disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review

content warnings: antisemitism, death, war, grief, violence, colonisation

rep: jewish lesbian m/c, sapphic romance

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a murder mystery and adventure fantasy novel full of rich folklore, rich atmosphere & an academic rivals to lovers sapphic romance. Lorelei and Sylvia are academic rivals but their relationship soon turns into a passionate romance. In this novel, Saft explore antisemitism in folklore and the influence stories have on people's prejudices, this aspect was done phenomenally.

One of my favourite aspects of A Dark and Drowning Tide was the fairytale/magical aspect of the novel - while showing how dark & dangerous nature and magical beings could be, it did also feel a little whimsical in parts too. The romance was endearing too & it is quite trope heavy - grumpy/sunshine, academic rivals to lovers, forbidden romance - but Saft writes these well.

The mystery in itself was quite lacklustre & I feel it did take quite a backseat to the rest of the story. I'm not going to lie - I really disliked the ending (bar the romance, I loved this ending) but it felt a little pro colonisation, which felt like a complete u-turn on the narrative we'd seen throughout the novel. I don't know, it just left a little bit of a bitter taste. Regardless, Saft is a talented fantasy author with a real skill for rich worldbuilding and romance.

Finished A Dark and Drowning Tide and wow, the vibes were immaculate. It’s a gothic seaside fantasy with witches, secrets, and that slow-burn tension that just keeps building. The atmosphere felt so eerie and dreamlike, and I loved how messy and complex the characters were. Definitely one to pick up if you’re into moody settings and morally gray magic.

I love Alison Saft's writing style, she is an instant read for me! This book lives up to my expectations of her writing and I really enjoyed reading another of her books! Would definitely recommend this.

I personally was not a fan, however I do think the vibes of this one were immaculate. I think the problem at the time lays with me and the mood I was then in. This book is perfect for lovers of moody fantasy and beautiful prose.

5/5 stars! This is a stunning sapphic dark academia fantasy. I loved everything about this book: from the cover, to the premise, to the enemies-to-lovers plot lines between Lorelei and Sylvia. It humorously reminded me of Murder on the Orient Express in that everyone on the ship was a suspect. Running to pick up another book by author Allison Saft.

“You've acted the part of a villain so well, you've gone and convinced yourself it's who you truly are.”

Lorelei Kaskel's dream comes true when she is asked to co-lead an academic team to find a fabled spring, the source of all magic. The king wants to harness its power to secure his reign and stop any more wars. The task is a difficult one though. For one, everyone hates Lorelei and she hates everyone back, except her mentor, Professor Ziegler.

But the expedition quickly turns into a nightmare, when Lorelei finds Ziegler's body. It's clear the professor has been murdered and the only person Lorelei knows it can't be, is her academic rival, Sylvia von Wolff. Unfortunately, the two have to band together to save a doomed mission, discover which of their colleagues is a killer, and fight to keep their hateful attraction to each other at bay.

I am a big fan of using folklore and mythology in fantasy, and the author uses this technique well, exploring both German and Jewish folklore. I don't know that much about either, so I found this aspect fascinating and entertaining.

Lorelei is a complex character. She's angry and foul-tempered and uninterested in almost anyone except herself. And yet, she is what others made her. As part of an ethnic group others see as dirty and criminal, she's had to fight for her right to be an academic and for a place on the expedition. To counterbalance Lorelei, Sylvia is portrayed as carefree and a bit airheaded, despite her talents as a naturalist, though Lorelei finds she has to see Sylvia differently once they get to know each other.

This book really is a hybrid genre because there is very much a locked-room mystery aspect to it (the room being the expedition boat). I was almost more interested in discovering who killed Professor Ziegler than seeing whether the group could find the magical spring. I found myself trying to figure out who the murderer was and guessed it just shortly before the reveal.

This gothic, sapphic romantasy will satisfy anyone who likes their fantasy full of new and interesting folklore, juicy characters and a murder mystery to boot.

A Dark and Drowning Tide pulled me under from the first page and didn’t let go. The writing is absolutely stunning—moody, immersive, and rich with atmosphere. The story unfolds like a slow, inevitable storm, full of buried secrets, emotional depth, and characters who feel raw and real.

I loved how the author let the darkness breathe—never rushing, never over-explaining. It’s gothic without being cliché, lyrical without being overdone. Every page felt like poetry soaked in seawater.

If you love stories that linger and leave you a little haunted, this one is for you.

This is a sapphic romance standalone steeped in folklore and academic rivalry. I loved the murder mystery aspect to this story, but was expecting it to be a little darker than it ended up being. I still enjoyed it nonetheless, and absolutely loved the vibes and atmosphere of the book even when sometimes the plot slipped away from me.

I really enjoyed this story steeped in folklore and it was refreshing to read a standalone novel when so many are series out there. Not to mention the tension and yearning between the characters was delicious! I will definitely read more from this author on the future!

I was lucky enough to get an arc of this one but I completely forgot to update this one with my review!
I really enjoyed this book. It was so beautifully written and easy to follow along with. The world building was fantastic and I loved the world the author wove for us, although at points I got a little lost. I like how descriptive the author was and how certain things were explained.
The plot was pretty stready and I enjoyed the twists and turns that it threw at me. I liked that it left me desperate to find out who did what!
I liked the characters and felt they were well written and had a good depth to them. I do feel that sometimes not all the emotions came across well
in the book, I read the emotions but didn’t feel them.
Overall I enjoyed this book and would definitely read from this author again in the future.

This book had an amazing premise: a folklorist and her academic rival team up to solve their mentor's murder amidst an expedition filled with magic, political intrigue, and lurking dangers.

However, the execution left me wanting more., the romance felt a bit unrealistic and it lacked depth, the murder mystery element, while initially engaging, didn't deliver what i was hoping for.

It's a decent read for the atmospheric fantasy with a touch of romance, but it might fell a bit simplistic and unfinished.

The two darkly rich and Gothic editions of this novel, along with the alluring title, led me to believe this would be a darker read than was delivered. It was full of beauty but, unfortunately, not suited to my particular reading tastes. This remained more of a murder mystery story than a dark expedition and a Sapphic love story.

A Dark and Drowning Tide gave me what I wanted from Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries; adventure, creatures, whimsy, and magic. The writing was beautiful. It evoked all this fantastical imagery, with sirens, pixies, and dragons roaming about these magical lands. This is why I love fantasy.

The romance was also very well done. I absolutely adore Sylvia. I found her and Lorelei’s relationship to be entirely believable, which for me is the highest form of praise.

Overall, a great read.

Inspired by folklore, A Dark and Drowning Tide is dark and mysterious with a side of murder mystery. This locked-room whodunnit had me guessing until the end.

Initially going into the book, I thought there might have been more to the rivals to lovers trope but on finishing the book, I wish there was less of the romance because it took away from the story. I also struggled to get into the world and the character's perspective; the plot felt slippery and difficult to grasp and I was constantly waiting to change to a more interesting POV.

That said, the vibes were delicious. A atmospheric read but not anything incredible. I'll definitely continue to follow this author with new expectations for each release.

Second time reading an arc from this author and I was NOT disappointed. I absolutely love it, the writing style keep you intrigued and the plots are always amazing!
I don't even wanna talk about it because it would ruin the experience, I'll just say you HAVE to read it if you love folklore, a good world building, interesting creatures and characters with different personalities and rivalries, oh and of course a beautifully written sapphic love story.
The only advice I would give is maybe adding a map and/or a glossary of the creatures, that would make the reading experience even better and easier for the one that find hard learning about a new worldbuilding .
Thank you to netgalley and the author for this opportunity!

I didn't know what to expect going in to this book since I chose to go in blind but I am so glad I did!

I was pleasantly surprised with the premise of this book with it revolving around the studies of magic creatures. This is a concept that has always intrigued me as I always loved the idea of magic creatures living in out forests! I love when magical creatures are depicted more dark, like a dark fairytale or like folklore style. It is very dear to my heart as there is a lot of dark forest folklore where I am from.

The main character Lorelai is a bit of an outcast and she doesn't have a big belief in herself. She gets chosen to go along on a expedition to find the Ursprung, a magical spring promising untold power. And it is very funny to me as Ursprung which I guess they took from the German language is also the same in Swedish, which means origin.

I really enjoyed the writing and the romance really surprised me as I didn't know it was going to be a sapphic novel! They are so rare so this was also a lovely surprise! It was a more typical rivals to lovers story but I enjoyed it.

I would say if you like books like Emily Wilde this one would also be up your alley!

I just got a bit bored. We were thrown into the world with little world building or character introductions and it just felt a bit meh.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️

📚: Standalone
Genre: Fantasy, Romantasy
Tropes: Queer, Gothic, Dark Academia, Rivals to Lovers, Sapphic Romance, Murder Mystery, inspired by German Folklore, One Tent, Grumpy/ Sunshine, Forced Proximity, Slow Burn, Politics

‘To care about anyone but herself was a weakness she couldn’t afford. And yet…’

‘I couldn’t bear to see harm befall you. I couldn’t exist in a world without you. What me is there without you?’

Academic rivals Lorelei & Sylvia find themselves on the same research expedition, sent by the king no less to retrieve the source of magically power. This expedition isn’t plain sailing though; with betrayals, unlikely alliances & murder mysteries…

So this book surprised me! Initially I wasn’t too sure on it because it does start off a little slow, however by the end I was thoroughly charmed! I grew to love our main characters just like they did with each other. This story has a lot of twists & turns, which kept me hooked. Once we were off on the expedition I was all in!

Allison has a wonderful descriptive & whimsical way of writing, which suits the setting & characters perfectly. Some of the dialogue was just lovely.

The slow burn of this story was the highlight for me. Even though it’s a closed door romance the building of Lorelei & Sylvia’s relationship was great. If anything the plot really does get a little lost to the romance of it all, but I didn’t mind.
I think this book unlocked a new micro trope for me: brushing their hair for them.

I will definitely be adding more of Allison’s work to my TBR after reading this.

Thank you Allison Saft, Daphne Press & NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not what I expected but I really enjoyed it

- Murder mystery
- Academics
- F/F romance
- Rivals to lovers
- Magic
- War
- Politics

This book it took me a while to find a time where I was in the mood for this after realising it wasn't dark academia and was more murder mystery meets academia. However once I got into it I couldn't put it down.

The plot of this was really intriguing and their magic is interesting. The different lands politics and the race of people being looked down on and sneered at (the main characters race) was upsetting but real.

The romance in this was so cute and I really enjoyed it. It was different to any romance I have read recently and that made it refreshing and fun for me.

Thank you netgalley and Daphne Press for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy my time reading this. While I was interested by the premise of the book, I was overall bored and found the world and magic system difficult to understand. I don't know if this was a reflection of my own reading, but I would assume so as I have seen that many other people have enjoyed this. Unfortunately, it was just not for me.