Wow, the lyrical prose and fluid storytelling blew me away. The combination of dark academia, enemies to lovers and a whodunit mystery convinced me that this is a gem to be cherished. The characters were carefully and meticulously created that I cannot help but grow attached. Their feelings are so raw on the pages that I felt something stir in my heart. The longing and loathing between characters in “A Dark and Drowning Tide” made my heart hurt. If you like dark academia, fantastical creatures and a romance that will make you think about it again and again, this book is for you.

I absolutely adored A Dark And Drowning Tide. I decided to go into the book without reading a description and had no idea what I was getting into, but by the end of the book I was so sad to be done with these characters. Each character bring so complex and interesting in their own unique ways made the story so much more real and really kept me enthralled. I couldn't put this book down and when I was done it took a good couple days before I wanted to read anything new.

This is the second book by Allison Saft that I’ve read and I’m sad to say that I’m not sure her writing is for me.
The prose is lovely, the characters are ethereal and otherworldly, but she fills her novels with so much animatedly racist dialogue that I feel it pulls me right out of the story.
For lack of a better way to explain it - her books seem overly negative. While the magic is there, it never really full immerses me.

This was a great book! I loved the sapphic characters and the eerie gothic themes. It feels like a movie such as Corpse Bride but wlw. Great book and I had a fun time reading it.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft is a dark, atmospheric fantasy that really pulls you into its world. The story follows Eliza, a girl caught between two dangerous forces, magic and her own haunting past. Set in a world full of mystery, hidden powers, and a lot of tension, Eliza has to figure out how to navigate the dangers around her while discovering her own strength.

What I really liked about this book is how immersive the world-building is. The setting feels almost like a character itself, with its eerie vibe and complex magic system. Eliza is a super strong and complex character, and watching her struggle with her identity and powers really makes you root for her. There’s also a touch of romance, but it’s not the focus, it’s more about Eliza’s growth and survival in this dangerous world.

The pacing is a little slow at times, but it works well for building up the tension and giving you time to connect with the characters and their struggles. The twists and turns are unexpected, and the ending left me wanting to know what happens next!

A Dark and Drowning Tide might be one of my favorite books of 2024! As always, I really enjoyed Saft's writing - she is very good at creating atmospheric stories with characters that you want to root for! I found the premise to be unique and liked the variety of characters that we get to meet along the way. The yearning between the two MCs was *chef's kiss* and I loved how their relationship progresses throughout the book!
I've found that my issue with Allison Saft's books is always just that she tends to rush the endings. I think this would have made a great duology, and would have liked to get more time to explore the world and learn more about the folklore. I also found myself confused at times because certain things were brushed past or not explained as fully as I would have liked. Overall though, the writing style and characters made this a strong read for me!

I’m going to be honest, if you told me that it would take me this long to finish this book, I would have laughed. From the start, I was really excited about this book and once it became available on NetGalley, you bet I was ready with my mouse to click that request button. Shoutout to Del Rey and NetGalley for the eARC!

This book had everything I ever desired on paper: the Fae, yearning, folklorists, an expedition, sapphic girls, and not to mention the cover! What I wasn't expecting was how long it would take me to get what I wanted.

While I love Saft's writing, I find that the subplot and its characters felt somewhat convoluted. Despite taking a long break in between reading sessions, I found that I didn't really care much for the side characters. They didn't feel very developed and I felt that with such a big cast of characters, it took away from the main characters. I think I would have preferred it more if the cast was slimmed down, but I understand that a) there was a murder to be solved, and b) we're on an expedition. I do think that the mystery would have been more interesting with just a smaller cast, but I digress.

I love a good romance and while it took awhile to get there, it was worth the wait. Saft has a way of writing yearning that makes me melt. It was so lovely to read and kick my feet at. I enjoyed that it blended quite well with the plot and its surroundings. It could have started a little earlier in the book, but it was honestly worth it. All of it was so nice to read and it really left me wanting more even after the book was finished (in a good way!)

Another compliment I have is that it was such a nice ending to the whole story when everything was said and done. I honestly couldn't imagine a better ending for the two of them and I would love to see them more. Please, make them go on more little side quests.

Overall, I enjoyed myself and I'm eternally kicking myself that I didn't finish this book sooner. I can't wait to read Saft's next book, whatever it may be.

Dual POV, Sapphic, Academic rivalry, Forced Proximity, Folklore, YEARNING, Slow Burn

Every time I pick up an Allison Saft novel she delivers a novel full of yearning and longing with the most incredible settings and a Dark and Drowning Tide is no exception. Lorelei and Sylvia slowly fall in love on their expedition for the magical spring and along the way secrets are revealed that make Lorelei question everything she believes in.

I love the cover and the premise, and that's why I grabbed it, but I'm realizing that Allison Saft is not for me. 🤣I found A Fragile Enchantmen to be mid, and tried to space this out where I would have less expectations going in, but yeah. It was hard for me to vibe with the writing style, which made it hard to connect with the characters and plot. Just a me thing!!!

The perfect sapphic fantasy with a toss up of a mystery killing thrown in. It had me hooked from the start I couldn’t put it down and the way that ending shocked me I mean mouth on the FLOOR

Sapphic academia rivalry…. Chills, just chills.

I love the dynamic of one of the MCs seemingly having an easy life due to talent while the other gets by on hard work alone. It reminds me a lot of every good story I’ve always loved!

Quest lines are always super fun too, especially in a setting like this filled with magic. I found the writing style to be very satisfying to my tastes & I absolutely adored the mystery elements. Great read.

This book took me a while to finish, when I didn’t think it would. I think a dark and drowning tide was at a disadvantage from the get go because I loved A fragile Enchantment soooo much and this was very different. Where I found myself really loving and identifying with AFE’s FMC I found to really hard to identify with Lorelei, she was just soooo grumpy and not in the way I like. Despite my difficulties I found the overall story to be unique and ultimately what compelled me to keep reading. The writing was exquisite and captivating which is what I’ve come to expect from Saft. Overall I did enjoy the story and loved seeing a sapphic fantasy, I just didn’t get on with the FMC which happens!

I wasn’t able to review this book before it’s publish date but now that I have read it I am giving it 3.5 stars.

*A Dark and Drowning Tide* by Allison Saft offers an atmospheric fantasy with a strong sense of place and intriguing concepts. Set in a world of magic and secrets, the novel weaves themes of power, sacrifice, and identity. Saft’s writing is vivid, and the world-building is immersive, creating a haunting backdrop for the characters’ struggles. However, the pacing feels uneven at times, with some parts dragging while others rush through important developments. The characters are compelling, though a bit underdeveloped at times. While the book has potential, it ultimately feels like it’s missing the emotional depth needed to make it truly captivating.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a perfect title for a novel with a love interest that is broadly mistreated by the FMC. It was my main issue with the story: the more toxic it got, the stronger the pull was. In the sapphic space, I thought we would be past that. The FMC is unlikable and grumpy. She's a person with a complicated past and a lot of trauma, but I still had issues justifying her behavior. Additionally, the whole dynamic was amazingly confusing, and halfway through, I lost track of who was who and who was doing what, except for our couple. I like the motive of murder and solving the issue in a closed space. The motives behind it, though, were a bit lost on me. I just feel that this book was not for me. I can't say the writing was bad; it was just not for this place and time.

I thought A Dark and Drowning Tide was amazing! I've enjoyed Allison Saft's previous work so it definitely didn't disappoint. Lorelai is a fantastic morally grey heroine. Sometimes I find it hard to sympathize with morally grey characters but I could definitely understand why Lorelai made the choices she did. The murder mystery aspect was fascinating. And I enjoyed watching her rivalry with Sylvia turn into affection and love.

Thanks to Del Rey Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
3.75/5

Tide is the adult debut for Allison Saft after having published several YA fantasy novels. I have read each of those and thoroughly enjoyed them and was of course always going to read Tide. One facet of Allison's writing that I have always liked is the settings of her stories and how she allows you to get to know the world through the actions of the characters. It's the same here as our characters move through the kingdom of Brunnestaad, a land perpetually at odds with the various provinces who are fighting against unification. In order to complete this unification, the king of Brunnestaad, Wilhem is in search of the source of all magic which will give him a power that others will not be able to stand against. He puts together a team of his closest friends and sends them on a mission to find this source of magic. Lorelei, a member of the Yeva, who like the Jews lives in a community completely separated from the rest of society, is second in command and constantly feels looked down upon by the other members. As the expedition begins, one of the members is killed and so Lorelei feels she must uncover who is responsible while continuing the search. The story is both a murder mystery filled with political machinations as well as magical creatures and dangers.

It took a fair while for me to really get into this story. I like mysteries and all the creatures, but the lack of connection to character was the difference here. I liked Lorelei's love interest, Sylvia the most but feel the pace of events kept me from really caring a whole lot about the others in the story. Lorelei was fine, and I liked the back and forth and tension between her and Sylvia. So overall, it was an enjoyable story, just not quite on the level of A Fragile Enchantment for me.

DNF @ 25%

I tried so hard to get into this book as so many of my mutuals liked it and it has a premise that just screamed my taste. However, the plot and characters were so lacking to me. The world building was either too lax or too strong in some places. I am sure that if I kept reading the romance would have formed a lot better and the rivals to lovers would have popped more. I just could not get into this novel for the life of me, which is quite the same.

3.5 ⭐️

Fun and engaging. Loved the enemies to lovers vibe and the folklore. It did take me a bit to get into though but once I read past the 20% mark, I became heavily invested.

Definitely recommend for fans of her previous work.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC!

This is my first exposure to Allison Saft's work and I absolutely loved it. The poeticness of the writing from the world to the folklore to the yearning between our two main characters was perfect. I highlighted so much of the prose as I was reading because the beauty of it enraptured me.

We primarily follow Lorelei on her quest to become a naturalist freely and unbound. To do so, the prince, Wilhelm, sends her, her mentor Ziegler, and the Ruhigburg Five (a group of childhood friends who happen to all be influential in their world) to find the Ursprung, a body of water that grants incredible power. But of course, a journey is not without its hiccups, and in this case, a murder.

Following Lorelei and her thought process throughout everything: how she wanted to do things for herself and chase her dreams, how she stood up to those who derogatorily called her a Yeva and made fun of her accent, and how her brains and sense got her through everything that was unexpectedly thrown in her path. Her personality as the main character was everything to me and she was the best MC to follow along this journey.

Moving onto Sylvia; I ADORE her. From when she was first introduced, I loved how kind and hopeful she was, a naturalist who did things mostly by the book and respected the wildeleute even if those around her disapproved. Sylvia filled the gaps that Lorelei lacked and their academic rivalry was a joyous experience to read.

Having two academic rivals work together to solve this murder and trusting one another as a result of not being able to trust anyone else set up some great tension. The softness in the romance between these two women made my heart leap and the realizations between two of them as well.

I wholeheartedly believe that all characters got exactly what they deserved and I am happy that the ones who didn't deserve redemption were not even given the chance. But seeing the Ruhigburg Five differ in their ways as they grew is bound to be a little sad.

I'm not familiar with the folklore in this book, but having it reference real folklore made me have some rabbit hole Google searches as I was reading. The magic added an element of adventure that brought even more excitement into the book. The characters gradually find out things they thought they knew aren't exactly as they seem and you get to see how they deal with it and choose to either move forward or be consumed by that new information.

Overall, I think it was a perfect balance of fantasy, mystery, romance, and adventure!