Have read and enjoyed all of Allison's work so far!
Loved this one as well!!

Full review and links to social will be posted as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank the publisher Random House and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the whimsical vibes of this book but the overall story was lacking for me. I feel like characters and the world could have used more refinement

A beautifully written sapphic fantasy murder mystery. It had a great storyline and characters that grabbed you. There was a very elitist political theme to the book and heavy on racism. The fmc seemed to be rowing uphill for the whole book, not only trying to prove herself within her field of research but also fighting the classism and racism against her kind. Think white supremacy against the Jews vibes but with magic and their race shouldn’t have magic. Overall it was a very enjoyable story.

This one was really good! I love dark academia and sapphic books so this was perfectly up my alley. It did feel a bit slow at times but overall it was an enjoyable experience!

A Sapphic darm academia romance with such a beautiful cover!! I also love and appreciate a standalone fantasy!

Twisty, inventive, and mysterious! This book was a dark and fun read with interesting worldbuilding.

The writing style was just perfect for this narration and the world building was a masterpiece. My only "problem" was that I wished the relationship was a bit more developed in the last part.

I was so happy this book was one of the Illumicrate books this year after reading the summary and seeing the amazing cover. Luckily the book mostly delivered on its premise with a few surprises.

One of the surprises I was not expecting but I absolutely loved was that the main character was Jewish. I will read almost any fantasy that has Jewish representation and I am so happy this had it. Of course, the Jews in this book (called another thing) were in ghettos and treated like Jews in Europe through most of its history. Lorelei had to work twice as hard with hostility wherever she went and still be seen as evil, other, and not human to people who should have been her colleagues. To counter that treatment, she created a wall between herself and the world and played into that role so that when people eventually betrayed her, she wouldn't be as hurt. She was a complex character who at times made me very frustrated, but I understood where she was coming from. I read somewhere that the author thought about the broody love interests like Darcy and decided to make them the main character but of course, make it queer. With that in mind, I enjoyed this book more knowing where it was coming from. Sylvia, the love interest, is just as delightful as the other main characters who go along with the broody love interest. Their chemistry was spot on and I was waiting for them to get through all their stubbornness and get together.

The plot was okay with some confusing elements. I could not tell if the ending was good or not since so many of the lands were not free from assimilation, but there were no brutal wars where people were dying. Usually, I'm all for revolution but in this book I am unsure. I could see this book getting a sequel to iron out some of the confusion.

Overall, I like this book but some elements could have been improved. This may not be a book for everyone because of such a distinct main character.

I was too thrown off by the amount of infodumping to enjoy this book, and the main relationship was not compelling to me.

I am likely in the minority here, but this really didn't work for me. I loved the writing style and the prose that Allison Saft uses and the atmosphere and world she's able to portray through that. However... there were just far too many elements at play here, and they didn't all work together (for me) which unfortunately impacted my enjoyment of the story. It was "dark" academia, academic rivals to lovers, adventure/quest, themes of religious-type trauma and bias, and that's only part of it. Those are all great things to include in a story that can drive your plot forward and give your characters backstory or something worthwhile to fight for, but there was just too much.

I do still really love Allison Saft's writing, and I will pick up more from her in the future, this just didn't quite live up to expectations.

A Dark and Drowning Tide was published on September 17, 2024. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Del Rey. NetGalley and the author for the digital advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The writing was beautiful and the premise was really interesting, especially the magic systems. I just didn't connect to any of the characters and found the romance to be....flat. I slogged through about half of this book before I gave up and resigned myself to not being able to find a way to engage with any part of it to keep me engaged enough to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.

Ultimately I couldn’t get into this one. I found the characters a bit annoying and I simply couldn’t get interested in the murder mystery. The world building was a little too intense at the start and I was getting a bit bored. I think others would love this book but I think the author is just not my cup of tea. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

An incredible story that was perfect for spooky season. Beautifully written and not too slow of a pace..

2.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

The synopsis of this book immediately drew me in and the fact that it would be a good fall read, but unfortunately it wasn't a favorite of mine. It took me a while to finish it and at times felt like it was bit of a chore to read a few chapters.

I didn't care much for the romance between Lorieli and Sylvia. Just because of what Lorieli did to Sylvia toward the end of the book. She lied and almost got Sylvia basically imprisoned or killed. Their relationship was kind of weird and not my favorite.

I did enjoy the fairy and magic related stuff but I wish there would have been more about Lorieli and her background. You basically only know she had a brother who passed away and she blames herself for it. The story was definitely missing some background to it.

Overall, it was an okay book. I don't think I'd recommend it to my friends though.

A fantastic Sapphic academic rivals-to-lovers fantasy that captured my heart from cover alone. I came for the representation and folklore and ended up staying for such a gorgeous story. While the initial worldbuilding felt overwhelming being thrust into an established world and intense political intrigue (which is something I seem to be drawn to), the story found its footing through its richly developed characters—both main and supporting—and the compelling slow-burn romance between sharp-tongued Lorelei and the "insufferably gallant" Sylvia. Not to mention, I am obsessed with the author's elegant prose, and impressed by the thoughtful handling of weighty themes like anti-Semitism and prejudice that added realistic depth to this magical adventure full of shape-shifting beasts and dragon-haunted waters. Despite some early navigation challenges, this rivals-to-lovers tale stands out for me and I am definitely interested in more from Allison Saft.

I'm not really sure how to rate this because I really liked some parts of this book and really disliked another. I think if this book had just been a romantasy, it would have been great. I liked both Lorelei and Sylvia, and I think Allison Saft is good at writing romance. I also really liked the fairy tale aspects of this book, and I thought the way the book portrayed the antisemitism (fantasy antisemitism, technically, since it's a made-up world with different names, but it's a very clear and intentional parallel) Lorelei faces literally everywhere was well-done.

But the murder mystery. I'm going to keep it vague, but be warned either way. The way the murder mystery was resolved felt like it undermined everything I thought the book was doing in the first three-quarters, and the ending in general didn't really work for me. It felt like it was supposed to be a happy ending, but it had the energy of when a character gets what they thought they wanted and it turns out it doesn't feel the way they thought it would, but they're still trying to convince themself they're happy now? I don't know. Maybe it was all intentional and I missed the point, but it felt very uncomfortable in a way that didn't work for me.

I hate saying this book would have been better if it were a different book, but like, this book would have worked much better for me if it had been a different book.

I was swept away with how eloquently this author wrote this tale.

Starting off with a dark, gloomy gothic academia scene where teams of students are solving a murder mystery? Yes please. Add in the adventure of a lifetime? Heck yes.

The dark undercurrent of fear along with the consistent tension absolutely drags you down into the deep. The characters are all so well rounded and complex. The feel as if they truly did live their lives with how well the author has done between development and creating a world around the characters that simply suits them.

The plot and folklore within the pages of this book was abaolutely beautiful and stunning. The author really knows how to build a rich and plentiful world that really does leave you wanting more.

The story that she is able to portray is so eloquently written that I can never stop thinking about. The way she’s able to bring these characters throughout is an incredible feat to say the least. I can’t wait to see what this author brings to her next book

I was so completely swept away by A Dark and Drowning Tide that I hardly know where to begin. It has been a rough reading year for me, but reading this healed me in a way I didn't expect.

It has so much of what it promised with the gothic dark academia rivals teaming up to solve a murder mystery while on the mythical expedition of a lifetime, but there is also so, so much more. The enchanting setting, the yearning that made me threaten to self-immolate at least three times, the gorgeous writing that is well suited to the mind of a folklorist and deliciously scaffolded by the decision to remain a single POV... and not to mention how rich and unflinching the folklore itself is, full of magic but also never shying from the hateful layers and how they affect those who hear them. Gods. I'll admit I had a rough start to this book, but I'm choosing to blame myself for that. I can admit there are some aspects where the book falters a little - this is a mystery where I purposefully turned my brain off instead of trying to solve it with Lorelai, and I think that did improve my experience - but everything I loved made me so inhumanly feral that it more than more up for any setbacks.

I wish I could formulate a more well-thought-out, professional review, but all I can really say is that if someone I know doesn't read this post haste, I am going to combust. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this, everyone around me WILL be hearing about it and that is both a threat and a promise.

There’s a certain weight to A Dark and Drowning Tide—it’s like plunging into dark waters, feeling the undercurrent of fear and tension pull you down. The story’s tone is atmospheric, perfect for those who enjoy dark tales with complex, layered characters. This one left me breathless, not just from the twists and turns, but from the raw intensity of the characters’ struggles. It’s a read that forces you to confront darkness, both external and internal, and somehow left me wanting more. Allison Saft has quickly become one of my must read authors.