Synopsis: Magic, darkness, murder and two academic rivals at the centre of it all. But the two are forced to work together when their beloved mentor is murdered.

CW/TW: Violence | Death | Murder | Drowning |Grief | Loss | Racism | Others may be present.

Rep: Sapphic MCs

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
3.75 Stars!

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a gorgeous gothic novel seeped in academia and mythology underscored with a delightful dash of darkness.

Rooted in rich folklore and fables, this book absolutely brimmed with magic and emotion. Beautifully written, this book will draw you in and root itself within you. From the descriptive yet easy to glide through prose to the engaging character perspective and tense pacing, this book completely engulfed me – it was a joy to read.

Though the plot is rooted in folklore, driven by these characters and their academic ambitions, it is a deeply personal story. Centred around the murder of a beloved mentor and the fable of a magical spring, a group of noble academics set out to find the truth only one of them is a murderer. But the story is much deeper than that. With themes of power, racism, colonisation, belonging, loss and love, the characters are what make the story shine. Saft manages to weave a rich dark magical tale that is deeply emotional and heartfelt.

Overall, this is a magical, dark but heartfelt read that has a raw humanness that will have you absorbed.

*Thank you to Daphne Press for the Netgalley eARC in exchange for an honest review!*

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc! I was so excited when I saw this acceptance email.

“Some fire within her had certainly gone out, but a new one kindled at the centre of her chest, war and insistent and soft. It was horrible.”

Lorelei is a broody, intelligent hard working folklorist whose goal is to make something of herself and prove her people are worth more than what society has deemed. Her people are looked down upon, shunned and are treated poorly by all the other nations. There was some really great parallels drawn with the oppression we see often in reality that I found heartening to see represented in its own way.

Silvia is a wild spirit, beloved by everyone and famous for her exciting and dangerous adventures, overly positive and headstrong she uses this persona to hide her dark past. She and Lorelei have a tenacious relationship fraught with tension as they are academic rivals both coveting a prestigious position on an expedition.

The world building in this is brilliant, particularly the societal status quo and government make up. It is so well written and explained for a standalone book and brings a whole other level to the story. Politics is a vital part of this and each character has their own agenda. The politics don’t overshadow the fantasy element of the story however, and there are all sorts of amazing creatures and lore to discover.

This book really has everything, a diverse group of characters that have to band together for a mission, a murder mystery, academic rivals, tense politics, extremely complex yet loveable main characters and a beautiful love story.

An epic mash up of genres that are reminiscent of Six of Crows and The Cruel Price but with a murder mystery and a slow burn academic rivals to lovers sapphic romance thrown in. This not only is a gripping and fun read but it is powerful in its depictions of class struggles even within a fantasy setting. I highly recommend this book I hope everyone gives it a read! You won’t regret it.

I am such a fan of books based around folklore and A Dark and Drowning Tide didn’t disappoint.

I found it so fascinating and loved how elements of the folklore was weaved throughout the narrative of the story. The world building was exceptionally well written and beautifully woven into the story with its vivid and descriptive details and as for the water based magic system it was so unique and held an eeriness to it that was so visual.

I really liked the romance and thought it was very bittersweet and believable but I would of liked to have seen it developed just a little bit more and I do feel the ending was a little rushed. There was a lot happening to fit into a a book of around 300 pages so I feel it could of done being just a little bit longer to flesh out the development of certain things.

I did really enjoy A Dark and Drowning Tide and would definitely recommend to anyone who loves a sapphic romance steeped in folklore.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

I love Alison Saft's work and this new edition to her list did not disappoint. The way she writes fantastical worlds but includes Jewish folklore as well as their customs, and the prejudices that they go through, and have gone through throughout history is just wonderful. She can mesh reality and fantasy in the most beautiful way.

The main characters in this are very compelling, but I feel it was the side characters that let this story down a little - they felt a bit two dimensional and your standard mean girl, nerdy girl, jock, and gay. The plot did feel a little long and meandering as well, but overall this was a delicious book with a simmering romance that kept me glued to the page.

thank you so much for the arc opportunity, I really enjoyed this book!! 4.5 stars rounded down, the only thing keeping me from giving it 5/5 is the initial pacing, which I found to be a little slow and uneventful. other that that though, I loved the vibes, loved the story, and sapphic academic rivals?? with betrayal?? and magic??? this was exactly what I needed. I absolutely adored the folklore and quest too. The mythical creatures fascinated me and I fell in love with Sylvia’s love for them. ALSO THE BANTER BETWEEN LORELEI AND SYLVIA I JUST CANNOTT I was smiling at my screen like an idiot. anyw I loved this sm and thank you again!!

Magically Marvellous. I wasn't sure this was a bit of me at first and as I started to get bored at 19 percent BAM! I was pulled in hook line and sinker. I am absolutely obsessed with this it was incredible. I adored how it was written, the names took me a moment to get the hang of but I was rooting for Lorelai from the start. I loved Sylvias character, I enjoyed the banter. I enjoyed everything about this book the plot the storyline the character development I was enraptured in this world so much it was probably one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a while, I felt like I was in the pages not just reading it. I am so happy the characters got the ending they deserved I sat reading this book giggling, rocking back and forth kicking my feet and also with my hand over my mouth in shock. IT has everything it should and more.

I was excited to receive this arc as I was looking forward to a sapphic dark academia rich in folklore. Unfortunately this book missed the mark for me.

Plot:
I enjoyed the adventure aspect of the plot, but the murder mystery component only confused me. Perhaps as it was hard to tell any of the side characters apart, I felt that it could have been done better and didn’t add to my enjoyment of the book.

Folklore:
What I was hoping for was rich folklore woven into the narrative that hints at the direction of the plot or character motives. However, while the folklore itself was interesting, it just appeared in info dumps throughout the story. It took my attention away from the current conversation or event that was happening and didn’t add much to the narrative with how it was incorporated.

Characters:
I found it so hard to distinguish any of the side characters until right at the end! And even then I still got Heike and Adelheid confused right up until the end. They had roles for the most part, but nothing else that really distinguished them from each other. Johann was the only one who had some sort of personality and that was really only because Lorelei suspected him.

Romance:
It just didn’t feel believable. The characters were a stark contrast to each other and were just constantly at odds with each other but not in a building tension or sexually charged kind of way. Just in a ‘all these two ever do is fight’ kind of way.

The Magic system was Interesting but underdeveloped. The world building was easy to follow, but I felt the ties to Germany and the war and Jews and Catholics were quite obvious yet didn’t enrich the plot. They perhaps would have been better off if they were completely fictional factions or subtler. I did enjoy the magical creatures in the book.

I apologise as I really wanted to enjoy this book, but it was honestly difficult to read and to finish

I really wanted to like this one. I've read some of Saft's other works, and was excited to see her try her hand at an adult novel. Unfortunately this just wasn't good enough, in my opinion. The writing style is still more suitable for YA than adult novels, and the parts that would make it "adult" the salacious scenes, are written rather awkwardly and felt shoe-horned in. For a book being touted and sold as dark academia, I expected a level of maturity in the writing and in the themes explored that just wasn't there. The info dumping was quite extreme at the beginning, and yet I still found myself not knowing how the magic system worked until three quarters of the way through the book. The characters were quite surface level- not unlikeable enough or interesting enough for me to be invested. Overall, I think this should have been a YA book, and not adult, and this also confirms that Saft's writing just isn't for me.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

✨️ dark academia vibes
✨️ murder mystery
✨️ slow burn sapphic romance
✨️ rivals to lovers
✨️ German folklore inspired
✨️ water magic

This was my first book by Allison Saft and she has now secured a spot on my autobuy author list. The writing was magical, the world-building exceptional, and the slow-burn romance beautifully developed.

Despite the book's short length, the world-building was impressively detailed. I enjoyed the setting and the vivid descriptions, which made it easy to imagine all the places they visited. I loved how strongly the story was rooted in folklore and I found the magical creatures very interesting.

Initially, I found it hard to like Lorelei but she gradually grew on me. Once I understood her motives and feelings, I couldn't help but love her. My favorite part of the book was the evolving romance between Lorelei and Sylvia, and the way Lorelei's feelings transformed over time.

As for the murder mystery, the revelation of the culprit and their motives surprised me, but I appreciated the happy ending. The only aspect I didn't like was the separation between Lorelei and Sylvia at the end; it felt a bit unnecessary.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the eArc, I can't wait to get my special edition of this book!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

What I liked:

- the water based magic system - I loved the atmospheric descriptions of the water magic. It was eerie and very visual.
- the romance - I thought it was believable and sweet, and I'm always a big fan of a sapphic romance.
- the world building - it was woven into the story beautifully. I also liked how it linked in with real world examples of colonialism and the plight of Jewish people. Super interesting and well written.

What I didn't like:

- the writing style - it just didn't capture my attention whatsoever and I felt my mind wandering constantly.
- the story - I didn't find myself wanting to pick this up. It took ages to read for that reason.
- the main character - she was so unlikeable. I rolled my eyes at her behaviour more than once. I just don't vibe with the "cold and unemotional but with a secret heart of gold" character type.
- the ending - this felt almost in favour of colonialism which was weird... I expected a much different ending.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review*

Did I like this book? Yeah?
Do I want to read it again? Probably no.

The premise was good but the book was too heavy on the folklore side. The romance seemed a little bit forced and even though it's supposed to be enemies to lovers, all Lorelai and Sylvia did was fight and insult one another. The murder case and the solving of the murder were a little too predictable for my taste. It was a decent effort of Saft's tryout on adult novels.

3.5 stars

This was a slow start for me and the first 25% made me sleepy, I could only manage a chapter at a time. I definitely recommend going into this book with a clear brain as my tired self wasn’t coping. Thankfully I persevered and once my brain got used to the writing I was enjoying the story much more. This was my first book by the author and the writing was enchanting, giving vibes of historical fiction mixed in with a good dose of fantasy.

What I liked: the world building was just right, I could visualise the different regions which our noble characters were from without the descriptions being too much. The magical creatures were enjoyably varied and also familiar to many we know. I loved the magic and roles, though magic itself is quite a minor feature in terms of actual usage. I liked that this seemed to follow German folklore, but I saw some Jewish inspiration to the FMC and heritage and people. The public perception of the Yeva felt familiar to our history but was written really well.

What I didn’t like so much: though it may seem strange I actually didn’t care much for any of the characters. Lorelei’s character development felt slow, but wasn’t unenjoyable, but it was more the other characters I didn’t either love or hate. I was much more interested in the plot and world than the characters themselves. The romance is very much sub-plot which worked for this book, but it also easily could have not been there at all as for me, it didn’t add anything.

Overall after a rocky start I did really enjoy the story, I liked being on an expedition and learning each characters profession/role and how they contribute. The murder mystery element was executed well and I had plenty of fantasy to keep me intrigued.

Huge thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an early e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It was the perfect blend of magic, folklore and adventure. The world-building was fantastic and I loved how elements of folklore were woven into the narrative. The main characters were very well structured and had so much depth. Sylvia was my favourite! I loved her whimsy and charm. I wish 'folklorist' was a real job title. Sign me right up! XD

This was a really fun book and I would definitely read more from this author :)

3.5 stats.

There is a lot to like about this book, and for the most part it is enjoyable. It isn't without its sore points, though.

This book, labelled Saft's 'adult debut', is a blend of political fantasy, murder mystery, sapphic romance, and (admittedly a bit too heavy-handed) folklore. All of these elements usually work for me. In combination, they *almost* hit the spot - the folklore was a little too "info-dumped" and the murder mystery was at points very formulaic in its execution, but for the most part Saft wove these into a convincing and enjoyable story, and her prose is at times absolutely sublime.

Lorelai and Sylvia are not likeable characters. In fact, there isn't a single likeable character in here. For this reason, the novel actually works brilliantly. This is ultimately a story of selfishness and self-preservation, rather than one of 'the greater good' - if you are expecting a heroic tale then I would say this probably isn't the one for you as you won't find a hero in this cast of characters. The tension between Lorelai and Sylvia is at moments brilliant and at others slightly nonsensical, but I was ultimately rooting for them. Lorelai, a 'Yevani' outcast who grew up isolated in a ghetto and is trying to chase her dreams via her academic ventures, is the right character for this novel to centre around. Despite her pretty major character flaws and questionable decisions, I did feel an emotional connection to the grief and prejudice in her backstory.

However, and without any spoilers, the ending was rushed. Additionally, for a story that heavily relies on its elements of fantastical antisemitism, through this lens it is not what you would call a satisfying ending, even if it is true to the characters' motivations throughout. It is for this reason that I emphasise that this is not a novel to read seeking for a heroic morality story, as I don't think you'll find that here.

Review posted on Goodreads and Storygraph.

I’ve seen this book around on social media, and after looking into it, was pretty sure that this would be a book that I would definitely enjoy for three main reasons:

Dark academia - yes, great.
Folklore - yes, great.
A murder to solve? - yes, great.

Was it everything I hoped for? No, sadly. For me, it took me quite a while for me to really get into the story and to develop an understanding of the world building going on with the folklore and creatures included. I wanted more about the characters, more about their motivations and more about Sylvia. From about 60%, I did find that the story picked up a bit and the action was enough to keep me interested, with characters coming into contact with some unusual elements, occasionally with quite deadly consequences.
There was also a very slow enemies-to-lovers burn throughout, with one closed door intimate scene, so I would rate the spice at 0.5. The representation throughout the story was interesting, especially since I have not encountered many sapphic books with Jewish representation.

Thank you to NetGalley, Daphne Press and Allison Saft for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Daphne Press for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Spoilers below

The story follows Lorelai, who is a folklorist making her way through her academic career. And the book starts when she's ready to set out on a big expedition with her mentor and some peers. The expedition has been commissioned by the king with the goal to find a spring said to be a powerful source of magic. Shortly after the group board Lorelai's mentor (and their group leader) is murdered. So the story has almost a dual storyline there's part where Lorelai is trying to work out who killed her mentor and survive the tension, and then the other half is the search for the spring.

I had a good time reading this, and for me the best part of this book was the relationship dynamic between Lorelai and Sylvia. It's an academic slow burn rivals-to-lovers dynamic, full of yearning, tension and longing which is slowly drip-fed throughout the book. Although I will admit I did find myself a little confused about the perspective I was reading from between these two on a few occasions.

Overall it was a good blend of fantasy, dark academic, folklore and suspense.

[ARC provided by NetGalley and Daphne Press. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review A Dark and Drowning Tide.]

Rating: 4.5/5

Overflowing with dark folklore and sapphic yearning, A Dark and Drowning Tide will lure you into its watery depths where all manner of magical creatures are poised to steal your last breath. Featuring a dangerous expedition where crewmates can be as deadly as the mythical beings they study, this story takes the reader on a twisting journey where loyalties are tested, friendships are broken, and death lurks in the shallows.

When Lorelei Kaskel embarks on a quest along with six nobles to find a mythical spring - a fabled source of magic that promises incredible power - the journey gets off to a tragic start when Lorelei’s beloved mentor is murdered. Leaving the remaining five members of the team as suspects, she is left in charge of the expedition and of rooting out the murderer in their midst. It’s no easy task when motives can easily be found for each of the nobles, but Lorelei is certain she can rule out Sylvia von Wolff, her long-time academic rival and object of ire. If they are to have any chance of surviving this venture into the unknown, they must grudgingly work together to find the spring before the killer strikes again.

I went into this story knowing little of what to expect, so I was pleasantly surprised when so many tropes that I love were featured throughout the book. First there is the enchanting combination of dark academia and even darker fairy tales that hooked me from the first page. In addition to that there is an absolutely beautiful romance that grows between Lorelei and Sylvia as the plot progresses. Lorelei is a troubled character who appears to have little love for Sylvia at the beginning of this story, but as time goes on her obsession becomes more and more apparent. Every scene that they share is charged with pure tension and attraction that will leave your heart racing, wondering if they are closer to blows or kissing.

There’s also an underlying exploration of themes such as prejudice and antisemitism which is often linked to folklore in a way that is reminiscent of the propaganda we may see in current times. We mostly see this through the eyes of Lorelei, whose Jewishness paired with her own experiences in life has left her cautious and withdrawn, and completely at odds with those who would sooner paint her as a villain than value who she is as an individual.

I’m left with a feeling of tentative hope after reading this book, as the main takeaway for me was the enduring power of love, and the healing capacity that comes with it. This is a truly beautiful story that I’d urge everyone to read, and I’ll be excited to look out for more from this author in the future.

WHAT A READ! I read this in only a day and it was enchanting, mysterious and queer. From academic rivals to a sapphic romances we follow Lorelai the Folklorist and Sylvia the Naturalist as they embark on a journey to find a magic water source previously unlocated alongside a team and their mentor. The sudden murder of their mentor during their travels leads them on a trail of uncovering mystery and betrayals and schemes they couldn't have imagined.

Inspired by german folklore this is the perfect queer fantasy read for all to pick up this fall once it releases.

The book was decent but not exceptional. It took me nearly a month to finish it. The main character was rather irritating, and I figured out the killer's identity early on, so the reveal lacked impact. There were too many references to fairy tales—some fit the story, but many seemed irrelevant.

On the plus side, the story itself was intriguing. The magic system was interesting, though I had trouble fully grasping it. Sylvia was the only character I genuinely liked, and the slow-burn romance between her and Lorelei was engaging. However, I found the ending a bit cheesy.

My second book by this author and it may just be a case of 'its me'. There was nothing wrong with it, but I wasn't particularly invested or interested in this story. It was just meh...