An entertaining sapphic fantasy rich in folklore, A Dark and Drowning Tide is Allison Saft's adult fantasy debut. I was so excited to read this since I've loved all of the author's books. Saft has a distinct and gorgeously enchanting and immersive, writing style, and it was no surprise that I found myself easily pulled into this magical story.

The story includes a murder mystery, a variety of settings, dark academia vibes, political intrigue, and a fabulous rivals-to-lovers love story. It's an interesting combination, and there are many twists and turns as Lorelei, a folklorist, teams up with her rival Sylvia to figure out who killed their mentor and professor. On an expedition with several others, they all have their own motives for murder, and it makes for a layered and intriguing adventure.

Lorelie and Sylvie's slow-burning rivals-to-lovers relationship is my favorite part of the story. I just loved these two and how their feelings slowly changed over the course of the story. There's so much pining and angst, and the perfect amount of groveling. Plus, the chemistry between the two is fantastic - sharp and humorous and filled with tension.

The setting is rich and atmospheric, and the world-building and magic are well constructed, though some parts did feel like a lot of information was given at once. That didn't detract from the story though and made sense when reading. The plot is interesting, too, with a lot of suspense and an intriguing murder mystery. All of the crew had plausible reasons to commit the crime, and I liked how they slowly unraveled what happened.

Something I really like about Saft's writing is the way she weaves everything together. The folklore, worldbuilding, characters, politics, and relationships are nuanced and well crafted, which makes for a seamless read. This book is no exception. It's a dark, dangerous, and exciting adventure with great characters and a wonderfully romantic subplot.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

If you love the cover, you’ll love the book. It truly is a clear representation of the mood and longing saturating every page of this sapphic romance. It’s such a relief to read an actual, on the page, slow-dawning love affair between two people who couldn’t be more different.

Lorelai is a bitter and wary Yevani folklorist who fits in neither the world of her marginalized people nor the noble class of the academy where she works. Sylvia is a vulnerable and trusting princess who loves her land and the magic that inhabits it, but she’s seen some trauma during the war. They are rivals on the best of days, and when they’re both chosen for an expedition by the King, they become embroiled in a murder mystery and a race to prevent more deaths.

I found Lorelai almost impossible to like, despite the concentrated effort that Saft does with explaining why she is the way she is. I loved how Saft used the internal biases we all carry to exaggerate the interpersonal misunderstandings caused by past hurts and assumptions. There’s also a fair amount of worldbuilding for a political plot driving these two misfits together. Whether they can ever get through a conversation without an argument is only part of the fun.

There were a few times I felt Lorelai’s behavior was inconsistent for plot-only purposes, and this did pull me out of the story. While I loved the little folktale excerpts as a way of showing Lorelai’s understanding of the world, I didn’t quite understand her role in the expedition itself. The idea that stories matter and shape our reality was a strong theme throughout. These tale breaks were enchanting, and lent a softness to Lorelai’s otherwise hard and depressing worldview.

I found myself much more interested in the unfolding politics, and would love to read more set in this world. There’s a lot to unpack here, and it reminded me a bit of the layered and intriguing worldbuilding of something like Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone series, so if you liked those, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley and DelRay for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review!

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4,25 stars

My reading year started off with me falling head over heels in love with Allison Saft’s novel A Fragile Enchantment, so when I heard she was writing a darker sapphic story with folklore and rivals to lovers I was hooked from the start. And this book did not let me down. From the very first page I knew this would be a hit for me.

“Tell me a story, then.”

I love stories that are about stories, and this is exactly that. Stories, fairytales and folklore have all shaped the character’s lives and trajectories. This is a world where fairytales have more than just a hint of truth to them, and the clues to survival lie between the lines told around bonfires. The world is dark, bloody and magical, and the writing itself sets the scene well with vivid imagery throughout.

“The folklorist, the naturalist, the botanist, the medic, the thaumatologist, and the astronomer. It sounded like the setup of an elaborate fairy tale— or else a terrible joke.”

The main group of characters is intriguing, but at times incredibly frustrating. They all have complicated relationships with each other, and messy political backstories that tie them together. War, prejudice and oppression has traumatised them all, and they take it out on each other throughout the story. It was intriguing to read, but certain characters were so hateable and awful it brought the atmosphere down and made me look forward to the end of any scene they were present in.
I think my only real criticism of the book is that I wish a certain character had been left back home. Their views and behaviour make a point about the world and the state of things, and certainly brings tension, but I wish it was less prominent and present in so many scenes. But, writing this, I also realise that that is an incredibly privileged take, and that the painful weight of said character’s prejudices might have been lessened if I as the reader had been more able to move past it faster for my own comfort.

“All those years spent watching Sylvia, dissecting her, envying her . . . It left a window open for something else to slip through.”

The main character and her rival had delicious tension, and I loved seeing them have to work together. The sapphics were really sapphicing in this one, and it was frustrating and delightful to read in the best way.
The main character is dark, broody and tries to be unapproachable, while her rival is a ray of sunshine with near unending enthusiasm and optimism. They are both skilled and intelligent, and despite their rivalry they also have respect and care for each other from the start. I loved it!

“Lorelei knew the shape of a fairy tale: a prison. She had transcribed hundreds of them herself, written down her sordid end in her own tidy hand.”

This book is part mystery and part journey through fairytales, with a red thread of sapphic pining through it all. Folklore, exploration, politics and trauma are all big themes and I highly recommend this - especially if you, like me, loved both Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett and An Education In Malice by S.T. Gibson.

3.75 ⭐️

this is a dark sapphic fantasy but murder mystery. This was such a fun book. I’m such a sucker for anything sapphic so I enjoyed this book a good bit.

It did feel a touch slow for personal preference. The plot was solid and good but at times I was bored and i wished it was over already. But after the 60% mark things really picked up and it made it slow beginning worth it. I am glad I made myself push through because it pay off but man that first half was rough to get into for me.

Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Allison Saft’s A DARK AND DROWNING TIDE
Grumpy, sarcastic folklorist x sunshiny academic rival with important status? With pining? AND it’s sapphic? This surely was meant for me.

But unfortunately I could not get into it:( I didn’t vibe with the writing.

This just wasn’t for me. I really liked the premise of this story and the writing is great but overall I was just bored.

I started this months ago but I could not for the life of me finish it until recently. It didn’t make me feel like I couldn’t put it down. It was a lot of info dumping with the world building and I didn’t know how I felt about the main characters.

I can see why people would enjoy this and it may not be for everyone.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a mysterious, atmospheric book full of action, drama, and romance. It’s an easy sell for anyone interested in a dark, wlw version of The Emily Wilde series.

While I absolutely adored the first 2/3 of this book, it suffers from some pacing issues towards the end. Had this been fleshed into a duology, I think it would have been an overwhelming five star read. That said, I would still highly recommend it to romantasy readers (especially though by no means only to those interested in lgbtq+ reads).

I look forward to reading the next book by Allison Saft.

I loved this book! I became a recent fan of Allison Saft after I read A Fragile Enchantment. Once again her writing really shown in this novel. I loved the relationship where Lorelei was saying she didn't care about Sylvia but also couldn't stop thinking about her. I loved the expedition part of this book! It reminded my of What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez. Altogether it was a really good read!

This was really good. Lorelei and Sylvia team up to uncover the truth of their leader and find out their leader had secrets. Lorelei must find spring before the murderer strikes again.

A sapphic academic rivalry???? yes please!
this was everything I was hoping for (and look at that cover!! unreal.)

thank you net galley, allison saft, & the publisher for the arc!

A Dark and Drowning Tide has instantly become my favorite book of the year. I was completely enraptured by this story from start to finish.

The setting of this book was very rich and immersive. I very much appreciate this being a stand alone novel, but I would love to see more works set in this world.

I had a ton of fun trying to figure out the murder mystery, and was so excited when I was correct. I’m a firm believer that a mystery should be well set up and should reward the reader for solving it instead of just throwing in a plot twist at the end, which this book absolutely did.

I really enjoyed Lorelei’s perspective, and Sylvia is an absolute delight. The story could have benefited from setting up their romance a bit more, but I did enjoy the two of them together.

I would absolutely recommend this book to fans of gothic fantasy. Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC!

A Dark and Drowning Tide takes place in a newly united kingdom, with a young king trying to keep the peace with his ducal friends that grew up with him. It is a queernormative Edwardian/European-based land with subtle elemental magic and wild fae creatures.

Our main character Lorelei has stepped into this group of friends as the folklorist on their expedition, relating in Germanic and Jewish origin folklore as she leads their quest for the source of magic. The king has sent them to find the Ursprung, to control the magic and secure his rule. The quest begins with a murder and Lorelei must lead the expedition forward while trying to solve the mystery. She teams up with Sylvia, her academic rival and the heir to the largest territory.

You can expect:
NA Fantasy
Elemental Magic
Folklore and wild fae
Atmospheric Vibes
Dark Academia
Murder Mystery
Impossible Quest
Found Family
Rivals to Lovers
Grumpy/Sunshine
Single, 1stP POV

This is a very atmospheric book. It combines a lot of elements and makes them work together. I love the way the folktales were woven right into the narrative, reminding me of the storytelling in The Starless Sea. The magic system and wild fae gave me A River Enchanted vibes as well. If you like those book’s vibes and Saft’s A Far Wilder Magic, you’ll like this as well. However, don’t expect to read it for a gripping mystery plot or great character development. I didn’t really ever feel connected to the characters or care what happened to most of them. Lorelei does a lot of inner monologuing, with pining and tension, and it takes away from the meandering plot. I’m rating it 3.75 on Storygraph because I did enjoy it but it still fell just short of the rest of my typical 4 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing an eARC for my honest review.

DNF at 70 percent. I tried to push myself through this but I just couldn’t make myself care. The main characters were not really likeable and the pacing was awful. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year so I’m sad I didn’t love it. I’m sure some people will really enjoy it. It just wasn’t the book for me.

Everything about this novel was an adventurous time. It has mystery, who done it fantasy, with a magical twist and fairy tail stories weaved into it. Not to mention a Sapphic enemies to lovers trope.
The novel held my attention with the wonderful writing and how the story unfolded. Fun adventure to be had.

This dark academia folklore rivals to lovers book seemed like something I would really enjoy. However, I ended up DNFing at 20%. I was unable to connect with the characters and they seemed somewhat childish. I have seen quite a few good reviews for this book so I would still recommend people give it a go to see if they like it.

Thank you to Netgally for providing this ARC.

A dark, sapphic academia romance that has a LOT going on: gothic fantasy, rivals to lovers, Jewish rep MC, an expedition quest, and a murder mystery. But somehow the author manages to tie everything together in a lush and mystic atmosphere. I ate it up! There were only a few times the MC Lorelei, kinda got on my nerves with her inner monologuing. Lots of yearning and tension, but I thought that kept me drawn in for the resolutions. 4/5

This was a big disappointment for me. As far as Saft’s books go, Down Comes the Night has been my favorite by far, followed by A Fragile Enchantment. I think maybe if A Far Wilder Magic is your favorite, you might like this one more.

We are thrown into an established group of people here, but Lorelei is our narrator and the grumpy outsider. She’s very cold and closed off, which makes it hard for us to connect to anyone with her as our guide. Sylvia is by far the best part of the entire book. However their move from rivals to lovers was abrupt and not entirely believable to me. Usually in a grumpy-sunshine relationship, I’d expect some softening from the grumpy one, but Lorelei is prickly to the end, even to Sylvia.

There’s a murder mystery here too, which was fine. The most well-done part of the book was probably the realism of the bigotry and persecution Lorelei’s people faced. But I think I wanted a clearer resolution there with more people than just Lorelei being accepted.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PRH Audio for the preview. The narrator for the audiobook was great and I would happily recommend that format. All opinions are my own.

The atmosphere is well crafted and, overall, the plot kept me engaged. What I struggled with, and I absolutely chalk up to a “me thing”, was the POV of Lorelei. She dislikes everything and everyone, she isn’t engaged emotionally. This made it hard for me to engage or maintain interest in her story.

This is my third Allison Saft book, and I think her books are just generally not for me. I like her writing and character work, but I found the plot and world building to be lacking substance in this one. I think I probably won’t pick up any more of her books unless it’s something that’s right up my alley. I know a lot of readers — particularly ones who like romance — will really enjoy her books!

ARC Review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

A folklorist and her academic rival set off on a journey to find a magical body of water. This book is rivals to lovers, sapphic, fantasy, and a mystery all in one.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is the first Saft book I have read, and I was blown away by her imagery and ability to create such a vivid fantasy world. The creatures/wildeleute were the shining stars of this story. The plot moved a little slow for me, but it was interesting enough to keep me coming back. I thought the romance was really cute and enjoyed the juxtaposition of the two. I’ll definitely be picking up another Saft book in the future. A Dark and Drowning Tide releases September 17, 2024.

Thank you @netgalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read this book.