The prose is a seductive dance of words that draws you deeper into the tangled minds of its enigmatic characters, each harboring secrets and sorrows. Themes of obsession, forbidden knowledge, and the blurred lines between genius and madness weave together to create a captivating tapestry of emotions. ADADT is going to be one of the hit DA books of the fall.

I really struggled with how to rate this book, which is why I landed on a solid three stars. For me, that means I liked the book, but also found it somewhat lacking.

I absolutely adored the folklore and stories shared throughout the novel. The idea of a fantasy world unified by a conquering force was highly creative. I loved the idea behind the expedition (fantasy quest vibes) and how each character played a unique role. I wish this story had multiple perspectives, as I found each of them to be very interesting, with unique motives and individualized backgrounds. At the very least, I think the story would have benefited from including Sylvia’s POV to provide a more nuanced understanding of hers and Lorelei’s relationship.

The world building is really my biggest complaint. I just wanted so much more of it. It’s clear this world is inspired by Germany and that Lorelei is a Jewish-coded character. However, I have so many questions about the politics and the history. You only get bits and pieces behind the unification of Brunnestaad, that I’m still not entirely sure why it was Wilhelm and his father who were placed in power, and what the provinces were fighting over to begin with.

I also want so much more of the Yevani’s history and to better understand their role (or rather lack-thereof) in society. I feel like so much of the understanding for this world was built on an existing knowledge of German history (the Franco-Prussian War and also combined events from World War I and World War II), which is not a reasonable expectation for the average reader. I think the themes and messaging would be more powerful if the author had worked to deepen understanding of the politics, religion, and societal structure of her world.

With all that said, I do think many readers will be satisfied with this story if they go into it with expectations for the mystery, adventure, and the cozy romance. For me, I would have enjoyed a much more nuanced story that dove into the political underpinnings of Brunnestaad, its provinces, and the treatment of the Yevani.

Thank you to Netgalley, Del Rey Books, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Allison Saft has been hit or miss for me but this one was an absolute hit. I am obsessed. I am going to re read via audio when it is out (I preordered on Librofm) and I am begging you all to read this.

Reading this book, I felt a lack of something. I believe the something to be action, but also more detail into their world. I wish there had been more description into the world building aspect. Also, into the characters' relationships. The end felt rushed. I did enjoy the story, but it just felt lacking.

Sapphic, grumpy/sunshine, academic rivals to lovers, fantasy romance, locked-room murder mystery on a boat with lots of political intrigue and a Jewish FMC…need I say more! The vibes are there and I really enjoyed all the characters. Lorelei reminded me of Arthie from A Tempest of Tea.

It was a really interesting premise and had so many unique fantasy elements! Lots of good cultural details in the world-building including folklore woven throughout the story. It didn’t feel as adult as I was expecting. This might be because the author is known for her YA books. I really fell into the story and it was a quick read. It manages to tackle a lot of serious events and themes while being exciting, fresh and funny. It’s the perfect fall or winter read!

I thought this was a solid stand-alone!
I really liked the world in this book. The magical creatures the group came across in their expedition, the magic itself- all kept me intrigued.

I also really liked the murder mystery aspect that was tied into it as well. That along with a band of people who are willing to turn against each other for their own gain made for an interesting story.


My only qualm is that I didn’t really grow to like any of the characters. Sylvia is the only one who I really enjoyed reading about but I just could not get on board with the rest of them.

In a fantastical version of a recently united Germany, Lorelei is a folklorist working under celebrated academic Professor Ziegler, and she’s part of a team searching for a mythical spring that promises unlimited power. But as the expedition starts its journey, Ziegler is murdered and, surrounded on all sides by dangerous fairies and even more dangerous humans, Lorelei must work with her rival Sylvia von Wolff.

This is an absolutely dreamy, atmospheric delight full of dark fairy tales and romantic tension. I adore how the author weaves snippets of Lorelei’s research into the book. Even more impactful, we get glimpses of Lorelei’s personal and generational trauma being Yevani, which is clearly coded as this universe’s version of being Jewish. This is all mixed together with the best Sapphic, enemies-to-lovers subplot I’ve ever seen. That’s a lot, but it’s perfectly balanced and beautifully done. Highly recommended.

Fantasy murder mystery. This book has all of the magical creatures that would could want in a book. Its poetic and a beautiful read.

This was easily a 4.5/5 Star read for me. The half star was really due to the sheer bulk of world-building one has to wade through at the beginning of the book and, really, throughout. I kept putting this book down because of it, but the characters themselves drew me back.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a sapphic dark academia fantasy-historical full of depth and poetry. Sylvia and Lorelei are rivals on many fronts and opposites entirely. Drawn together into a mission for the Ursprung, things go awry quickly when the leader of their expediation, and Lorelei's mentor, is murdered in her quarters. Trapped together on a ship with a group who grew up together with the King, their loyalty is anywhere else but with Lorelei, and she is determined both to finish the mission and reveal the killer.

This was just such a richly crafted book. A thing of darkness and beauty and romance. Lorelei is sharp as a blade but feels everything with such intensity. Sylvia is all the sweetness of freshly baked pie with the capability for great violence underneath. At first, the ensemble cast blended into the background for me, but once the story got going, I was thrilled to find them each as well-rounded and nuanced as our MCs.

There is so much going on here, I often wondered how it would come together in the end. Politics and prejudices, murder and conspiracy, found family and love. And magical creatures who lurk in all the dark corners of the world just waiting to spring. It was the folklore aspect that had me pick up this book at first, and I surely wasn't disappointed. This was such a fresh take on many old stories, and plenty new ones made up along the way. Once you make it to the expedition in earnest, this book flies with tension and mystery.

The end was so sweet, I felt it burst on my tongue. It may feel a little Too neat and clean to some readers, but I found myself not bothered with that at all. I longed for a happy ending. I longed for completion. We get that here and much more. I'd love to see more of this world one day.

This was a really fun sapphic folklore with a gorgeous cover. I think that this book was more character driven than plot drive. Not to say that nothing happens with the plot, I just feel that we did a deeper dive into the characters than we went places with the plot, and while sometimes I struggle with this, that was not the case here. This book did start a little slow, but it felt that it was because of the intense world building to me more than anything and I enjoyed it. After a little bit, the pacing did pick up and the story took off. My biggest complaint about this one is that it seemed more YA than adult. I had to look it up but it is most definitely adult and not YA, despite reading more YA in my opinion. While this isn’t inherently wrong, it did create a disconnect that I couldn’t reconcile and caused me some frustration. However, despite that, I really did enjoy this story and had a lot of fun with it!

I had really been looking forward to this book, but I’m sorry to say that it was ultimately disappointing. While the plot was entertaining enough and well paced, the prose was generic, the characters lacked subtlety, and the worldbuilding was infuriatingly lazy. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance, but I’m willing to call that personal preference. I like when there are actual obstacles in the way of two characters getting together, not just an inability to admit their feelings. I do want to give a shout-out to the cover illustrator; that is some beautiful work.

DNF
Unfortunately this one just ended up not working for me. I never really felt like I got a good idea of the world at large and the politics. It felt like the wordbuilding there was definitely a tad messy and contributed to my inability to get pulled into the plot as the plot was influenced by the politics and a lot of behind the scenes relationships between the secondary characters.

I do think the mythical worldbuilding aspects around the creatures was done really well however.

3.5 stars for A Dark & Drowning Tide

I wanted to be obsessed with this novel, and while I wasn't wholly disappointed, I was a little let down.

The premise of the novel is unique; a sapphic, German-influenced fantasy adventure set against a world where water holds magic, money holds ultimate power, and folklore exists at every turn.

What I loved most was the atmosphere and mythical worldbuilding. I enjoyed the emphasis on storytelling, the differences between regions, and how these differences tied into the overall plot. I also liked the descriptions of the various regions they traveled through and the emphasis component on place, particularly how they connected to the characters specifically. The creatures harkened back to the Brother's Grimm while maintaining lore just unique enough to feel fresh.

While the aesthetic was overall lovely, the plot's execution left much to be desired. The history of the setting is given to us in bits and pieces, but so sparse and random I had a hard time understanding the politics that sets our story into motion. Similarly, the twist at the end left me annoyed. No major spoilers, but the ending felt completely unfair and wrong considering our heroine is a Jewish-coded character and the lengths she goes to survive throughout the story. The individual character arcs felt stilted and awkward, like their revelations didn't actually fit who I thought they were. The climax also fell flat, so much so that I was surprised I didn't have another quarter of the book left to go. By the end, I still didn't really like any of the characters or the decisions they were forced to make.

A part of me feels like this would have been an excellent duology, as the pacing seemed rushed at times, slow and tedious at others. And the love between the protagonist and her enemy-to-lover felt rushed and a little too "eureka" to read authentic.

Overall, A Dark & Drowning Tide is a fine read if you're looking for something easy-ish and sapphic with enough fantasy to escape.

Thank you to NetGalley & Del Ray for an eARC copy.

This was a bit of a fun, folklore heavy, sapphic fantasy. The writing a beautiful, as always. The characters were perfect.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year that unfortunately did not live up to what I wanted it to be. It took some time for me to get into the story, and the world didn’t feel as fleshed out as it needed to be. The relationship between Sylvia and Lorelei was sweet to watch unfold, but it just wasn’t a great story. It was fine.

In all honesty, I have some mixed feelings about this one. I had really high expectations. I often judge a book by the cover, and my goodness!! — this is such a gorgeous cover!

Luckily, the cover reflects the vibes. I loved the magical realism, dark academia, and folklore elements. I enjoyed the lush historically-inspired, moody world. This was my first book by Saft, and I was enchanted by her prose, reminiscent of fairytales. She deftly weaves a captivating atmosphere with rich detail in a standalone novel.

With that said, I felt that parts of the narrative felt disjointed. There is A LOT going on — an adventure quest, political intrigue, a murder mystery, AND a slow burn romance. This could be a me problem, but I felt like the pacing of the story didn’t pair well with the atmosphere.

This is Saft’s adult debut. Unfortunately, the main character felt a bit juvenile. While I enjoy ya fantasy, I was disappointed that this did not meet my expectations for an adult fantasy novel.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. If my expectations weren’t so high, I’d probably rate this higher. It fell short for me, but it was still a good read.
My rating: 3.75⭐️

Thank you @NetGalley and @DelReyBooks for the eARC. Opinions are my own.

I loved every minute of this book. I devoured this book in two days and I loved all the complexities of the plot and the twists throughout it.

This sapphic romance is magical but unfortunately wasn’t for me. I loved the authors other stories and was so excited for this one but I’ve spent months trying to get into it thinking it was just a slump but this may be a book that I would enjoy more as an audio book and having the reader help me keep up with all the characters will probably help a lot. I genuinely hope that whoever reads this gives this a chance and make up their own minds on this book. I’m giving this 3 stars because I love the writing and the idea of this story, I just cannot personally connect with it at this time.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

While I enjoyed this one, there I struggled a bit, like there could have been a prequel chapter to help explain the situation between these characters where most of them were royal heirs of a conquered kingdom, that's been assimilated under one king. And what their relationship was to one another. Also some maybe preface lore of the creatures native to the lands. I felt like it was more character driven that I was struggling to catch up with their personal intricacies.

A group of nobles embarks on an expedition for the new king, to find a magical lake that could bestow upon him, great dangerous power. Will they find it? Or will someone take it for themselves?

But mixed in there is a love story between to rival women, who are equals in their fields. Silvia von Wolff, the moonlit princess, is recklessly intelligent, and seeming unafraid to reach over to the unknown, to approach danger and pet it.
Lorelei Kaskel is one of two non nobles on this group's expedition, as the Folklorist, she's worked very hard to prove herself and get the other to understand her worth. She grapples with the fact that the tales she is studying that her people are often the victims and the monsters depicted in them. And that some members of this expedition still see her as less than human. And will scapegoat her at the first chance.

The romance in this absolutely nails it.


Themes of: colonization, conquering, antisemitism, violence, death, survivors guilt, murder.

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

While the scene-setting was slow in the first few chapters, it didn’t take long for me to become enamored by what I was reading. The alluring prose mixed with lore and outside stories were some of the main reasons why I loved this so much. It reminds me of Ava Reid’s THE WOLF OF THE WOODSMAN, but in ADADT, the stories seemed more appropriately placed

Lorelei as a character is a being of cynical beauty. Her development was heartwarming as she slowly melts her tough exterior whilst dealing with her past. Sylvia’s role in helping Lorelei was also done very well

This was an incredible story I’m still thinking about!! Allison Saft is an author for me to watch out for. Thank you so much for letting me read this in advance in exchange for an honest review!!