I had really been looking forward to this book, but I’m sorry to say that it was ultimately disappointing. While the plot was entertaining enough and well paced, the prose was generic, the characters lacked subtlety, and the worldbuilding was infuriatingly lazy. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance, but I’m willing to call that personal preference. I like when there are actual obstacles in the way of two characters getting together, not just an inability to admit their feelings. I do want to give a shout-out to the cover illustrator; that is some beautiful work.

DNF
Unfortunately this one just ended up not working for me. I never really felt like I got a good idea of the world at large and the politics. It felt like the wordbuilding there was definitely a tad messy and contributed to my inability to get pulled into the plot as the plot was influenced by the politics and a lot of behind the scenes relationships between the secondary characters.

I do think the mythical worldbuilding aspects around the creatures was done really well however.

3.5 stars for A Dark & Drowning Tide

I wanted to be obsessed with this novel, and while I wasn't wholly disappointed, I was a little let down.

The premise of the novel is unique; a sapphic, German-influenced fantasy adventure set against a world where water holds magic, money holds ultimate power, and folklore exists at every turn.

What I loved most was the atmosphere and mythical worldbuilding. I enjoyed the emphasis on storytelling, the differences between regions, and how these differences tied into the overall plot. I also liked the descriptions of the various regions they traveled through and the emphasis component on place, particularly how they connected to the characters specifically. The creatures harkened back to the Brother's Grimm while maintaining lore just unique enough to feel fresh.

While the aesthetic was overall lovely, the plot's execution left much to be desired. The history of the setting is given to us in bits and pieces, but so sparse and random I had a hard time understanding the politics that sets our story into motion. Similarly, the twist at the end left me annoyed. No major spoilers, but the ending felt completely unfair and wrong considering our heroine is a Jewish-coded character and the lengths she goes to survive throughout the story. The individual character arcs felt stilted and awkward, like their revelations didn't actually fit who I thought they were. The climax also fell flat, so much so that I was surprised I didn't have another quarter of the book left to go. By the end, I still didn't really like any of the characters or the decisions they were forced to make.

A part of me feels like this would have been an excellent duology, as the pacing seemed rushed at times, slow and tedious at others. And the love between the protagonist and her enemy-to-lover felt rushed and a little too "eureka" to read authentic.

Overall, A Dark & Drowning Tide is a fine read if you're looking for something easy-ish and sapphic with enough fantasy to escape.

Thank you to NetGalley & Del Ray for an eARC copy.

This was a bit of a fun, folklore heavy, sapphic fantasy. The writing a beautiful, as always. The characters were perfect.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year that unfortunately did not live up to what I wanted it to be. It took some time for me to get into the story, and the world didn’t feel as fleshed out as it needed to be. The relationship between Sylvia and Lorelei was sweet to watch unfold, but it just wasn’t a great story. It was fine.

In all honesty, I have some mixed feelings about this one. I had really high expectations. I often judge a book by the cover, and my goodness!! — this is such a gorgeous cover!

Luckily, the cover reflects the vibes. I loved the magical realism, dark academia, and folklore elements. I enjoyed the lush historically-inspired, moody world. This was my first book by Saft, and I was enchanted by her prose, reminiscent of fairytales. She deftly weaves a captivating atmosphere with rich detail in a standalone novel.

With that said, I felt that parts of the narrative felt disjointed. There is A LOT going on — an adventure quest, political intrigue, a murder mystery, AND a slow burn romance. This could be a me problem, but I felt like the pacing of the story didn’t pair well with the atmosphere.

This is Saft’s adult debut. Unfortunately, the main character felt a bit juvenile. While I enjoy ya fantasy, I was disappointed that this did not meet my expectations for an adult fantasy novel.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. If my expectations weren’t so high, I’d probably rate this higher. It fell short for me, but it was still a good read.
My rating: 3.75⭐️

Thank you @NetGalley and @DelReyBooks for the eARC. Opinions are my own.

I loved every minute of this book. I devoured this book in two days and I loved all the complexities of the plot and the twists throughout it.

This sapphic romance is magical but unfortunately wasn’t for me. I loved the authors other stories and was so excited for this one but I’ve spent months trying to get into it thinking it was just a slump but this may be a book that I would enjoy more as an audio book and having the reader help me keep up with all the characters will probably help a lot. I genuinely hope that whoever reads this gives this a chance and make up their own minds on this book. I’m giving this 3 stars because I love the writing and the idea of this story, I just cannot personally connect with it at this time.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

While I enjoyed this one, there I struggled a bit, like there could have been a prequel chapter to help explain the situation between these characters where most of them were royal heirs of a conquered kingdom, that's been assimilated under one king. And what their relationship was to one another. Also some maybe preface lore of the creatures native to the lands. I felt like it was more character driven that I was struggling to catch up with their personal intricacies.

A group of nobles embarks on an expedition for the new king, to find a magical lake that could bestow upon him, great dangerous power. Will they find it? Or will someone take it for themselves?

But mixed in there is a love story between to rival women, who are equals in their fields. Silvia von Wolff, the moonlit princess, is recklessly intelligent, and seeming unafraid to reach over to the unknown, to approach danger and pet it.
Lorelei Kaskel is one of two non nobles on this group's expedition, as the Folklorist, she's worked very hard to prove herself and get the other to understand her worth. She grapples with the fact that the tales she is studying that her people are often the victims and the monsters depicted in them. And that some members of this expedition still see her as less than human. And will scapegoat her at the first chance.

The romance in this absolutely nails it.


Themes of: colonization, conquering, antisemitism, violence, death, survivors guilt, murder.

Allison Saft’s A DARK AND DROWNING TIDE was the perfect book for me to be introduced to her work. Grumpy, sarcastic folklorist x sunshiny academic rival with important status? With pining? AND it’s sapphic? This surely was meant for me

While the scene-setting was slow in the first few chapters, it didn’t take long for me to become enamored by what I was reading. The alluring prose mixed with lore and outside stories were some of the main reasons why I loved this so much. It reminds me of Ava Reid’s THE WOLF OF THE WOODSMAN, but in ADADT, the stories seemed more appropriately placed

Lorelei as a character is a being of cynical beauty. Her development was heartwarming as she slowly melts her tough exterior whilst dealing with her past. Sylvia’s role in helping Lorelei was also done very well

This was an incredible story I’m still thinking about!! Allison Saft is an author for me to watch out for. Thank you so much for letting me read this in advance in exchange for an honest review!!

Soft DNF - (for now)

This book is dark fantasy/academia with academic rivals-to-lovers, a perilous expedition, battles against fearsome beasts/monsters, a ‘whodunit?’ murder (where all five shipmates are the suspects), LGBTQIA+ rep, and truly fantastical and atmospheric vibes.

HOWEVER, I am a mood reader, and while I was enjoying the book so far, after a while, the pacing began to get too slow for my liking, and I just needed to put it down and read something else for a while.
I have yet to pick it up and start reading once more, but again, HI mood reader here; it just isn’t tickling my fancy still.

I know I will pick this up at SOME point, I swear, because so far, the plot was intriguing, the dynamics of the FMC’s relationship with one another was like being on a giant rollercoaster of emotions (in a good way), the academic rivalries and the murder finger-pointing accusations were TENSE, and lastly (most importantly for me), I wanna find out who the freaking killer is!!

This was the rivals-to-lovers sapphic romantasy/murder mystery of my DREAMS. And I didn't even know I wanted it.

This book begins by jumping right into the heat of Lorelei and Sylvia's rivalry. The two are about to find out which one of them their shared mentor, Professor Zeigler, is going to choose to be the leader of a royal expedition to find the Ursprung- a source of power that King Wilhelm wants to possess for political gain. Ambitious Lorelei seeks the opportunity to obtain notoriety as a renowned Naturalist. Such a freedom was not awarded to her people, the Yeva (Saft's fantasy version of the Jewish people), non-citizens who are forced to dwell within their city and obey curfew. Sylvia, on the other hand, is joining the expedition with the other nobles as a favor to king Wilhelm, whom all spent summers together throughout childhood. It also conveniently gives her the chance to interact with the wilduette(?)- the magical creatures of this universe that Sylvia has spent years enthusiastically researching and transcribing into books (which Lorelei has definitely not read, thank you very much). When Professor Zeigler is murdered the first night aboard their ship, the two have to figure out who committed the deed and what motivated them, all while completing the expedition knowing there is a murderous traitor amongst them.

Narratively, we stick close to Lorelei's perspective which I <i>loved</i> because I feel that we don't often see things from the perspective of the more cold, calculating one out of this kind of pairing dynamic. Lorelei is a person who has been told all her life she is a ruthless and untrustworthy viper- an assumption born out of the circumstance of her birth. She hears this so much even she starts to believe it. I found myself rooting for Lorelei even when it was clear that she was doing stupid, self-sabotaging things out of fear of never being accepted.

Sylvia's character brought passion and life and levity. They could not be more different. Where Lorelei is analytical and calculating, Sylvia is passionate and whimsical- qualities Lorelei wants to hate to death but secretly admires and is drawn to. This dynamic was SO GOOD, y'all. I haven't read a sapphic duo.... probably ever that was this fun to read.

I really can't find fault with this book. It was riveting and adventurous and arrestingly romantic. I couldn't recommend it enough and you best believe I will be reading ALL of Saft's books.

* Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the e-Arc in exchange for a honest review!

First, thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Grumpy x Sunshine trope meets lesbian dark academia in this gothic novel about rivaling academics in search of a magical spring. Full of folklore tales and dramatic tension between the two academic "rivals" (hehe), this book is quite a ride!

In all honesty, it took me quite a while to read. I kept putting it back down for a couple of months until I got to about 100 pages in, and then I was hooked. It reminds me a bit of the Six of Crows series—Sylvia especially reminds me of Nina!

The romance is a slow burn that develops at a perfectly delicious pace. I loved the banter and longing from both sides. There's something especially cathartic about Lorelei's self-hatred—I just loved her character development.

It's a really good read, and I look forward to what comes next!

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a beautifully written sapphic rival romance filled folklore and mythical creatures, with a touch of politics and murder mystery. I loved that the book dives deeper into the racial aspects of fairytales and how, while seemingly innocent, can encourage prejudicism. Lorelei and Sylvia were amazing characters and I was charmed by both. This is my first read of Allison Saft's and I look forward to picking up more of her books.

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one was more than a bit of a disappointment; while it wasn't without merit, it was not the Saft book I was expecting to love. I've read all of her work, and enjoyed all of it, but this one left me a little cold. It's the pace, honestly - this book drags in the beginning, throwing you into a group of people none of which are immediately interesting, including the two mains. I didn't mine our main character's prickly demeanor, but she did forbid and shut down a lot of interaction with others, which makes getting to know the cast list difficult.

The second item that was difficult to overcome was the genre itself - is this YA? It's written like YA, but advertised as adult. The only differences between it and Saft's regular YA work is the glacial herky-jerky pace; nothing about it reads as remotely adult.

Things get going toward the end of the novel, primarily when the sapphic romance kicks in, but the about face of hate-to-love was too abrupt. This really feels like it needed two books to breathe and adjust its issues, honestly. A lot of my complaints (flat characters, strange pacing) could have been eased. As it is, this wasn't a bad book; I just have come to expect better from Saft.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries meets The Mummy meets Agatha Christie, but make it sapphic.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is the perfect blend of academia and fantasy adventure novel, with just enough pining and rivals to lovers to make it fun.
I really enjoyed this one! Highly recommend if you enjoyed Allison Saft’s other works, or if the aforementioned stories are your vibe.

I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own and a review was not required.

Allison Saft does it again. A Dark and Drowning Tide is the sapphic, dark academia, fantasy adventure tale I have been waiting for. The writing was as lush as always and the magical realism drew me in from the very first page. This sort of book can be very hit or miss with me (An Education in Malice, for example, felt like tinned tropes and Pinterest boards thrown into a bag and all shaken up together), but Saft does an excellent job of weaving together these threads without making the reader feel like she is checking off boxes on a list of “booktok viral hit” must-haves provided by her publisher.

This book is... perfect?????

Saft achieved in this book what some authors can not in a 5 book series.

Allison Saft can wriiiiiiite. What gorgeous writing, with such an expansive world and rich lore packed so neatly in this standalone fantasy. Equally obsessed with the characters and the love story. Gimme more gimme more please.

Thank you to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Lorelei and Sylvia are old rivals but they must work together when their expedition to find an enchanted spring goes terribly wrong. Not only must they encounter many deadly mythical beasts, but someone in their group seems to have murderous intentions...

As a political quest fantasy with a sapphic romance subplot, this book seemed guaranteed to be a new favorite. Sadly, I had a hard time getting hooked and, while I enjoyed it when I was physically reading it, I never really thought about it when I wasn't or tried to carve out extra time to read it. Sadly, it seemed like there were a lot of interesting ideas that were barely explored.

NEW favorite Allison Saft book!! Thanks NetGalley, Random House, & Allison Saft for providing an ARC of A Dark and Drowning Tide.

PLEASE do yourself a favor and pick this up when it is released! It is fantastically haunted and brimming with longing.

Release Date: Sep. 17 2024
Rating: 5/5 stars
Tropes & Vibes:
- grumpy x sunshine
- academic rivals to lovers
- oblivious lesbians!!
- murder mystery
- dark & gloomy atmosphere

Overview:
On the expedition for the source of magic, the lead researcher comes up dead. With all others present having various motives for the failure of the expedition ranging from marriage proposals to rebellion, our protagonist (Lorlei) and her rival (Sylvia) try to stay to the course while also getting to the bottom of the murder.

Review:
Allison Saft will always have a special place in my heart, and her first step into adult fantasy is an absolute must-read for 2024 releases. A Dark and Drowning Tide is the lesbian academic rivals to lovers that I so desperately wanted An Education in Malice to be (without the vampires though).

Saft is excellent at bringing to life richly magical worlds that have all the same societal horrors of our reality. Prejudices and dehumanization of groups are a strong theme in Saft's works, so expect to see those within this world as well.

I am a firm devotee to grumpy x sunshine fae researchers (looking at you, Emily Wilde & Wendell Bambleby!) and boy oh BOY do Lorlei and Sylvia bring that energy!!