At the story's core are Lorelei and Sylvia, whose love story blossoms amidst a tapestry of faeries, unexpected twists, and a mystical murder mystery. Sylvia, an embodiment of passion and kindness, acts as the perfect counterbalance to the grumpy and emotionally intricate Lorelei. Their dynamic journey evokes a whirlwind of emotions, creating a profound connection between the reader and their enthralling tale.

Saft's exploration of societal reform and the burden of survivor's guilt adds layers of complexity to the characters, particularly Lorelei. As the narrative unfolds, themes of self-discovery and emotional growth seamlessly intertwine with the central mystery. The beautifully perfect ending delivers a satisfying resolution that will undoubtedly leave a cascade of emotions in its wake.

This captivated me from the first page, it was full of magic, mystery and forbidden romance. This is a sapphic fantasy romance that has all of the intrigue and adventure. Lorelei was a great character who has a sparkling connection with Sylvia, her rival. Their partnership blossoms into something deeper as they go through their adventure together.
This is definitely a must-read for fans of fantasy and romance. The characters were phenomenal, and the world-building was perfect without being overwhelming. There are plot twists and things that keep you guessing until the end, which just makes the book so engaging.

Overall rating: 4.5/5
Readability: 4.75/5
Would recommend

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

The cover is what sold me on wanting to look into reading this book. The description of the book also intrigued me. Such a good dark romance fantasy read. Will be recommending to my fantasy lover friends.

First off, thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

OUTLIER ALERT!! 🎶It's me🎶!! Upon reading the captivating summary and being utterly entranced by the stunning cover, I was filled with sheer delight upon receiving approval for the book. Anticipation surged through me as I eagerly awaited the immersive experience promised by the fusion of dark academia, folklore fantasy, and murder mystery within the pages. Regrettably, the actual reading experience fell short of my expectations, leaving me feeling disheartened and struggling to maintain interest until the end.

The primary reason for my dissatisfaction with the book stemmed from the intolerable nature of the characters, making it challenging for me to form any meaningful connection with them. Additionally, the plot dragged on, lacking the momentum needed to sustain my interest while the romance aspect fell disappointingly flat, falling to evoke the intended emotional resonance.

In conclusion, despite my struggle to push through and finish the book, I managed to reach the end. However, upon reflection, it became apparent that this particular book simply didn't align with my personal tastes and preferences. Disappointingly, I find myself unable to recommend the book to others.⭐️⭐️

I think I was in the wrong headspace for this book and just couldn't finish it. The overall tone of this is extremely dark; the book is, at its core, a murder mystery, and the central themes are antisemitism and injustice. The central character is (deservedly) caustic, and while there is a cute, well-fleshed-out romance, it just felt...grim. I think I should revisit this in the future. It is just a bit too much for me to enjoy right now.

When I first picked this book to read it was because the cover looked interesting and the summary caught my attention. However as I start to read the book it was not able to keep my attention for more than a few minutes. I had to struggle to even get half way through the book. I think part of this is that there was a lot of character introduce very quickly for me to keep track of and the transition from chapter to chapter was not the best for me. At the end of the day the book ended up not being for me, however I do think there are people who will enjoy the book.

Thank you to netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, for allowing me to read this book. The writing was so hauntingly beautiful, I enjoyed every moment of this book.

<i>First, a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</i>

I need to start by saying I can see why this is a bit of a polarizing book - either you like it, or your don't.

It's a very specifically sort of slow-burn, enemies to lovers romance, and Lorelai is not exactly a knight in shining armor. Lorelai has the capacity to be incredibly cruel. I fully understand that this just will not be everyone's cup of tea.

With that being said, I actually quite enjoyed it. I liked the world building, I liked the folklore and takes, I liked the prose, and the characters - even if the reading was a bit dense at times.

I did also really like [book:Thistlefoot|60018639], and I see similarities here (other than just the Jewish folklore base they share).

Similarly to <i>Thistlefoot</i>, I did find this book a little slow to get into, but by 10% in I was hooked.

I have to say, I would not really consider myself one of the "dark academia girlies", but I can see the appeal of the genre after reading this book.

And I will <i>always</i> go for a sapphic historical/folklore/fantasy romance. It'll get me every time - [book:Mortal Follies|62984592] started it and now I'm hooked.

I recently read A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft and fell in love with her writing, so A Dark and Drowning Tide became one of my most anticipated releases for 2024. I was especially excited for an adult fantasy novel with dark/gothic vibes, since that is my favorite subgenre of fantasy.

In the beginning of the book, I was confused. It felt like being dropped into an ongoing story. But once we got to the scene at the palace, everything clicked into place.

Saft has a knack for writing angst and longing, and this book did not disappoint in that regard. All those charged moments between Lorelei and Sylvia were perfection.

Halfway through the book, I thought ADADT might become my favorite Saft novel. I loved the world, the nixies, the angst and the adventure. However, the second half of the book did not land for me. I never felt fully connected to any of the characters, which was odd for me, since that was one of the main reasons I enjoyed Saft’s prior work. Although I loved the angst in the first half, the conflict and Lorelei’s choices really killed that relationship for me. I couldn’t wrap my head around how that conflict was so easily resolved.

I will continue to read Allison’s works, as I quite enjoy her writing style. However, I think she shines most with YA whimsical fantasy.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

It’s only February but I am already predicting that this is my favorite book of 2024. I absolutely devoured it. Both the fantasy world and the characters were dark and complex, and I was captivated by them all until the very end. Lorelei was a flawed and relatable main character, and the rivals to lovers sapphic romance had me positively squealing with joy! Please everyone read this right away!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

A sapphic academic rivals to romantasy adventure? Count me in.

A DARK AND DROWNING TIDE is based in Germanic folklore and follows Lorelei Kaskel, our leading lady - an acerbic, self-loathing, misfit folklorist on her journey to discover the source of all magic or Aether.

Lorelei must join forces with her academic rival, Sylvia von Wolff, and the rest of her noble friends. Things soon take a turn for the Agatha Christie when the expedition's leader is mysteriously murdered.

As the expedition continues, we begin to see Lorelei struggle more and more - not only with herself but also with the anti-semitism that is rife in her country. Throughout the folklore she has studied, the Yeva have been painted as the villians, the witches nad vipers always waiting for a chance to strike. Lorelei uses everyone's pre-conceived notions of her and her people to cocooon herself in the mask of the viper when Lorelei just wants to be worthy of love and forgiveness. To succeed on their expedition she must confront her demons and reconcile the two halves of herself.

I fell in love with Allison Saft through this book. She has a talent for weaving hints throughout the story that kept me guessing until the end.

If you like sapphic academic rivals with a sharp-witted Jewish MC and a dreamy folklore heavy tale, this is the book for you.

Looking to consolidate power, the newly crowned king of Brunnestaad sends 5 of his nobles along with his top advisor and her protege, Lorelei, to find a magical spring that grants power. Each of the nobles is the child of the rulers of lands conquered by Brunnestaad, so they each have their own skills as well as their own people's interests to protect. Lorelei is a member of an oppressed group, who owes her freedom to her mentor, and has worked hard to be not only included but named leader of this expedition. When her mentor is murdered on the first night of the voyage, Lorelei knows that it is an attempt to undermine the mission potentially destabilizing the kingdom, and must push the team on while wondering which noble presents an imminent threat to her. Her academic rival Sylvia pushes all of her buttons, but has the insight and the influence within the group to help Lorelei succeed, but she has to let down her walls enough to let Sylvia in.
Grumpy sunshine sapphic romance in a magical adventure was lovely, though the court intrigue played a heavy hand. Brunnestaad's resemblance to post WWI Germany was strong enough that it plays a strong part in the story. Lorelei is Yeva, a people villainized by the very folklore that she specializes in, and confined to a gated area of the capitol city where they are tolerated by the crown but not protected or given citizenship or rights. The nobles on the voyage are people she has had to work with and be bullied by for years which builds more tension in her suspicions.
I really enjoyed the folklore and the way that the fairy tales played into the overall storyline. I also appreciated the character development and heart of Sylvia, and all of the magical creatures she fought to protect. I would recommend it for fans of Romantasy, Morganstern's "The Starless Sea", or Fantastic Beasts films.
Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the advanced copy. All opinions in this review are my own, and I am looking forward to recommending this title to patrons at my library.

4.5 Stars rounded up!

A Dark and Drowning Tide was a sapphic-academic-rivals-to-lovers romantasy that was gripping and breathtaking. Allison Saft is an auto-buy author for me, I read her books and I simply cannot get enough of them. I try to read all my ARCs in release order but the second I got approval for this one, I just kept coming back to it over and over until I went ahead and caved in to read it.

This felt a bit darker than the other of Saft’s books that I have read so far –which makes sense considering that it’s her first adult release. I think that of all her backlog that I have read so far, Lorelei and Sylvia are my favorites. My favorite thing about the way Saft writes, is how dynamic and human her characters are. I liked that the main character for this book wasn’t the doe-eyed hopeful beauty, but rather the thorny, defensive, and strong masculine character. Typically, I would not like a book where the main character is quick to hurt others, spew vitriol, and just generally be unpleasant. And without Lorelei being the perspective we get –I probably would have disliked her. Like Nesta from the ACOTAR series, there is something so relatable about a barbed protagonist once you see inside their mind. I love the way Allison Saft can capture all these dynamic elements to the characters she writes.

The world building and magic systems were full and unique, and I loved the idea of a magical expedition and a budding romance between a folklorist, using spoken tradition, and the naturalist, taming the local magical wildlife, on a mission to find the source of all magic. There are creatures, murder, betrayal, politics, survival, issues of race and many more elements that make this book truly something special. I will continue to buy any book Allison Saft writes.

Tremendous Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this novel for my honest opinion and review. I loved it!

4.3 stars!

Thank you so much to Random House and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review!

It's safe to say that this was a great read to start the year. It's sometimes whimsical and silly but draws you back in to discuss serious topics like race and steryotyping. If you're expecting the romance to be the main plot here, it's not, BUT that helped keep me hooked while reading. I will admit that it took me about a third of the book for me to become engaged with what I was reading and the grumpy/sunshine banter was a bonus during those very slow moments.

My only downside for this novel was the amount of world and political information dumped into not only the beginning of the novel but throughout the entirety. I wish some scenes featured more dialogue between more characters but I was very satisfied during a certain scene IYKYK, was very *swoon*. This is my first work by Saft but I look forward to seeing what she does in the future!

Off the bat this book reminded me of The Bear and the Nightingale (which I loved), with the strong history and folklore influence on what is obviously a fantasy tale. However, that is where the similarities ended! The magical world of this book was fascinating to learn about, especially the scientific study of magic. I was hooked from the beginning by that alone. The characters took a little while to grow on me, but once they did the romance part of the book was actually very sweet and wholesome. I don’t always love romance thrown into a book about magic quests and adventures, but here I thought it was really well done! I do want to add a trigger warning for anyone thinking about reading: strong themes of racism/antisemitism throughout the book including violence.

Lorelei is a folklorist, a sort of anthropologist with a keen interest in stories, and her greatest ambition is to prove herself on a magical research mission so she can earn the right to travel freely, something not usually granted to those in her ethnic class due to prejudice. When a murder happens soon into her journey, she has to team up with her long-hated academic rival to unravel the mystery and avoid taking the blame and losing her dreams and her freedom.

I ADORED this book in a way I wasn’t expecting! Neither of the other books I've read by Allison Saft have left much impression on me but she’s really hit her stride with this one. The sapphic romance at the heart of the story is so good and builds in a way that reads very natural. I’m not much of a romance girly and this definitely isn’t a typical romance book, but there were a few scenes that had me giggling and kicking my feetsies. Lorelei herself is my favorite kind of unlikable narrator, one with a compelling backstory, keen ambition, and dynamic character growth. Sylvia is a little more of an enigma, being that the story is told from Lorelai’s perspective (which I greatly appreciate! Not every romantasy has to be dual POV, y’all) but the rivals to lovers plot feels so believable without either character feeling tropey. The political machinations are well-woven, with each character having distinct motivations and alliances that are hinted at with a combination of dialogue and how the characters interact with each other. And I greatly appreciate an ending where not everything is wrapped up in a perfect shiny bow.

My only small gripe is one I have with a number of fantasy books with political leanings and that’s when an author makes up a fantasy race/religion/ethnicity that’s an obvious reference to real-world ethnic and religious groups. This book would have been fantastic Jewish representation if the author had chosen to actually call the main character Jewish and not a name she came up with. Or if she had written a fictional fantasy group with original traits, customs, and stereotypes for the character to belong to. But lifting every single trait about Judaism then not actually calling the character Jewish strikes me as a little bit of a world building cop-out. I still loved it don’t get me wrong, it’s just a small thing that bothers me about this genre and this book specifically. But not enough to knock a star off, cause this was absolutely a five-star read!

Huge thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for this Advanced Reader Copy! This review is my honest opinion and offered voluntarily!

This book sucks you in from the start and you won't want to let go! The lore! The characters, scenes, action... very fun read. Love the world and would read more about it.

Absolutely thrilling book, with beautiful world building and magic system. So elegant while having the sharp edge of mystery and suspicion, while having a slow burn romantic story line. Twist that you’ll never expect!

A big shoutout to NetGalley for sending me this ARC; I appreciate it. Thank you!

I'll be sincere, as I am supposed to be with these reviews, and I will mention upfront that this book took me the first third to get into. However, once I got a good idea of the worldbuilding and the relationships between the characters, I got pretty invested. This book has the trope of what could be a found family, as the core group of characters on this quest grew up surrounded by each other in the court. However, the main character, Lorelai, is the outlier who came into this a bit late. But also, the found family all kinda hate each other and are plotting betrayals and murdering a few of them, not a good look.

Lorelai is like the scholarship kid in this private school-like college setting, and this group of students who have all known each other for YEARS are working under a world-renowned professor searching for this path to magic in the form of a Urspring. This quest is full of danger, wild beasts, magic, murder, and warfare in a world where the world's fate sits on their shoulders. Our other main character is Sylvia, who, according to Lorelai, has been a thorn in her side since day one, and we go into this story knowing that a romance will blossom between these two; however, my friends, you will have to wait till half-way through to get it but damn will it get good. Lorelai is brilliant but terrible at picking up what Sylvia is blatantly putting down in front of her; she's good at mentioning many times how beautiful she thinks Sylvia is, so she's not oblivious. I loved the wild ride this book puts you through, but I wish we saw more advancement in the relationship. I thought it was lacking just a bit more fluff.

3.5 stars. This was pretty good! It had beautiful writing and excellent worldbuilding. Saft's ability to create worlds with conflict and diverse, sprawling culture is remarkable. There were a few things that I didn't love about the book, though. First were the characters, none of them were super likable. Second were the folklore tales from this world inserted way too frequently in the novel. Last was the fact that this read like a YA novel, not an adult one. But despite those elements of A Dark and Drowning Tide, it was a solid Allison Saft read.