Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for the ARC!
This was one of my highly anticipated reads of this year.
LOVED the wildeleute and the hazy dreamy feel of industrialism mixed with magic.
Allison Saft has an incredible ability to immerse the reader within the first few pages. Unfortunately, I was left wanting more world-building and character development. I felt that I didn't know enough about the FMC Lorelei to root for her, and I didn't find her likeable. I wanted to know more about Sylvia and would have loved a dual POV. I think this book could have done with 200 more pages with more story about the university and where everybody came from. This would have prevented the side characters from feeling so flat.
I was still transported by Allison's beautiful prose, but this was pretty disappointing for me.

Dark academia, sapphic rivals to lovers, magical journey - sign me up. This book was a lot of fun and very well put together. I enjoyed the characters and plotline, and as someone with an underdeveloped fantasy brain, it had just the right amount of magical elements for me to enjoy and be able to easily comprehend.

As I knew they would be from the gorgeous cover designs, the vibes in this one were immaculate. If you’re looking for that perfect dark academia, gloomy vibe, you’ll love this one.

I loved the diversity and nuance of each of the characters in this book, but my main issue with the novel lay in their lack of development. I felt that with more background and explanation of their motivation, this book would have been really elevated. I would have loved to have seen a deeper dive into each of them, especially our main two, even if that meant lengthening the novel.

Expanding on this, I thought that the romance plot was good, but would have been so much better with a little more depth to the characters and their backstories. The fantasy plot and elements were solid, with an interesting and unique magic system.

Fantasy readers, as well as anyone looking for a good sapphic tale will love this one. Make sure to check TWs before reading. 3.5/5

3.5 stars!

A really good dark academia, sapphic gothic murder mystery fantasy. This book was really well written (although it did read like a YA novel with occasional swearing than Adult to me) with decently sized chapters and I loved that the book was split up into parts.

The characters were mostly good, the main two characters Sylvia and Lorelai were particularly great. I thought that Lorelai (our pov character) was really well flushed out and you got a good idea of who she was as a person and Sylvia complimented all of her quirks really nicely. I really liked their relationship! Some of the side characters felt just as flushed out (Ludwig I am looking at you ily) but a lot of the others felt fairly surface level e.g. I’m not sure I cared much about the “big bad” character towards the end since I didn’t feel connected to them.

The plot overall was good, but the resolution to the “murder mystery” plot line lacked for me - it dragged on in the middle and then was suddenly over and almost felt “forgotten” when the characters found the murderer. The magic system seemed really cool and unique but I wish it was explained a little more (especially since all of the characters are scholars…) - I would love another book in this world to see more too!

Overall, this is a good read and highly recommended to anyone wanting a broody dark academia quest book :) thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eArc!

3 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy to review. All thoughts are my own.

I have to preface this review by saying that my rating has been increased higher than what I naturally came to because I was led astray by the marketing of this book. If you're like me and picked this book up because you were looking for something like Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries but make it sapphic, then you'll be let down. Aside from the academic rivals element, the adventure I was looking forward to reading and what I received are two very different things. I'm not saying this book didn't have its own adventure to embark on, but my expectations coming into this had been because I'm a fan of the other series and looking for more worlds like that. And sadly for me, A Dark and Drowning Tide wasn't the story I was searching for. I was never the right reader for this tale to begin with, and I'm giving this a higher rating because it's not the fault of the book that I came into this with preconceived notions.

My biggest issue lay with Lorelai. I never warmed up to her, and my first impression left a foul taste in my mouth. I understand why her character traits portray her as a brusque, straight-laced 'viper', with the intention of growing her into something more, but it was so repetitive with all her comparisons and bitterness towards those around her that she immediately fell flat to me. I found more interest in the surrounding characters, especially Sylvia, and feel this book could have truly benefitted from being told in dual perspective. Being stuck with Lorelai's narrative never sold me on the storyline enough, and I was often exasperated by the experience.

The murder mystery element was very easy to solve early on, and whilst I did have the obligatory "I was right!" moment, it didn't come with any reward because getting to that point felt laborious. I did like when the folklore and whimsy scenes came to the forefront and would have enjoyed the journey more if it had more of a fantasy impact. The political court machinations were not as intriguing as I hoped they would get, especially when I had guessed several plot points before they occurred.

The romance was a slow burn and built well enough, which I appreciated. I do enjoy academic rivals to lovers, and both Sylvia and Lorelai remained loyal to the trope. I would have again, just like with my fantasy yearning, appreciated more time spent building this relationship, and the ending subsequently felt hasty and a little too convenient.

Overall, I don't think I was the right reader to appreciate this tale and will take more care when applying for books when they're being hyped as the new *insert title here* story.

Allison Saft
Fantasy, Romance, Sapphic
Publishing 17th September
★3.5/5

“—𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

A Dark and Drowning Tide follows folklorist Lorelei on an expedition alongside an unruly group of nobles on the hunt for the Ursprung, a magical spring promising great power, under order of the king. After her mentor, and expedition leader, is murdered Lorelei begins to suspect the members of their group while left with the responsibility to lead the search for the fabled magical source. She reluctantly teams up with her academic rival Sylvia, Princess and eccentric naturalist—who’s passion reminds Lorelei the wonder of magical creatures as well as acceptance and love—in finding the Ursprung and the killer hiding within their group.

Sapphic folklore inspired dark academia with grumpy x sunshine dynamics? Sign me up. What i liked? Lorelei and Sylvia. The atmosphere. The pining and denial. The slow burn.

This story had a lot to like; slowburn sapphic romance full of witty academic rival bantering, atmospheric descriptions and folktale inspired creatures. Allison Saft creates luscious atmosphere through lyrical and descriptive writing and there are moments in the dialogue throughout the book that felt like they were meticulously edited down to allow the characters to say exactly what Saft intended them to. The relationship between Lorelei and Sylvia was the main reason i enjoyed this book; a dark folkish atmosphere and reluctant academic rivals to lovers is match made in heaven. i found we see Lorelei’s true depth through interactions with Sylvia and those around her most.

“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒕.”

The worldbuilding let me down and because of that i think the cast of characters suffered insufficient backstory and had unconvincing motives, it was a shame they were sidelined without further development. The group of nobles making up the expedition team, otherwise known as the Ruhigburg Five, have a complex relationship dynamic and throughout the whodunit arc in the story you can see the cracks of this history shine through. Seeing them through Lorelei’s untrusting eyes, instead of a neutral party playing detective, turned them into caricatures instead of revealing them to the reader. The worldbuilding echoes real world germany and i don’t know enough about this to speculate further but what i can say is i was confused by words i recognised meaning something differently in context of this story without explanation—imagining the real world and not the fantasy one of this story sadly lead to lacklustre stakes and an unconvincing overarching motive. However, when i realised this is a cosy folktale inspired stand-alone it took the pressure off of the underdeveloped world and as i reached the half way mark i started to enjoy it more. Especially the writing, the romance and the folktale inspired elements !

Lorelei has always dreamt of being a naturalist and she resents Sylvia for living that reality, especially since she despises Sylvia’s reckless hands-on approach. Lorelei is a product of being denied her desires—by the world she is placed in and by herself. This includes her dream and her attraction to Sylvia who has everything she wants; acceptance, love and safety. For these reasons i found the relationship between Lorelei and Sylvia compelling. There are moments throughout the story we see Lorelei coming out of her armour and those were the moments i enjoyed best with her.

“𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆.” 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒊’𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝑺𝒚𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔, 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒔𝒉𝒆’𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆.

This book releases on the 17th September and i recommend it as a cosy autumnal read perfect for Sapphic September. Fans of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries will enjoy this! 🍂

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review 🪷

This book was a vibe... and a really good one!
Allison Saft has a very beautiful and graceful writing style. Plus, the dark academia was hitting hard.
This book is full of German folklore (which was amazing!! How have I never gotten into that sooner????), fairytales, a sapphic romance, and basically sounds like the perfect book for my taste. Additionally, coming from someone who isn’t Jewish himself, I really enjoyed how the author tackled some of the heavier themes surrounding antisemitism and the main character (who is a Yeva, a parallel to being Jewish in this world).
Besides completely loving the world, following these characters was an actual ride. The main cast had some really messed up relationships, but they ended up being amazing to follow, given the fact that I could never really predict how they would interact.
This is also an academic rivals type of romance, and I loved the way that they never really hated each other but rather simply couldn’t imagine that the other could ever love them.
My two main critiques would be: a) I felt that the pacing had some minor inconsistencies; and b) whenever the characters made a big discovery, they tended to set up camp and just sleep instead of acting on the urgency of their situations.
Overall, an amazing book, and I'm really thankful that I got to read it prior to its publication, thanks to NetGalley.

I loved this book so much that I’m struggling to put it into words. It’s gorgeous. I’ve never felt so fully sucked into a book.
A Dark and Drowning Tide follows a folklorist and six nobels on an expedition to find a fabled source of magic. While on their boat the leader dies and so we enter into a fairytale locked door murder mystery.
I adore folklore and this completely exceeded my expectations. It so beautifully integrates the creatures and myths. I’d read a hundred books set in this world and I’m honestly a little disappointed that this is a standalone. All the character love their field of study and I had so much fun seeing each of them in their element.
The group of characters were brilliant. I found myself guessing the entire way through, but I didn't feel like the rug was pulled out from under me when the real murderer was revealed. Considering there are only so many options there’s no real way for a huge twist, but I love that we didn't get a ridiculous shock factor option. And for once the characters' investigation didn’t frustrate me which was very refreshing.
I am left wondering though how the political issues will resolve, honestly some characters (antagonists) sounded like they had a point. If this were a longer novel or a series I believe we wouldn't leave the political situation where it is. This might be a case of readers filling in the blanks and hoping the ruler doesn’t ruin everyone's lives.
I’m obsessed with the main couple. I loved their back and forth and for me it was perfect. There are a few tropey moments which may annoy some, but I enjoyed these two so much I’d read about them doing every single trope.
This was atmospheric and gorgeous and fun! It’s the first digital ARC I’ve considered buying physically once it is released.

I unfortunately had to DNF (Did Not Finish) Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft. I really wanted to love this book, especially because the premise sounded so intriguing, but I found myself struggling a lot with the writing style. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get into the story.

The pacing felt off to me, and I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the world they were in. It’s disappointing because there seemed to be so much potential for a gripping, atmospheric read. I kept hoping I’d be drawn in as the plot developed, but it never quite clicked for me.

Sometimes a book just isn’t the right fit, and that’s okay. I’m sure there are readers who will enjoy the style and find themselves captivated by the story, but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me.

Thank you #netgalley and #DaphnePress for the eArc in exchange for a review.

When I got approved for the eARC of A Dark and Drowning Tide I dropped everything and got stuck in. I had seen some people I share a taste of books with love it so was super excited for it.

No lie. I struggled up to about 40% and considered DNFing it. It felt quite all over the place. Lots of things happening. I didn't really understand what the characters were meant to be doing and no one liked each other?

Then it clicked. The world suddenly made sense and therefore the enemies to lovers also made sense.

Overall, I didn't get on with the writing style (but I know many people will love it) but the complexity of the political and academic world really gripped me.

Also, Sylvia and Lorelei as a couple - chefs kiss.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really wanted to like this novel more than I did - I didn't dislike it, but it didn't grab me the way I suspect the author wants. The murder mystery element works fairly well, but I think I found it too episodic to all gel completely together as a narrative. However, I did appreciate the F/F rep and the potential for a HEA despite circumstances seeming unlikely.

I really enjoyed this! It king of filled the hole that Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries left - with the twisted magical wildlife, in a northern/Eastern European inspired setting, with academic rivals on an expedition tracking down an elusive spring - with a sapphic twist! I wasn’t convinced of the romance at the beginning, but it made my heart twinge towards the end. The writing is beautiful, as always, and the descriptions are luscious as they fill up the pages. I appreciated the nods towards Jewish folklore - idk why I wasn’t expecting it!! The only thing I would say is that I wish the colonialism has been explored a little further, I was a bit underwhelmed with Willhelm’s ending. I know the story is primarily about the characters, and the annexing of Yeva people, yet it still explores inequality as a central theme - therefore why was the final message of ‘unification’, or colonialism/imperialism, not thoroughly explored? Or maybe that was just me…

Anyways, I recommend this to anyone who’s enjoyed the Emily Wilde series and is in the mood for a bit of magic and trickery - i wouldn’t call it a low stakes fantasy, but it has got that sort of vibe!

PS: The covers are to DIE for !!! I will be getting this for my shelves!!

"A Dark and Drowning Tide" by Allison Saft weaves a haunting tale of love, magic, and mystery in a world rich with German folklore. The novel follows the evolving relationship between Lorelei and Sylvia, whose slow-burn romance is set against the backdrop of dark academia and an enthralling murder mystery.

Saft’s storytelling shines with lush descriptions and a unique magic system that enhances the story’s atmospheric setting. Lorelei and Sylvia’s dynamic—marked by tension, tenderness, and profound emotional growth—anchors the narrative, making their journey from rivals to lovers both captivating and deeply moving.

Themes of self-discovery and the burdens of the past add depth to the characters, particularly Lorelei, whose personal struggles are woven seamlessly into the larger plot.
With its unforgettable characters, intriguing magic system, and beautifully crafted plot, "A Dark and Drowning Tide" is a mesmerizing read that will leave you craving more.

Rating is more 3,5 stars for me.

This was my third book of Saft that I've read after A Fragile Enchantment and a Far Wilder Magic. The latter stands as her favorite book of mine from Saft and the reason why I was so interested in this one in particular with all the folklore things in it. I got the ARC fairly early and I honestly felt bad about leaving it on the shelf for so long but I've been struggling with a reading slump for months and I didn't want it to impact this book. However...

While I did enjoy all the gothicness of it and folklore elements... parts of it felt kind of disjointed? I can't really find the right words to describe it but the world building could have used a bit more tweaking to make it feel more together and more alive. Found myself putting the book down a couple of times, wondering is it engaging enough, is it lived in enough?

I did like Lorelai and Sylvia and their relationship, I mean when do I not like enemies to lovers if it's done well? Saft shines in the way she writes about her characters and their backstories and the way they connect with each other, and specially I've always loved how she can make things really atmospheric in writing. However I go back to being let down by the world building and then the reveals and the ending being kind of anticlimactic and thus we end up at 3.5 stars.

Edit to say that both cover versions I saw are absolutely stunningly gorgeous!

This one had a lot of excellent components that I enjoyed, but something about it's composition was not for me. It felt a little messy in execution, especially in regards to the world building, which felt clunky. I think I will come back to this book at a later time!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc.

I really enjoyed this book, I would say it’s very cosy fantasy and that the mystery element really added to the story. There wasn’t a big build up to the romance part of this book but you could tell it’s was a love/hate and that Lorelai I had to envisioned herself at evil for so long that she truly started to believe it.

This book was extremely well written and really reminded me of Emily Wilde’s encyclopaedia of faeries!

A solid 4 dtars

3,25⭐️

This book was one of my most anticipated releases of the year mainly for two reasons
- SAPPHIC ACADEMIC RIVALS TO LOVERS
- the cover.

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Daphne Press for the ARC.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft is a fantasy book with folklore and mystery elements.

I liked Lorelei and Sylvia, as well as their story, but at the same time, I wanted to see more of their relationship and its evolution.
I also wanted to see more interactions between the characters, particularly with Ludwig.

In addition, I found the world-building to be quite confusing on multiple occasions.

I also found the stories about the folklore and how they were told a bit random.
It just didn’t feel very smooth in my opinion.

However, it’s the first book that I read by this author and, although I wasn't completely captivated by it, I’ll surely read one of her other works in the future.




POTENTIAL SPOILERS IN THE TW

TW: antisemitism, death of a sibling, war, violence, murder, colonialism, PTSD

I loved the characterisation, the mystery and the central romance of this book. It enveloped me in a sweeping mystery that had some fantastically imagined fantasy elements and underlying commentary about power and discrimination.

A Dark and Drowning tide is a delight of sapphic fantasy with an exciting mystery set in an amazing world.

I really enjoyed reading this book, the story felt unique with its interwoven folklore and world building (I’ll come back to these later).

Given the book is set across the expedition, there is a fairly limited cast of characters. This causes a focus on the the few characters there are, particularly on Lorelei and Sylvia. What I ended up finding was that Sylvia was a slightly more interesting and compelling character than Lorelei. Both characters had such detailed back stories and these were unveiled throughout the novel. The romance of this book is an enemies to lovers trope. I loved its development over the story – the characters had great chemistry.

I absolutely loved the inclusion of the folktales on the various regions of the kingdom. The integration of them built up a picture of the world and its people. The stories were beautifully written and had that slight darkness many fairytales have. It was a great way to develop the world building of the kingdom, and fleshed out the world.

The story was broken into two main parts, one more explorative and one more action based. The contrast between the two different parts was really clever and kept the interest in the story going across the whole story. This also allowed for a greater development of the world and the characters by placing them in new (and perilous) scenarios.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is an exciting new fantasy book, with a fantastic romance, and a beautiful world. I highly recommend to lovers of fantasy stories, and slow-burn romances!

This was my first book by Allison Saft, but it definitely won't be my last! Such enriching and compelling storytelling, lush writing style and folklore woven in, consider me obsessed. SAPHIC academic rivals to lovers!!! This is severely lacking in the market, but it was done so well. The murder mystery plot was so fun to follow along to as well — this is the perfect book to read cosied up in your baskets with a hot chocolate in 'ber months! Thank you so much to Netgalley and Daphne Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.5

Thank you to Daphne Press and NetGalley for providing me an eARC to review!

Sadly I did not enjoy this as much as I was hoping :( After being pretty pleasantly surprised by Down Comes the Night and A Far Wilder Magic, and disappointed by A Fragile Enchantment, I was hoping this book would get us back on track. It had a lot of promise, but it unfortunately it was a bit of a slog to get through (which for a pretty short book is a shame).

I think this review sums up my thoughts better than I can, but mainly it came down to Lorelai's perspective felt pretty limited and frustrating to be in, which made the murder mystery element and the group dynamics difficult to be invested in.

Lorelai has spent her life as an outsider and has had terrible experiences with anti-Semitism and violence. Understandably she has some baggage, and isn't thrilled about joining this group of privileged heirs who represent everything she hates. But it kind of meant that all the other characters were just stereotypes (himbo, rich girl, bigot) that were occasionally dumping some backstory on you when Lorelai unsubtly starts questioning people, but otherwise weren't really fleshed out at all. Even Sylvia felt pretty underdeveloped, despite them being in each other's orbit for years supposedly as rivals - again something we don't really see and are just told about. It made it difficult to care about who the murderer was because it wouldn't really matter to Lorelai since she hated all of them unless there was some form of twist (sadly, no).

I think maybe Sylvia's perspective or a multi-POV story could have helped to give us that development Lorelai couldn't because she was on the outer, and would have also maybe established Lorelai better as a bit of an unreliable narrator because of her lack of knowledge about these people. There was a moment towards the end where Lorelai got really interesting and it felt like we had built up to something, but even that was resolved fairly quickly and I feel didn't fully explore a lot of the themes that had been brought up around the King's motivations. It felt like we had mentioned a few times issues with the King's ambition and the way he would treat outsiders, but we didn't really get more than those mentions and I feel it wasn't really challenged as much as it should have by our protagonists.

Overall it also just felt like a lot of telling rather than showing - the inclusion of the folktales was interesting but in almost every case they were used as a "oh weird this scenario is playing out exactly like this folktale" which made it a bit repetitive. I like the way that Saft weaves in stories about the historical (and current) treatment of Jewish people, but I think it could have gone further into exploring Lorelai as a character because of that rather than just telling us how it impacted her.

TLDR I was hoping to like this a lot more than I did, but I do think there is an audience for this out there. It reminded me a bit of An Education in Malice, in terms of the dark academia vibe and the rivals-to-lovers situation.