I DNF at 60% . The writing isn't bad but the chemistry between the characters lack in that department. I found most of the characters boring it took forever for the plot to go anywhere. For awhile I forgot they were trying to find Ziegler's killer. I'm sure others will enjoy this. Unfortunately I don't think this was for me. I'm sorry. Thank you NetGallery for the ARC.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is the academic rivals to lover novel of my dreams. Allison Saft is an incredible author, but this novel is definitely my favorite of hers! The atmospheric writing style, the gothic elements, the absolute YEARNING and swoon worthy romance- ALLISON!!! What did you do to me?! I am already telling everyone I know that they need to preorder this book.

I have a lot of thoughts and feelings on this book, some good, some meh, but overall this book I think left me feeling wanting. I was really excited for a sapphic romantasy adventure book, but I found that what was described wasn’t quite what was delivered. I don’t think it is a bad book by any means, but what I was expecting and what I ended up reading were different.

There were things that I thought were done really well in this book and that I appreciated. To begin, I did think the author had a lyrical way of writing that was really pretty. I did this one mostly on audio and there was a certain atmosphere to the book that developed out of the writing that was really enjoyable in this format. I found it was very descriptive and the style was intriguing. They also incorporated a lot of folklore into the story that was well done. I enjoyed how it fit well into the academic exploration to have ‘citations’ of lore included to help with defining or explaining things. It reminded me of the Emily Wilde’s series style of writing, which is a series I quite enjoy. My academic heart was loving this!

There were also a lot of parallels in this book to World War 2 and how the Jewish population was treated, both by the government with laws and by every day people with their discrimination. Even some of the rules and nomenclature followed by the FMC felt like it fit into this groups’ history. You could tell it was well researched and the inclusion was well done.

However, there were quite a few things that just didn’t quite fit for me. They weren’t necessarily bad, but just not quite right for my personal taste and reading style. As always with a critical review, these are my personal opinions. This is not a negative reflection of the author or other readers who liked it.

I saw this marketed and promoted as a sapphic romantasy and while it is a queer normative world and the characters do eventually get together, it is a stretch to call it a romance. This is more fantasy book with a tiny sprinkle of romance vs a romantasy book. I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with it being written this way, I do think it wasn’t marketed correctly and this left me disappointed. I wanted a lot more romance. Also, because it wasn’t romance forward, some of the romance elements felt a bit forced between the characters or unnatural. I didn’t quite get the feeling of a building romance. I think it needs to be heavily emphasized that this is a book with a minor romantic subplot vs a romantasy novel.

I found the world building a bit difficult, especially at the beginning. As I said, the description of things was very atmospheric, but the actual development was where I struggled. A lot of the politics had me confused and I found myself needing to go back. I was very confused with the setting in whether it was modern or historical (even with fantasy based stories, there is usually a context of what kind of world we are in). I eventually just went with it, but admittedly I was confused by who people were or what their relevance was.

Speaking of people - I struggled with character development. I never really felt all that attached to the main characters. They were interesting, but I wasn’t cheering for them. More so felt like an academic observing. I also really struggled with the secondary characters and keeping them straight. They were the children of royalty in the world, but I feel like they weren’t introduced well to understand their past or even their ages (or maybe I just totally missed this description). They each had a different role on the trip, but two of the women I couldn’t keep straight and had no idea what they did.

I think this is a book that I would recommend to some people, but I would preface that it is very much a slow building fantasy and not a romantasy. It had elements that were well done and overall had an interesting plot, but if you’re in search of your next favorite sapphic romantasy, I don’t think this will be it.

I knew I would like this book before even reading and was not let down. I love Allison Saft and her writing style as an author. I read "A Far Wilder Magic" last fall and the way the writing played with my brain was magical, and "A Dark and Drowning Tide" was no different. Sapphic academic rivalry, sign me up. Folklore HEAVY novel, extra sign me up. I enjoyed this from start to finish. A really good choice for a fall read in my opinion! Thank you NetGalley!

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this did not work for me. I know clearly why, so I can outline it for those who may still be interested. If you are a fan of the Cruel Prince by Holly Black, this feels like a sapphic adult version of that. Which I know will get some gears going, as it should, we all have our things. It's not too similar in that it feels like a copy cat but it feels close in the storytelling style, and fantasy elements.

At the start of the book we are dumped into a rich fantasy environment. There is a lot of worldbuilding and info dumping which personally put me off. I do think I will end up being the the minority for this book. If you like the current trends in romantasy especially with the fae, you should give this one a try especially since it's sapphic and usually that is a win for me.

I also just didn't like the main characters at least for the 15 percent of the story I read, that may have changed if I continued but I felt that I read enough to know that this book isn't for me but got a clear gasp of who would like it which hopefully I've outlined in this review. I feel slightly let down but I feel hopeful for the book overall because I do think it's written in a way that current romantasy fans will eat up. Especially fans of Holly Black.

*rated 3 stars for fairness as I did not finish the book.

Allison... I fear you have written a truly beautiful novel.

Lets review the key points here - An atmospheric rivalry to lovers in an academic setting within a world that you can just let your mind go and disappear in to... A story about self discovery and of course, touching on the romance again, so well done.

Additionally, I try not to judge books on their covers but I think it's a crime not to mention how STUNNING the U.S. & the U.K. editions of this book are. So outstandingly breathtaking. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy to annotate all of the notes that I made in my kindle.

I am being particularly vague here because I really think the synopsis is enough, PLEASE pick this up!

I enjoyed this; while I felt that there were sections that were a bit convoluted, I feel like this would make the perfect Netflix miniseries. I appreciated the frank discussions around antisemitism and how normalized queer dynamics were. Yet, I felt that I was often getting confused throughout the story and often forgot who was who in our cast. I am interested to read more from this author.

I wanted to love this book so much. I have read a few of Saft's past books and loved them and, essentially, I should have eaten this up with it being dark academia, enemies to lovers, sapphic, dark folkloric, spooky but I had such a hard time getting into it. I loved the premise and requested it so quickly but it just fell flat compared to the other Swift stories I've read. It gave me the setting and the mood but the characters just weren't keeping my attention. I imagine there are plenty of others who will love this book and it won't prevent me from inhaling whatever comes next from Swift.

I'm so disappointed because this SHOULD be something I loved. Gothic, sapphic dark academia featuring spooky folklore? Inject it to my veins. But Saft's style is so... meandering and I was bored.

This was not my kinda book, but I am very aware that a book someone doesn't like doesn't mean it isn't perfect for others. I expected to like it more, a Sapphic enemy to lovers romantasy. I read 50% before calling it quits. None of the characters were relatable or even likeable which made me feel no connection to them or their story at all.

The tension. Pining. YEARNING. Swoon worthy.
This is my first Allison Saft book and I was blown away by her writing.
While I struggled with the world building in the beginning (my fault. Life was crazy and I wasn’t prepared to pay attention. Oops!), I was immediately enchanted by the dark yet magical atmosphere and the folklore sprinkled throughout the story. I felt like I was IN a fairytale, about to embark on some great quest. But also like, the scary kind of fairytale?

When it comes to the romance, there were many beautiful moments and lines that just melted me. Lorelei and Sylvia just fit together, the grumpy and sunshine academic rivals who also secretly admired the other. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them work together and along the way be forced to confront their true feelings for each other.
I only wished that, while I enjoyed Lorelei, we got Sylvia’s POV. She was such an interesting character and I would’ve loved to get a peek inside her head and see more of her in general.

There is murder, adventure, creatures (alps, nixies, and lindworms oh my!), and romance in addition to masterfully tackling topics of grief, loss, and prejudice. I highly recommend you pick this one up for fall!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the arc and opportunity to go on this magical adventure (that I will definitely be going on again because I WILL be rereading this in the future!)

I was HYPED for Saft's adult debut, especially when I learned it was a sapphic fantasy. Unfortunately, this just fell flat for me. The quest element of the story felt predictable and I wasn't invested in the romance.

4 stars

This book had a lot going on. I was a little confused at first because you’re kind of just thrown into the story with not a lot of world building or explanation of the magic system. To be honest I was a little confused by this for the whole book. I had to go back and reread the synopsis because I was a little confused by the expedition the characters were going on. Once I actually got to the expedition I was a little more immersed in the story. After this point you’ve got murder mystery, political plots, expeditions, weird magical rivers, and a little bit of romance. I was honestly expecting the romance to be a lot more prevalent in this book but it really wasn’t a major part of the book in my opinion. There wasn’t a lot of buildup to it or much character development between the two love interests other than them spending more time alone together.
Romance aside, I did like both the main characters. They were both really interesting, complex characters with very different backgrounds. Their rivals to lovers relationship was fun and there were definitely some funny and sweet moments at both ends of this spectrum.
I did enjoy the vibes of this book. It was very eerie, magical, dark academia, mystery. The story was interesting and although I was a little lost at points it was an overall enjoyable reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC!

A Dark and Drowning Tide did some things quite well and fell short with others.

Pros:
- The writing is beautiful and engaging and created such an atmospheric setting.
- The main character Lorelai was complicated and quite bitter which I felt was an interesting LOV to read from. I do wish we had some more character development for her though.
- I loved the slow burn of the relationship between Lorelai and Sylvia

Cons:
- While the setting felt well established the politics and geographical landscape did not.
- The side characters felt quite one note which meant the murder mystery part felt very obvious and unsatisfying
- Because the politics of the world never felt fully explained in the end it seemed pro-colonialism? I say seemed because I still don’t feel like I ever knew what was going on politically. This also didn’t make the stakes of the quest feel very high.

The atmosphere of A Dark and Drowning Tide is exactly what I needed as the days started getting darker earlier. This sapphic fantasy contained all my favorite elements: enemies to lovers, academic pursuits with otherworldly beings, magic, and danger. The FMC's deep self-loathing makes sense when you look at her history and the darker elements of discrimination that she constantly faces. With that said, her self-loathing became a bit annoying at times, just like Sylvia's neverending hope and determination to see the best in everything around her. But I do suppose Lorelei and Sylvia are the perfect match with their personalities taken into account. I loved the mystery and the cast of characters who loved to loathe while reading. The twists and turns were a bit predictable, but not so much so that I didn't want to keep reading to see if my guesses were correct. This is the second title I've read by this author, and I honestly loved the new adult book much better than the YA book I read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Allison Saft for allowing me access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have to DNF 10% in. I hardly made it through the first chapter, this was 100% not for me. I found the writing jarring, the characters both annoying yet flat, and the world building to be rushed. Right at the beginning, way too many characters are just thrown at you with no explanation. Lorelai was an exhausting protagonist that I tried so very hard not to hate but I did. And I won't even talk about Slyvia because wtf was her character.

Another point I want to make is that I am Jewish and reading this, I honestly felt a bit insulted. The "Jewish" representation came of as stereotypical, victimizing, and it just didn't belong in a book like this. I get using heritage as influences, but this book was the not the correct place to use her Jewish references. As a Jew, this saddened me greatly because I was so excited to read a book representing me, but I ended up feeling offended and upset by the outcome. This should of had sensitivity readers because it just wasn't ok.

Though I read very little, I could not stand to continue on. I hate DNF'ing but sometimes I have to suck it up for my own sanity. What a dissapointment.

In A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft, Lorelai Kaskel is chosen to be the folklorist and second in command on an expedition to find the Ursprung, a fabled, magical spring that the king of Brunnestaad hopes will secure his reign. Lorelai is determined to use this opportunity to become a naturalist and secure her safety in a kingdom that isn’t very welcoming to Yevani. However, when Lorelai’s mentor is murdered aboard the ship, Lorelai must balance leading the expedition with investigating her remaining companions, five eccentric nobles each with their own possible motive. The only person she knows is innocent is her bitter academic rival, Sylvia von Wolff. Can they work together to uncover the murderer as well as locate the spring?

Something that I loved about this book is how it doesn’t fit into one standard trope. There are moments of dark academia, yes, but it doesn’t stay there. The characters also navigate court politics, a murder on a ship, and a weeks-long expedition on foot through wildelute (faerie) infested mountains. The murder mystery portion reminded me of a darker version of Freya Marske’s A Restless Truth, while the expedition felt more akin to Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde series.

Saft’s writing is atmospheric and lush, and some scenes felt so immersive I often forgot that I was reading. I was sucked into this one straight from the beginning and could hardly put it down. I loved the folktales that Lorelai recounted throughout.

I also enjoyed that Lorelai was an unreliable narrator. She misread others often, especially Sylvia, and struggled to understand her own feelings as well. I ultimately really appreciated Lorelai’s overall character arc. She is able to acknowledge that Sylvia’s methods have value and even uses them herself to get out of more than one sticky situation. However, she doesn’t completely change, and is still sharp and looming and guarded. She knows it, though, and actively chooses to build relationships despite her instinct to distance herself from others.

I appreciated the Jewish representation that Saft wove into the Yevani people. She included traditional foods, the day of rest, and mourning customs in addition to more difficult pieces of Jewish history, like ghettos, and wearing badges, and antisemitism. The latter may be challenging for some to read about. (I did find myself wishing that Saft had changed all of the names of these; she did change some of the names to make them fit in the world, but others felt like anachronisms.)

I did feel uncertain throughout the book about how old the main cast of characters were supposed to be. The nobles, in particular, have all been to war already before they go to university. It’s unclear by the time the expedition starts how long they have been at school; they could have been undergraduates or they could easily have been graduate students or the fantasy equivalent of postdocs. The novel is definitely adult, I just couldn’t put my finger on whether it was new adult or older adult.

By the time the murderer was revealed and everything was explained, while I didn’t necessarily wish the villain had won, I found their motivations extremely compelling. In the end, it felt as though Lorelai and Sylvia were on the cusp of realizing that the anti-Yevani and anti-Albisch sentiment in the kingdom should be challenged, but didn’t quite get there. I wished the conclusion had been a little bit more anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist than it was, but I understand why the characters made the choices they did.

Overall, I had a great time reading this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey/Random House for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

CW: panic attacks, blood, violence, murder, death, antisemitism

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC of this book. I enjoyed the atmosphere and quest part of this book, as well as reading how Lorelei worked through the murder and all her thought processes. I also really liked the way the characters were presented and written, you could truly feel their disdain for Lorelei. I did feel like the romance came out of left field. They spent the entire book putting each other down with cheap shots, only for one to confess their love in the last 20%. I thought the reveal of the killer and the motivations behind it all was climactic and well done. Overall, the writing was lush and heavily atmospheric, perfect for the start of fall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I mean… come on. No one is surprised that I loved this. I literally have no words and also all of the words so bare with me while I try to make this coherent. I picked up an Allison Saft novel on a whim following a very vague recommendation online. Now, she is an instant buy author for me and regardless of the fact that I have now read this story, I will be in stores on release day to pick up a physical copy.

A Dark and Drowning Tide was a breath of fresh air from Saft’s other novels. While the story still had that distinctive Saft style that I love so much, you could sense the shift into the adult genre with this one. The concoction of folklore, fairytales, fantasy, romance, and in a more subtle way, dark academia, was just so incredibly engaging that I found myself in a constant state of giddy to get back to the story every time I had to pause. I also loved how Lorelei will often use old stories as A Dark and Drowning Tide’s own folklorist to help connect to present events and feelings (including using them to shade other people).

Allison Saft is simply just a gorgeous writer. The way she is able to spin together sentences and paragraphs is just unmatched. The lyricism of her word choice quite literally jumps off the page and makes her characters feel incredibly real. I had to include some of my favorites because how could I not!

“Lorelei couldn’t picture Ludwig angry, but she could picture Sylvia with perfect clarity: tearing barefoot through the fields with a pack of wild dogs at her heels, lightning dancing around her, her hair unfurling into the dark like a war banner Lorelei would follow to her own death.”

“The sound of her name drew her up short. It was the first time Lorelei had ever spoken it aloud, and now she feared she might never stop. Sylvia, Sylvia, Sylvia. It felt like the rhythm of her own heart. Like something she could not survive without.”

“Sylvia was practically sparkling, her hair pooled like molten silver around her. Lorelei wanted forever to bask in the light of her smile. She wanted to be carried on the current of her whims. She wanted to argue with her until she was breathless. She wanted to hurt her exquisitely, again and again, for as much time as they had. The depth of her hunger frightened her.”

“But Sylvia had peered into her very soul and did not shy away.”

And mountains more. I mean, my highlighted section of this ebook was actual insanity.

Truly my biggest complaint about A Dark and Drowning Tide is that there wasn’t MORE. Tell me more about Ziegeler, more about the relationship between Sylvia and her mother, more about Wilhelm’s history and the upbringing of each of our main characters. Saft could have made this a 900 page book and I would have devoured it.

Cannot wait to scream about this once it drops to every customer I encounter buying fantasy at work 🤩

A deeply atmospheric fantasy treasure hunt, murder mystery, and sapphic romance, which I really enjoyed being sucked into, despite some general misgivings.
I really enjoyed the setting and atmosphere of this book, with its dark, haunting world of folklore and fairy tales, as well as the academia driven setup. The rivals to lovers, I-hate-you-and-am-obsessed-with-our-rivalry-but-don't-know-why-I-feel-so-strongly-about-it sapphic romance setup was really wonderful. I also loved how everything was a bit water based, with the rivers and springs and magic and kelpies of it all. As I said, I do have some misgivings about the characters and plot, namely that the resolution seemed to take a bit of a strange stance, given the story's allegories for things like antisemitism and imperialism, although for the most part I enjoyed the exploration of these concepts within the rest of the story. I also thought the characters were a bit flat for being a group dynamic, especially the "bad" characters. I've been trying to reason out how I still could have enjoyed reading this so much, and honestly I think it just says a lot about the atmosphere, setting, and probably the prose as well that pulled me in and kept me there simply because it was so beautiful.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review this ARC!