⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 5 stars

"All of them where haunted women. Violence had broken and reforged them, and the sharp edges it left behind made them dangerous."

Tropes, Themes, and Things to Expect
• murder mystery
• sapphic, angsty romance
• academic rivals to lovers
• magical world filled with folklore
• gothic dark academia vibes
• an epic quest
• cast of unique characters, somewhere between friends and enemies

content warnings for this book include: antisemitism (discussed), drugging (sleeping drought), blood, gore, and injury depiction, depiction and description of dead bodies, strangulation, drowning

This is my first Allison Saft novel and oh boy, what an introduction to her writing. A Dark and Drowning Tide follows Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist who has grown up as an outcast and is followed by ghosts everywhere she goes. Desperate to prove herself and to see herself, her family, and her people safe, she is determined to succeed on the expedition she has embarked on with her beloved mentor, as well as six eccentric nobles -- one of which is none other than the annoyingly beautiful, knowledgeable, and kind Sylvia von Wolff, Lorelei's rival (and general pain in her ass). But when her mentor is brutally murdered on one of the first nights aboard their vessel, Lorelei must take over leadership and also attempt to find out who is behind this atrocious act. The only one she knows is innocent, is Sylvia, and grudgingly the two work together to uncover the truth, all amidst the strange dangers of their world – forests that rearrange themselves at night, and bloodthirsty, shapeshifting beasts. But in their pursuit of justice and truth, the two grow far closer than Lorelei had ever imagined, and secrets are unveiled that have her questioning, whether justice can ever truly be served, and if anyone can truly be saved.

I genuinely don't know where to begin with this review. Lorelei is one of the most intriguing main characters I have had the pleasure of reading of potentially all year. She is witty and snarky, dark and cunning. There is a hidden softness to her, but rarely does she let it show, instead allowing everyone to think her sharp and cold. There is a desperation to her that drives her throughout the entire novel, and a goodness as well, that she cannot help but return to, even when it would be easier to embrace the darkness. Lorelei is deeply flawed and multi-faceted. She knows that the world is a cruel place, and yet still she wishes to make it better, especially for her people, who have been so awfully mistreated for far too long. Throughout this novel, we see her ebb and flow like the tide, and I love the overarching arc that Saft takes us on with her character, and who she becomes by the end.

Sylvia on the other hand, is Lorelei's perfect counterbalance. Someone who has seen the evils of the world and yet came out on the other side and is fiercely optimistic, kind, and pure. She loves this world and all its mesmerizing creatures. She loves her home and her friends. Sylvia is deeply intelligent and while I enjoyed the closed POV, I do wonder what it would be like to have a narration more from her perspective as well. She is a fighter, but a gentle one. Seeing these two slowly coming together had me genuinely kicking my feet and giggling. The amount of highlights I have of Lorelei being stubbornly and blissfully unaware of either of their feelings towards one another is truly incredible. The angst was written to perfection and the reward was so amazing when we finally did get to see the two of them opening up to one another more and more.

The gothic vibe of this book was another highlight for me. It comes through not only in the world-building, the history and folklore that we get so much insight into, without it ever feeling like too much, but also in Saft's writing style. It is lyrical in a way, but still easy to follow. Reading this book felt like being swept away by a river; to say I enjoyed the feeling of the current pulling me under and into this world, would be a massive understatement.

I also found it incredible how well we got to know the rest of the cast of characters. Each were individual and unique, with their own ways of speaking and being. Hats off to Allison Saft for this book, it might be my favorite read of 2024 so far!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Daphne Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I now own two beautiful editions of this book: the Waterstones exclusive and the Illumicrate edition because I am mildly obsessed with it…

From the very first page this had me enthralled, and I dropped everything to carry on reading (seriously, I inhaled the first half of this book!) The writing was beautiful, with intriguing characters and an immediate sense of something sinister happening which kept me reading to unpick the mystery, true detective style.

Magic, mystery and mystic folklore combined to make the perfect recipe for autumn reading, with a sizzling romance to boot!

It also juggles more serious topics such as antisemitism and prejudice throughout this folkloric, fairytale-esque world, and this really packs a punch to the gut at times, hitting me right in the feels!

Though I have yet to 100% finish this book, I know it will become one of my favourites which I will recommend for years to come! The highlight for me is the beautifully lyrical writing style which just flows and weaves effortlessly to create a rich narrative, drawing you in with every single word, enveloping you like a misty morning.

Thank you for sending me an early e-copy of this book to review, and I will update with my final thoughts on goodreads as soon as I make it through the last few chapters!

DNF at 11%

I think this one was pretty clearly not for me from the get-go. While I love an atmospheric book, I couldn't get into the worldbuilding - which wasn't particularly well laid-out - and found the characters particularly unlikable. It felt a little like A Study in Drowning-lite.

If you're a fan of The Wolf and the Woodsman or A Study in Drowning, I'd recommend giving it a try.

I absolutely adored this book. I thought the writing and the writing style was absolutely
delectable; there were so many lines in this novel that I highlighted, took a moment to appreciate, and physically wanted to eat up. I will definitely be reading more from Saft just purely on her writing!

I really enjoyed the plot, how the mystery and the progress of their journey slowly unravelled. All the characters felt distinct enough and I really enjoyed Lorelei, Sylvia, and Ludwig a lot! The romance made complete sense and it was wonderful seeing Lorelei being either completely blind or overwhelmed by her feelings. It was adorable!

Saft also interwines some of our real world fairytales and places them into this world really well! There were quite a few I recognised and I adored how they were used in this story.

My only slight criticism would be:

1. The worldbuilding; I would love to have learnt a lot more about the world and the creatures in a lot more detail. I don’t think we’re really given a good idea of this world, what it looks like, where everything is, and how it works. Especially at the beginning, the worldbuilding was very, very minimal. I wanted to know a lot more about the creatures too! We’re introduced to all these creatures (like alps) and it felt like we are expected to just accept them, but I wish there had been more lore explained for them.

2. Also, give this book a map! Any fantasy book without a map is such an oversight. It appears the first published version also doesn’t come with a map, but I hope future editions of the book and reprints of the book come with a map in them.

I am so glad I enjoyed this book as I have been anticipating reading it for months and the wonderful writing elevated my enjoyment of the story even more! I cannot wait to read more from Saft!

This was a really fun and enjoyable read! I loved the murder mystery element, and the folklore, and the atmospheric writing. The thing that I liked the most, though, was the sapphic, academic rival romance between our main characters.

I’m not usually disappointed when books aren’t series’, as I really enjoy standalone, but this time I am as I really wanted to explore more of the world and the romance between these characters.

I don’t read dark academia very much, I haven’t got much to compare it to, but I loved it. A perfect gothic and gloomy book to match the weather we’re having and this time of year!

I did take some issues with it, though. I didn’t like that it ended in a similar place it began, so there wasn’t much in terms of character arcs or change. The middle of the book struggled to grab my attention sometimes, too, and the politics of the world, I felt, could have built upon and have more character conversations on it because the politics were wild!

Thank you, Netgalley and publishers, for the review copy.

Arc review


So this is sad , because i was so excited to be given this eArc and i am so disappointed 😔
I had a hard time finishing the book but I wanted to have a complete picture so I could do a review.
The blurb of the book sounded really interesting and great but the execution was in need of more editing and in fact was boring. I understand that the MC is a folklorist ,but the telling of these folklories within rhe storyline was telling,not showing and slowed down the book . The folkories kept the reader away from understanding the secondary characters better and being able to follow and solve the murder mystery together with the mc. I was expecting a more strong and dynamic magic system , magic show and world building.
Also it was difficult for me to be inside of the MC 's mind that hated everybody because they hated her people and everything they represent without actually knowing why everybody hated her people . And at the end what exactly did she do ro help her people and clear their name ?? I was so confused .... beyond the fact that our mc gets a happy ending with her love intrest (their enemies to lovers relationship didn't convince me either ) I didn't understand if our ending was happy. as I said I was very confused because on the one hand I believed that the murderer was right for what he claimed but neither the villain nor the hero in our history convinced me of their right.



Thank you netgalley for the eArc in exchange for my honest opinion!!

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a book I have mixed feelings about but have ultimately settled on a 3 star rating for it. It took me a while to get the world building but it grew on me the more I read. I loved the use of fairytales and folklore to explore the way discrimination is baked into society from childhood. Any critique of mythmaking and its relationship to nationbuilding (even in a fantasy world) is exciting for me as a reader. Stories are baked into our lives, often fading into the background as we age but they shape our sense of morals, who belongs in our societies and who is the Other, and what we deem important as a culture.

This has plenty of tropes that I love, academic rivals to lovers, its sapphic, there's a locked room mystery, political intrigue, a cast of characters who have all of their own motivations and secrets, and reluctant allies.

I loved the characters at the beginning of the novel, angry and brooding folklorist Lorelai who is Yeva, which is parallel to Jewish in this world. She carries the world on her shoulders after a traumatic incident that she cannot heal from. Her entire life she has ben treated with disdain for her religion and culture and is becoming increasingly jaded with the idea that her advancement will come through her education and leading an expedition to find the Urspring for the king. This way she can become a trusted adviser and advocate for the betterment of the Yevani. I could understand Lorelei and why she was this closed off person. She was grumpy but she was also traumatised and living in a world that did not treat her like an she deserved to exist.

Her infuriating fellow scholar Sylvia continues to infuriate her but Lorelei cannot help but be drawn towards her, the golden child of Albe. Syvlia is unlike Lorelei, she's bright and optimistic despite swearing off from magic after the war for King William. She's a naturalist, enchanted by the wonder of the supernatural world around her.

When their beloved mentor is murdered, the two team up to work out which of their fellow expeditioners killed Ziegler. This was my first gripe with the book. There was no real reason for them to team up aside from the this vague idea that they know the other couldn't be the murderer, not because they were together, rather Sylvia walks in on Lorelei standing over Ziegler's dead body. There needed to be something stronger than this vague notion that they know each other too well from that, especially as Lorelei in particular continues to be combative with Sylvia.

I think my main problem is Lorelei, we are constantly stuck in her head watching as she pushes and pulls Sylvia towards her. The romantic relationship between them I felt needed 50 more pages to develop properly but the plot didn't have 50 more pages of content to give. What I was hoping was Lorelei would begin to open up to Sylvia. There were times where we were close but then she reverted back to this defensive, sardonic grump. There was no character progression or change within her. She is emotionally withholding, bitter and angry, and this is with the woman she loves. What should have been a lovely scene at the very end of the book by her calling Sylvia a fool. I couldn't see what Sylvia saw in her. I understand that she's traumatised but there was no attempt to allow the woman she loves in to her inner world. I honeslty do not think they are a couple that would last in a relationship very long.

The other major issue I have is the last 30%, the climax seemed to happen pretty much at the 70% mark and the next lot of conflict after that felt manufactured and I could see the author's hand in crafting the conflict. It didn't feel natural and it felt like it threw out any character development we got especially with Lorelei. I don't want to spoil it but the betrayal felt forced and the ending didn't stick. It got to the last 50 pages and I had no idea how everything was going to tie up and in some parts it didn't.

I loved the aesthetic and the start of this book. There are people who I would recommend it to but it just didn't land for me.

This was such a pleasant surprise!

I had previously read “Fragile Enchantment” by the same author and I didn’t enjoy it, so I was cautious going into this one, but I am so glad I did.

I felt most things really worked for me - the writing was beautiful, the worldbuilding felt rich and fleshed out and I loved our main character Lorelai! I enjoyed the romantic tension and I really liked the slow pace of her relationship with Sylvia.

I was nervous if the ending would deliver and while there are several threads left loose, I felt I was overall satisfied with where we left these characters and that it felt true to their journeys!

My only wish is that this book had a map - I had to draw a small one for myself while reading, but the reading experience would have been so much more immersive if we had one in the book.

Title: A dark and drowning tide
Author: Allison Saft
Pages: 384
Rating: 5/5

Arc Copy (gifted) - review left voluntarily
Publish date - book already released at the time of approval.

"A sharp-tongued folklorist must pair up with her academic rival to solve their mentor's murder in this lush and enthralling sapphic fantasy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic."

Lorelei and a team of students are on an exhibition to find a magical spring to prevent wars within their kingdoms. She faces prejudice because of who she is, so when her mentor is murdered and the king tells her if she doesn't find out who the murderer is, she'll take the fall, she has a lot to prove and obstacles against her.

This was a beautifully written book. Folklore, mythical beasts, sentient forests, prejudice, romance. It had everything for an autumn comfort read.

The book is also a standalone novel so perfect for in-between reads of series, or just if you don't want the commitment of lots to read.

I didn't know what to expect. The story left me second guessing with so many twists and turns. It was just a comforting seduction.

I definitely recommend drinking a smoky black tea and finding your favourite blanket with this.

You'll love this book if you like
- dark academia
- stand alone novel
- sapphic fantasy romance
- grumpy x sunshine
- slowburn
- cosy murder
- enemies to lovers

Thank you @netgalley, @daphne.press for allowing me to review.

Will you read it? If you've read it already, what were your thoughts??

Unfortunately I was 50% into this book before giving it a DNF but I think it was a 100% a me thing and not the book thing.

I think lots of people will absolutely adore this book and hold it near and dear to their hearts - unfortunately that won't be me.

I'm very surprised by how I just wasn't gripped by this book despite reading Saft's previous book "A Fragile Enchantment" and giving it a 5/5. I'm not sure why this one didn't click with me - I found the characters to be quite bland, and the premise and magic, although interesting it just wasn't gripping me and I don't know why. I think there was a lot of just telling why people are how they are etc without really showing it.

I might try and pick this one up again in the future as I think it was just wrong place wrong time for me hence why I will still be giving it a high review as I don't think the story and writing were bad necessarily.

Other than knowing this was sapphic and academic rivals, I went into this book not knowing at all what to expect or where the story might go! And I devoured it!

It was beautifully dark, and has those dark academia vibes we all love, full to the brim with folklore, mystery and served with a side of “whodunnit”

Lorelai is my favourite kind of Main Character, deeply flawed, angry and at times hard to like but we understand her, we get why she is the way she is.

Sylvia is Lorelai’s polar opposite, annoyingly chirpy, naive at times but still presents with a strength that shows us she’s not just what we see on the surface.

A Dark and Drowning tide is full to the brim with beautiful writing, folklore creatures, mystery expeditions and a strong, heart wrenching theme of anti-semitism. And I loved it so much

5⭐️
𝙑𝙄𝘽𝙀𝙎:
* 𝙂𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙠𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚
* 𝙎𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙍𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚
* 𝙎𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝘽𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙋𝙡𝙤𝙩
* 𝙈𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮
* 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙮
* 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 / 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and Allison Saft for the eARC!

A Dark and Drowning Tide was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it did not disappoint!
Allison's writing is always immersive and compelling, and the way she approached the rivals to lovers trope was refreshing!
The folklore woven through the story was clearly tackled with great research, and I found myself eager to know more about this world. I have come to appreciate adventure novels with a side of romance more as of late, and this hit all the right spots on that aspect.
I always love a good slow burn, and the relationship between Lorelei and Sylvia was filled with tension and a fantastic sense of longing.

All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about characters with deep internal turmoil and great character development, vivid imagery and fun world building, as well a touch of politics.

Lorelei Kaskel And her colleagues set out on an expedition to find a powerful source of magic for their king. The unthinkable happens and LOrelei must find the murderer of her mother figure. Who can she trust? Will the expedition succeed?

I loved reading this book, the development of relationships was great and it was interesting learning of the characters histories and motivations. The magical creatures were eerie and made me wants to know more about them. I thought the pacing was good and got through it pretty quickly. The misunderstandings between the main couple were good, they balanced each other well. Who doesn’t like a grumpy/sunshine pairing?

I would definitely recommend this book.

Lorelei, her mentor, and the King’s nearest and dearest friends-the Ruhigberg five set off to find the Ursprung. A magical well of incredible power that will secure the King’s hold of the turbulent Brunnestaad.
Shortly after they set off, Lorelei’s mentor is killed and the King sets her to find the killer or take the blame. Their quest still remains, and with her life on the line, everyone, except her rival Sylvia Von Wolff, is a suspect and threat.

Before this book I had no idea what sapphic meant (I still needed to search it up), the vibes were definitely vibing. I quite enjoyed Saft’s writing but did struggle with some of the Germanic phrases and having to stop to search it up.

Between the German theme and the way the Yeva were treated, it seems Saft has drawn inspiration to the Jewish plight during WWII. I really need to state that I am not a historian by any means and cannot be sure, however this is the impression I got. How successful she was at this I cannot reasonably say, however it might be triggering to some people.

I really enjoyed the slow burn between Sylvia and Lorelei but there were times I just wanted to roll my eyes and knock their heads together. I found the rest of the characters to not be as fleshed out. The rest of the Ruhigberg five, although given some backstory, felt relatively glossed over. It’s never fully explained what ties them together, and to the King, other than a close proximity during childhood.

I think this book is perfect for autumn as it has a dark enchanted feel. I loved the combination of science and magic. It just needed the side characters fleshing out some and more world building for everything to truly immerse me. Thank you very much to NetGalley and Daphne Press for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I knew this would be up my alley when I first heard about it, and I am SO relieved to say that this is still true after reading it!

The atmosphere and writing style was gorgeous and I loved the main two characters and their relationship. The plot was intriguing throughout and concluded in a satisfying way, which isn't always a given!

Highly recommend this one if you like folklore, dark academia and/or sapphic rivals to lovers. This was the first book by Allison Saft I have read and I will definitely be looking to read more!

This was my third book by this author and it was another winner!
The atmosphere of the book was almost another character in itself, and the writing was lyrical and immersive. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to remember all of the characters but they were all written so well that it was never a problem. The two main characters had a truly interesting relationship and I loved watching it develop; enemies to lovers done really well!
I will definitely pick up more books by this author. Huge thanks to the publisher for the eARC.

Thank you NetGalley & Daphine Press for approving this ARC.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a dark academia, fantasy, sapphic rivals to lover's romance with mystery and intrigue at every turn.

Our main character Lorelei who is a folklorist and has always been an outsider is tasked by the king to go on an expedition to find the spring which can grant untold power to those deemed worthy, along with her academic rival Sylvia (a naturalist) and a few select others (a botanist, navigator, medic, thaumatologist) and their leader who is someone Loreli looks up to, they embark on this journey.

When their leader is tragically murdered Lorelei knows only 1 person beside herself is truly innocent and that Syvia. She must now find out what happened, keep herself safe and complete the quest they are on. But with mysteries and revelations being revealed as well as outside magical/mythical dangers, Loreli has to learn to trust Sylvia in order to help her out.

Dark academia is a relatively new genre for me, and I really enjoyed this book, the writing made it feel eerie and haunting and I loved the characters and world building.

That book was... well. I'm not sure what to say, because I was enchanted by it and bored at the same time. I've read the first half of the book and I've got that nagging thought, that nothing really happened. Which of course is a wrong feeling, there was a lot of plot twists to process. But to conclude a little. A Dark and Drowning Tide is academic rivals to lovers and sapphic obviously, but the waiting for the romance to happen was even worth it. The whole book gave me the vibe of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faerie and Atlantis (the Disney movie). For the whole time I've sensed the "found family" kinda vibe from the characters but honestly speaking I wasn't the biggest fan of any particular.
To sum up, I've had a good time reading this book, but it won't be my all time favourite.

Loved it!
Loved the author’s style, totally enchanting. Lorelei and Sylvie are so real, written so well, I want to hug them both. Loved their singular stories and relationship as well.
Most of all I loved the folklore and the magic, so unique!

4.5*

A luscious, gothic book with mystery, folklore and the rivals to lovers lesbians of my dreams.

I really loved this, the murder mystery plot was well-paced and easy to be invested in, as well as the explorations of all of the characters and their many flaws. I liked the historical basis of the worldbuilding, and the use of folk tales throughout. The book was less romance heavy than I expected, but I prefer a slow, drawn out development of those plotlines so it suited me fine - Lorelei and Sylvia are exquisitely fucked up and romantic, as any good gothic couple should be.

I'm so glad this book lived up to my expectations, and I'd love to pick up a book from Saft's backlist!