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.

The most beautifully written book. Dark fantasy with an intriguing world built around it. Also Sapphic romance!

I think that the book was potentially too long? Or it needed to be spaced out into two books? I felt like we didnt get enough time with the characters in a non extreme stress environment, and the travelling seemed FAST. I needed more information about the magic system for it to like actually make sense to me. Overall I don't think its bad, but I think that we needed to spend more time with the characters and setting for it to be more engaging.

allison saft can write just about anything, and this book is proof of that. from captivating characters to a romance you can’t help but root for, this sapphic academic rivals to lovers fantasy novel has a little bit of something for everyone. thank you netgalley! 4/5 stars.

It’s sapphic, gothic, academia, and adventure within a fantasy world. If these sound like you then this maybe your next 5star.

oh allison saft. i've been a fan of hers since her debut novel down comes the night. and i love her taking swings like this. however, it didn't hit like crazy for me. lovely prose as always but the story didn't connect.

This was an interesting time; while I loved the writing of this, the plot and romance left much to be desired for me.

The cover of this is beautiful and really drew me in. I was so excited to get to read a dark academia within a fantasy world, but I do wish for more of the academia part. More of the world and magic would have been so much better.

All of the characters were unique and intriguing but I really struggled with getting invested in any of them. The romance fell a bit flat. I needed more of a build up as I didn't really get that they liked each other at all. This happens with enemies/rivals to lovers for me. I always want more 'to lovers' than we got. It just jumped from despise to love to quickly.

This did make me want to read more from the author and I am planning to pick up another book from her.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

A dark and drowning tide is fantasy novel where we follow folklorist Lorelei as she and a team of novels as they search for a legendary spring said to gift the worthy with unimaginable power on orders of the king. Lorelei finds herself in command of the expedition after the murder of her mentor, she ends up having to team up with her academic rival Sylvia to figure out who is sabotaging the expedition.

I’ve previously enjoyed Saft’s work and this was no exception. I enjoyed the world building and the dynamics between the crew. Seeing how the reacted with each other and how certain characters where treated due to their religion, race and birth was interesting. I look forward to Saft’s next book.

A lush and creepy sapphic fantasy romance that had a lot of positives. I enjoyed it overall, but I do think sometimes the pacing lagged.