I was honored to receive this book as an ARC to review, The book is a wonderful mixture of mystery, and romance. The minute I saw the beautiful cover I was immediately intrigued. This story is very well written...the way the author describes things makes it so easy to imagine and paint the picture of the world, without it becoming overly descriptive to the point of dragging on.

If you love dark fantasy, romance, mystery, and especially if you love books with a touch of folklore....this read is for you.

The end will have you on the edge of your seat and you will finish with no regrets!

I rated this book 4.25/5

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Del Rey/Random House, and the author Allison Saft, for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Dark and Drowning Tide read like a cozy mystery fantasy. Though there were dark elements to the story, the world was written so whimsically that I couldn’t help but get lost in it. That being said, I wish there was some kind of mini dictionary or clever inserts of information to explain some of the magic terms and backstory a bit more. Sometimes I wondered if I skipped whole pages because suddenly I was reading about something that seemed to come out of nowhere.

The characters were interesting and some had and engaging depth. The banter between the characters was sometimes enjoyable and other times slightly unrealistic and cringey. I like my romances slow burn and this burn was SLOW in the best way. Unfortunately I felt the last conflict between the main characters was a bit rushed. I also craved more moments of bids for connection from Sylvia and tension before Lorelei opens up.

This was my first read from Allison Saft. It was beautifully written and I look forward to her other works.

WHAT. DID. I. JUST. READ. Perfection. Perfection is what I read. The cover? Absolutely STUNNING. But knowing that it was rivals to lover sapphics so me. I will admit that I'm not a huge 3rd person POV girlie. So, it was really hard for me to get through the first few chapters. But let me tell you… once you finish that first couple chapters, the MAGIC begins. The tension, angst, banter… UGH!!! MY HEART!!!
Now that I finished I don’t know what to do, I became far too attached to the characters… This is quite literally the best rivals to lovers book i have EVER read (so far).

An enchanting story filled with lush romantic tension, intricate worldbuilding, and a sprinkling of stories within stories.

I rated this book 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher (Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine), and the author Allison Saft, for approving me for the ARC of this book.

I haven't read anything by Allison Saft before, and I have to say I felt like this was a great novel and was very well written. I really liked the combination of murder-mystery along with fantasy and adventure. Even the medical explanations of the murders were well-researched, which I respect. I also really enjoyed all of the folklore sprinkled in, I think it really added to the world-building aspect of the novel. All of the various creatures the characters encountered while on their quest were pretty neat to learn about as well, also adding to my interest in this universe that Allison created. The characters were all also very well-developed. While I thoroughly enjoyed the cast of characters, I found myself kind of annoyed with Lorelei; she was kind of petty and unlikeable. That being said, I do understand that she had suffered a lot by the hands of others throughout her life, so I don't blame her, and it gave her character more depth. Over time she did kind of become a bit endearing to me.

The only thing about this story that I wasn't truly invested in was Lorelei's relationship/feelings for Sylvia (and vice versa). First of all, Lorelei seemed to really despise Sylvia; she was always so jealous, even after everything that happened between them. It was extremely toxic. Additionally, Sylvia's actions towards Lorelei never seemed to give any indication that she was into her at any point other than rivals (maybe this was because the story was told from Lorelei's perspective?). It all seemed kind of forced and didn't make sense to me. That might just be my own issue, however, because I'm not really a fan of the enemies to lovers/the rich princess falling for the peasant tropes. For how well-rounded this novel was, the romance aspect just seemed kind of basic and fell short for me.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, because I feel like it was very well-rounded and had a little bit of something for everyone. I will post to my Goodreads account and my Instagram once it is officially published.

Lorelei Kaskel is a sharp-tongued folklorist must pair up with her academic rival, Sylvia von Wolff, to solve their mentor's murder in this lush and enthralling sapphic fantasy romance.

The book is part murder mystery, part crime thriller, part fantasy, and part romance. Regardless of what it could be categorized as, this book is just so vivid --- from the characters to the monsters to the scenery, everything just magically came alive in my mind. You can feel the harsh injustice done to Lorelei and the Yevan people (who are Jewish) in the story. The tension between Lorelei and Sylvia is just *chef's kiss*.

I loved the folktales and folklore woven into the story. It provides a much more colorful description and understanding that a simple descriptive sentence and so many of the tales or lore were ones that I had heard or read over the years (I am a sucker for a folktale).

I DID NOT see the ending coming -- which is a huge plus for me as I tend to predict the ending of mysteries with some accuracy. I had no idea who was going to be the murderer until it was revealed.

Definitely a must read for those into dark academia, fantasy, folklore, and sapphic romance!

Thank you to Del Rey, the publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book for an honest review!

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.
Ugh. I LOVED this book.
This is such a good gloomy, slow burn, enemies to lovers fantasy. Lorelei and Sylvia were such strong characters and really balanced each other out perfectly.
I wished some other characters were fleshed out a little more, but it’s a small complaint in comparison to how much I liked this book.
Reading from Lorelei perspective instead of Sylvia was such a different take. I’m often reading from the love interest that doesn’t understand why the other hates them and this book gave me something different. I won’t give anything else away here. Definitely worth a read 5/5.

Good fantasy, although admittedly not quite what I was expecting or looking for at the time. The social commentary is exceedingly relevant and the worldbuilding is interesting, but I just wasn't grabbed as much as I wanted to be. Still, if you're a fan of the author's previous work, I think it's worth checking out. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5- This was my first book of Allison Saft's that I have read, and it certainly won't be the last. The writing was eloquent and easy to follow, and with a beautiful cover and witty protagonist, this book had all the right things in it, but it did not completely work for me. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read.

I adored Loralei and Sylvia's connection as it unfolded throughout the book, however the reveal where Sylvia confessed that she had been infatuated with Loralei for years was a bit of a surprise. If there was more tension and background/build up for this, I think the romance would've made more sense with the surprise reveal. The novel also read like a YA novel, so once it got to the spicier scenes I had completely forgotten it was supposed to be in the adult genre. It felt more of a scratch on the surface of the adult genre, with more of a YA feel of the characters and romance in general. I wish there was more world building and background of all the characters as well. I was not attached to the secondary characters at all, and the murder mystery did not feel like a complete mystery with the constant accusations with minimal proof other than "they have a motive" between the other characters, a handful of which that die off.

I really enjoyed the mythology and gothic setting of this novel otherwise. I think it was a great approach into the adult genre for Saft. It can really be seen that a lot of research was done with tying in Jewish heritage and aspects in the world. Seeing Loralei rise in a world that is constantly against her just based on what her heritage is was empowering to read. The rivalry dynamic between our sapphic lovers was enjoyable to follow, especially once they both recognize that not only do they need each other's help, but they also are in love with each other. Loralei was a witty and entertaining protagonist to follow. A Dark and Drowning Tide scratches that gothic itch I have been wanting to scratch, and is a great read for the spooky season it will be releasing in next year.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this. It was spooky and atmospheric. Great writing and story. I loved it a lot. I just wish the motivations were a bit clearer. Loved the inclusion of fairytales. Highly recommend this to fans of academia gothic novels.

A Dark and Drowning Tide
By Allison Saft
A review by Jamilla (@LandsAwayBooks on Wordpress.com)

Allison Saft’s adult debut entrances at first, but there is a bitterness in the aftertaste. A Dark and Drowning Tide sets you down in the strange and seemingly charming Brunnestaad, a Kingdom recently united by a successful war campaign lead by their young ruler. But beneath the gild lies rot.

In this world, where back in the day wishes held power, lives all manner of wildeleute, creatures … and flora of great mischief and danger, taken straight from folklore along with an intriguing magic, aether, drawn from the waterways.

We follow our intrepid grump of a heroine, a graduate folklorist, off on her first official king sanctioned expedition with a group of deposed (in the great unification!) royals, their shared childhoods, and divergent fields of study making strange bonds between them and the leader, the well known adventurer and naturalist Dr. Ziegler. The goal of the expedition, nothing less than finding the Ursprung - ‘the fabled source of all magic’, bubbling with power for the taking….if you’re worthy, or if you’re willing to pay the price to reach out and take it.

As it stands, A Dark and Drowning Tide, has a lot going for it: delicate prose, a bewitching world filled with all sorts of creatures, an intriguing magic system, murder at sea! betrayal!, folklore weaving throughout tying it all together and at the end a really sweet romance with a nice side of angst. A lovely bridge for those who mostly read YA to try their hands with the adult genre, I certainly had a good time sinking beneath its surface.

But. But. But. Buttttttt.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is marketed as an adult debut. But the introspection and depths I would hope for in a book such as this were barely plundered. It touches on identity and the vital pieces of ourselves we carve away to try to fit into systems that see us as less than gravel beneath their feet, referring often to Lorilei’s place…or rather displacement in this world where her being Yevani is reviled by most of the population, the bolder of which, meeting the revelation of her ethnicity with violence. This aspect, was one in which I had hoped would be explored more at the conclusion of the story. As all that Lorelei has wanted for herself, professionally, has been achieved. A yeva in the court, but the Yevani still in their ghettos? Not seen as citizens in their own country? Ever rootless?

Not that it can ever take only one person to save a people, in the real world anyway, but in this story rife with fairytales and wonder, I wish a more just ending had been dreamed up for the Yevani people. I wish that this book was more than just the uwu a gothic romance, grumpy x sunshine, adversaries to lovers featuring a jewish sapphic than it ended up being.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you liked A Study in Drowning, you will love A Dark and Drowning Tide in this sapphic fantasy romance!

A big thank you to Penguin Random House, Allison Saft and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review! It is greatly appreciated!

Allison Saft does it again. I was absolutely captivated from the very beginning of this enchanting and gripping fantasy. I think I found a new auto-buy author!

Saft’s writing was utterly immersive and beautifully woven to create a book you just have to devour in one sitting. Saft took inspiration from folklore that just added to the overall vibe of the book!

With hints of dark academia, this book is filled to the brim with dark imagery, mystery and intruige and an addictive plot that keeps you wanting more and more.

We see the world through the perspective of the brooding love interest which added such a fun twist to this book!

I loved the characters in this book! They were well fleshed out and I loved seeing how their character developed throughout the book!

I highly recommend this book! Saft’s enchanting writing style will grip you from the very beginning!

I devoured this book! A dark academia, rivals to lovers, sapphic romance?? What more could I want. What really hooked me into this story though, was the mystery right out of the gate. It added such an amazing extra layer to the story that had me guessing the whole way through. Saft has created a mystical, dark, and enticing world that had me captivated from the first page.

Lorelei is an amazing main character. She is so broody and blunt and tortured that you are rooting so hard for her. And then compared against the magical and wistful Sylvia, you just want to smoosh them together ASAP. Their romance was so perfect and they had the perfect rivals to lovers arc that felt so right.

Really, for me, what made this book a 5 star, was Saft's beautiful story telling. Not only does she know how to create a magical world, but she really excelled at crafting an atmospheric novel here. She did an amazing job building suspense, intrigue, mystery and a lot of other emotions simply through her prose. I was in awe. I am obsessed with this and cannot wait for everyone else to get their hands on it.

I have mixed feelings but enjoyed it for the most part. It reminded me a lot of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies, in that they both revolve around academia, folklore, and mythical creatures. I realized as I was reading that this aspect wasn’t my cup of tea. The first couple of folktale snippets were interesting but I lost my interest in them the more they came up. I was a bit underwhelmed with the politics and the side characters. None of them were likable or particularly interesting to me so it furthered that disconnect with the plot and mystery. I sympathized with Lorelei’s struggles in finding acceptance and self-worth because of the prejudice and trauma she endured all her life. I liked Sylvia enough but I wish we got more of her. She felt like a secondary character for a good chunk of it and I didn’t feel a connection with her until we got more background info later in the story. I also wasn’t fully convinced of their rivalry. I wanted more angst and passionate interactions between them to believe their rivalry dynamic. Once they did confess their feelings, it was absolutely romantic but I just wished we got more moments like these with them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine, Del Rey for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to the author for allowing me the opportunity to read the ARC! My review is 100% honest:


A Dark and Drowning Tide is an enchanting dark academia story entwined with folklore. The world is well thought out, and the stories are so beautiful. I fell in love with the vibes of this book, and the characters. Who doesn’t love a sapphic, enemies2lovers?? The mystery in the book also just draws you to keep turning the page to uncover more!

You can truly tell that the author put time into planning out the world and the ambiance. I found myself being immersed into the flowy writing style, it is truly something you can easily find yourself getting lost in. I also loved the little folktales we got throughout the book! It didn’t feel like the tales were being told for fluff, it reveals more about the world and the characters. Everything is written with purpose, and I find that extremely important with books that involve a little mystery.

Plus the characters.. don’t get me started on these two “rivals”. I was rooting for them FROM THE START. I love a good slow burn and THIS BOOK GAVE ME JUST THAT!! The yearning, the confusion… THE REALIZATION. Ugh I have to stop before I say too much. The romance was so heart warming and it had me squealing like a little schoolgirl. So many characters were also very well written, I couldn’t help but love and hate some.

This book heavily follows the mystery of their mentor’s murder, and most of the book is spent solving it. It may feel a little slow to some, especially if you’re not used to mystery books. But I feel as if the writing style makes up for the book being “slow”, its very easy to digest and keep reading.

This book truly had everything I loved and I will recommend this to anyone who will listen!!!

5 out of 5 stars duh!!

A beloved mentor has brought Lorelei Kaskel to this moment - an expedition alongside six nobles, including her nemesis Sylvia, on an important mission to help the kingdom.

There is folklore, science, and magic at play, not to mention ambition and the self-righteousness of those whose causes must prevail. When Lorelei's mentor is murdered, everything is turned upside down, including the simmering animosity between Lorelei and Sylvia.

There is a lot to digest here, from the antisemitism that is a constant presence for Lorelei, to the grief of losing a loved one, to the pervasive suspicions regarding everyone on this expedition, and even those back home. The setting is dark and lush, the secrets never-ending.

I enjoyed this book from @allisonhsaft - this is not a light and fluffy read, but it is so very worth it. And isn't that a gorgeous cover?

Overall, I did enjoy this. However, this was more reminiscent of an YA novel than adult. I see that this is the author’s debut to the adult genre and it shows.

It has everything I usually love in a book: Academic rivals to lovers. Gothic. Sapphic. Atmospheric. Interesting side characters. And a German folklore-inspired world.

However, there was too much going on in my opinion. Too many characters and too many side stories that didn’t fit into the overall plot. It took too long for MCs to talk to each other openly about their attraction to each other, I believe somewhere around 75%-80% into the story is when they finally start to communicate, which is way too far into the book for my liking. Even at the end, I feel like their relationship was so surface level. I really enjoyed both of the main characters separately, but together, I would’ve loved to have a few meaningful scenes between them to make their attraction seem more believable. The mystery of it all wasn’t much of a mystery at all, in fact, because there was just so much going on, I feel like I was losing hold of what the main plot was, which was finding out who killed their mentor. The political talk of it all really bogged down the story for me and I found myself pretty distracted along the way.

All-in-all, I did enjoy this, but do think this could’ve been tweaked a little bit. I think the author had a huge opportunity to make us fawn over Lorelei and Sylvia together, because the academic rivals to lovers trope is just SO GOOD (and on top of that, they’re also grumpy/sunshine!) but it really just missed the mark for me. The folklore was interesting and the writing was beautiful. Dark, moody, and lush.

Thank you for the Arc! Full review will be posted on release day on Goodreads!

Look, I had no doubt that this would be as stunning as Allison Saft's other books, but I was wholly unprepared by just how stunning this was. The world Saft has created is lush and moody, and I wanted to stay in it for longer than I did. I thought the pacing toward the middle and end was a little off, but that's a complaint I've had about almost all of Saft's books, so maybe I'm the problem.

Anyway, ADADT is a great addition to the historical romantic fantasy canon, and is such a breath of fresh air in that space.

It may just be me in a slump, I was really thinking I’d like this a lot more than I did. It was okay. I liked the murder mystery, gothic vibes and I love a good rival to lovers. I just feel like some of the writing was very heavy, and at times difficult to follow. I found myself easily distracted, I wasn’t emotionally connected to any of the characters.

I can’t tell if the issue was the book or me. I’ve had some hits and misses with Allison Saft’s books but I was very excited for this one based on the premise. I thought it was just okay. It seemed like there was a lot of telling and not showing, and I didn’t feel emotionally connected to the characters. I also feel like the “political” element bogged down the story and it felt like there were a lot of vague things to follow but I couldn’t fully grasp it. However, I do think there were some good aspects, I appreciated that this was Saft’s most mature novel and you can see the thought put into it. I also really enjoyed the commentary on folklore, antisemitism, and Jewish identity. I can see the right person loving this I just think it wasn’t for me.

ARC provided by NetGalley.