First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley and Del Rey for providing an ARC of this book to me.

This book is quite wonderful. I was immediately drawn in by the rich world full of magic and mythical creatures. The politics of the world were fascinating, and I loved the murder mystery elements of the plot.

I think one of my most favorite parts of the book is how it explores the treatment of Lorelei and the Yevani people. Essentially, the Yevani are an analog for Judaism in this world, with the Yevani being relegated to a distinct quarter of the city and are subjected to steep prejudice. Lorelei was a complicated character for me to engage with in the beginning because she can be so prickly and occasionally cruel, but she was a deeply sympathetic character responding to the situation other people had put her in. She longs to participate outside of the typical station of her people, and is stereotyped and treated cruelly as a result. Eventually, she leans into the what other people expect out of her as a defense mechanism. 'You expect me to be viperous? I will show you what a viper truly looks like.'

Sylvia was an excellent foil to Lorelei's character. She is headstrong, stubborn, bright and brilliant. She feels real and well-rounded to me, because she's not simply happy all the time, but rather actively chooses to see the beauty in the world around her despite the horrors she has been put through.

Ultimately, I loved these characters and really enjoyed watching the story unfold between the two of them. The mystery elements were interesting, but I think the best part was watching these two build their relationship together.

I will say the ending felt rushed. I wish there were more moments after the climax of these two settling into their new roles, exploring their relationship, or even just examining how the events of the story had changed them as people. However, this story was still excellent. Thank you again!

I cannot believe I have to wait until September to get a physical copy of this book in my hands. I love the sort of dark murder mystery vibe, but with fantasy in it! And of course, we get a great romance in there as we've come to love and expect from Saft. Another great novel!

The concept and characters were interesting but I did feel that the plot dragged. We have a lot of Lorelei’s internal monologue which helps with exposition but it feels like too much/not enough. Writing style is beautiful though.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing team for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNFed at 20% I was so excited to read this, genuinely one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, and yet. The more I read the more I realize that I’m just not a big fan of books about insufferable characters. If I can’t stand you, I just won’t be having a good time with your book. The best thing about this book was the setting, it felt hunting and kind of whimsical but in a gothic way.

I was determined to get through the book, but the romance just killed it for me. No, I don’t want to read about women hating each other, it’s triggering for me, and I don’t enjoy it at all; it’s a personal thing I guess.

If you don’t mind anything of what I just said, then go ahead, you’re probably going to love this, the writing is beautiful.

This is just one of those cases where I have to remind myself that not everything is for me.

Dive into this ensorcelled book with folkloric tales!🔥🗡️🌳

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a witty adult sapphic fantasy romance with tons of slow-burn, murder mystery, backstabbing, unrequited love, dangerously eerie creatures 👻😨 and marvelous folklore​ stories.

The story revolves around our two main characters, Lorelei Kaskel (spiky and bad-tempered) and Sylvia von Woff (beautiful, quirky and softhearted), who are head-to-head rivals and magical scholars on an expedition to
find a famed spring that promises untold magical power, along with four other irritable and ill-humored scholars. The awaited expedition, requested by the King, gets sidetracked after its leader, Ziegler (Lorelei's mentor) is tragically assassinated aboard their ship. Now, in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must definitely find the murderer and also try to find this magical fabled spring before returning empty-handed to the King.

As their journey began, we get to experience an epic quest, with tons of compelling circumstantial events (did I mention dragons 🐉 and eerie creatures?) in which result in pleasant and distressing adventures for our main characters, Lorelei and Sylvia. What a blast!

With dark and enchanting vibes, this book is beautifully written and quite fairytale-esque. I felt that Lorelei's snippets of folkloric storytelling added something new to the story, assuredly making them more interesting and fascinating as she told or described them. Surely, a much more fruitful and modern approach to these folktales. Also, the murdery mystery was an essential component in keeping me engaged until the very last moment! I definitely needed to find out who murdered Lorelei's mentor. Nonetheless, why? 😔

As for Lorelei and Sylvia, I loved their snarky bickering 😂 I was cackling with their interactions. I enjoyed their romance story, especially how Lorelei being this sharp-tounged girl would argue with Sylvia for the most stupidest thing ever and even then, sometimes she'd get the words tangled on her tongue because she liked her so much 🤭 it was very cute to see their growing feelings for each other, they are both very appealing, charismatic and well-developed characters.

Sadly, I wish we had gotten Sylvia's POV, it would've been a 5 ⭐ read for me. I wanted to get to know more of her good-natured mind, but despite that, I feel like "A Dark and Drowning Tide" is a recipe for success!
Need a physical copy, pronto!

If you are into Grumpy x Sunshine pairing, check this one out in September 2024! 🖤 #ADarkandDrowningTide

Huge thanks to the author Allison Saft/Random House Ballantine/Del Rey and #NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review has been posted to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6052126736

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Ballantine/Del Rey providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A heart wrenching rivals to lovers sapphic tale where two academic rivals are forced to work together to solve a murder before time runs out and one of them is chosen to take the fall.

I loved this story so much, from the characters to the gothic folklore vibes, to the darkly realistic “fairytale” setting. If I could read this again blind going in, I would. The dynamic where the one character thinks they are unlovable and hideous, only to cut to the other character who has been pining after them this entire time? Unmatched.

I can’t even write a long review BECAUSE this story was just so perfect. Believe me, you need to read this.

If you love:
Enemies/Rivals to Lovers
Sapphic romances
Gothic fairytales
Jewish folklore
“Who could ever love me?” “ME MOTHERFUCKER”
Murder mysteries
Angst/betrayal/hurt-comfort

Read this. Trust me. It’s worth the hype.

I got so attached to these characters that it’s painful. This book is about a group of academic experts who go on an expedition to find a magical river for their king. The main character, Lorelei, is one of my favorite main characters I’ve ever read. I am obsessed with smart characters and so now I’m obsessed with Lorelei haha. Her personality absolutely seethes from the prose. I actually laughed a few times at some of her sarcastic and snide comments. I loved her character arc and her relationships with the other characters and how her Yevanisch identity plays a part in the cautious way she sees the world and even in the way she views her own field of study. I really loved her tentative friendship with Ludwig and her complicated thoughts about her mentor Ziegler. And OF COURSE I was obsessed with Lorelei and Sylvia. They are such opposites and I love their dynamic and banter. Sylvia in general is extremely wonderful and I love how Lorelei has such trouble fathoming her.

I was kind of left wanting more—more of the cool world building, more of the characters. But I guess maybe that’s not because there wasn’t enough of it, but because I really liked this book and wanted more of it. I loved the snippets of folklore we got and the encounters with the wildeleute. I kind of want to join Lorelei and Sylvia and just go explore this world Saft has crafted. I thought the water magic was super super cool and how different bodies of water had different powers.

I would definitely recommend this book if you like either fantasy or romance (or both). I for one got ten times more excited about it when I realized it was sapphic, and it is very well done. It certainly has a very specific ethereal fantastical vibe.

An unfortunately dull work that struggles to provide distinct voices for its characters, making it impossible to have a solid enough investment to make a reader eager to survive its thick text.

The writing is lovely and the pace is consistent. I stopped after chapter 2 (10%), but it feels like a solid three to four stars for the target audience and five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is where murder mystery meets sapphic, fantasy adventure, so I was immediately intrigued by the storyline. Not to mention the love story is very enemies to lovers, which I tend to enjoy. There were a lot of things to like - I liked all of the different skill sets that characters brought to the expedition, and the world had a lot of interesting lore and creatures that I wish we got even more of. However, several of the characters felt pretty flat, and I could call the twists pretty early.

*Slight Spoiler* My biggest struggle with this book was how it attempted to grapple with real social issues, yet the ending treated them like “as long as the MCs are together, it’s ok if there is prejudice and colonialism.” Maybe it was trying to do too much, or maybe it just needed more space to deepen the story in several areas, but the book didn’t quite hit for me.

However, if you are looking for a sapphic adventure full of magic, mythical creatures, and intrigue, there is still a lot to enjoy, so I hope you give it a chance.

ARC received from Ballantine via Netgalley.

This ended up being an outright jewel that cleared me away with its shocking, creepy yet hauntingly delightful composition.

Every character in this book is interesting, but the two main characters stand out the most. lorelei and sylvia's excursion through this story was totally enthralling. it was all that I might have needed in a sapphic dim the scholarly community novel!

The story revolves around a homicide secret. The plot's unexpected twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat.
It’s a decent book with gothic sapphic sentiment with an opponent to sweethearts in a scholastic setting!

Ever since I read the premise of this book, I was sold. Everything about this book sounded so good! Sapphic academic rivals, murder mystery, fantasy setting, magic, and more. I was so excited to read it.

I will say what carried this story for me was the main couple. Lorelei and Sylvia were so fun to follow, especially because the main character was the grump in this grumpy x sunshine pairing. It was their moments together that elevated this book for me.

As for the story...I felt like it was lacking. I was expecting a thorough murder mystery with a clear academic rivalry going on, but that just wasn't there. There were mere hints of it, but I don't think that should've been the main premise. Not in my personal opinion. I feel like Lorelei's need to survive came before the murder mystery, though sort of intertwined. It's just that the murder mystery aspect took a back seat for the most of it. And I'm still wondering where all the academic rivalry tension went. It all seemed so one-sided, and not even. Both of them were pining for each from the start.

I also had trouble going through lengthy paragraphs of info dump, specifically when Lorelei thought about a specific fairy tale that went with whatever was happening in front of her. I think all those stories and world building could've been better weaved into the story so it felt more cohesive.

I was also so confused about all the politics in this book. Clearly, the story depended on these politics to move forward, and yet the politics were merely glossed over. For so much betrayal and political tension going on between the characters, I really think they should've delved deeper into the politics and really flesh it out. I'm just shocked that they all just decided to work with King Wilhelm...

I don't think it's a bad story per se, I just think it tried to be everything and then it wasn't. BUT Lorelei and Sylvia truly saved it for me

3.75 rounded up!

Can’t follow what is going on. The FMC feels needlessly rude. No motives are explained. Jumping from place to place without explanation. One minute they’re supposed to preform something, fight something called a nixie (with no idea what that is) by singing, talk about the FMC’s family and that she grew colder towards them for some unknown job for an unknown reason to some party for royalties? All in the first 2 chapters (33 pages).

Rating - 4.25 stars

This was a bit slow for me to get through but this was my first folklore/gothic book I've ever gotten through and I loved slowly digesting each word for what they were. Allison Saft writes these characters and this atmosphere so beautifully yet still bluntly in the best way. I adored Sylvia from the beginning and while Lorelei took me a bit longer to love, I appreciate getting to fully know and understand her as the main character. Every other character were all
written so charming yet you could still see their flaws.

The academic, slow-burn romance was just so beautiful and just the constant "i hate that I love you" was gut-renchingly gorgeous. I would love to just see more of them being happy together <3

The murder mystery aspect of the book seemed like a huge chunk of the book yet looking back on it I feel like it really wasn't the main plot. It overall was a fun mystery and I truly didn't know who did it. The world building itself and the government seemed like a much more interesting part of the story. As well as the friendships between all the characters and how they

I have never read Alison Saft before but I am now dying to explore more of her work! I would totally recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark or gothic stories or those who love fairytale-esque stories.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this early in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful gem of a fairytale that is afraid to present the more brutal truths of the world. This story is built upon a complex lattice of worldbuilding that takes the reader a minute to get adjusted to, but they are aided by the incredibly well-rounded characters.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft. Academic Rivalry, dark folklore, sapphic romance.

The cover is beautiful, instantly grabbed my attention.

I rate this 4 stars.

A slow-burn rivals to lovers, Jewish MC, and love letters. No intricate world building.

This was a fast read for me, which made me feel like I was missing something or the ending just wasn’t enough. Lorelei and Sylvia’s dynamic and banter were really enjoying to read. his was more folklorish and less high stakes action that I’m use to in a fantasy. The characters were written well but I wanted there to be more background on what’s connecting each character. Yes, they are academic rivals but show that to me. I felt like I was missing that, told info but not shown.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing- Del Rey for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Nothing like a cute little YA fantasy to kick off the new year… I enjoyed this story, but for some reason it took me ages to read. Blame it on life around the holidays because if I had more time I think I would have been more invested.


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review:)

★★★.75 /5

while this wasn’t the perfect 5-star read i was expecting, i loved the backdrop of saft’s fourth novel – the adventure, murder mystery (on sea, no less!), and atmosphere was wonderfully gothic and encapsulating. as soon as i boarded the Princesszin with the eclectic and distinctive crew of characters, an eerie mist settled in and i could just sense the looming darkness of the journey ahead. the creatures and folktales introduced throughout the story added to the haunting environment (but were also somehow comforting?), plus the yearning and angst in this story?? immaculate + enough to make me BLUSH blush 🤌🤌🤌 just like with previous books, saft does a swoon-worthy job of writing her grumpyxsunshine characters.

there was also a poignant topic of identity and discrimination that i appreciated in this book, as the main character, lorelei, is subjected to bouts of antisemitism both by those around her and by the very folktales that she studies. the hatred she experiences just for being born Jewish (or Yevanisch, this book’s equivalent) culminates in a constant internal conflict over what part of her identity to slough off and what to keep in order to remain “socially acceptable” in her current environment. as a dual-identity reader myself that has dealt with a similar crisis, lorelei’s character resonated deeply and reading through her internal and external dialogue was, at times, terribly relatable and heart-lurching.

now everything was set up perfectly for me to love this book, but there was something that prevented it from clicking 100%: the lack of geopolitical context/world-building. at first glance, geopolitics in a romantasy wouldn’t seem too significant or integral to the story, but as the major plot points and character motivations revolved around said politics, it was difficult to connect to and empathize with any of the other characters in the crew, besides lorelei, without it. however, all that being said, it did not deter me too much from any general enjoyment, merriment, thrill, or tension felt throughout the adventure!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

A Dark and Drowning Tide 🖤

Honest ARC Review!

I’m sorry, but I could not get into this. I tried several times to pick it up, but I kept putting it down or reading the same sentence over a over. I felt like it moved slowly and the beginning was a tad boring.

I DNF about 47% through. The characters were well developed, but the storyline wasn’t engaging enough. I liked Lorelei’s snippy attitude and the contrasting dynamic between her and Sylvia. Other than the characters, however, there is little I really LOVED. I liked it, but at the same time, it wasn’t extremely special.

4/10 Recommend.

2/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️
1/5 Spice 🌶️
4/5 Comprehensible ✍🏽✍🏽✍🏽✍🏽
Predictability - DNF

💋 Read on, my loves 💋

A Dark and Drowning Tide was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024.
Fairytales, sapphic romance, and murder mystery? It's a checklist of some of my favorite things.
Unfortunately, it felt like those were three separate stories forced together rather than combining into one harmonious tale.
That's not to say there weren't parts of the book that I absolutely loved; there were. The prose and overall story was dark and atmospheric and hit all of the notes I wanted it to. The first two chapters were so fantastic that I wanted to melt into them. I tried to read them slowly to savor them, to let the words roll over me and pull me under. The lovely writing is truly present throughout the entire story.

However. It's not long after the first few chapters that things truly started to feel fractured and disjointed. It quickly becomes murder mystery on one side, and fantasy on the other, and my goodness they just did not mesh. Lorelei is the outcast of the group. She loathes almost all of them and they loathe her, and now she is thrust into the leadership position of trying to navigate a dangerous expedition while simultaneously trying to solve her mentor's murder. With that in mind, when she begins questioning the people in this group about their life and intentions, they open up to her like a flower on a spring day. Sure there may be scoffing and attitude, but nearly every person is willing to talk to her about their history after excluding her for the years that they have known her. At some point the fantasy aspects begin to show up, and these odd life spilling interviews continue to happen in places where people should be discussing how to stay alive, not gossiping like they're back at court. And that's what it felt like, the conversations and plotting felt like a book taking place at a safe warm castle, and yet the setting was dangerous and fantastic and it went unmentioned. Even with these conversations happening, somehow most of the characters ended up feeling very flat and one note, perhaps because they have zero history with Lorelei. It seems as if they never even shared a room prior to this expedition, even though the story says they've worked together for years.

As for the fantasy aspects. Again, I loved the idea of what was happening. Higher education to study the folklore and magic in your kingdom? So cool. I loved absolutely loved, loveeeed, the Jewish folklore and the tales that were told within the story. There were many times when something is happening and there is a tale that is added that is relevant to what is happening. It might seem disjointed to some readers, but I personally love the way they're added as part of the story.

On the other hand, the fantasy aspects that were happening in real time in the story felt glossed over most of the time. There was so much time spent plotting and politicking, and later romancing, in the midst of the fantasy action that the fantasy aspects seemed like almost an afterthought at times. It was more like blurry background, not a forefront of the story. There will be readers that who enjoy less focus on the fantasy aspects, for me it wasn't what I was expecting given the folklore tales and how much of the plot is based on them searching for something from those folktales.

One of the things that I really looked forward to was the sapphic academic rivals to lovers trope. I loved the tall dark and brooding, and the over-the-top ray of bubbly moonlight. I even love the oblivious to love trope, and it fit in the story. Again though, I was just frustrated reading a lot of Lorelei's internal thoughts. She talks about how awful Sylvia is and how much she's hated her over the years but there's zero examples of a single time she was ever awful to her or how their mentor "pitted them against each other." They've known each other for years and we see flashbacks of Lorelei's past, so I don't understand why we wouldn't be shown examples of them clashing so it was more believable. Later on, after much brooding and nearly all negative thoughts toward Sylvia, Lorelei is thinking about how many times she's fantasized about being with Sylvia and when I tell you that was out of the blue, I mean it. Seriously, there's zero indication that she would have had those thoughts because even once she realizes she like-likes Sylvia, she still shuts her thoughts down before they get too sweet. If you tell me they have history, and there are these prior sexy thoughts, why not show them so it's believable?

Basically, I understand the people that are singing praises from the rooftops. I absolutely think that A Dark and Drowning Tide will find its audience and be well loved. At the same time, I also see where the less than glowing thoughts are coming from because it fell short for me as well. With that said, I will still be picking up more books by Allison Saft because she does have a way with words and I look forward to what she writes in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the ARC.