an investigation of folklores, an almost narratorial telling of folklore directly to the audience, and lastly, that the plot itself is a folklore, and a self-aware of that fact. This combination worked really well for me and outweighed the gripes I had with Lorelei’s character and how I failed to connect with her beyond her trauma.

This one suffered from a lack of balanced pacing. I liked the folklore elements - particularly the little stories that were place liberally in the beginning and then all but disappeared - but I would have loved more of the differences between the provinces (duchies? Annexed nations? See, not really sure what those were other than that each of the noble characters was from a different one), but instead we got kind of blindsided by certain distinctions of those territories only when they became relevant. Also, the magic was way too hand-wavey. Lorelei, despite having minimal training, was always able to use magic conveniently without suffering any major consequences.

Also not sure why this is classified as dark academia? The university is barely present and no one is actually actively conducting research at any point except for Adelheid and Ludwig. I wish their respective fields of study were more relevant to the actual meat of the story.

As for the rivals-to-lovers romance, I actually rather liked it. Lorelei is so predisposed to roll her eyes at and poke fun at Sylvia that their constant awareness of each other just works rather seamlessly. Though I think Sylvia as “battle hardened warrior maiden” needed a bit more reinforcement - particularly at the part where her shiny silver saber designed to ward off magical creatures is pitted against a steel blade (a matchup which is clearly defined early on in the story and does not go as telegraphed)

Another thing that I really appreciated was just how well Jewish history (specifically the oppression of Jewish faith/practices and the corralling of Jews into slums) was integrated into this fictional and magical society. I think it gave an otherwise “fanciful” story quite a solid touch of reality without being heavy handed.

I really enjoyed reading A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft. Saft’s writing is beautiful, magical, and enchanting. The writing style is captivating and addicting. A Dark and Drowning Tide is a beautiful dark folklore with a murder mystery. I really loved both of our main characters Lorelei and Sylvia and enjoyed their own POV. The sapphic slow burn romance was perfection. I enjoy reading anything dealing with academic rivals and leading to romance. Saft executed this area perfectly and lead me to want more from the story. Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy. I can’t wait to purchase a physical copy because this cover is absolutely stunning.