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.

Folklorist Lorelei has to work against her rival Sylvia on an important expedition to find a magical spring while navigating the murder of her beloved mentor and fighting feelings for the maddening woman.

This was a beautifully woven fantasy that immersed me in the world and lore. I loved the characters, the self discovery, and the overall plot. The writing and world building is exquisite. I highly recommend this if you enjoy dark fantasy! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

3.75/5
A Dark and Drowning tide is a sapphic academic rivals to lovers with a mix of folklore fantasy and mystery,

While I really enjoyed the dynamic between the MC Lorelie & her love interest Sylvia, you could tell they had a lot of chemistry it was very adorable. It was giving "Its not you its me" & "ill do anything to learn everything about you, but from afar", however I wouldnt say that I was fully convinced by the love interest due to there not being a lot of build up until after they professed their love to eachother... It would have been nice to see the build up. The romance is not a major plot in the book, but it is in the background. Overall this was a very well written rivals to lovers.

As someone who prefers a more "high-stakes" fantasies, it did take me quite some time to get into the book as it is inspired by Folklore. Most of the plot was given away very early on, while others were just left unexplained? I also didnt find the characters to be super likeable.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the ARC.

A Dark and Drowning Tide was giving all of the vibes and those vibes are immaculate. This story has so many favorites and I cannot wait until everyone gets to read.

This book contained all the elements for a 5 star read, but it just couldn’t engage me within the plot or characters. I found myself able to predict anything that could be considered a twist, so it took all the thrill out of the murder-mystery aspect of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the arc.

Dnfing 50% in. This is my least favorite thing to come from Saft. I was excited for dark academia + folklore fantasy but ugh. It drags and I am not feeling pulled into the plot and the romantic relationship hasn't even shown up yet. I can't feel any romantic chemistry between the two. I don't understand why she hates Sylvia so much, enemies to lovers is so hard to write well and this doesn't accomplish that. The queer relationship is dry and feels...textbooky, like someone who doesn't know how to write a WLW romance but is following a how-to guide.

Lorelai's hatred of everyone feels superficial. She has reason to, she is coded Jewish and lives in a goddamn ghetto while she's surrounded by privileged scholars, but the book misses making an emotional connection between the two. I also, again, wish that Saft didn't try to code religion and just named it for what it is. Why are so many books pulling from Jewish heritage and history but aren't naming it? I don't like this trend. This is an ARC, so maybe it will be added, but there is no afterward breaking down the historic abuse of Jewish people that she is pulling from, that this book could use as an educational moment.

The whole book feels very empty. It's constantly info dumping world building information and the lore-dumping doesn't blend in well with the plot. Saft historically struggles with worldbuilding and continues to here. I can't envision the world as I read. Character relationships are normally her specialty and that is missing from here, as well. It's stilted, very write-by-numbers, and I honestly have no idea what's going on in the plot and I'm 50% in! It is HARD to write a novel with as many characters as there are here, it's something Maureen Johnson even struggled with in her latest Devious book, and it falls into the trap of everyone feels the same to the point where I can't tell them apart. It's trying to be a Six of Crows knockoff, with multiple European countries blended in (Austrian-Hungarian, Nordic, English, French, German, etc.) but misses the mark because I can't tell any of them apart except in the names she uses for characters and for bits of the lore she pulls from.

4.5 stars

This book contains so many of my favorite elements: an adult sapphic love story, slow burn, adventure, intense political elements that serve the story, and a compelling cast of characters.

I knew from the first pages I would love Lorelei and Sylvia. And even knowing that I underestimated how much these women would stick with me.

I love so much about this tale: the authors gorgeous command of language, being wrong about the “bad guy,” “back in the days when wishes still held power” and all the variations, and the theme of shedding your ghosts.

Lorelei’s faith was an incredibly moving and dynamic aspect of her character.

I struggled with the world building. It felt like a lot of information too fast and not enough overall. It wasn’t detrimental to my understanding the story but it would have helped with a fuller/more complete picture. The end of the story felt like it was wrapped up fast, I wish I got to hear more about the civil war and what happened in the four months that last chapter covers. I would have loved to know more.

I can’t wait to hold this book in my hands!! There is so much in this story to love

This is a richly developed world with an interesting cast of characters that just didn't do it for me. The descriptions that I heard of this book are wildly inaccurate. I've heard people say it's an atmospheric, gothic romance at the heart of a mystery. The only thing that really feels true about that is the atmosphere, I do think Allison Saft nailed the folklore vibes of this. The writing was beautiful and I found it easy to get into, but it felt SO LONG. I also didn't connect with any of the characters—I was rooting for no one and I didn't buy the romance. I really disliked Lorelei. Sylvia was the only character I thought was decent, everyone else was one dimensional and the dialogue felt unnatural. The final 1/3 of this book was the best part, but the ending was...odd.

This was my third Allison Saft book and I just don't think her books are for me. All three have been totally, utterly....fine.

This story was everything I wanted and needed it to be!! A sapphic dark academia, rivals-to-lovers romance with a foundation of mystery, I mean what’s not to love?

Saft created an immersive, plot driven narrative that includes magic, intrigue, mystery, and an expedition. The magic system is unique, in that they all have the same power just varying degrees. Although the quest they go on is for magic, I didn't find magic itself to be a predominant component of the story which I liked because we got to focus more on the mystery/quest and the blossoming relationship.

I loved the relationship between Lorelei and Sylvia, the classic grumpy sunshine will forever be a favorite of mine. I really enjoyed the pace that Saft set of them, it felt realistic in terms of the narrative. The banter and wit between these two was as amazing as their tenderness with each other. I was giggling and kicking my feet reading their scenes!

I found that I disliked the majority of the characters besides Lorelei and Sylvia; just annoying and so far up their own butts…but honestly that could have been the point. They definitely help develop the plot but sometimes they made me wanna pull my hair out.

I really enjoyed this story & i'm thrilled for it to be released so i can grab a copy….literally the most stunning cover i’ve seen in a long long time!

I’m so sad that I didn’t love this book like I thought I would. This was my first book by this author and I do want to read her other books, but this one wasn’t for me.

The beginning was a little confusing, it was a very slow start and hard for me to find the motivation to pick it up to read. I wanted to love it because I’m a sucker for dark academia and sapphic books but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this one as I had hoped.

I love Allison Saft's writing. There is a lot of different parts to this book, but she makes them fit together flawlessly.

I loved Sylvia and Lorelei. Their first kiss was my favorite scene in the entire book. It actually had me blushing.

I can't wait for release day so I can own a copy!

i liked this! ive now read three allison saft books and while “a far wilder magic” is still my favorite, i enjoy her writing in each book from her :). i do wish the world building and character backgrounds were a bit more developed but it’s still a solid read!

Lorelei Kaskel is a folklorist with a temper as dark and deep as her pain. She's got a rapier wit but no physical skills to speak of. Instead, she keeps everyone at bay with the fact that she's risen far above her station and lets the mask of "viper" speak the volumes she cannot utter aloud. With the seething anger and hatred of the six nobles forced into companionship with Lorelei, they set off in search of the source of all magic. Throughout the expedition danger lurks constantly, murder fuels distrust and betrayal, and Lorelei must face harsh truths about her own heart's character while she decides if the kingdom of Brunnestaad deserves to be saved at all.

Allison Saft is a new-to-me author and with a title like A Dark and Drowning Tide, I expected great things from this ARC from NetGalley. I was not disappointed! The writing is exquisite. The characters are fully fleshed and the web of flaws and connections between them all is so juicy that I could barely put the book down. If you're looking for sapphic romances, love triangles, and unrequited love then this book will check all the boxes, twice. All the while delivering mayhem and madness. This is a brilliant book, and one I will be purchasing once it is published!

A beautifully dark tale filled with magic, folktales and pining. A Dark and Drowning Tide offered such a unique magic system, along with an expertly crafted group of complex characters. Murder-mysteries are always so fun to read, and Allison Saft did such a fantastic job planting moments of uncertainty that had me on the edge of my seat and second guessing who might be guilty. Also, the yearning & longing between Lorelei and Sylvia was *chefs kiss*. A delicious slow burn between academic rivals that makes you DESPERATE to read more.

Allison Saft has done it again! The folklore, the sentient forest, the beautiful love story set against a backdrop of war and tensions were magnificently told. And there was a twisty murder mystery! I loved it. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.