Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

There were times I enjoyed this and other times I really didn’t. The world was interesting and is full of lots of folklore and traditional fantasy and magic, but I felt like with a standalone we didn’t really get to delve into it too much. It also read very much like a YA novel, instead of adult. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing it just wasn’t what I was expecting. The romance in the novel fell flat for me. It was very much enemies and then wam bam now they are in love. It felt very unexpected. In the end I think many people will like this, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. There were definitely times I was interested and I have no doubt I’ll pick up another Alison Saft book in the future. This one was maybe just not quite for me.

4.5⭐️

This was academic rivals at its finest. And an adorable love story as well.
If you liked Emily Wildes Encyclopedia of Faeries but wanted more adventure, this is the book.
A murder mystery that kept me guessing until the very end.
On a more serious note, this book covers the topic of antisemitism in a way that is not to over-handed.
I though this truly was a beautiful book.

Not my thing. Too much misogyny. Mean characters. Granted I picked this book up because I saw it on my fyp so I didn’t even know what it was about. My fault. First and last book by this author. Definitely a DNF for me. I bet it’s an amazing book but I’m a character driven person and I simply didn’t like the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
Academic rivals, their mentor, and a group of others that are the top of their various fields are all sent out on a quest by their prince. Their mission? To find the source of all magic. There is tension amidst the group, which quickly turns to suspicion after one of the members of the group is found murdered. Who caused this death? Could it be one of their own? Or perhaps another reason caused it… An absolutely beautiful tale! Filled with folklore, mystery, adventure, creatures, magic, and love.

I have now officially read three Allison Saft novels. This is her adult debut. A sapphic dark academia with a murder mystery and academic rivals to lovers, all tropes that I freaking LOVE. Not gonna lie, sometimes I felt like Lorelei was autistic and managed to turn her special interest/hyperfixation into a career (but then again that's me as well sooo...). This was insanely atmospheric and haunting and beautiful.

Thank you to the folk over at Net Galley for an early release of this book in exchange for an honest review.

IM GOING TO NEED A MINUTE TO PUT MY THOUGHTS TOGETHER FOR A FULL REVIEW, but what I can tell you right off the get go is Allison Saft's writing is only getting better. I think she really went out of her comfort zone for something more Sapphic, but damn does her talent really shine in intermingled folklore, imaginative magics, and spell binding story telling. It's got that perfect blend of slow burn romance and heart gripping plot that really keeps you invested.

A immersive and fast paced fantasy filled with folklore, nature, and sapphic love, A Dark and Drowning Tide is everything I love in fantasy. It is dark and atmospheric with beautiful fairytales woven in. I particularly enjoyed the discussion about why fairytales and myths are so important and how they impact society. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I huge thank you to netgalley, Allison Saft, and the publisher for this ARC.

I adored Allison Saft's A Far Wilder Magic, and just recently purchased Down Comes the Night, so you can imagine how much I squealed when I got this as an ARC.

I loved it. I give it 4.5 stars, I rounded up for on here because I really would recommend it to everyone! The characters so real, with fleshed out backstories. It touched on some things I loved, like found family, and people sticking together and trusting each other because they have been together / friends for years, but finding that just because you have known someone forever, doesn't mean that you know them at all.

The main characters I adored. I fell in love with them as they fell in love with each other. Sylvia was my absolute favorite.
I also loved the little whodunnit plot inside the main story.

My only wish was that the ending didn't feel so rushed to me. As much as I love a slow burn, I'm sad we didn't spend more time with them in love. What a pair!

More of a review on my Instagram - @bookish_starry_skies

Ms. Saft, if you are reading this - please approve me for A Fragile Enchantment! I would love to spread my love of all your books.

An amazing and compelling story with beautiful writing to go along with it. I found the writing a bit dense in the first part, but after I sped through this book, I couldn't put it down—full review on Goodreads.

I absolutely devoured this book. The first couple of pages pulled me right in with the characters and the bickering and kept my attention until the end. Lorelai Kaskel is a folklorist who is sent on an expedition, along with 6 nobles, to find a mystical body of water for a King. While on this expedition Lorelai is tasked with solving a mystery and she is forced to work along side her academic rival, Sylvia von Wolff. The story that unfolds is an angsty tale of sapphic loved intertwined with beautiful and poetic folktales that seem to call out injustices. The tension and slow burning build of the relationship is so delightful. It is grumpy/sunshine done in a gothic dark academia way. *chef's kiss* The adventure and action is sprinkled throughout and keeps the reader on their toes. And the mystery is perfectly drawn out and solved in such a satisfying way. A perfect combination.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Del Rey for this advanced copy! You can pick up A Dark and Drowning Tide on September 17, 2024.

I really enjoyed this one! The magic system and world were fascinating, especially learning about all the legends and creatures in Brunnestaad. I appreciate the level of detail Allison Saft went into to paint this picture for us.

The academic rivals to lovers was really well done! Lorelei's attention to Sylvia was perfect, though I did see Sylvia's feelings from miles away. I wish they'd gotten together a bit sooner, but the payoff was worth it when they finally acknowledged what they are to one another.

At times, Lorelei's self-sabotaging nature did grate on me, but it also felt realistic. People don't change their nature overnight, and I shouldn't expect Lorelei to be any different. She was an interesting character to root for, especially when sometimes I just wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her.

Overall, a great read for people who want a bit of a darker, fairy-tale-esque fantasy with some in-depth cultural ties and great academic rivals to lovers sapphic romance.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! The cover of this book is what first drew me in first - it’s beautiful.

This standalone fantasy involves a group of individuals that embark on a journey to find the Ursprung (a fabled source of all magic and the King’s current obsession) with an emphasis on two academic rivals, Lorelei and Sylvia.

The writing in this story was beautiful. So descriptive with a flourishing vocabulary (highly recommend reading on Kindle so you can have a dictionary at the tap of your finger) that made it easy to visualize their magical world.

Standalone fantasies can be hard to execute, especially when it comes to world building. But, I felt that Saft did well with giving information when it was necessary.

If you want a to be immersed in a world, but for a quick read, then give this one a try.

I love me a good book with gothic sapphic romance with a rival to lovers in an academic setting!
This proved to be an absolute gem that swept me away with its eerie, spooky yet hauntingly beautiful writing.
The story centers around a murder mystery. The plot twists and turns in unexpected directions, kept me on the edge of my seat.
However, it's the romance that truly stole the show for me. The slow burn - it's a slow burn that's delightfully unhurried, allowing the tension between the characters to simmer and build with anticipation. The romance aspect of the book was my favourite, slow burn was really slow burning for sure hahaha. But the tension is what I lived for! It was adorable!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

sapphic slow-burn academic rivals to lovers gothic folklore? I did not think I could possibly love this more.

Wonderfully written! The murder sub-plot felt rather whodunnit-esque, which was interesting. As for the romantic build up had me giggling and kicking my feet in the air at the possibility of holding hands.

The cover art is absolutely stunning as well. I can’t wait to purchase a physical copy and highlight/annotate accordingly!

(Thank you Netgalley for sending a copy in exchange for an honest review!)

This is the atmospheric, gothic romantic fantasy/murder mystery of my dreams. It is quite possibly the most well-written book I’ve ever read, and I think it’ll live in my head forever. It was absolutely riveting from the very start, and I wish it hadn’t ended!

Tropes:
Opposites Attract ✨
Forced Proximity 🤌🏻
Tending to Wounds 😍
Rivals to Lovers 🫶🏻

This book was eerie. The descriptive imagery had me a little spooked at times in the best way possible. Allison Saft’s ability to turn this haunting fantasy world into something believable was incredible. Her use of metaphors had me highlighting basically the entire book. She’s an incredible author.

This is a murder mystery of sorts, and I genuinely had no idea how it would end. There were several times that I just wasn’t sure this would end positively, and I was NERVOUS. It wasn’t predictable at all.

The ROMANCE….wow. The tension was palpable throughout the entire book. It’s slow-burn, but reading Lorelei’s internal dialogue had me BLUSHING. The yearning, the longing, and the wanting (yes, I did say basically the same thing three times) was incredibly romantic. I found myself really rooting for her happiness, and wow, was it satisfying.

I was prepared to wait until September to read this, but I am so grateful to Netgalley and Del Rey for allowing me to ARC read this. It’s one of my all time favorites now!

Words cannot describe how much I loved this book. It drove me insane. It made me go feral. A Dark and Drowning Tide is utterly enchanting and dripping in folklore. I deeply enjoyed the folk stories, all the different creatures, and the divine atmosphere. The romance was very slow to develop but oh so worth it. This is a romance that will leave you gasping for air. You will feel the yearning and desire coil around your heart and seize it violently. This is by far my favorite Allison Saft book to date, which is quite impressive because all her books have been 5 stars. Officially an auto-buy author for me.

i just read a book where it had sapphic rivals to lovers with a mix of folklore and adventure in it and u want me to be calm after?? yeah, as if. this was such a magical experience for me. i'm out of words. oh how i adore lorelei and sylvia. my precious dark hair x light hair duo, we love u. they were stunning and brilliant, their banters are an absolute delight. i highlighted sooo much, saft literally has a way with words. and god help me when i read some of these sentences it made me want to go to a corner and just sob for hours (in a very good way). i'm so extremely grateful i could meet them earlier, a big thank u to the team for making my wish come true. i'll be here contemplating what to do now.

one thing's for certain is that this is a big win for sapphic nation. thank u allison saft.

3.5⭐️ - I was initially drawn to this book based on the description and it did not disappoint...not to mention the beautiful cover! Sapphic enemies-to-lovers, gothic vibes, with a murder mystery. It did take me a minute to get into and keep track of the characters, but once I did I flew through the remainder of the book!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Allison Daft for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a solid 4.5 stars for me. There is something so intriguing about a dark academia setting with magic that also incorporates queer love. It was a dark read with mounts of betrayal and secrets with so many twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and will be recommending it to anyone who enjoys the aesthetic.

Lorelai is embarking on a quest for the king of Brunnestad with her professor and a group of other naturalists to find the Urspsung, the well of all magic. On the first day of the quest, however, their professor is murdered and Lorelai must work with her academic rival, Sylvia, to uncover the murderer while searching for the Urspsung and fighting off fair folk at every turn.

This is a very cute sapphic rivals to lovers story. It gives off similar vibes to Emily Wilde but with a younger cast of characters and more politics and religion throughout. I thought the fantasy-Jewish angle was really interesting to see in a novel and really well handled.