Thank you Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book!!

I'll be honest, I was about 40% in before I started getting into this. The beginning felt slow to me, but I atrribute this to the author's writing style. This is a me thing, and I'm not letting it sway my views. This world was interesting but I wish we had just a little more background on the characters and not just a bunch of world-building in the beginning. By the end I didn't feel very connected to any of them except for Lorelei. But the magic, the creatures and the politics kept me engaged and the ending suited the story well! I felt Lorelei's trauma from the deaths that surrounded her gave us more insight into her mind and I wish we have more of this from at least Sylvia. I think a multi-POV would have been great for this book. But overall, I loved it and I thought it was a unique adventure!

Some of the things the characters do in this book are very cruel. I can’t decide if it’s cruelty just for “the vibe” the author is trying very hard to curate for this book. It has a dark, smokey, unsettling vibe that I’d go so far as to call “sophisticated violence”, which is not intended as a compliment. A lot of it is described on page too.

The romance is where the book started to lose me. This is a very toxic relationship and I would not use the word romance to describe it at all. At 80% Lorelei is still being an asshole to Sylvia and everyone around them and yet Sylvia continues to excuse Lorelei’s behavior and forgive her. Sylvia is almost an over-characterization of a manic pixie dream girl. Even still, she was the only person of the core group who I enjoyed reading about.

The magic system was vague and unclear about how it actually worked but I thought it was a really interesting idea. There was a major plot line that was just dropped for the bulk of the book. I’m not even sure if it was resolved in the end or if it died with the other mystery.

Overall, this book has a good dark vibe but lacks anything of substance. It was a decent way to spend a rainy afternoon but I don't see the story sticking with me for very long.

Absolutely stunning book that matches the cover beautifully! Packed with beautiful prose, atmospheric world building, magical forests, and creatures that are both whimsical and creepy. I would recommend if you are a fan of the Raven Boys but looking for an adult world to jump into. I really enjoyed the love story, and political aspects of the story.

☁️ Dark Academia
☁️ Enemies to Lovers
☁️ Grumpy x Sunshine
☁️ LQBTQIA
☁️ Murder Mystery
☁️ Slow Burn

The writing in this is exquisite. The main narrative is sprinkled with folklore, creating a well-painted picture of the the land and the people who live there. The world building and magic system were interesting, the search for the Ursprung felt reminiscent of the search for the fountain of youth, which are stories I’ve always enjoyed. The turmoil within the kingdom felt familiar and gave the story another level of intrigue. The descriptions of the wildeleute they encounter were beautiful and each creature was fascinating. I really, really loved the nixies.

The romance was definitely secondary to the murder mystery and hunt for the Ursprung. Lorelei’s attitude was frustrating, but understandable, and I couldn’t wait for her iciness toward Sylvia to thaw. I loved the character development for all of the Ruhigburg Five, even if I didn’t necessarily love the characters. Each of their stories were interesting, I wanted to know all about all of them. I had a very hard time figuring out who the murderer was, which is always fun.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

If you like beautiful writing, a unique fantasy realm and a good ol’ mystery — this one’s for you!

I already knew I loved Allison Saft's writing, and every cover seems to make me say, "wow! I've got to read that". I have yet to be disappointed. A Dark and Drowning Tide was everything I could have hoped for. I continue to be amazed at how much I love these stories.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Folklore? Check. Sapphic romance? Check. Murder mystery? Check. Political intrigue? Check. I could go on and on. This was such a interesting world built around these beautiful almost poetic fantasy features. I really enjoyed Lorelei, the main character, and her character depth. She felt so real and flawed but perfect at the same time. The romance in this was GORGEOUSLY written, I could picture this to poetry. Once again I’m here for academic rivals. You’ll see me every time too. I can say that I absolutely need a sequel right now and I will beg for the end of my days. The back drop for this was just immaculate.

This story is beautifully written holding in its contents a sapphic romance that will frustrate you to your core (in a good way). The murder mystery, folklore, and adventure had me wanting to not put this book down! I particularly loved the atmosphere and the differences between the cultures/places they visited.

As academic rivals the tension between the two could be cut by a knife. You felt it throughout! Lorelei is a skeptical, serious, and stubborn character while Sylvia just radiates light and brings a magic into the world that few possess. It was just a breath of fresh air seeing them become intertwined, and I would love to see more of their story since the HEA did leave me wanting for more.

I loved all the characters and their histories and while it didn’t really go in depth, you can feel how much war affected each and every one. What they would do to keep the people the love and care for safe, and sometimes a price must be paid for great power.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a fun, whimsical book. I liked the academic rivals, the magic, and the mystery. I had a harder time connecting with these characters than in the authors other works but overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fantasy lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley, as always, for the Arc
I would say I'm surprised that the first book of 2024 is a 5-star read, but Allison Saft never disappoints; I've fallen head over heels for Lorelei and Sylvia alongside a world blooming with wild magic.
If you love Hozier and Evermore, I cannot recommend this book enough for you.
Happy New Year, see y'all on publication day!

This title would be great for fans of Shadow and Bone. It captures a lot of that vibe while weaving in this folklore energy.

For me, it did not feel unique enough to really draw me in. It was a perfectly decent read, and adequately written, but I wasn't racing to get back to the story. It starts really slow and while it does pick up, I feel the slow beginning sets the tone too much and is difficult to overcome.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of A dark and Drowning Tide in exchange of my honest opinion.

.Another great fantasy from Allison Saft.

Academic rivals are picked to go with a group of researchers in an expedition to find a powerful magic object that will be the key to stop a political unrest in a divided kingdom.

Lorelei has a difficult upbringing and her bitterness and feeling of not-belonging is evident on her dealings with her peers. Specially when her mentor, which she has a strong sense of gratitude, appoints her as the co-leader of the expedition. This beautifully contrast to Sylvia, her nemesis, that was born into royalty and although has proven herself academically and is perceived by Lorelei as naive and entitled.
This book almost reads as a fairy tale. The rich folklore of the places they travel - from the flora of the places they have to explore to the fauna/beings that lives there - gives another layer and some clues of how the story will develop.
I could also see the effort of the author in making the main characters of the expedition being complex, with their ambitions, hopes and weaknesses. However I felt that Heike and Ludwig could have been more explored as well. Specially because on top of it all there is a mystery that the main character has to solve and I really loved this extra plot in the story

I would say that this book has great romance but it only start for real after the 60-65% mark of the book. You could see Lorelei’s begrudgingly admiration for Sylvia but until the last third of the book there is absolutely no hint that a romance will ensue. However, when it does it has all the angst, sweetness and cuteness that we know Saft works in her books.

My main criticism in this book is that I believe the first two parts of the book had a extremely slow pace, which is “corrected” to my taste on the last two parts. It took me weeks to move through the beginning, however I finished the book in two days after reaching the 70% mark.

Overall for those who likes dreamy fantasy stories, with some romance, mystery and a lot of adventure I would totally recommend this book.

Absolutely gorgeous romance mystery fantasy with a very very queer theme which was gorgeous. Thanks for the arc

This is my second Saft ARC and I have come to the conclusion that she is not the author for me. I love the plotlines but I feel lime the books are long winded and I wish there was more dialogue.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 Rounded up.

From the cover, to the description, to the actual story this book is beautiful, enchanting...

Every character in this novel is amazingly written. They each have their motives for their behavior and as we uncover them you are more drawn in. Relatable to some extent.
I absolutely feel in love with the two main characters, Sylvia and Lorelai.
The slow burn romance, the years of bickering and being blindsided... it was written beautifully!
Enjoyed their upbringing wasn't all flowers and love but a lot of tragedy and expectations that couldn't be met. I love characters who haven't had it easy and who despite that, still find how to be good.

The twists will keep you engaged and the ending.. wow the ending! Refreshing to see something different where the happy ending does not happen right away.
A MUST READ!

Unfortunately I had to dnf this book. The beautiful cover drew me in, and I had read another book by the author that I enjoyed.
This one though I just could not get through, almost to the point I dreaded picking it up each time I tried.

Of what I read , 40% , I felt like I was slowly being dragged through. Often things were told repeatedly , as if the author needed to constantly remind readings instead of trusting their competence in remembering details.
The characters felt flat. The world building , shallow. The academic rivalry was underwhelming . Though maybe, hopefully this could have changed through the story. I just could not continue any further.

I went back and forth with myself , as I have only dnfed one other book in my life- I try to truly give each story a fair shot and push through. Sadly, this was just not for me.

I really enjoyed this. All I really knew going into this was "sapphic, dark academia, academic rivals to lovers, fantasy romance." That was enough for me to be interested and excited to read, but I think that really undersold what the book was. Part fantasy, part romance, yes, but also part murder mystery, part political thriller, part high adventure, all working together to amount to a book greater than the sum of its parts.

What worked for me: almost everything, I hardly know where to start. First of all, the writing was beautiful. The overall atmosphere was super alluring, thanks to strong worldbuilding, folklore, and a fun magic system. I loved the themes: academia, marginalized identities, and institutions of oppression.

But really, what carried the story were the central characters and the relationships between them. I loved Lorelai, she's exactly the kind of character I love to read a story from: prickly, flawed, hard to like, full of anger. I loved the third person-limited narration following her, how her personality and history were woven throughout the story so well. I also loved the rest of the expedition's crew. I love stories with a group of interconnected characters with complicated histories, contrasting interests, and torn loyalties put in the same situation, and watching all the drama unfold.

What didn't work for me: Surprisingly, I was not super compelled by the romance. I think it took a backseat to the rest of the plot. Although it was built up throughout, I didn't find it to be fully realized. I was okay with this though, since the rest of the book was so strong, I didn't really feel like I needed that to be a bigger storyline. Also, I was occasionally lost with the worldbuilding and the characters' places in it, especially in the beginning when there was so much being set up. But even later, Lorelai would realize something significant about a character or their motives, and I was sometimes confused about what exactly this revelation entailed. Sometimes things were too implied. But these were super minor complaints. I'm already excited to reread the published book, and for all my homies to read so I can discuss with them because this was a good one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC of A Dark and Drowning Tide!
All opinions below are my own:

Just as a quick aside before getting into the review, I think that though this novel does involve romance, it isn’t the main aspect of this novel, especially as you don’t truly get into the meat of the romance until about 80% of the book. But, when you do, I think it plays really beautifully into the idea of hope in the most unexpected places.

This book centers around six academic rivals who are all working to their own ends, even when they are tasked on a singular focus: finding a fabled spring that is supposed to bring untold power to the person the spring determines is worthy. Yet, this mission is anything but straight forward or simple. You are along while the six figure out working together while our FMC also has to figure out who has murdered their leader.

I enjoyed the various folklore and think that Saft did a really wonderful job and weaving in Jewish folklore alongside the very sad and real examples of anti-semitism. The use of magic and folklore added depth to this story, creating a good counter of reality and fairytale in a world where creatures from fairytales are real. Yet, we see that even with this evidence the idea of hope is so hard when you’ve had to live a life where you’re being held at an arm’s distance from it all.

I liked the complexity of Lorelei, that she made herself what she needed to be to survive in a world where everyone else feels she shouldn’t belong. Her and Sylvia’s complex relationship throughout is interesting, and though at times you wish for some more softness from Lorelei it’s understandable when it doesn’t come.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! Looking forward to reading other books by Allison Saft in the future!

A Dark and Drowning Tide was my first read of the year, and all I can say is I could have not chosen something better to start the year with. Allison Saft takes us on a darkly romantic adventure filled with twists, turns, and unforgettable characters.

Lorelei Kaskel is a folklorist with a quick temper and a heart of gold. When an expedition searching for a fabled magical spring turns deadly, she finds herself thrust into a dangerous game. The other members of the expedition become suspects, each with their motive for murder.

As she digs deeper into the expedition's dark secrets and the mystery of her mentor's murder, she uncovers a world of hidden agendas, ancient magic, and a love that transcends the boundaries of reality.

Saft's writing is beautiful, drawing readers into a seductive and chilling world. The characters are richly developed, each with their flaws, strengths, and motivations. Those who give this book a chance will find themselves caught up in a web of lies, betrayal, and love as the story unfolds.

The cover is absolutely GORGEOUS. I would buy this book for the cover alone.

Allison Saft's first Adult Fantasy book still reads like YA, with many characters who sound like teenagers rather than adults in their mid-twenties with academic training and political responsibilities. I suppose it's par for the course with authors who come from YA and I'm looking forward to seeing how Saft's writing will grow from there!

I thought Lorelei Kaskel was Saft's most interesting character so far. Well-rounded and developed, it was easy to get a clear picture of her, her emotional baggage, and the burdens she carried at the beginning of the story. However, she was also an emotionally closed-off, angry character, which can make it difficult to fully get in her shoes sometimes.

I'm giving this book three stars because it was enjoyable at times, with an interesting main character, but the vague worldbuilding and long descriptions failed to engage me as much as I expected.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

It is a book with an amazing concept for this book. It was super magical and whimsical. I loved the mystery aspect of this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley