A Dark and Drowning Tide
4.5/5
Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley!

I FLEW through this novel!

Thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end, saft's writing is immersive and filled with beautifully dark Imagery. The highlight of this book had to be the main character. I found it very interesting (and refreshing) to read from the dark and brooding love interest’s POV instead of the self-insert perfect female MCs you typically see in fantasy nowadays. 

I also really enjoyed how the author sprinkled little folktales throughout the book. It made the main character feel like a folklorist, and I’m glad that part of the MC was not just brushed to the side and forgotten when it was no longer convenient to the plot. 

The only reason I did not give this one a five-star review is that I predicted the ‘twist,’ but even then, I was still thoroughly entertained, so I’m not too upset by it.

Overall, this book was delightful! I cannot wait to check out more from this author and to see what stories she comes up with next!

Thank you to PRH audio for the audiobook and PRH Ballantine for the eARC. I loved fragile enchantment I would recommend it multiple times over. This book has that same quality of writing but didn’t hit the same magic for me plot wise. The magic system and worldbuilding was there, the scenery so vivid and I love this author’s imagination. What was lacking for me were the interpersonal development and dynamics. I didn’t realize going in all the members of the cohort had backstory with each other but it’s all told to us and made me wish for this to be an entirely different book such as them back in a dark academia setting in their initial meeting and schooling.

Overall I just didn’t find this compelling. There’s nothing significant that sticks out over just the overall meh vibe. The whodunit within the cohort was really interesting to me as to why I wanted to read this book in the first place but with the telling not showing of the side characters I didn’t really feel emotionally engaged either way.

I really loved the vibes this books gave, but the plot, to me, wasn’t very well executed. My main issue was the world building, I felt confused by it and I had a hard time figuring out what was going on. Maybe that’s just me.

I do believe the characters are very well written, but Lorelei and Sylvia acted like teens rather than mature adults. I didn’t enjoy this and it fell flat to me.

Maybe this isn’t my genre or writing type.

If you like or even love sapphic gothic academic rivals-to-lovers, slow burn with gothic folklore then this is for you.

This was such a whimsical and mysterious read. The whodunnit aspect was handled pretty well, paced throughout the story in an easy to follow way. There’s ample suspicion to all of the characters, and I was definitely guessing at what was coming next, without feeling lost. But the real star of the show is the rivalry between Lorelei and Sylvia, two academics that have been pitted against each other for years. Throughout this trip yearning and angst finally reached a boiling point, overflowing through the story. Their sapphic tension absolutely served.

3⭐️

The only thing about this that I liked was that it’s sapphic. This is the second book I’ve read by this author, and something about them just doesn’t do it for me. Things happened, but nothing was memorable. I wanted to like this more than I did, especially because the cover art is so beautiful.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is not really my cup of tea. It is a dark academic political fantasy where each character has a lust for power and betrayal is at the heart of many decisions.

I did enjoy the love hate relationship that Sylvia and Lorelei share throughout the book. I was pleased with the ending.

If you are looking for dark academic fantasy with sapphic relationships this might be for you. It wasn't really for me.

5✰ // A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft is a truly spell-binding story that is steeped in Jewish folklore. A Dark and Drowning Tide features a fantasy setting that is both reminiscent of dark academia and has maritime themes. The queer longing and pinning, as well as, the way the dynamic between Lorelei and Sylvia unfolds is what really kept me engaged throughout the book. The mystery elements were done well, yet i do believe that the pacing could’ve been improved upon in some aspects. however, the romance, fantasy, and folklore aspects of the book were done so well that i really don’t think that the pacing detracted from my enjoyment of the story overall. i would highly recommend reading A Dark and Drowning Tide if queer, new adult fantasy is something you enjoy and i would implore you to read it if you are a folklore or dark academia fan.

thank you so much to Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC!

I enjoyed this and am still thinking about it a year later. There is an interesting cast of characters to learn about, and the worldbuilding made me wish this could be a duology. There is a fascinating world set up in this book, and I really loved learning more and more about it as the story progressed. The murder mystery also allowed for an intriguing plot the whole way through that kept me reading.

I decided to request this because I have heard people compare Allison Saft's books to fanfiction, in a positive way, and I have never read one of her books before. This book did feel like fanfiction, in a way that I found to have both a positive and negative effect on my reading experience. I felt like like it was well written as you could tell that Saft had a lot of love for each of her characters and the world around them. However, this is also where I struggled. I constantly felt like there was information about the characters that Saft knew and referenced as if the readers would know it too, but they wouldn't as they don't know about whatever backstory was written for them. Maybe things were cut? Regardless, I found myself having to ignore these instances and push past, but I wish that I didn't have to.

Wonderful!! Allison Saft is a master at her craft and I truly believe she can write anything she sets her mind to. What a way to set the tone for the season. A must read!

A Dark and Drowning Tide is another book that was almost a DNF for me, but luckily I got ahold of the audiobook and finished the last 20% on a long drive. The premise of a backpack fantasy murder mystery with sapphic academic rivals to lovers is right up my alley. Unfortunately, this fell short.

The story is set in a Germanic fantasy world where the king is bent on uniting all people who speak the same language. Each member of the explorer party is a child of the rulers of the colonized nations. Most of them have served in the king's army. Lorelai is the group's folklorist. Unlike the others, she is a Yeva. That is this world's version of Jewish, so she faces a lot of hatred, as was typical of pre-war Germany.

The group is on a mission to find the Ursprung, a mystical watersource that will bring great power to their king. On the way, the leader of the group is murdered. They must solve the mystery and continue on to find the Ursprung while avoiding faerie creatures throughout the wilds.

The idea of a folklorist was a great one. In execution, it ended up interrupting too much at the beginning. Lorelai's inner monologue provided so many asides that by the time the adventure began, I felt no connection to any of the other characters.

I enjoyed Lorelai's determination throughout the story. The variety of creatures we were introduced to was great as well but I wish that we got more of the folklore behind them. The magic is also unique, with certain people being able to control water. Plus, despite the racism, there is no opposition to queer romance in this world.

I feel like this book could have benefitted from being a duology. It felt like the book lacked world building, relationship building, and backgrounds. It did not have the depth I was looking for or the more fantastic aspects of fantasy I enjoy. This was more of a group of people who sometimes used a bit of magic and encountered faerie creatures in a historical setting.

This book is best for those looking for more of a backpack fantasy that is light on world building and magic systems and wants some sapphic romance on the side with Jewish representation (so long as you are okay with that being pre-WWII style Jewish rep).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book to me in exchange for an honest review.

2/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶 (some spice, suggestive content)

[tw/cw: murder, racism/antisemitism, violence, death, death of a loved one (memory), violence, blood, injury, colonization, war, panic attacks/ptsd response]

My review will be posted on goodreads, amazon, storygraph, and fable

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF"ed at 20% of the way through.

I give up on Allison Saft. This is my third attempt at reading one of her books and her unique writing style isn't just for me.

The main issue for me is how fast-paced the exposition is and it never slows down to let you absorb what was just said. We get weird passages of fake folklore that vaguely ties into what's going on in the story. What's actually going on in the story? No idea!

Alive with Folklore and brimming with atmosphere, Saft had created a world worthy of getting lost in.

Readers follow folklorist Lorelei, her academic rival , and a cast of wealthy and elite students on a dangerous expedition to find a fabled spring. Shenanigans and sparks ensue!

I found A Dark and Drowning Tide to have much more political intrigue than I was expecting! I thought it was a nice engaging element that created a unique juxtaposition against the world steeped in folklore and fantasy. I found many of the characters to be incredibly unlikable, but to be fair, I think that was the point! Our two MC's were nuanced and flawed in ways that made them a pairing that nested together perfectly. Their sharp edges puzzling together just right. My only qualm was that the ending didn't feel entirely satisfying for my taste....but it did offer enough to leave me overall happy with the stories arc.

Lovers of folklore and atmosphere won't be disappointed with this pick!

thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy in exchange for my honest review

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for my review.

Dark Academia, Sapphic Rivals to Lovers, murder mystery, all these make up a story that had me deeply engrossed. While the story was a bit slow at times and it was hard to keep track of the stations and the like (one of the downsides to any fantasy, it's not just this story), but I loved seeing Lorelei and Sylvia's relationship develop, though I do wish we had just gotten more. It felt a bit understated. Overall I really loved this, the world building and the characters.

Alison Saft - you have done it again. You have won my heart with this book, just like you did with A Far Wilder Magic. I have been waiting all year for this book, and now that I'm done with the final page, I just want to start all over again. The dark academic vibes, and heartfelt sapphic romance made me feel so seen and represented. This was so beautiful!

I loved everything about this book! The magic system was awesome. The world building was so atmospheric, it's like you were living inside the world. The romance plus a little twist of a murder mystery made it so much more enjoyable!

Thank you for this arc!

This book had the misfortune of either causing or being read during a reading slump. I have loved the past two novels I've read from Allison Saft, so I knew I would like this one, and for some reason it took me about a month to complete! I'm shocked as well.

A Dark and Drowning Tide has all the hallmarks of a good Saft book - the plush writing and descriptions, the commitment to the setting and stakes of the plot, and an interesting band of characters, all with different personalities, that I enjoyed following along with. (Besides Lorelai and Sylvia, Ludwig was my favorite.) I do think there was almost too much happening in the story that I lost sight of the original reasoning behind the expedition. But generally, this was a good read and exactly the kind of book I expected from this author, and I will continue to support whatever she releases!

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
Rating: ⭐️⭐️

I’ve been putting off this review for a while now and I think it is because I was really looking forward to this book and my expectations were high and it just fell short for me.
My biggest problem was with the characters. There wasn’t a single character in this book that I particularly liked, in fact most annoyed me to varying degrees. Some of this was intentional but in order for me to enjoy a book I need to either identify with one of the characters or at least like reading about them.
I’m not going to go into the plot much because honestly I finished this book last month and I already feel like I’ve forgotten most of it but I didn’t always fully buy into these characters motivations or stories. Also I feel like our main character Lorelei seems to know shockingly little considering she is meant to be an expert in her field? I don’t know I was just lost for a lot of this book.
For readers who love atmospheric reads I think this could be a great pick for them, it just didn’t hit the mark for me 🤷‍♀️.

(I will say though this has one of the prettiest covers I’ve seen this year.)

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this arc in return for my honest review.

This feels like it had all the ingredients for an AMAZING story—a grumpy heroine, an academic rivalry, a sapphic romance, and a murder mystery wrapped in a lush, folkloric setting. But unfortunately, it falls VERY flat in execution. The setting and mythical creatures were promising, but even those felt somewhat underused, blending into the background instead of enriching the world. Listen, this was boring as hell and I'm mad about it. The world feels unlived in and I had so much trouble staying engaged.

I enjoyed Lorelei as a character, with her intense, grumpy disposition and single-minded ambition, but she is somewhat unlikeable most of the time. That's something that I adore, but it's not for everyone. She has an edge that could have carried the story brilliantly. However, Saft relies a bit too heavily on telling rather than showing, which dampens the impact. The lore could have been lush and immersive, yet much of the world-building feels like background noise rather than an active, vivid part of the story.

The romance between Lorelei and Sylvia was promising but WAY too understated. Her dynamic with Sylvia, the maddeningly charming rival, created the perfect setup for a romance. But that’s exactly where the book let me down: the romance, while present, is barely given space to develop. Instead of letting Lorelei and Sylvia’s chemistry simmer and build, the story tells us about their growing connection rather than showing it. One moment they’re rivals, and before we know it, there’s suddenly this leap to romance without enough groundwork. Their dynamic, based on intellectual rivalry, had so much potential to create fiery, crackling tension. Instead, it simmers for far too long and never fully catches flame, suddenly pivoting to a relationship that feels unearned. As much as the slow-burn romance should have anchored this story, it gets lost in the drawn-out pace, leaving the characters’ connection feeling shallow.

Overall, A Dark and Drowning Tide is packed with potential and includes some solid character work, especially with Lorelei. However, a lack of pacing and the reliance on telling the reader rather than drawing them into the action and relationships make it feel overly long and tedious.

Thanks so much to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

This book wasn't for me, unfortunately. The connection between the characters felt flat and in a sense forced. I was unable to connect with the characters and for someone like me who is character driven, this is what caused me to not enjoy the story as much.

<i>*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*</i>

Sapphic academic rivals that have to team up to solve the murder of their mentor in this lush fantasy. I admit that I went into this with fairly low expectations because when I initially requested this I was still trying to convince myself that I liked dark academia (though this is more general academia not dark academia) and rivals to lovers, but by the time I actually picked up the book I have admitted defeat.

I also admit that I struggled initially to get into the story but as I continued I found myself fully engrossed. This world is loosely inspired by Eastern European history and folklore, with a main character that is coded as Jewish, and I loved the way Saft built out the world in a way that made it feel fresh and full without massive amounts of info dumping. I loved everything about it and the atmosphere Saft created.

There is a group of childhood friends and all the messy entanglements that come with that, a quest, and an isolated murder where one of the cast is the killer. But who was it and why? While I don't think this was a perfect book, I ultimately had a great time through most of the reading experience, and honestly I think most of my quibbles come down to general dislike for those tropes. Overall, this made me move Saft's other works, which have always been on my radar, higher up the neverending TBR.