*Actual rating is 3.5. stars*

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a sapphic academic rivals to lovers, where a folklore inspired expedition mixes with a murder mystery. I have been meaning to read Allison Saft for a while now, and the sound of the expedition sounded like this book would be right up my alley. After all, one of my favourite parts of books is when the world of the book is being explored. But sadly the murder mystery took the front row, and my hopes for an explorative adventure were thwarted. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of adventure across both land and sea but the murder and romance are the main focus.

I liked the writing, and will read more of the author's books in the future because the atmosphere was there. The folklore aspects, with the mythical creatures, were brilliant and I wish we could have gotten more of that. Also there’s some great banter and dynamic between the main character and her love interest. It’s a shame that most of the characters were either frustrating (although understandable) or awful. There's nothing wrong with dislikable or grey characters, but when most of them are awful it’s a bit hard to care for them and in turn the story. The ending felt a bit rushed, but the very last pages had a sweet wrap-up for the romance so it’s not all bad.

If you enjoy cozy murder mystery, sapphic romance, an atmospheric fantasy world filled with mythical creatures and/or the Emily Wilde books then I can see you liking this book.

Sapphic academia rivals lets all scream together!

The cover of this book sold it to me before I even read the plot. The tension and yearning was A+ and I was hooked from the start.

Oh, man, there's a whole story linked to this book and how I came into its possession but essentially, I was roaming through Netgalley and decided to request this title. Long story short, I got approved as a reviewer (thank you for the ARC!) But unfortunately, my experience with this story wasn't quite positive. 😔 I ended up DNFing it at 50%.

🌊 The plot is cool and all but can you please stop dragging it on? I was honestly intrigued by the premise, especially since it promised adventure and fantastical beasts weaved together with a murder mystery, however, I ended up swimming among a sea of words which went through one ear and left through the other. The storytelling was all over the place and I sadly could not connect with any of the characters although they had potential... In any case, I ended up closing the book halfway in.

🌊 Who are you? The dialogue and inner monologuing were rather confusing. The main characters somehow also got interlaced in my head (probably because I also got the complete reverse image of each of them...), and worst of all, although they seemed interesting at first, I lost interest the moment they started speaking or interacting with one other. The secondary characters were also rather similar, so they didn't manage to make me care for them either...

🌊 Nazis everywhere. There is, of course, a king who wants more and more power and dominion over all other nations. Then there is a population called the Yeva (Lorelei, one of the MCs, is one of them) who are known for their cunning, avarice, and coldness. Evidently, the Yeva are guilty of all kinds of crimes and thus isolated from the rest of society and even persecuted.

🌊 Let's go with the local legends. Whether we're talking about creatures or fairy tales, Lorelei always manages to integrate them in the strangest way possible into the narrative (written in third person) and lead our attention in other directions. Thus, the initially created atmosphere simply dissipates and we end up on a different plane.

🌊 The cover art is amazing and the title is great. I was instantly drawn in by the beautifully illustration by Erica Williams. I loved the colors and delicate lines that outline the characters and the environment, as well as the way Jane Tibbetts designed the cover, carefully choosing fonts and placing the text elements over the illustration.

This book is unreadable. I am seriously doubting this author has ever been to Germany. While I am not a fluent speaker German is very close to Dutch and the weird names and places are completely throwing me off. If you want to write about a fantastical Germany/ Europe please go there. Now all the world building feels off and pulls you out of the story. I did not get too far in the book because it was so hard for me to follow the story but the academic banter and character personalities also did not feel real to me. I loved A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid and was really hoping this would be a similar reading experience. Unfortunately this is not living up to that expectation.

Another arc review where I honestly agonised over what to write because I LOVE this book! If I could give it 6 stars I would, I might be a little biased because I've always loved a good women in STEM book (Science, Technology, Engineering and Magic) but this really is the 2024 must read! Some of the most comforting parts of this fantasy were the lack of sexism, homophobia and sexual threat (which I hadn't even noticed at first) which made the story that much more enjoyable. An immersive fantasy reminiscent of the adventures we read of as children, written for us now in a graduate setting, is exactly what I needed.

I had been SO excited for this book. Sapphic dark academia rivals to lovers?!? With magic?! And folklore?! It sounds perfect.

Unfortunately I just…didn’t care about any of it. I found the world building very lazy, the magic system is barely explained, and the characters are all one dimensional.

Our main character hates everyone around her and they mostly seem to dislike her in turn which makes it very hard to grow attached to any of them. As a character-driven reader, this makes things difficult for me. I understood the main characters bitterness but her attitude was just exhausting to read.

The intended romance held NOTHING for me. There wasn’t a hint of anything between these characters.

I gave up on this one halfway through.

A Dark and Drowning Tide delivers a stunning atmosphere, intrigue, and tension; yet, for lack of a better word, it felt ‘off’.

The way Saft writes is enchanting - the landscape they created was so vivid, I felt transplanted into the world. The water-based magic system they crafted was alluring, well written, and very easy to visualise. Yet, by the end of the story I still felt like I didn’t know that much about the characters. Although we were given nuggets of information throughout, I felt quite disconnected from the story, its characters, and even the interwoven folkloric elements.

It’s also important to note that this book is roughly 400 pages long, but felt so much longer! This took me over a month to complete (unusual for me) and I think that was truly a result of the odd pacing, especially in the first third of the book which felt disjointed and oddly slow. The folkloric excerpts were inserted into the story in a way that felt jarring to read, often mentioned in the middle of a scene and then promptly forgotten. It also felt like the side characters blended together and didn’t develop their own personalities until two thirds of the way through the book. On the plus side, the mystery and romance elements, although predictable, were enjoyable to read. I was unfortunately very disappointed with my reading experience. Despite this, I will definitely be checking out some of Saft’s other works to give them another chance!

Don’t let my review dissuade you - if you’re a fan of folklore fantasy stories and lyrical writing, this might be your next 5⭐️ read. I unfortunately think a mix of high expectations and the novels pacing issues impacted my reading experience. Overall, this was cute but undeniably forgettable.

♡ Academic Rivals
♡ Sapphic
♡ Murder Mystery
♡ Slow burn
♡ Water magic
♡ Adult Debut

Final rating: 3⭐️

♡ Releases September 17, 2024

Thank you Netgalley and Daphne Press for the complimentary e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

Firstly, huge thanks to Netgalley and Daphne Press for an arc of this book to review. I am genuinely sorry to say that I unfortunately DNF around a quarter of the way through. It is rare for me to dnf a book, and if it's a review arc I usually power through regardless but I am afraid I just couldn't with this one.

I really wanted to love it and fully expected to - I love folktales and have quite a large folklore library and usually adore fantasy novels with folkloric aspects such as the Emily Wilde series etc.

However, despite finding the idea of the Ursprung to be a good one and the water based magic system unique and interesting, I did not immediately take to any of the characters and this showed no sign of improving. The side characters all seemed pretty similar to the point it was difficult to keep track of who was who and I unfortunately found that I just didn't care.

The chapters are over-long, I struggled with the writing style which seemed somewhat dense (the main character cannot even get through a short conversation without reflecting on the past part way through) and the early chapters are full of names of people and places that unfortunately all blur into a somewhat confusing whole. A map would have been an incredibly useful addition to help make sense of some of this - although perhaps there will be one in the final version of the book - a map is actually described textually towards the end of chapter 3 but a visual image would be so much easier for readers to grasp.

The politics of the unified lands seems to be a bigger topic than the folklore and the likely reasoning behind the expedition to locate the Ursprung. Once I got to the murder mystery and the king's response I realised that I just wasn't invested enough to continue, even with the promise of more folklore to come, because I just wasn't rooting for Lorelei or Sylvia in any way.

It may well be that the book significantly improves in the second half with more magic and folklore as well as the murder investigation and I am sure that there will be many people who love it. But unfortunately the writing is not for me.

I wish the book well and hope it is successful for the author and publisher and apologise again for not finishing it. I dislike rating books I have not finished and as such will not be reviewing elsewhere.

This was one of my most anticipated reads and i was overjoyed when i got the email of approval i screamed a little. And thank you Allison Saft for delivering.

First a round of applause for the incredible cover!

This was almost everything i wanted it to be. I mean this is SAPPHIC ACADEMIC RIVALS ON AN EXPEDITION THAT TURNS INTO A MURDER MYSTERY IN A FOLKLORE SETTING!!! Does that not sound awesome?! Almost everything because Allison did not give us not nearly enough time with Lor and Sylvia happy and in love. Hellouuu?!?!?!!? After all that yearning WHY DIDN'T WE SEE THE LETTERS!!!!??!? I mean ow dare you woman!

I liked almost everything about this book, characters, story, setting, writing, romance...only negative thing i have to say is that i wish it was longer, so much happened and it's really not a long book. So yeah i only wish there was more.
I really liked how the author weaved themes of colonization and different effect it had on each character especially Lorelei. She was painted as a monster, a villain by others just for existing and it was gut wrenching that she was told that so much that she started to believe it.
Aside from her we also got to see how other characters dealt with colonization of their homes, none of them, aside from maybe Johann that dude is crazy, was inherently a bad or crazy person they were victims of circumstance and each had a different way of dealing with it.

Such a good blend of fantasy, folklore/fairytales, dark academia and yearning romance and everyone needs to pick it up! Unless you don't like mysterious dark forests and all the creepy and interesting creatures that dwell within them.

Murder mystery, plenty of twists and turns and academic rivals with a little touch of folklore. I thought this was a cute read. Good writing style and good story building. Would love to read more from the author

A Dark and Drowning Tide is an academic rivals to lovers, folklore filled story with a bit of a whodunnit twist.
Lorelai and Sylvia are academic rivals under the mentorship of Ziegler, both of them vying for the same position. They set out on an expedition searching for the Unsprung, a source of magical water that can grant immense power. What unfolds, is an interesting and very character driven story.
I enjoyed Lorelai trusting other people and learning that she doesn't have to do everything on her own. I also enjoyed the progression of Lorelai and Sylvia's interactions with one another.
I think Ludwig has to be my favourite supporting character and I would love to see more of him.
All in all, I enjoyed this one and recommend it.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is such an atmospheric read. Its features so many elements I love, such as academic rivals, a murder mystery and a dangerous quest for power. I loved the world and the magic within it. The way the lore was used and the malicious creatures cause chaos on the expedition is so entertaining. The sapphic romance is sweet and a lovely addition, this lightens up the darkness. The best part of this book is the language used to describe the settings. It’s absolutely beautiful, we get bruised purple skies amongst the fog that I could vividly picture in my imagination. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Daphne Press for this e-arc of A Dark and Drowning Tide.

A quest for a magical spring turns into a murder mystery, when their leader is found murdered. This story is set in a complex world - with magic, mythical creatures and strong ties to folk tales drawing from Jewish and Germanic origins. It was definitely very unique and complicated.

I was really looking forward to sapphic fantasy-adventure vibes, with academic rivals. While that's definitely there, I didn't really connect it.

I found most of the characters pretty unlikeable, including our FMC Lorelei. The chemistry between the two love interests was a bit wooden for my taste.

Decent story, but just not my jam.
*** 3.25 stars ***

4.5 rounded down to a 4.

I really enjoyed this book; it's very magical and sweet.

I was a really big fan of Allison's other book (or at least, her only other book that I've read) A Fragile Enchantment. It was very cute, magical and whimsical. So I was VERY excited when it was announced that she would be publishing another magical fantasy book but this time, featured magical creatures and academic rivals. It sounded nigh on perfect.

And largely, it was. I really enjoyed this sapphic and adventurous murder mystery/fantasy book. First of all, the plot is wonderful. I'm starting to understand that I really enjoy fantasy books that involve a quest or academic adventure. The book features two folklore academics who set out on an expedition to find a magical spring for the king. But all goes awry when the leader (and academic hero) of the expedition is found murdered on the ship heading to their destination. It's now up to Lorelei and Sylvie to uncover the murder and find the culprit, while also battling their burgeoning feelings for each other. How great does this sound? The fusing of fantasy and murder mystery worked really well; both genres worked in tandem to set up a really great plot.

I also really enjoyed the setting; it was very whimsical and adventurous. The setting of the book is split between the ship and the island where they're looking for the spring. This may sound odd, but I enjoyed that there weren't lots of scene changes. I liked that the setting was restricted to only a few. Sometimes I can find it a struggle to keep up with the story (especially in fantasy adventure books) when the setting constantly changes. The settings in the book, especially the island, were very magical and whimsical.

While I liked the romance between the two protagonists, I did find it a little stilted. I didn't find that they had tremendous amounts of chemistry. It was sort of just hate that all of a sudden was love that they apparently felt the entire time? I don't know, I just didn't find it massively believable.

I will say, however, that I did find it very similar to the Emily Wilde series. This certainly isn't a negative as I adore that series, but I just wanted to note that.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for the ARC

I really liked this! A Dark and Drowning Tide has luscious writing and a dark atmosphere. It's a dark academia fantasy murder-mystery with a sapphic pairing. The folk-lore is delicately woven into the story. I was captured by the book and had a great time reading it.

A dark and drowning tide is a sapphic, dark academic enemies to lovers romance with lots of folklore

This book is a great murder mystery story!

I really enjoyed this one.

I also love the cover which is one of the things that drew me to this one!

DNF.
I was really excited to read this book, but unfortunately, I simply couldn’t get into it, the writing was not my style at all. I will probably give it another chance in a future but right now I just can’t.
It is a pity as the worldbuilding seems to be very complex and interesting, I loved how the author introduced us to the mythical creatures and the plot but at the same time it was pretty confusing.
I was also really excited to read a shappic rival to lovers, but although the characters seemed really interesting I couldn’t care for them.
I totally believe that it was more of a me problem (I only got to the 20%) than of the book. It probably wasn’t the moment to read it, so I will give it a chance later.

4 stars

Thank you to Daphne Press and NetGalley for my digital review copy.

Going into this, I knew I would enjoy it. It's sapphic and has folklore (two of my favourite things!).

I loved how Saft casually weaved in folklore (from mentioning all manner of creatures like Nixies (some of my favourite Germanic water sprites), to Irrlichts (that are kind of like Will-O-Wisps). I'd be lying if I didnt highlight every creature named.

I also loved how much of Lorelei's character is linked to faerie tales (and how she has a different folk tale for each member of the expedition party). I just loved all the folk tales that were mentioned (and I did also highlight every one of them too)

Sylvia and Lorelei are absolutely polar opposites to each other and I enjoyed seeing them interact (even if they are academic rivals).

I wasn't too sure what I thought the overall plot would end up being, but it was a delightful river cruise, academic exploration whodunnit, but also intertwining that with heavier topics (like antisemitism, imperialism, nationalism), but I absolutely enjoyed the ride.

I can tell that Lorelei and Sylvia may be some of my favourite sapphic pairings because I can't stop thinking about them. I am very glad that I read this.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft 🍃🌊

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝘼 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥-𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙠𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙪𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙘 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙧’𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚.

After loving A Fragile Enchantment last month, I was so excited to read Allison Saft’s new release that had been sitting on my NetGalley shelf for a while, and it did not disappoint! Thank you so much to @daphne.press and @netgalley for the early review copy ❤️.

Similar to A Fragile Enchantment, this is a slower paced fantasy. It focuses on creating a very atmospheric world, following an intriguing mystery and characters that you fall in love with 🥰.

Allison Saft is so good at creating such an interesting and magical world that you feel like you are living in yourself when reading. The adventure and mystery plot lines were so fun to follow throughout the book and kept me guessing the whole time!

My favourite thing about this book was definitely the characters 🥹. Lorelai is short tempered and a bit grumpy but also just sort of wants to fit in somewhere. Sylvia is outgoing and dramatic and loved by everyone she encounters. They’re polar opposites but I fell in love with both of them as they fell in love with each other 🥰. There was such great banter and bickering between these characters and I was genuinely laughing out loud multiple times throughout the book. This is one of my favourite romances I’ve read this year, both characters were so strong and funny on their own, and when together I just loved how much they despised each other (but also very clearly didn’t 😓).

I was very eager to read Allison Saft and I'm very happy to say that I loved her latest book and her writing. I'll happily read A far wilder magic that I have in the French edition because it's much prettier than the originals (sorry).

In A Dark and Drowning Tide, we follow Lorelei, a folklorist who embarks on an expedition with five other students, among them Sylvia, her academic rival. But the expedition starts badly: Lorelei finds her mentor murdered in her cabin. Lorelei must see the mission through and find out who the murderer is before it's too late.

Lorelei is not really a likeable character and not always relatable for someone who hasn't lived systemic oppression like she has. Indeed, not only Lorelei isn't nobility as her companions, but she is also Yeva (read: Jewish) in an extremely racist German-inspired world. Fortunately for me, the investigation wasn't the forefront of the story, and neither was the romance. There was a perfect balance between those aspects and the expedition. The creatures were also fascinating as humans could communicate and reason with them (as Sylvia has been saying all along). I also enjoyed the folktales, that resembled so much to our own.

I found the discussion around trauma and grief really interesting as we see how each character deals with it and how it shaped them. The same goes for the motivations of the "villain": they had very valid reasons and were pretty much right, but of course their methods weren't the best. It raised the eternal question: is it better to change things from the outside or from the inside?

The only caveat I have is that at the end we dont' know what happens to Lorelei's people. But the last lines were my favourite so I'm not that mad because I trust *them* (no spoilers).


Rep: sapphic MC, various sapphic SC, possibly a queernorm society, Jewish MC

TW: trauma, grief, death, blood, monsters, murder, murder attempt, betrayal, war, blackmailing, racism, anti-semitism, torture, colonisation