"A Dark and Drowning Tide, the latest work by Allison Saft, intrigued me from the moment it was announced, mainly due to the presence of folklore and gothic atmospheres. And it certainly didn’t disappoint me; in fact, I found it to be a beautiful read, perfect for the autumn season. But, there’s a ‘but’ (though a small one): I still prefer her previous work, *A Far Wilder Magic*. Let’s go in order, though!

*A Dark and Drowning Tide* is a standalone fantasy that features:
🍂 a sapphic relationship
🍂 grump x sunshine and academic rivals to lovers tropes
🍂 Jewish representation
🍂 Germanic folklore
🍂 but most of all, a slow pace and a heavily character-driven structure

And if you don’t appreciate this type of book, you might struggle with it, as the narrative is strongly focused on the characters, particularly on the relationship between Lorelai and Sylvie, while everything else takes a back seat. This is something that usually doesn’t bother me, especially when the characters are well-developed, as they are here. However, I must admit that in this book, I found the worldbuilding and the main plot—which revolves around a search and the resolution of a mystery—too much in the background, to the point of feeling vague and blurred.

Since the setting has a lot of potential, it's quite captivating, and the details on Germanic folklore only make it more enticing, I would have preferred a few more details to better outline this world and clarify certain aspects.
As for the characters, there’s little to criticize; they are very well-defined, complex, and nuanced, and I really enjoyed the relationship between Lorelai and Sylvie, as well as the well-crafted secondary characters.
However, I won’t deny that I had quite a hard time empathizing with Lorelai, whose perspective we mainly follow. She is a complex and difficult character—grumpy, distant, and prone to self-sabotage. It was tough to connect with her, but I still appreciated her growth and her relationship with Sylvie.

These are the two main reasons why I still prefer her previous book, *A Far Wilder Magic*, even though the setting and story are also somewhat secondary there due to it being a heavily character-driven book. But, of course, this is just my personal preference.
For me, this book was still an excellent read; I found it very compelling despite its flaws. However, it is especially suited for those looking for a book that takes its time, not so much to build the setting and plot, but to develop its characters. So, if you’re looking for action, confrontations, and intrigue with a fast-paced rhythm, this may not be the book for you. But if you’re after something cozier, perhaps with gothic atmospheres and a very slow pace… where it feels like nothing much is happening, then this might just be the book for you."

I liked it well enough, but the romance felt very flat to me.

I enjoyed the fantasy aspects a LOT, but
Why is one of the characters named “van der Kaas,” this means of the Cheese in Dutch and it was an interesting choice??

I loved the dark and looming tones throughout this book. The novel was so well written and enjoyable.

Not what I expected/ what I normally enjoy but the change in pace and language I really enjoyed! I love anything enemies/rivals to lovers and this was my first sapphic version. The dark academia will always be a win for me.
The amount of characters introduced could’ve been fleshed out a bit more.
Solid four stars

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC❤️

This was a dark but adventurous story.
It featured mythical beasts and a journey in search of a source of magic.
There were plottwists and secret motives.
The world was vivid and historically written.
🧚✨

I really loved this book! Initially it was a little bit difficult to get into, but once it picked up I could not put it down! I absolutely loved the character of Lorelai and the moody, dark tone of this book.

I enjoyed this but it felt like it took a year to read (tho really it was like a week). maybe saft isnt for me idk.

3.5 ⭐

Starting off with Pros, Allison Saft had such beautiful writing, it was honestly so refreshing to read something so lyrical and well-written. The writing tied into the setting and characteristics of the plant life and magical creatures quite well, as well as the characters. I loved the sapphic romance, the pining and tension was everything!!!, was done so well, and the slow-burn was just timed right. Sylvia and Lorelei as characters were fun to read about and written well, I loved the intertwining of Jewish folklore and identity around Lorelei's character.

On the other hand, With the cons, this book (particularly to me) held a slight pro-colonial narrative. The way the world building is done, how the Lorelei is forced to work for the same man who conquered and took over her own people's land, also holding vile antisemitic beliefs against her and her people, it was kind of weird reading about the characters acceptance of the reality they were living in. The initial usage of colonialism as a world building narrative made sense within the setting, however as time went on it started to give a slight pro-colonialism with the outcome and reasoning of the murder mystery driving home the pro-colonial narrative.

4-

A sapphic love story, a fantasy quest and a whodunnit all rolled into one sounds like pretty much the perfect book, and I was so ready to fall in love with it. However, that didn't quite happen.

A group set out from the capital of the fictional Brunnestaad in search of the Ursprung - the font of all magic, at the behest of king Willem. They are 5 priviliged childhood friends of the king, all with different skill sets, Yevanish folklorist Lorelei and professor Ziegler, the expedition's leader - who is murdered on their first day aboard the ship by one of the 6 other people on the expedition. Lorelei, the second in command, is tasked with finding out what happened while continuing on the expedition. Sounds exciting, no?

It kind of is. It definitely has its moments, and there were parts I loved. I had a good time every time I picked the book up. But.. I didn't fall for it, didn't connect as strongly as I had hoped.

There are several reasons for this. One of them being the very thinly veiled allusions to Jews vs Germany. The Yevanish are Jewish in all but name, they even live in a Jewish ghetto, and words like pogrom and shiva are used throughout. And all of the names in Brunnestaad sound decidedly Germanic - never mind Johann and his order of.. wolves, was it? I just personally do not enjoy when fantasy writers do this. I want a world that is not our own, not something that's so transparently referencing real world history. It's also one of the reasons I didn't take to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. I'm not a Christian, and I welcome literature that's critical of religion and offers different viewpoints and things that make you reconsider. But with fantasy I simply want to get lost in a world of magic and imagination.

Also, Lorelei - our protagonist, is hard to like. I get that she has a right to feel bitter and betrayed but it all gets a bit exhausting and while I didn't wish her ill, I also wasn't passionately rooting for her.

I would have liked some more worldbuilding and getting to know the rest of the characters better as we now only got Lorelei's fairly skewed view of things. It would have been helpful to know more of the history of the different lands to understand the stakes and the different factions and motivations.

All that being said, I did still find it exciting, and though the romance came in late and felt slightly awkward I was still there for it, and the ending touched me.

But if you don't mind obvious parallels to our own world or bitter and angry protagonists there is much to love here.

Oh I adored this gothic story! Allison Saft is an auto buy author for me and this one didn’t disappoint at all. Perfect read for this time of year.

3.5 ⭐️

A dark, mystical folklore heavy sapphic romance with a closed door murder mystery, what a fun mix!! A Dark and Drowning Tide follows Lorelei, a sharp tongued, quick to anger folklorist as she sets off on an expedition with a royal entourage to find a highly powerful magical spring as ordered by their king. When her mentor is murdered, there are only limited suspects, each with their own motives, With only one person she can trust is not guilty of the crime, she must work together with her longtime rival Sylvia to reveal the culprit before they both suffer the same fate.

I really enjoyed the whimsical yet dark and daunting vibes of this book, the world building was so well done, and I loved the folklore and tales of the wildeleute. Although I found it to be slower paced than I typically enjoy, I HAD to know who committed the murder and I was able to enjoy the vibes and the overall plot. Lorelei and Sylvia also had such cracking tension with their arguments, I was always eager to see who gave in first, which was fun to read.

To me the characters were so interesting, but I would have loved more time spent on delving into their backgrounds more, even if it was at the sacrifice of some descriptions of the environment. The history of war, civil unrest and prejudice was so unsettling and realistic and seeing how each character behaves within this context was really compelling as well. This book also explores prejudice and antisemitism in a really powerful way, reading about how Lorelei was treated by the majority and her experiences growing up was really impactful and I really appreciated the commentary this book provided.

Overall this book was packed with dark, academic fantasy vibes with an interesting murder mystery and a fun academic rivals to lovers romance plot line, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves the above and enjoys a slower plot progression.

Thank you to Daphne Press and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in return for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️

A gripping and emotional story. "A Dark And Drowning Tide" is Alison Saft's first adult fantasy novel. With a captivating writing style and a keen focus on the introspection of her characters, the author has wonderfully narrated the adventures of two rival girls, setting out in search of a legendary magical source. Lorelei and Sylvia’s story was both sweet and griping. I loved the elements of German folklore and the references to Jewish mythology. The only downside I found in the book was the handling of the pacing: sometimes I wished it had been put more focus on some scene, so I would have enjoyed them more than I actually did.

A thanks to NetGalley and the Publishing House for providing me with an ARC of the book.

Wanted to love it, DNF @ 51%. A bit too slow paced for me and I struggled to find myself invested in any of the characters

I loved this dark academia tale so much that I absolutely devoured it is one sitting and then I was annoyed with myself because I was enjoying it so much 🤣 The fault lies with Alison Saft and her fantastic and completely gorgeous writing, it’s so very much inviting and engaging !

The Dark and Drowning Tide is an addictive read, full of mystery, murder, magic, folklore, and of course romance ! All the characters are so very interesting and engaging, I am being greedy here but the one thing I would have liked is for it to be a bit longer but that’s only because of how much I enjoyed it and was gutted when I reached the end!

The romance between Lorelei and Sylvia is so slow burn and I am always here for a slow burn romance, the tension between them is so much fun as you watch them go from rivals to friends to lovers. A Dark and Drowning is the kind of story you will wish could go on forever, a story that will leave you with a full heart and one of the best things, hope !

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a bit of a fun, folklore heavy, sapphic fantasy. Also, surprise! locked room murder mystery! Except it’s not a room but rather a scientific expedition through whimsical forests in search for the source of magic.
I liked the writing style, it was a bit poetic and very pretty, but still easy to understand.
I will be getting many copies for my bookstore!

A gothic yet cosy fantasy, that's sapphic and has magic and academic rivals. A recipe for success.
After the murder of her professor, Lorelai and her rival sylvia must work together to solve the murder, but as ever not eveything is as it seems, and their mentor was hiding more secrets than first realised.
The writing matches the theme of the book and is detailed and flowing and poetic, and pulls you gently along for the ride, gradually building the tension as you read, drawing to an intense conclusion.

Theres a lot of intense moments and some quite dark lore, so the romance brightening and softened up those edges a bit.

It could have done with a little more worldbuilding, and being a little less on the nose about some of the political/religious overtones, but i understand having to make them more obvious to suit a range of readers.
But I love the chaos and the magic and the beautiful style of writing.

This book was amazing. I love fairytales and folklore and I love Dark Academia, so this book literally had it all for me. The fantasy world was rich and not too overwhelming (although it took me a bit to orient myself in how the world worked) and the characters are all very well written and rich in personality. I loved Lorelei, but god was I weak for Sylvia. The slow burn burned so well and I literally turned around in bed and screamed at my boyfriend when they FINALLY kissed. I need more of this vibe now, and am definitely reading more of Allison Saft's work.

Allison Saft is an author whose books I have really fallen in love with this year and this new release is no exception. This dark mysterious tale full of tension and romance is the perfect accompanent to the upcoming Autumn season.

I read a far wilder magic a few years ago, so I was super excited to read this one.

It did not disappoint. The world building is exquisite. The characters are all so well rounded, I believed each and every one of them as a real person. This book immerses you, and there's no escaping it (in the best way). I really enjoyed the mystery element to this novel. Without spoiling it, the reveals seemed so obvious once they were announced, but the author keeps you guessing until the very last second.

I enjoyed the romance element of this book too, Sylvia and Lorelei are so good together, and I found myself devouring their scenes together.

I would 100% recommend this book.

Read from September 10th, 2024 to September 25th, 2024. Written on October 6th, 2024.

First off, I do apologise for the delay on posting this review. Between work and the beginning of the second year of university, my brain hasn't been in the right place to sit down and write this.

I have to start with the cover. It is so so beautiful. My congratulations to the artist.

About the writing, though some parts could be a little bit better in terms of making the narrative flow a more easily, in general, it is quite good.

The story has incredible world-building and character development.

Now, there are a couple negatives in my opinion:
1. I feel like the main plot twist was not as twisty as I hoped for. Though I wasn't exactly expecting it, it didn't feel like a major revelation.
2. The relationship between Sylvia and Lorelei was...weird. It was too slow in some aspects and too fast in others. I felt that the whole "rivals-to-lovers" had a strange passage from rivals to lovers, it didn't feel natural, maybe a bit too rushed in a way? Even though they do take their time to get together. I don't know.
3. I didn't fully enjoy all the folktales that the main characters tells. At first it was nice and really good for the lore, but after a while it just became a bit too much.

I'm not entirely displeased, and I do recommend this if you like fantasy stories and a lot of folktales and old history.

(Free ARC from NetGalley and Daphne Press that I chose to review after reading - Cross-posted on Goodreads on October 6th, 2024)