3.5/5- This was my first book of Allison Saft's that I have read, and it certainly won't be the last. The writing was eloquent and easy to follow, and with a beautiful cover and witty protagonist, this book had all the right things in it, but it did not completely work for me. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read.

I adored Loralei and Sylvia's connection as it unfolded throughout the book, however the reveal where Sylvia confessed that she had been infatuated with Loralei for years was a bit of a surprise. If there was more tension and background/build up for this, I think the romance would've made more sense with the surprise reveal. The novel also read like a YA novel, so once it got to the spicier scenes I had completely forgotten it was supposed to be in the adult genre. It felt more of a scratch on the surface of the adult genre, with more of a YA feel of the characters and romance in general. I wish there was more world building and background of all the characters as well. I was not attached to the secondary characters at all, and the murder mystery did not feel like a complete mystery with the constant accusations with minimal proof other than "they have a motive" between the other characters, a handful of which that die off.

I really enjoyed the mythology and gothic setting of this novel otherwise. I think it was a great approach into the adult genre for Saft. It can really be seen that a lot of research was done with tying in Jewish heritage and aspects in the world. Seeing Loralei rise in a world that is constantly against her just based on what her heritage is was empowering to read. The rivalry dynamic between our sapphic lovers was enjoyable to follow, especially once they both recognize that not only do they need each other's help, but they also are in love with each other. Loralei was a witty and entertaining protagonist to follow. A Dark and Drowning Tide scratches that gothic itch I have been wanting to scratch, and is a great read for the spooky season it will be releasing in next year.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this. It was spooky and atmospheric. Great writing and story. I loved it a lot. I just wish the motivations were a bit clearer. Loved the inclusion of fairytales. Highly recommend this to fans of academia gothic novels.

A Dark and Drowning Tide
By Allison Saft
A review by Jamilla (@LandsAwayBooks on Wordpress.com)

Allison Saft’s adult debut entrances at first, but there is a bitterness in the aftertaste. A Dark and Drowning Tide sets you down in the strange and seemingly charming Brunnestaad, a Kingdom recently united by a successful war campaign lead by their young ruler. But beneath the gild lies rot.

In this world, where back in the day wishes held power, lives all manner of wildeleute, creatures … and flora of great mischief and danger, taken straight from folklore along with an intriguing magic, aether, drawn from the waterways.

We follow our intrepid grump of a heroine, a graduate folklorist, off on her first official king sanctioned expedition with a group of deposed (in the great unification!) royals, their shared childhoods, and divergent fields of study making strange bonds between them and the leader, the well known adventurer and naturalist Dr. Ziegler. The goal of the expedition, nothing less than finding the Ursprung - ‘the fabled source of all magic’, bubbling with power for the taking….if you’re worthy, or if you’re willing to pay the price to reach out and take it.

As it stands, A Dark and Drowning Tide, has a lot going for it: delicate prose, a bewitching world filled with all sorts of creatures, an intriguing magic system, murder at sea! betrayal!, folklore weaving throughout tying it all together and at the end a really sweet romance with a nice side of angst. A lovely bridge for those who mostly read YA to try their hands with the adult genre, I certainly had a good time sinking beneath its surface.

But. But. But. Buttttttt.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is marketed as an adult debut. But the introspection and depths I would hope for in a book such as this were barely plundered. It touches on identity and the vital pieces of ourselves we carve away to try to fit into systems that see us as less than gravel beneath their feet, referring often to Lorilei’s place…or rather displacement in this world where her being Yevani is reviled by most of the population, the bolder of which, meeting the revelation of her ethnicity with violence. This aspect, was one in which I had hoped would be explored more at the conclusion of the story. As all that Lorelei has wanted for herself, professionally, has been achieved. A yeva in the court, but the Yevani still in their ghettos? Not seen as citizens in their own country? Ever rootless?

Not that it can ever take only one person to save a people, in the real world anyway, but in this story rife with fairytales and wonder, I wish a more just ending had been dreamed up for the Yevani people. I wish that this book was more than just the uwu a gothic romance, grumpy x sunshine, adversaries to lovers featuring a jewish sapphic than it ended up being.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you liked A Study in Drowning, you will love A Dark and Drowning Tide in this sapphic fantasy romance!

A big thank you to Penguin Random House, Allison Saft and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review! It is greatly appreciated!

Allison Saft does it again. I was absolutely captivated from the very beginning of this enchanting and gripping fantasy. I think I found a new auto-buy author!

Saft’s writing was utterly immersive and beautifully woven to create a book you just have to devour in one sitting. Saft took inspiration from folklore that just added to the overall vibe of the book!

With hints of dark academia, this book is filled to the brim with dark imagery, mystery and intruige and an addictive plot that keeps you wanting more and more.

We see the world through the perspective of the brooding love interest which added such a fun twist to this book!

I loved the characters in this book! They were well fleshed out and I loved seeing how their character developed throughout the book!

I highly recommend this book! Saft’s enchanting writing style will grip you from the very beginning!

I devoured this book! A dark academia, rivals to lovers, sapphic romance?? What more could I want. What really hooked me into this story though, was the mystery right out of the gate. It added such an amazing extra layer to the story that had me guessing the whole way through. Saft has created a mystical, dark, and enticing world that had me captivated from the first page.

Lorelei is an amazing main character. She is so broody and blunt and tortured that you are rooting so hard for her. And then compared against the magical and wistful Sylvia, you just want to smoosh them together ASAP. Their romance was so perfect and they had the perfect rivals to lovers arc that felt so right.

Really, for me, what made this book a 5 star, was Saft's beautiful story telling. Not only does she know how to create a magical world, but she really excelled at crafting an atmospheric novel here. She did an amazing job building suspense, intrigue, mystery and a lot of other emotions simply through her prose. I was in awe. I am obsessed with this and cannot wait for everyone else to get their hands on it.

I have mixed feelings but enjoyed it for the most part. It reminded me a lot of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies, in that they both revolve around academia, folklore, and mythical creatures. I realized as I was reading that this aspect wasn’t my cup of tea. The first couple of folktale snippets were interesting but I lost my interest in them the more they came up. I was a bit underwhelmed with the politics and the side characters. None of them were likable or particularly interesting to me so it furthered that disconnect with the plot and mystery. I sympathized with Lorelei’s struggles in finding acceptance and self-worth because of the prejudice and trauma she endured all her life. I liked Sylvia enough but I wish we got more of her. She felt like a secondary character for a good chunk of it and I didn’t feel a connection with her until we got more background info later in the story. I also wasn’t fully convinced of their rivalry. I wanted more angst and passionate interactions between them to believe their rivalry dynamic. Once they did confess their feelings, it was absolutely romantic but I just wished we got more moments like these with them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine, Del Rey for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to the author for allowing me the opportunity to read the ARC! My review is 100% honest:


A Dark and Drowning Tide is an enchanting dark academia story entwined with folklore. The world is well thought out, and the stories are so beautiful. I fell in love with the vibes of this book, and the characters. Who doesn’t love a sapphic, enemies2lovers?? The mystery in the book also just draws you to keep turning the page to uncover more!

You can truly tell that the author put time into planning out the world and the ambiance. I found myself being immersed into the flowy writing style, it is truly something you can easily find yourself getting lost in. I also loved the little folktales we got throughout the book! It didn’t feel like the tales were being told for fluff, it reveals more about the world and the characters. Everything is written with purpose, and I find that extremely important with books that involve a little mystery.

Plus the characters.. don’t get me started on these two “rivals”. I was rooting for them FROM THE START. I love a good slow burn and THIS BOOK GAVE ME JUST THAT!! The yearning, the confusion… THE REALIZATION. Ugh I have to stop before I say too much. The romance was so heart warming and it had me squealing like a little schoolgirl. So many characters were also very well written, I couldn’t help but love and hate some.

This book heavily follows the mystery of their mentor’s murder, and most of the book is spent solving it. It may feel a little slow to some, especially if you’re not used to mystery books. But I feel as if the writing style makes up for the book being “slow”, its very easy to digest and keep reading.

This book truly had everything I loved and I will recommend this to anyone who will listen!!!

5 out of 5 stars duh!!

A beloved mentor has brought Lorelei Kaskel to this moment - an expedition alongside six nobles, including her nemesis Sylvia, on an important mission to help the kingdom.

There is folklore, science, and magic at play, not to mention ambition and the self-righteousness of those whose causes must prevail. When Lorelei's mentor is murdered, everything is turned upside down, including the simmering animosity between Lorelei and Sylvia.

There is a lot to digest here, from the antisemitism that is a constant presence for Lorelei, to the grief of losing a loved one, to the pervasive suspicions regarding everyone on this expedition, and even those back home. The setting is dark and lush, the secrets never-ending.

I enjoyed this book from @allisonhsaft - this is not a light and fluffy read, but it is so very worth it. And isn't that a gorgeous cover?

Overall, I did enjoy this. However, this was more reminiscent of an YA novel than adult. I see that this is the author’s debut to the adult genre and it shows.

It has everything I usually love in a book: Academic rivals to lovers. Gothic. Sapphic. Atmospheric. Interesting side characters. And a German folklore-inspired world.

However, there was too much going on in my opinion. Too many characters and too many side stories that didn’t fit into the overall plot. It took too long for MCs to talk to each other openly about their attraction to each other, I believe somewhere around 75%-80% into the story is when they finally start to communicate, which is way too far into the book for my liking. Even at the end, I feel like their relationship was so surface level. I really enjoyed both of the main characters separately, but together, I would’ve loved to have a few meaningful scenes between them to make their attraction seem more believable. The mystery of it all wasn’t much of a mystery at all, in fact, because there was just so much going on, I feel like I was losing hold of what the main plot was, which was finding out who killed their mentor. The political talk of it all really bogged down the story for me and I found myself pretty distracted along the way.

All-in-all, I did enjoy this, but do think this could’ve been tweaked a little bit. I think the author had a huge opportunity to make us fawn over Lorelei and Sylvia together, because the academic rivals to lovers trope is just SO GOOD (and on top of that, they’re also grumpy/sunshine!) but it really just missed the mark for me. The folklore was interesting and the writing was beautiful. Dark, moody, and lush.

Thank you for the Arc! Full review will be posted on release day on Goodreads!

Look, I had no doubt that this would be as stunning as Allison Saft's other books, but I was wholly unprepared by just how stunning this was. The world Saft has created is lush and moody, and I wanted to stay in it for longer than I did. I thought the pacing toward the middle and end was a little off, but that's a complaint I've had about almost all of Saft's books, so maybe I'm the problem.

Anyway, ADADT is a great addition to the historical romantic fantasy canon, and is such a breath of fresh air in that space.

It may just be me in a slump, I was really thinking I’d like this a lot more than I did. It was okay. I liked the murder mystery, gothic vibes and I love a good rival to lovers. I just feel like some of the writing was very heavy, and at times difficult to follow. I found myself easily distracted, I wasn’t emotionally connected to any of the characters.

I can’t tell if the issue was the book or me. I’ve had some hits and misses with Allison Saft’s books but I was very excited for this one based on the premise. I thought it was just okay. It seemed like there was a lot of telling and not showing, and I didn’t feel emotionally connected to the characters. I also feel like the “political” element bogged down the story and it felt like there were a lot of vague things to follow but I couldn’t fully grasp it. However, I do think there were some good aspects, I appreciated that this was Saft’s most mature novel and you can see the thought put into it. I also really enjoyed the commentary on folklore, antisemitism, and Jewish identity. I can see the right person loving this I just think it wasn’t for me.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

★ ★ ★ ★ //5

A Dark And Drowning Tide
by: Allison Saft

THOUGHTS:

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this dark sapphic romantasy. This was my first book I’ve read by this author and I will continue to look for her publications and read those as well. Her writing style is beautiful. I loved how and what each of these characters brought to this book and the setting was perfect for the dark murder mystery vibes you get from this book. This book was a moderately paced book and I sat down and spent a weekend reading it and found myself not wanting the book to end. I’m curious what a book two would look like for this story. I would absolutely recommend this book to my bookish friends.

As Lorelei and Sylvia work together to uncover the truth, they discover that their professor had secrets of her own. Secrets that will make Lorelei question if it’s worth it at all. I was enthralled from the first chapter and couldn’t put it down.

Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness to secure his reign. The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader—Lorelei’s beloved mentor—is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are her five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her longtime academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff

Absolutely Splendid.

This was such a wonderfully atmospheric read. This is beautifully crafted with lush prose and thought out characters. It was near impossible to put down.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to read from the perspective of the dark, brooding, mysterious, and self loathing love interest, then this is it. Lorelei is all thorns and a silver tongue. She’s got a past that haunts her and a future she is scraping to make possible. She’s quick to anger and slow to trust, but still completely captivating to read about. Silvia is the perfect foil. Where Lorelei is doom and gloom, Silvia is summer and sunshine. While Lorelei is over analyzing, taking extensive notes, and calculating every step, Silvia is dashing into danger and life with such vivid exuberance that you can’t help but to take notice. She balances Lorelei so well. She’s such a breathe of fresh air in this book.

I think this novel does academic rivals phenomenally. This is more of what I wanted from Divine Rivals. The banter and tension are so well done. The characters meld so well together. Their attraction makes sense. It feels organic and real.

My only complaint is the end. I think it all unraveled very quickly compared to the pacing of the rest of the novel. I would have liked more time spent especially on the impact and implications of everything. But it’s really a small complaint. Because I had a marvelous time.

4.5/5 stars, rounded to 5 because it deserves the love

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

4.5/5

This book reinvigorated my interest in fantasy romance as a genre. My previous experiences with fantasy romance had ranged from fine to not great, to the point I was beginning to wonder if it just wasn't my thing. But this book proved that it definitely can be.

It struck a great balance between plot, world building, and the romance (it's definitely still a romance book, albeit not the spicy kind), which I hadn't encountered in my previous forays into fantasy romance. Speaking of the world building, it was fascinating with all its flora and fauna, and the injection of the many folktales added great depth to it. The folktales also acted as means of showing how deeply antisemitism can be rooted in our stories.

In terms of the plot, it was really well paced. The scope of it was well adjusted to its length. Sometimes standalones try to do much with their limited page time, leading to odd pacing issues. This book had none such issues, it never felt too fast or too slowly paced. The story also had a cinematic quality to it which reminded me of the uncharted games at times.

The character writing of this book was really good, even outside of the romantic leads. All of the six core characters, as well as Ziegler, had depth to them and had understandable motives. Even the characters that may seem simply awful at first had more to them, without absolving them for their bigotry or actions. The web of relationships between them all was fascinating.

All the dynamics were really interesting, but none more entertaining than Lorelei and Sylvia's. Every single interaction between them was a joy to read, and the tension was simply delicious. The thorniness, but also the yearning was rivals to lovers at its finest. The romance was simply wonderful.

I did have a few minor issues, that stops it from getting a perfect score. I did end up wishing there was a bit more detail on certain things from Sylvia's past and I was also confused about the motivation/specifics behind a certain attempt at Lorelei's life. I also would have liked an extended epilogue, but maybe that's just me wanting more.

All in all, one of best examples of fantasy romance I've read, that manages to deliver a story, world, and characters with a lot of depth as well as a great romance.
I'd recommend checking this out even if you aren't the biggest fan of fantasy romance (and if you are!).

My succinct thoughts can be summarized as such;

to [redacted], I wish to give: a guillotine

to Lorelai and Sylvia, I wish to give: countless hugs and the beauty of the world.

Now, to delve a little deeper - it is always such a joy to enter into a world that Allison Saft has created. Her prose is also enchanting on a level that continues to astound me. I feel like I'm cupping a universe in my hands when I read her books with how beautifully she crafts a story, and here magic and tales are woven inside each other. Such a lush world has been created, filled to the brim with folklore that is presented through the lens of academia which, to me, makes it all the more fascinating.

And at the heart of this book is Lorelai, in her pain, her thorns, and her unrestrained self-loathing. She burrows so deeply inside herself, convinced that the harshness of the world is all she deserves. I loved her so much I ached.

Her story is one filled with hatred and cruelty, but she is also forced to have Sylvia in her life. A woman with way too much whimsy in her. The way the beauty of both of them shines through, because of who they are at their core, thorns and edges so sharp they draw blood, not in spite of it, was everything I wanted.

This book is gorgeous all the way through. From its prose to its characters to its exploration of Jewishness, it was spectacular beyond words.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to provide this review!
Review Posted:
• Netgalley
• Good Reads
• Instagram

Alright, to start off this book wasn’t for me. The concept of a mysterious expedition with a murder sounds great, but for me there wasn’t enough world building. There were several points in the beginning of the book where I had to re-read the section above to figure out who was originally talking and what the situation was that they were in. Towards the middle of the book, when they are going on the expedition, it gets better, but the beginning was rough. I wasn’t 100% what I should be imagining. (I am one of those ones who essentially watch the words in their head lol). I also wish that the sections where the characters were telling us a story was set up differently. Just to show that it’s a side story.

The book is about an expedition for a magical pool that the king is wanting to have control of, but during this expedition a murder occurs that throws everyone off. So not only are they on the hunt for this pool but Lorelei must also determine who the murder is!

The character building was also very short. I didn’t really get attached to any of the main characters. Once we received a little bit more background on them it was a little bit better, but honestly no one stood out. The story is told in the perspective of Lorelei, our main character who drove me nuts! She is angry 95% of the time throughout the story. I understand why, but at some point, I wish her angst or the “chip on her shoulder” mentality wasn’t so strong. It just pushed me away from the story whenever she started on her tangents

The other prominent main character is Sylvia, now she is my cup of tea. She is very bright, rarely unhappy, and essentially sees the good in everything and everyone. She is the one who looks out for those that are considered “lower”. Sylvia is also book smart, but also not the brightest crayon in the box, however that doesn’t stop her! I wish there was more of her throughout.

The other characters in the book are interesting but as I stated above there wasn’t one that really pulled me to them. There are a couple of fighting scenes and love scenes, so this book has a little bit of everything. If you enjoy a very angsty character, murder, fighting, and love then this book will be perfect for you!

This book is going to be the must-read sapphic book of 2024 for fans of dark fantasy / mystery / folklore.

In world where people can be born with magic, and those who do are given to certain academic schools, Lorelei is a very jaded individual. Already the brunt / the warned and scorned one of folktales (or her people), she has already accepted the world might not want her, but she wants to be a part of it. She wants notoriety, freedom, and the ability to control her future without the hindrance of class holding her back. There is just someone who seems to always get in her way.

Sylvia is a free spirited, kind, gentle, privileged girl who is a princess from a neighboring kingdom / island who has also enrolled at the school. She is open to studying creatures of folklore and their mythical world, much to the chagrin of Lorelei. The two of them butt heads due to their different approaches and, if Lorelei can just get out of the school she will be free of Sylvia's interference.

The plot of the book hinders on the quest to find a mystical pool with the power to bring magic back to their part of the land. A team of various magic wielders have been chosen to go with Lorelei's mentor on said quest. Lorelei's mentor chooses Lorelei, but also on the team of magic wielders is Sylvia. Lorelei is upset by this, but she hopes not to let their friction come between her and the goals she has set...

... that is until Lorelei's mentor is killed on the ship and one of the five did it. But who? And why? Lorelei overcome with the grief and quest vows to find the killer, even if it means joining hands with Sylvia who may or may not had a hand in it.

With Allison Saft's writing, the beauty is her characters and the depths she dives to give you the most amazing internal monologue and dialogue. Lorelei and Sylvia are perhaps her strongest characters she has written by far. Though you never get into the mind of Sylvia, the reactions that Lorelei's character brings out of her - whether it's them fighting, agreeing, or giving smoldering glances without words is enough.

The reason I bring it down a star is that with most of Allison's book, the world building never really gets fully developed or leaves you with a finished story. It's hard to explain, but with this, I struggled to understand why magic was the way it was, and is the rest of this world consist of only three islands? What happens with the kingdom? Are there any threats? Are there no threats? There could have been a threat, but it was just a really odd world we're in and it just doesn't appear to have much depth to it.

Nevertheless, I came here for character development and plot and I got it. This book is not to be missed and I hope everyone looks into reading it if you are a f/f or Allison Saft fan.

This was a lovely romance with creative elements of folklore. The only criticism I had was that the other members of the party weren't as fleshed out so the murder mystery didn't drive my reading as much. But I loved the quest, worldbuilding and relationships between the two characters. Allison Saft joins the list alongside Naomi Novik and Ava Reid in terms of strong fantasy portrayals of Jewish women, and the enchanting fairytale version of Germany made me want to explore even more.