3.5.

A dark and drowning tide follows one of our main characters, Lorelei, as she journeys on a mission to prove her worth. All goes very much askew when her mentor and expedition leader gets murdered.

I honestly felt that the pacing of Ziegler’s death was too soon. The way the characters also reacted to this threw me off, especially since I thought we’d be getting more insight to this. Speaking of the characters, I felt as thigh we learned too much of them in a short amount of time. This left me questioning who was who at times.

The pacing of this novel was honestly way too slow for me, hence me taking almost two months to complete it. I felt like at some parts the story was completely dragging.

The world building wasn’t heavy, but I felt that there was enough to help me understand some of the points the author was making. I did enjoy the fantasy elements, and when the characters did use their magic. The romance was also very fun and very slowburn. I wish we did get to see more of them when they did confess their love.

Thank you to Allison Saft, Del Rey, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lorelei Kaskel is on an expedition with six other individuals in pursuit of a legendary spring. However, it all starts to unravel when Lorelei's mentor is murdered on their way to the location. This leaves Lorelei on board with five other individuals who each have their own motive for murdering the professor. The only person she knows who did not commit the murder is her academic rival, Sylvia von Wolff. The two team up together to solve the mystery.

However, the murderer of Professor Ziegler is not the only danger present. As Sylvia and Lorelei venture into the woods, they find the forest is filled with dangerous creatures seeking blood. There's also a thread of political unrest as a coup rises in the background. There's also the danger that Sylvia and Lorelei present to each other as they grow closer and their feelings threaten to obscure the purpose of the mission. As they venture deeper, Sylvia and Lorelei discover Professor Zeigler's secret agenda, which could drastically change everything they know.

Saft has created an intriguing dark academia atmosphere and paired it nicely with an inauspicious murder. Sylvia and Lorelei's academic rivalry builds tension as the two are forced to work together to survive the expedition and carry out the wishes of their professor. This only adds to the gloomy atmosphere, but by the end, each character has grown to see each other in a new light. Their respective backgrounds and beliefs add to the world itself and create a unique set of obstacles that Sylvia and Lorelei must face together no longer as foes, but as something else entirely.

This book is well worth it if you're looking for a dark academia title, but want a splash of adventure and to venture beyond the walls of the school. This sets a new precedent for this type of story and I hope we continue to see others like it.

Follow Lorelei and Sylvia, two rivals, who must now work together after their leader was killed in the beginning of their expedition. Love, power, and adventure join the party and form a folklore like story.

“Every plant, every human, every wildeleute, every drop of water, is a thread. Together, they make up the great tapestry of life. If even one stitch is pulled loose, the whole thing will unravel.”

This is my first read written by Allison Saft, and I have to say I am blown away.

The overall writing of A Dark and Drowning Tide was beautiful. Saft has a gentle and detailed style of writing that kept me so hooked throughout this whole story.

As the Ruhigburg Five and Lorelei sift through this adventure together to find the fabled Ursprung, it feels as though you are truly joining them on their expedition.

Through Saft’s writing, I felt truly engaged and connected to the characters. Folklorist Lorelei and her moody and self sabotaging attitude, and Sylvia’s gentle and kind demeanor are a perfect balance.

The struggles that are portrayed through Lorelei and her life through antisemitism are very eye opening, and really made me have a deeper love and understanding for this character.

I overall thoroughly enjoyed this book, and cannot wait for September 17th when it releases.

Thank you to the author, as well as NetGalley and Random House publishing for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for sending me an advanced copy of this book for my review:

3.5 stars from me

No spoilers:
The writing of this was beautiful and magical. I love dark academia slow burn rivals to lovers romance fantasy queer everything it’s just right up my alley. The angst was so high in this book it powered me through. The tension between Lorelei and Sylvia was so good! I enjoyed reading this but initially took me quite a bit to fall into the story, I was pretty overwhelmed in the beginning. But that being said I loved the imagery and would definitely like to read more from Alison! Thanks again

I wanted to love this SO BADLY, but as u read, I realized I was drawn in by the buzzy blub that promoted a sapphic, rivals to lovers story with a dark academia setting. The story too SOOOOO LONG to get started and I really had a hard time connecting with Lorelei “everyone must hate me so I must hate them first” that when the love story popped up, I didn’t care. It became a “I hate everyone but I hate you less.” Some of the behaviors seemed immature for people allegedly in the late 20s early 30s and while the world building seemed interesting, it wasn’t stable enough to avoid constant exposition.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This has to be my favorite of Allison Saft’s books. I loved them all, but the beauty and the world of this one really pulled me in. This author is amazing at writing atmospheric, romantic fantasy and I felt myself getting lost (positive) in this book. The lush descriptions and the beautiful romance are amazing. And i’ve always been a sucker for rivals to lovers.

Easily four stars. I devoured this book, Alison Saft’s writing was so lush and descriptive I felt like every word was sea-soaked. The romance itself was a lovely subplot I cared about Silvia and Lorelei dearly.

The cover is gorgeous and the synopsis was really promising but alas, this just was not for me. I'm a huge fan of Saft's previous novels, but unfortunately I found it very difficult to get into this book. The characters simply did not connect with me, and I found the overall atmosphere too miserable to be enjoyable. It's a miss this time, but I'll still gladly check out whatever Saft writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and DelRey for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

For fans of Ava Reid's "A Study in Drowning" and Heather Fawcett's "Emily Wilde" series.

The description and cover of this book pulled me in immediately. A dark academia enemies-to lovers-sapphic romance? Say less!

Lorelei and Sylvia are on a small team of experts to find the source of magic for their king. Brimming with political intrigue, pining, and fantastical elements, A Dark and Drowning Tide is the perfect book to cozy up to by a fire.

Pros:
- Allison Saft's descriptions are so illusory and immersive, I found her syntax to be so poetic and appealing.
- The slow burn! I love the trope of a character slowly realizing their "hate" of someone else is actually love/admiration, and this book gave me just that!
- There was a political undertone that made this book feel real, which I think a lot of YA misses sometimes.

Cons:
- Hopefully the published copy will have a map! I think this could really aid in visualizing the many kingdoms and places mentioned.
- Lorelei being a folklorist was so cool and I really liked the concept. However, I found the constant inserts of stories into the narrative to be confusing at times. I had to keep checking to make sure I didn't miss something big - only to realize that Lorelei was just sharing an anecdote.
- I struggled with the name Lorelei! I think it's always hard when there's a pop culture icon attached to a name, but I couldn't get past seeing Lorelei Gilmore!
- Some of the world building I needed to be explained more. I felt like I fully couldn't grasp the way magic works in the world and some more explanations could have been helpful.

Although this took me a little longer to get through than usual, I overall enjoyed it and would recommend to any dark academia / sapphic YA romance lover! 3.5 stars / 7/10

I found myself really leaning into this one. I love the lyrical way this author writes. I will def give her other books a chance!

ever since hearing about this book being published, i’ve been patiently waiting to get my hands on it and devour this story and it’s safe to say this was everthing i’ve expected and more - gorgeous prose, fleshed-out characters with complex dynamics and an utterly magical setting. “a dark and drowning tide” has definitely won its place among my favourite reads of 2024 because it’s imply that good.

i’ve read saft’s other works, save for “down comes the night” and i’ve enjoyed the writing style quite a lot, but i feel like this one is her best book, hands down. i cannot complain about a single choice the author made in regards to the writing style or the dialogue. i loved reading from the mc’s perspective - i think she’s brilliant as a narrator. the atmosphere of the book was also phenomenally crafted, with just the correct combination of action and descriptive passages, so i was never bored nor did the book feel too info-dumpy. the places the characters had to visit were outlined so well that i could imagine how everything looked and i loved the addition of folklore tidbits - i think those really tied it all together.

i loved both lorelei and sylvia as main characters - they were a perfect duo in my opinion. they completed and complimented each other quite well, but i don’t think they were enemies at all, maybe rivals at best. so don’t start reading the book thinking you will get true “enemies to lovers” because that’s not the case.

lorelei was such a complex character and i think the book being told from her pov was a good choice. she’s somewhat nihilistic and i liked watching her evolved as the story unfolds. she’s a strong, resilient character, but she’s still flawed and human. sylvia is quite literally the human version of a ray of sunshine. she’s such a fun characters and it was wonderful to watch her enthusiasm run off on lorelei. the side characters were also well-crafted and interesting to read about.

overall, “a dark and drowning tide” is a wonderfully written book, with an amazing cast of characters and an unique magic system. i loved reading this novel and i will definitely pick up the author’s future works.

This book speaks to those who love dark fantasy, dark fairytales, and folklore. It’s the type of moody fantasy that I love.

A sharp tongued folklorist must team up with her academic rival to solve their mentors murder during their expedition. This is a book filled with magic, mystery, and a sapphic romance. There’s dangers creature, shapeshifting beasts, and more.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is riveting and complex. I found the characters to be compelling, especially our two FMCs. We follow Sylvia von Wolff and Lorelei Kaskel from Lorelei’s third person perspective. These women struggle to solve their mentors murder, while attempting to navigate their relationship.

The growth we see amongst Sylvia and Lorelei is captivating. Throughout the book, they are tested time and time again forcing to trust their rival. Lorelei is deeply insecure, but incredibly confident. She doubts her goodwill and motives constantly, struggling with the actions of her past. Something I can really relate to.

I loved how complex and relatable each character was. It wasn’t too far fetched to think this dynamic truly exists. Truly loved it.

Thank you NetGalley, Del Rey Books, and Allison Saft for this ARC.

this book reminded me why i love reading.

from the very first page i was drawn into a world, so fleshed out, i truly believe it could’ve been one of those multiple movie series. immediately, i fell in love with the main character, lorelei, and her academic rival, sylvia von wolff. the writing pulled the whole story together - it took my hand and drew me on this magical adventure, where i was in awe at every turn as i discovered more of the fascinating world. the beautiful prose painted such a clear picture of everything going on - this is what people mean, when they say that reading is like watching a movie in your head.

this is coming from someone who is very picky when it comes to fantasy books, but i loved the magic system so much. the way it took elements from folklore and fairytales and incorporated them all into the story made for a realm that i loved exploring, alongside the characters. the journey this book took me on!! this could very well be a fairytale on its own.

at no point did i know what was going to happen next and i loved it. this was just the perfect mixture of an adventure expedition and a murder mystery. the pace worked great throughout the entire book and at no point did i feel bored, and the climax was absolutely insane. *i* felt as if i was going insane. especially because i came to grow so fond of the characters. their separate personalities were amazing and i fell in love with them, but their dynamics and the tension between them? i might finally truly understand why slow burn is so well loved. i thought i understood it before, but this is next level. i love these babies so much, i was tossed on a rollercoaster of emotions ranging from joy in my heart to unbearable pain.

i had to physically stop myself from reading this book multiple times. i was going absolutely insane reading it, and didn’t want it to be over, but also just had to keep on reading. once i’d finished it, i found myself opening my kindle, hoping to continue reading it, only to realise that i couldn’t.
[c]this might be the perfect book.

this is the best book i read in 2023, and even as i’m writing this review months later (i was struggling to find the right words and i’m a procrastinator at heart) everything is clear in my mind, and my love for this book hasn’t faded one bit. i am not one for rereading, but i’d make an exception for this, if only so i could have an excuse to buy a physical copy of this gorgeous book. i can’t wait until the rest of the world gets their hands on this book.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I can see how others will love this one but honestly it wasn’t the book for me. I might pick it up at some other time and change my mind about it but for now it’s a no.

4.5 Stars! How does allison saft do it everytime!? One chapter in and I'm loving it already. Its so dreamy. The worldbuilding is stunning.
Enemies to lovers but they're actually in love with each other but they're both too blinded (and stubborn) to realize it. God, this was incredible. You get so lost in the crazy, whimsy, magical world.
I don't want to compare books and authors but if you want to know if you'll like this, it reminds me a bit of Holly Black's writing in the Elfhame world where you just get completely lost and engrossed in the world. It's like you're drinking faerie wine and you're eyes are fuzzy but you can't stop sipping from the glass.

I was excited to read this because, duh, Allison Saft!
What stood out to me the most was the imagery that was crafted. Beautifully dark and rich with folklore.

I was surprised that the love interest were both female. My fault for not looking at the categories it was under. The romance took a backseat to the plot though.

Nonetheless I wish we got Sylvia’s POV to see the difference mindsets since Lorelei is so grumpy and Sylvia is the opposite.

Overall I loved the atmosphere, third person POV, characterizations, the journey, magic system.
Thanks NetGalley for providing this ARC

I was granted access to this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you liked A study in drowning and emily wilde’s encyclopedia of faeries, then you will like this book! I love Allison Saft, she is one of my highly anticipated authors and I strive to get my hands on everything she releases. This book was a little different though. I felt that my understanding of the world was weak, because I don’t know a lot about mythical creatures. They were talking about things that i still don’t quite understand, which goes in to her showing a lot but not elaborating more into it. the worldbuilding felt the opposite, as more telling than showing. Other than that, I liked the mystery of the plot and the betrayals! and the sapphic slow burn academic rival romance? AMAZING.

I LOVED this book so much. The rivalry and romance were beautifully written, and the folklore was lovely just like the dark-academia setting with sapphic love and mystery/fast-pace made it hard to put down to the point I finished it within a day.

This is absolutely flawless. I hang on Allison Saft’s every word. The romance in this is so tender. The plot kept me so engaged. But the writing? That’s where it truly shines. Immaculate sapphic dark academia.