' The loveliest fairy tale I have heard in all my life '

A Dark and Drowing Tide

A literary love story, full of hopes and dreams, nixies and all manner of other worldly tales.

Author Allison Saft has produced such an awe inspiring story, the world in which she has created was so vividly beautiful in description, it was hard to look up and be pulled back into reality.

Her story telling was exceptionally elegant, the characters all had such unique qualities and realisms, with relatable quirks that had me eagerly anticipating how each character would react to certain problems or scenarios.

We are plunged into a swirling world of moody colours that clouded my eyes, easily loosing myself in this magical world.

Rival folklorists Lorelei and Sylvia are granted the opportunity to occompany their mentor on an expedition to find a magical spring of untold power with 5 other nobles, but when their mentor is horribly murdered with no known reason or suspect, it's up to Lorelei to find out why and who would want her dead.

With quite a history of being used against one another, Sylvia and Lorelei are already off to a bad start, but quickly realising neither of the two could be responsible, they try to put their differences aside in order to uncover the truth.. and find out exactly who they are travelling with.
The expedition must continue and with only long passed down stories to guide them, the group encounter numerous obstacles that threaten each of their lives, aswell as alliances that have been formed.

Sylvia and Lorelei are pushed time and time again against the odds and with each near miss or short lived victory, their distane for each other soon makes way for respect, friendship and slowly.. more.
But in the wake of new revelations and hope, chaos ensues when one finds out the truth and the ultimate betrayal is the only way forward. Shattering every newly formed feeling and truth that was so recently uncovered has both women questioning everything.

I don't want to say to much else because this really was such a beautiful story and it made me appreciate the beauty of polar opposites in the most elegant way.

Releases on the 17th of September 2024

Also a spoiler.... *

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

This book is rumoured to be the SEPTEMBER Edition of the YA Illumicrate book box!! And I am so incredibly excited!!

A DARK AND DROWNING TIDE is an atmospheric tale of dangerous folklore and people determine to achieve their goals no matter what.

I really liked how the folklore was woven into the tale, fragments of tales scattered among the text. It's rarely the full story, just enough to make a point and let the reader fill in the rest. There's no real delineation between the tales and the creatures the crew encounter, leading to a sense of a world steeped in magic.

This helps the book drip atmosphere. There's a lot of water in this world, drip drip dripping here there and everywhere, and strange, dangerous creatures lurk in its dark depths. There's a real sense of danger from the world and the characters on the expedition.

This book definitely had the research obsession or drive I associate with dark academia. Lorelei wants this mission to succeed because of what it means for her career, though there are other stakes at play. This is a key part of her way to security, and she is going to make alliances and betray people for that end.

I liked that there were world-level stakes as well as the personal career in there. This Ursprung has the potential to solidify a rule for good or ill, or topple it. Everyone has a motive for wanting it, meaning that everyone is a suspect - and the king is not the most trustworthy character either.

This made the mystery wending its way through the book very compelling as there were no characters I immediately dismissed. Lorelei also had her own goals and made choices to protect herself and her people that made me even doubt her at a few points.

3.5 Stars

I wasn't too sure what to expect when I started this book, having only read one other work by Allison previously but quickly found myself engaged and immersed in the world Saft created.

The Romance - It is most definitely a slow-burn and the romance is a background plot compared to the mystery, academic, folklore and adventurous aspects (which I found myself really enjoying!). However, the tension was there and when it came to fruition I was obsessed. Our two protagonists crave a sense of belonging and acceptance, and I really found myself relating to their feelings if not their circumstance. I find this is difficult to do with novels of this genre but Saft created fleshed out characters we could relate to and engage with.

The world - The folklore and folktales aspect was done brilliantly and I found myself truly immersed in the world Saft created. I found myself able to visualise the world based on Safts descriptions and this is somewhere that a lot of fantasy based novels lose me. There was tension and suspense in all the right places and the academia storyline was truly engaging and simple to understand and follow. At times it did feel a bit slow paced, especially at the start - but the end more than made up for this.

This was so unique compared to other Sapphic Novels I have read recently and I thought the enemies/rivals to lovers aspect was done superbly. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a unique read interwoven with folklore and mystery.

Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The premise had great potential, with a murder mystery entwined in a high-stakes expedition to find a magical spring and Sapphic romance . Lorelei Kaskel's sharp wit and the dynamic between her and her rival, Sylvia von Wolff, initially piqued my interest. However, around the 20% mark, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. The pacing dragged, and the characters felt difficult to connect with, making the story feel less gripping than it should have been. Despite the fantastical elements and the intrigue surrounding the murder, it just didn’t deliver the impact I was hoping for.

Thank you to another Allison Saft and publisher, Daphne Press for the ARC in exchange for a honest review

3.5 stars rounded up

Back in the days when wishes still held power, there lived two young academics who yearned for something better - a kingdomless princess with hair the colour of moonlight, and a Jewish woman haunted by ghosts...

Lorelai is bitter rivals with Sylvia, but that doesn't keep her from setting off on a journey for the King that promises a chance for something more for both herself and her people. The path will be filled with monsters, but what she didn't expect is for some of those monsters to be in the expedition crew...

The premise of this book is so interesting, with political forces at work as well as personal ambitions that drive each character. The sudden murder aboard the research ship creates mystery as well as added tension, and I found myself considering each interaction to try to figure out who had motive and opportunity. It really plays with your mind, and I felt like the eventual reveal worked well (though another clue or two would have been appreciated!).

Lorelai is bitter, but I sympathized with her pretty quickly as everyone treats her appallingly. The persecution of her community made my blood boil, and the prejudice random townsfolk held for her made my heart sink each time. Unfortunately, this is never really dealt with by the end of the book (nor is the reason why L sees ghosts) other than a brief discussion of 'I'll make sure your people are protected'. The conclusion felt awkward after all the talk of forced assimilation and violent takeovers.

The romance felt both really natural and really rushed. They jump from not realizing their feelings to dedicating their life in the span of pages it seems. The ending also would have benefited from a slight extension to really wrap things up. In terms of the relationship itself, I really liked the chemistry, plus the idea that Lorelai is so broken by her traumas that she can't even comprehend someone having feelings for her was so tragic it added an extra dash of sweetness to the situation when it all came together.

The atmosphere is definitely my favourite thing about A Dark and Drowning Tide. The world is harsh yet full of whimsy, and the magical creatures are frightening, powerful, and full of mischief and ready to cause misery at any moment it seems. I loved how each one was introduced and played a role in the story.

This was a great read, and well worth checking out. It has some minor holes, but overall it's full of charm. It's especially good for the colder and darker months, as it has an ominous vibe that's perfect for autumn and winter.

Thank you netgalley for providing me with this eARC for review.
10/10 perfect no notes. What a gorgeous book, it was everything I wanted from the synopsis and more. It's always so refreshing to have good butch/masculine lesbian representation, particularly in a fantasy setting.
This is a wonderful mix of emily wilde meets a study in drowning and the wolf and the woodsman (and a huge improvement on the latter). It had the Jewish characters and folklore elements that I enjoyed in the wolf and the woodsman but actually employed well, the short folklore stories didn't take away from the novel but rather added to it.
The prose is beautiful without being too convoluted to read and it sets the tone of the story very well. One of my favourite reads of the year without a doubt.

*4.5 Stars*

This was a highly atmospheric gothic fantasy with such in depth world building and folklore that I couldn't put it down. I love how dynamic the characters were, each with their own distinct personalities and motivations driving them, and as we get to know them the mystery really builds, plus there is so much sapphic yearning! I loved how flawed and tough Lorelei is, and how her grumpy energy was matched in force by Sylvia's ceaseless positivity. I also loved that when googling the characters names they were so perfect for the characters in their meaning, for example Sylvia means 'spirit of the wood'.

This story follows a group of students setting of on an expedition by request of the king in search of a fabled spring that is the source if magic in their land. The newly united lands of Brunnestaad are in a perilous time in which the king will either maintain a stable nation or rebellion and civil war will break out, as such he seeks the power of the spring to secure his country and seat on the throne. After the group set off it is not long before the well organised and researched trip takes a turn and the entire thing is turned on it's axis, but with the fate of the country and the wrath of the king looming over them they are forced to venture on. The story flows well and is fraught with danger, angst, betrayal and longing, and while it was slow to get into it wasn't long before I found myself gripped.

The protagonist of our story is Lorelei, a folklorist who has grown up as part of prejudiced race and is haunted by the ghosts of her past (literally), who hopes the expedition is her way to gain a place as the King's advisor. She is grumpy, pessimistic and sometimes just wholly unpleasant, which is perhaps why I love her; she feels more real. She has continuously been beaten down by the world around her and that has shaped her into a sharp and ruthless individual that only holds two value close; survival and justice. Her vindictive and petty side are most clear in her interactions with her academic rival, Sylvia, who in many ways is the antithesis of Lorelei. The two have been pitted against each other throughout their academic careers and a resentment has grown between them. Sylvia's relentless optimism, joy and hope infuriated Lorelei to no end, however as the expedition progresses she finds her thoughts wondering and must constantly fight against the way her irritation seems to be evolving into something new.

Something that I think this book did so well was the way that it mirrored real history, antisemitism and discrimination but converted it into a fantasy setting. At every stage you could really see the way that Lorelei's experience as a Jewish coded character has shaped her world view and her encounters. While others may disagree with me on this, I think that by doing this Saft is highlighting an area of cultural oppression that people might not be aware of, and for those who do read it and think that Lorelei's experience is shocking it acts as a reminder that real people went through similar mistreatment and that many still do.

To end on a lighter note, I think that this was a well written sapphic romantasy, filled with dark academia vibes, rivals to lovers, murder mystery and magical creatures to top it all off! A highly enjoyable read!

Honestly? I was quite disappointed.
This was my most anticipated read of the year and it left me feeling…. well, I’m not really sure how I feel.

This, writing wise, is Saft’s best work. It felt very different to her other books but in a good way (because they were falling into a ‘type’ and were growing weaker) but this book is marketed as dark academia. It’s not. It had a wonderful magic system… that wasn’t explained properly or used in a gripping way. I didn’t get why Lorelei ‘hated’ Sylvia so much. She knew she liked her quite early on so it annoyed me how much she tried to pretend she didn’t like her. It was giving Cruel Prince but in an even more infuriating way.

I was hooked with the story until part 3, then it sort of just fell off and I found myself not caring half as much. The romance WAS cute and they had some great lines but it also just felt so sudden… then I got mad at Lorelei for ‘throwing Sylvia under the bus’ only for them to be best friends moments later. And why do they have to propose at the end??? Were they even properly together???

Overall I think I’d give this 3 stars. Which is unfortunate, but it is what it is.

Both the cover arts SLAP though.

Probably my favourite thing about the book was the writing style, very enticing I just flew through the book!
I really enjoyed the plot, the expedition part was great and I was very invested. For me the book focused a bit to much on the murder-mystery part compared to the magic part, but that is personal preference. I would have liked it if we got to learn more about the world! I wouldn't have minded this book to be a little bit longer.

All the characters were interesting, but again I wouldn't have minded if we got to know them a little bit more. I think then I would also have cared a bit more for the romance.

So conclusion, I really liked the book but I think I could have loved it if it was a bit longer! I would definitely pick up something else by this author.

Great concept but somewhat disappointing

The premise, a ragtag scientist expedition looking for the source of magic in the budding empire, is great. Allison Saft heavily borrows from German and Scandinavian folklore and culture and populates the world with fantastical creatures. The queer-centric love story is more of a side plot but I appreciated how she managed to standardise queerness in this society. The cover is stunning, no matter which edition you choose.

Unfortunately, there are several points that really grated and made the reading experience somewhat unpleasant. As a German-speaker, the borrowed terms were irritating at best, ridiculous at worst, as were the names. The setting is not fleshed out enough and her obvious use of Jewish culture (under a different name but pretty much exactly the same plus real magic) made me wonder if she would not be better off simply writing in a real-world setting and infusing that with magic, instead of wasting her time on a badly executed imagined place.
The characters, too, were somewhat flat. I wonder if the novel might have been more interesting and enjoyable to read from Sylvia's point of view instead of Lorelei's. Also, Lorelei or Loreley is a river maiden in German folklore. Calling your protagonist that might be somewhat misleading your audience if you choose a Germanic setting..
In short, I was disappointed by this book and that went beyond the content into the craft.

I would recommend this book to lovers of queer fantasy, close quarter murder mysteries and people with prior knowledge of Jewish history and culture, as many references would otherwise be lost on you, as Saft does not explain every single concept or term she uses.

✨3 stars✨

The first part of this book contains a lot of world-building which felt quite clunky and difficult to get through, so much so that I actually soft dnf’d this ARC earlier in the year but with the publication date being this month I picked it up again.

Once the murder mystery aspect was introduced I found it a lot more interesting (because I really enjoy murder mysteries/thrillers… when done right). However, the execution wasn’t great in my opinion because the suspects weren’t fleshed out and the narrative just seemed to flit from person to person really quickly so when the reveal happened I was left unsatisfied.

I did however enjoy the sapphic romance and felt that the two main characters were well-developed.

Personally, I feel like too much was attempted to fit in which was always going to be difficult with a stand-alone format.

Overall, if you’re looking for a sapphic rivals to lovers fantasy then I would recommend! Especially once you get past the first part of the story and the pace picks up, I found it to be a quick read which many will enjoy.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a dark, atmospheric fantasy romance novel that is steeped in folklore. We follow Lorelei, a folklorist, who has to unravel the mystery of who killed her mentor on their expedition. The only person Lorelei can trust is her rival, Sylvia. Together, they must figure out how to unmask the murderer, and how to navigate their growing feelings for each other.
This book was filled with whimsy, yearning, and tension. I absolutely loved the romance, and the world was very captivating!

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with the ARC!

Dark and mysterious! A perfect read if you like dark academia but want more of a folklore/fantasy element to it. Really emjoyed teh writing, althoug it took me a while to truly connect with the characters.

LOVED THIS!!! I really liked A Far Wilder Magic, so I was super excited when I saw this available on Netgalley. And wowowow. This is better than Wilder Magic for me. I absolutely loved how it mirrored real life history (I'm assuming Brunnestaad is supposed to represent Prague, and Lorelei is Jewish!) and the attention to detail with folklore. It's such a clever way to write a fantasy book but to make it relatable to a reader in our time who may know about some of the folk tales already. One of my favourites is the Golem so loved that reference!

The attention to detail with the historical references really made me feel like I could picture the team on their expedition, long skirts swishing and naturist equipment clinking. In my head I'm picturing Atlantis but make it sapphic!

Aside from the setting, the characters are all very well fleshed out and fully formed. They have their own motives and it's a really interesting take and setting what is essentially a murder mystery. I also adored the Lorelei/Sylvia relationship, this is very much academic rivals/enemies to lovers but done in a very interesting way that keeps you reading. It's also not just two people being horrible to each other to then fall in love - Saft explains their motives and feelings behind the words, which is something I think is often missing in enemies to lovers. This felt legitimately like a relationship that could happen.

Anyway, I loved it. I haven't read A Fragile Enchantment but now it's on my list. 4 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and Daphne Press for the free review copy in exchange for an honest review!

How do I even review perfection?
For starters, the romance! At the start I could hardly believe it would supposedly fit an enemies to lovers trope because there was so much more than just hatred to the relationship. The girls had motive to dislike the other and showed no signs of wanting to improve on any form of relationship. But when the romance began, it was so perfect, so in character, didn't feel forced at any stage, and just had me head over heels for them!
I loved the commentary on race wars, clashes between cultures, power and corruption, and who we can really trust, even when the team seemed diverse from the start.
The murder mystery element was fantastic, with typical tools such as giving readers a viable reason to suspect everyone on the mission, and alliances every which way.
The worldbuilding and magic systems were easy to understand and the mythological creatures were described with so much reverence, the way Saft brought all the senses into it made them seem so three-dimensional as "monsters".

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher of providing me with an e-arc of this book. My opinions are my own.

I read a few 1 star reviews criticising this author of her blatant use of German and Jewish history, and their culture and folklore.
To this I raise an eyebrow, because what fantasy hasn't its inspiration from reality? Hasn't, like, every other fantasy author appropriated a culture and its history in some fashion?

Any who, I found this little tale endearing.
Sure Lorelei was a slightly insufferable character, and Sylvia was so whimsy she was borderline daft, they were meant to be the unlikely pair. I can accept that.
The story line itself actually gave me Poirot vibes. Murder on a boat, Kings mission and all that.
Also the writing was beautiful. Not overly prose-y, packed its punch where it mattered, in those gutting moments.

I enjoyed this one quite a lot. Loved the characters and the story. And the author as such a magical way of painting a beautiful picture with words. I kept thinking that I would also love to see an animated movie made after this book. The imagery throughout it was wonderful.
My only issue was that the book was a bit slow at times, but that didn't really take from the story.

This book was such a fun read, I loved the fantasical magic element of the wildelute, trying to imagine all the different creatures was fun. I really liked the Nixies in particular. I enjoyed the murder mystery element and how it added to the storyline and plot. I loved Lorelei and Sylvia, their grumpy x sunshine dynamic was so fun to read. It made their intimate scenes a whole lot more meaningful and passionate. It was such a perfect romantic dark academia. I'll definitely be treating myself to a physical copy of this book.

Thank you to Daphne Press and Black Crow for providing me with both a digital and physical copy.

I was unfortunately disappointed by ‘A Dark and Drowning Tide’ by Allison Saft. I felt that the concept and overall story line was really promising but it felt like half of the book was still in its draft phase.

The sections which were fully fleshed out and developed, I really enjoyed but then it would suddenly be followed by paragraphs that either didn’t make sense compared to what had just happened or skipped ahead too suddenly in the story. I kept wondering whether I’d missed out sections of the book when I hadn’t.

The final chapter jumped forwards in time every paragraph and whilst concluded the story, felt more like an unnecessarily rushed summary.

Overall the pacing needs work to let the story underneath shine.

Being a fan of the author’s previous book, A Fragile Enchantment, and loving the idea of a dark, folklore inspired academic rivals to lovers fantasy that was pitched for fans of Emily Wilde I couldn’t wait to read this one however, sadly, it was a DNF for me. I found it a bit of a slog to read, with chapters that felt long and even despite this I couldn’t picture or connect with the world at all and felt like I needed more substance and a stronger sense of worldbuilding. I also found Lorelai to be intolerable and immature, more suited to a YA fantasy.