You had me hooked at Allison Saft and Sapphic rivals to lovers. I enjoyed the atmosphere and folklore aspects of this so much. I liked the dynamic between Sylvia and Lorelai and their quippy remarks at one another. I did feel like the first 50% of this book dragged and was paced very slowly. While enjoying the folklore of this, I did not like all the stopping that was happening to talk about the folklore of certain things.

Captivating and immersive, this a dark and drowning tide intertwines academia and magic flawlessly. The sapphic romance adds depth to the intense 'enemies to lovers' dynamic, making every interaction crackle with tension. The world-building is rich, drawing you deeper into a realm where secrets lurk in shadows and alliances are as fragile as trust. A must-read for fans of complex characters and atmospheric storytelling.

This is the sapphic dark academia rivals-to-lovers fantasy novel I've been waiting for! Lorelei is a hotheaded folklorist who is on an expedition with five colleagues who neither like nor respect her. Things get out of control fast when her mentor is murdered, leaving her in charge of the expedition. The only one Lorelei is sure must be innocent is her lovely and frustrating academic rival, Sylvia, with whom she must work to uncover the truth. This is a dark and winding story, with a richly woven magical world and a lot of dark secrets. If the description alone doesn't sell the book I'm sure the stunning cover art by Audrey Benjaminsen will.

This book was AMAZING! Everything about this book was soo good and characters were great. The writing was so amazing and I already miss the world and the characters!

I really enjoyed this book! I have enjoyed all of this author’s books. I would love to see this book adapted to film and would love to read more but it’s like this one.

rom the outset the description for this book had me hooked- sapphic academic rivals to lovers, including folklore and a murder mystery. I enjoyed the setting of an almost 19th century Germany vibes, it added nuance to the world building, and made the main characters feel more fleshed out. The commentary on class differences and the parallels we can draw to our own world were well done.

The expedition read like failed expedition stories, where everything went wrong, which is oddly one of my favorite niche topics. And I mean, I don’t read a ton of of mystery, and I’m terrible at Clue, but I didn’t guess the murderer, so that made it more fun.

The problem for me was pacing and side characters, the first 60% of the book felt slow and I found it difficult to discern the personalities of the murder suspects on the expedition. But somewhere around 2/3 in the mystery starts to really flow and I really started to enjoy the romance between the two FMCs. I don’t often find F/F relationships in books that feel genuine (and believe me I try), but I felt it in this book.

Overall an enjoyable standalone that I would have liked more of, actually.

Gorgeous. Heartstopping. Magical. Breathtaking. The list of words to describe Allison Saft's writing is endless, and I'm so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read an ARC of A Dark and Drowning Tide.

It's hard to say what I loved most about this story. The characters are flawed and complex, and by the end of the book I felt like I truly knew them to their core (which, in my opinion, is tough to do in a standalone novel). I found Lorelai, our MC, to be extremely unlikeable, and yet that's also what kept me so hooked. Unlike Sylvia, who is life and joy and spirit wrapped up in one beautiful, white-haired bundle, Lorelai is callous and always angry. I wanted to understand Lorelai: why was she so cruel? What happened to make her so bitter and jaded? And as her past is revealed and the pieces fall into place, my heart melted for her.

Though A Dark and Drowning Tide is a fantasy (maybe on the cusp of romantasy), Saft weaves in elements of reality. It's a tapestry of magic and history, specifically, Jewish history. I don't want to spoil anything about the story, because I think this is one that readers should go into with clear hearts and minds. Saft reminds readers of humankind's darker moments in history, and though she dresses those moments in the guise of fantasy, she still reaches our very cores.

I can't say enough about this book. It's well-written, well-paced, and considering it is a standalone, I felt the world building gave the story a solid foundation. Overall, 10/10, would recommend to anyone.

I enjoyed this book! The rivals-to-lovers romance was enticing and kept my attention as did the setting. I appreciated that the magic system was unique from other ones I've read, but I had a hard time distinguishing between characters with such a large cast. That said, it was a slower read overall, yet still enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft is a sapphic romantasy following academic rivals as they hunt for a sought-after treasure while trying to solve the murder of their mentor. It was atmospheric, beautifully written, and un-put-downable!

From the beginning, we can sense the chemistry between our main characters as they are reluctantly and continually thrown together throughout their high-stakes journey. I loved their banter and pining so much! Our MCs definitely embodied the grumpy x sunshine trope. Throw in the other elements of mythological creatures, water magic, and a killer amongst their group, and you wind up with a story that will stay with you long after you turn the last page!

Overall, I gave this book five stars because the author did a phenomenal job of transporting the reader to another world and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I absolutely recommend this book, you won't be disappointed!

I really wanted to like this book. It has a decent magic system that was compelling and the plot of almost a murder mystery is cool. However, I was bored while reading it. I couldn't finish it because I lost interest halfway through.
This might be a book for someone else but it was not one for me. I couldn't connect with the characters or their romance. And it didn't move fast enough for me to be into it.

The prose is a seductive dance of words that draws you deeper into the tangled minds of its enigmatic characters, each harboring secrets and sorrows. Themes of obsession, forbidden knowledge, and the blurred lines between genius and madness weave together to create a captivating tapestry of emotions. ADADT is going to be one of the hit DA books of the fall.

I really struggled with how to rate this book, which is why I landed on a solid three stars. For me, that means I liked the book, but also found it somewhat lacking.

I absolutely adored the folklore and stories shared throughout the novel. The idea of a fantasy world unified by a conquering force was highly creative. I loved the idea behind the expedition (fantasy quest vibes) and how each character played a unique role. I wish this story had multiple perspectives, as I found each of them to be very interesting, with unique motives and individualized backgrounds. At the very least, I think the story would have benefited from including Sylvia’s POV to provide a more nuanced understanding of hers and Lorelei’s relationship.

The world building is really my biggest complaint. I just wanted so much more of it. It’s clear this world is inspired by Germany and that Lorelei is a Jewish-coded character. However, I have so many questions about the politics and the history. You only get bits and pieces behind the unification of Brunnestaad, that I’m still not entirely sure why it was Wilhelm and his father who were placed in power, and what the provinces were fighting over to begin with.

I also want so much more of the Yevani’s history and to better understand their role (or rather lack-thereof) in society. I feel like so much of the understanding for this world was built on an existing knowledge of German history (the Franco-Prussian War and also combined events from World War I and World War II), which is not a reasonable expectation for the average reader. I think the themes and messaging would be more powerful if the author had worked to deepen understanding of the politics, religion, and societal structure of her world.

With all that said, I do think many readers will be satisfied with this story if they go into it with expectations for the mystery, adventure, and the cozy romance. For me, I would have enjoyed a much more nuanced story that dove into the political underpinnings of Brunnestaad, its provinces, and the treatment of the Yevani.

Thank you to Netgalley, Del Rey Books, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Allison Saft has been hit or miss for me but this one was an absolute hit. I am obsessed. I am going to re read via audio when it is out (I preordered on Librofm) and I am begging you all to read this.

Reading this book, I felt a lack of something. I believe the something to be action, but also more detail into their world. I wish there had been more description into the world building aspect. Also, into the characters' relationships. The end felt rushed. I did enjoy the story, but it just felt lacking.

Sapphic, grumpy/sunshine, academic rivals to lovers, fantasy romance, locked-room murder mystery on a boat with lots of political intrigue and a Jewish FMC…need I say more! The vibes are there and I really enjoyed all the characters. Lorelei reminded me of Arthie from A Tempest of Tea.

It was a really interesting premise and had so many unique fantasy elements! Lots of good cultural details in the world-building including folklore woven throughout the story. It didn’t feel as adult as I was expecting. This might be because the author is known for her YA books. I really fell into the story and it was a quick read. It manages to tackle a lot of serious events and themes while being exciting, fresh and funny. It’s the perfect fall or winter read!

I thought this was a solid stand-alone!
I really liked the world in this book. The magical creatures the group came across in their expedition, the magic itself- all kept me intrigued.

I also really liked the murder mystery aspect that was tied into it as well. That along with a band of people who are willing to turn against each other for their own gain made for an interesting story.


My only qualm is that I didn’t really grow to like any of the characters. Sylvia is the only one who I really enjoyed reading about but I just could not get on board with the rest of them.

In a fantastical version of a recently united Germany, Lorelei is a folklorist working under celebrated academic Professor Ziegler, and she’s part of a team searching for a mythical spring that promises unlimited power. But as the expedition starts its journey, Ziegler is murdered and, surrounded on all sides by dangerous fairies and even more dangerous humans, Lorelei must work with her rival Sylvia von Wolff.

This is an absolutely dreamy, atmospheric delight full of dark fairy tales and romantic tension. I adore how the author weaves snippets of Lorelei’s research into the book. Even more impactful, we get glimpses of Lorelei’s personal and generational trauma being Yevani, which is clearly coded as this universe’s version of being Jewish. This is all mixed together with the best Sapphic, enemies-to-lovers subplot I’ve ever seen. That’s a lot, but it’s perfectly balanced and beautifully done. Highly recommended.

Fantasy murder mystery. This book has all of the magical creatures that would could want in a book. Its poetic and a beautiful read.

This was easily a 4.5/5 Star read for me. The half star was really due to the sheer bulk of world-building one has to wade through at the beginning of the book and, really, throughout. I kept putting this book down because of it, but the characters themselves drew me back.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a sapphic dark academia fantasy-historical full of depth and poetry. Sylvia and Lorelei are rivals on many fronts and opposites entirely. Drawn together into a mission for the Ursprung, things go awry quickly when the leader of their expediation, and Lorelei's mentor, is murdered in her quarters. Trapped together on a ship with a group who grew up together with the King, their loyalty is anywhere else but with Lorelei, and she is determined both to finish the mission and reveal the killer.

This was just such a richly crafted book. A thing of darkness and beauty and romance. Lorelei is sharp as a blade but feels everything with such intensity. Sylvia is all the sweetness of freshly baked pie with the capability for great violence underneath. At first, the ensemble cast blended into the background for me, but once the story got going, I was thrilled to find them each as well-rounded and nuanced as our MCs.

There is so much going on here, I often wondered how it would come together in the end. Politics and prejudices, murder and conspiracy, found family and love. And magical creatures who lurk in all the dark corners of the world just waiting to spring. It was the folklore aspect that had me pick up this book at first, and I surely wasn't disappointed. This was such a fresh take on many old stories, and plenty new ones made up along the way. Once you make it to the expedition in earnest, this book flies with tension and mystery.

The end was so sweet, I felt it burst on my tongue. It may feel a little Too neat and clean to some readers, but I found myself not bothered with that at all. I longed for a happy ending. I longed for completion. We get that here and much more. I'd love to see more of this world one day.

This was a really fun sapphic folklore with a gorgeous cover. I think that this book was more character driven than plot drive. Not to say that nothing happens with the plot, I just feel that we did a deeper dive into the characters than we went places with the plot, and while sometimes I struggle with this, that was not the case here. This book did start a little slow, but it felt that it was because of the intense world building to me more than anything and I enjoyed it. After a little bit, the pacing did pick up and the story took off. My biggest complaint about this one is that it seemed more YA than adult. I had to look it up but it is most definitely adult and not YA, despite reading more YA in my opinion. While this isn’t inherently wrong, it did create a disconnect that I couldn’t reconcile and caused me some frustration. However, despite that, I really did enjoy this story and had a lot of fun with it!