Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring myself to finish this book because I just couldn’t connect with the characters or the world-building. Right from the start, the heavy info-dumping made it hard to get into the story, leaving me feeling lost. The characters also lacked depth, making it difficult to stay engaged. I gave it multiple chances, hoping it would eventually draw me in, but the storyline never managed to hold my interest enough to keep going. While this book might resonate with other readers, it simply wasn’t for me.

I think this might just be my favorite Allison Saft book so far! This was everything it was promised to be–dark, atmospheric, beautifully written, suspenseful, and full of slow-burn yearning and angst. THIS is how academic-rivals-to-lovers should be done! This is a fantasy romance where the plot and romance could both stand completely on their own.

A wonderful fantasy novel brimming with mystery, folklore, and a slow-burning sapphic romance. The novel follows Lorelei Kaskel, a sharp-witted folklorist, as she joins an expedition in search of a legendary spring—only for a murder to derail their journey. I really enjoy Saft’s style of writing; enchanting and haunting.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Del Rey for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️: 4.25 / 5

Publication Date: September 17, 2024

I want to thank Daphne Press and Net Galley for allowing me to get an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Some of the coolest aspects of this story, was the German setting for this fairytale-esque story. I thought including a character with a Jewish background and the prejudices she faces was well done. Additionally, the building tension to the final reveal was done exquisitely.

As for my reservations, I found some of the reveals and motivations to be hard to believe. Along those lines as well, I wish there had been more development of some of the characters that would later become pivotal to the grand ending. The pacing also could have been better, in the sense that when a moment would build to an exciting reveal there would be a

Overall I liked this book! The yearning of our FMC for one of her rivals was palpable.

Would recommend for those who are fans of
- Linear timelines
- German setting
- Sapphic
- Fable inspired

⚠️ violence

I was given this arc for and honest review. I absolutely loved the the prose of this book going into it, but the attitude of the MFC had me struggling with the likability of the whole story. I loved the magic system, world building and creature lore but I really struggled with the MFC and that will typically be a defining feature in if I continue a book. The creature lore was my favorite thing.

I love this author with my entire soul, so getting approved was amazing, but it took me a while to read this because I would get confused from the language being used. But nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!

This was stupendous, full of folklore, competition, academia and adventure, this is exactly what I’ve been craving from Allison Saft ever since I started reading her books. (All of which I’ve absolutely loved)!
The book peaked my curiosity alone with its cover and blurb and I was hooked immediately from the first chapter. The addition of the murder mystery and the competitiveness, yearning and chemistry shared between Lorelai and Sylvia was what kept me engaged and thirsting for more. They were both brimming with fire and I was rooting for them so much.
This book was imaginative, engaging and immersive, something I get from every single Allison Saft book. This was wonderful.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is an entirely correct marriage of all the best bits of what is newest and most popular in the genre(s) today - we're talking dark, sapphic, unbridled ambition in the face of systemic oppression, a fun magic system rooted deeply in folklore - keep it coming and keep it interesting!

oh boy.. i struggled with this book so much.

i've adored everything that i've read from this author previously, so my expectations were as high as it would be for anyone going into a book written by an author that you've enjoyed before. sadly, i found that this was incredibly boring, and the main character was lowkey insufferable. i wish we had gotten at least one more POV, i think it would have balanced it out and added just a little something to the story that it desperately needed.

Amazon and Barnes & Noble review submitted
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**TL;DR**: This is one of those books I have to recommend if you love vibes - but also a twisty mystery.
**Source**: Netgalley - Thank you to the publisher!

**Plot**: Lorelei and Sylvia set out on an academic quest which quickly turns into a murder mystery.
**Characters**: I both loved and hated these characters in the best, well written way.
**Setting**: This whole book felt like an Edward Robert Hughes painting in my head. I loved it.
**Magic:** This whole book is very folklore focused, and feels that way, especially with the magic.

**Thoughts**:

A Dark and Drowning Tide is shockingly underhyped, at least based on what I expected. This book has all the Dark Academia, folklore vibes that fans of that trope and genre would love. Plus a fantastic angsty sapphic romance! How has this been missed by so many?

Lorelei lives in a city that hates her and her people. She is this world’s version of a Jewish, and the anti-semitism is everywhere in this world. She works hard to hopefully become a type of advisor to the king and elevate herself and one day her people. As part of her efforts to gain that favor she ends up going on a research expedition with her academic rival, their mentor, and a batch of unruly nobility.

My one complaint about this is that while the fantasy was beautiful and very strong here, the melding of real world issues and phrasing, it felt jarring. I wasn’t sure where we were meant to be, in an alternate fantasy real world or an entirely original one. Besides this I loved the complexity of our characters, the deeply fraught relationships, and the folklore magic.

This is one I think any Dark Academia Fantasy fan would enjoy. It’s engaging and immersive and it’ll keep you guessing till the end. A big yes from me, I even bought my own copy!

This was a fantastic book! I loved the world-building and the magic system. I loved Lorelei and Sylvia! The tension/ chemistry between the two of them was perfect! I loved the vibe of this whole book!

This was a fun book to read. I like the premise of the book and plot was fast and interesting. I liked the characters but I feel like these characters I read in another book. They were super fun to read about but I feel like there was something generic. I liked the world and the plot and the writing was really well done. Just the character made this a 3 star book for me. But I liked it overall!

I am very behind on this ARC review. I received it after release. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this one. The energy is perfect for fall/winter. I would’ve loved to have this book be a part of a duology or series. The world building and characters could have been built on so much than just one book.

Unfortunately, this one did not work for me. I requested this book because of the promised dark academia vibes, but it actually didn't involve academics whatsoever, despite a mention here or there of the characters having attended university. I didn't connect with the characters at all and found them all to be unlikeable, and not in a way that was fun to read about. The plot was too slow and failed to hold my interest, and the world building felt confusing. The final chapter also came out of nowhere and was not a satisfying conclusion whatsoever.

This book is everything. I wish I had the words to explain how much I loved A Dark & Drowning Tide. The longing!! The yearing!! The folklore!!

I thought you had me at Allison Saft, but you really had me at Sapphic and Dark Academia because when you add that to Allison Saft what you get is a five star book no matter what.

This is my first Allison Saft book, but it definitely won’t be my last! I was drawn in by the stunning cover and the intriguing premise, but it was a slow start for me. Being dropped right into the story left me feeling confused, and I had to push myself to keep going and not DNF at about 37%. But I’m so glad I kept going!

Things I Enjoyed:
✨ Single POV
 👀
✨ Rivals to Lovers ❤️‍🔥

✨ Yearning 😩💕

✨ Silvia 🥹

✨ Writing Style 🖋️

✨ The Cover 📖

While I adored the mystery elements and eventually came to enjoy the romance, I can’t help but feel that Silvia deserved better. I wish Lorelei had been made to grovel more, and I think her character arc could have gone deeper. Still, this book delivered on so many levels, and I’m excited to dive into more of Allison Saft’s work!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC! 🙏

Allison Saft is truly very talented and had me guessing a lot in this whodunnit and it was far more convoluted than I anticipated. I love these dumb rival lesbians and their inability to USE THEIR WORDS lol. It was a very intense read and still magically beautiful. I got a little lost at a couple of points but that's my dumb brain for you. The ending had me smiling from ear to ear. Saft is accomplished at her worldbuilding within a single novel and made me feel like I'd been in this world for a lot longer than 384 pages. Definitely a recommended read from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: murder, death, violence, racism, antisemitism.


Lorelei Kaskel is fighting for what she wants. Quick-witted and unfriendly, Lorelei is the beloved protege of a brilliant folklorist who has been entrusted with finding a fabled spring -- supposedly the source of all aether, magic -- at the request of Brunnestaad's King. But Lorelei is forced to contend with things beyond her imagining on this expedition, and worst of all, she's stuck with six eccentric nobles who are determined to make her life hell. Amongst them is Lorelei's greatest academic rival, the girl she detests for having everything: Sylvia von Wolff. But when Lorelei's mentor is found murdered, she finds that Sylvia is the only one she can trust, and it's up to them to discover who the killer is in the hopes of stopping a bloody coup. Pushed together by forces beyond their understanding, Lorelei and Sylvia grow closer as they learn that all is not what it seems amongst the nobles who all claim to have the King's best interests at heart, and their discoveries threaten to change life as they know it.

Much has been said about Saft and her talent, and while I've always kept a distant eye on her, I've never read any of her work until A Dark and Drowning Tide. You can consider me fully in the fan club now -- it's been a long time since I've read something that so completely and totally captured both my imagination and my heart. There is a plethora of talent here, just bursting with potential, and you get the feeling that Saft is just beginning on a long and beautiful career.

Lorelei and Sylvia are both rendered in such wonderful, detailed strokes -- they both feel so fully fleshed out, as though you could actually meet them and they would be totally believable human beings. There is a bit of an ensemble cast here with the other nobles who are a part of the expedition, and while some of them do suffer a bit from being a little more one-dimensional, I think Saft succeeded at creating an interesting brew of personalities that keeps the tension constantly growing. Of the rest of the cast, the standouts are probably Ludwig and Johann, who are total opposites and yet both manage to be fascinating. I'm also partial to Heike, but I think she suffers from a little bit of underdevelopment in comparison with the others.

Saft's writing is extraordinary. She has a way of crafting beautiful sentences that feel somehow both poetic and yet not stiff, natural, and all I can think is that rather like her main character, Lorelei, she must have some source of magic inside of her that helps her to create them. The worldbuilding, too, is exceedingly well-done, full of beautifully horrifying creatures who only serve to add to the story's atmosphere of fantastical otherworldliness.

At the heart of this story is Sylvia and Lorelei's budding relationship. The depiction of their attraction to one another is so intense, so full of longing, that I sometimes had to put the book down just to process it. It's yet another testament to Saft's ability to weave and build characters who are full of emotion and authenticity, and I think she does a great play on the enemies to lovers trope here. Her portrayal of the issues of class and race, especially in relation to how Sylvia and Lorelei perceive each other, feels sharp and spot-on.

Highly recommended. I can't wait to see what Saft writes next!

This book left me…confused. While I greatly enjoyed the folklore woven throughout the story, the political messaging was odd. It felt accepting of, and even pro-imperialism. I was hoping for some resolution at the end but it did not materialize. It was a five star until this. It’s basically saying accept the king and his imperialistic goals to conquer surrounding countries and assimilate because it’s better than standing up against him?? He wants to conquer and the author tries to humanize him. Hot take. Which is sad because I really enjoyed the romantic story.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.