Title: A Dark and Drowning Tide

Author: Allison Saft

Rating: ★★★★☆

Allison Saft's "A Dark and Drowning Tide" is a lush, enthralling, and delightfully sharp-tongued sapphic fantasy romance that weaves together mystery, magic, and the complex dynamics of academic rivalry. I absolutely adored this!

Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a sharp tongue and an even sharper wit, embarks on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled magical spring. This spring promises untold power, which the king of the embattled country of Brunnestaad hopes to harness to secure his reign. For Lorelei, the expedition is an opportunity to prove herself and achieve her dream of becoming a naturalist, allowing her to explore lands she's only read about.

However, the journey takes a dark turn when the expedition's leader and Lorelei’s beloved mentor is found murdered aboard their ship. With five remaining expedition members, each a potential suspect, Lorelei finds herself thrust into the role of investigator. The only person she knows is innocent is her longtime academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now leading the expedition, Lorelei must navigate treacherous forests that shift at night, rivers harbouring slumbering dragons, and shapeshifting beasts, all while racing to find the spring before the murderer strikes again and a coup begins.

As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth—and resist their growing attraction—they unravel secrets that make Lorelei question the worth of justice and the future of the kingdom itself.

What I Loved:

1. Compelling Protagonists: Lorelei is a fierce and relatable heroine, whose wit and determination make her an engaging narrator. Her dynamic with Sylvia, filled with tension and reluctant cooperation, adds depth and complexity to the story.
2. Intricate Plot: The murder mystery intertwined with a perilous expedition provides a gripping narrative. The twists and turns keep readers guessing, blending suspense with the enchantment of a magical quest.
3. Magical World-Building: Saft’s depiction of Brunnestaad is vivid and immersive. The magical elements, from rearranging forests to rivers with hidden dragons, create a fantastical backdrop that enhances the story’s allure.
4. Sapphic Romance: The slow-burn romance between Lorelei and Sylvia is beautifully written. Their evolving relationship, from rivals to allies to something more, is heartfelt and compelling, adding emotional depth to the adventure.
5. Themes of Trust and Justice: The novel explores themes of trust, justice, and the complexities of loyalty. Lorelei’s internal struggle with these concepts adds a thought-provoking layer to the fantasy narrative.

"A Dark and Drowning Tide" by Allison Saft is a mesmerising blend of fantasy, mystery, and romance. With its richly drawn characters, intricate plot, and enchanting world, it offers a captivating read that kept me immersed from beginning to end. Lorelei and Sylvia’s journey is as much about uncovering the truth as it is about discovering themselves and each other.

If you're looking for a book that combines magic, mystery, and a beautifully crafted sapphic romance, this one should definitely be on your TBR list.

Thank you to The Publisher Daphne Press ,The Author Allison Saft & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

It's more like 3,5 to be honest and I'll start with the reason why. This book can't seem to decide what it wants to be. It's not dark academia as it was marketed, if anything the dark academia aspects (added I suspect to fit the trends) often felt forced: not only was it hard for me to believe that all princes and princesses of the different provinces decided to become academics, but also aside from the main character, none of their "academic status" was relevant or necessary to the story. It would have been very easy to cut that part of their backstories entirely and it would not change the story in any way. Turn the expedition into a quest and focus on the political aspects from the beginning rather than pretend that any one of them care about research.

It's not a murder mystery either. Yes, a person dies mysteriously, and the main character tries to investigate for a while, but once again, it's not the main plotline - and in the end, she stumbles upon the killer on accident. It feels like the author forgot that it was supposed to be a murder mystery and what that entails.

And I wouldn't mind the genre-bending if the way that the book was marketed didn't make me wonder if the author was ashamed of calling the book what it is: a quest fantasy. Atmospheric and beautiful, with a hint of mystery, but still a quest fantasy.

And while I'm picking at it, I do have to say that the author had trouble establishing/keeping up with the character motivations. The main character's one if particular shifted from page to page, often in contradicting itself every now and then - without a clear trigger that could have caused them to change their mind. The killer's actions, once their goal was revealed, made no sense and again, contradicted them on multiple occasions. But I feel like that ties to the fact, that this book, at its core, is simply not a murder mystery.

And it's a shame because if only it was cleaned up a little more, it could have been easy 5 stars for me. The characters were engaging, the world-building, inspired by the unification of Germany and its folk legends, was top-notch. Allison Saft is the only author that I trust to write complex and realistic fantasy religions and this book is no exception. It was uncomfortably honest in all the right ways, without prejudice that I see in many other fantasy books. And I definitely plan on reading all of her other books as soon as I can.

The prose was stunning and complemented the story. Reading this book felt like reading a dark fairytale, Saft paints a vivid picture of every scene. I'm so grateful to Netgalley and the publisher, that I got to read this advanced copy.

This book took me way too long to read because I had to keep putting it down and coming back to it when I had the energy.

The characters all seem entirely undeveloped - Lorelei is just pissed off at everyone all the time even when they are nice to her. Heaven forbid you pity her! It made her such an unlikable main character who you really weren’t rooting for. I honestly do not understand why Sylvia is in any way interested in her.

Lorelei is a folklorist so that means every time a hint of good pacing comes in, the author completely throws it off with a segue into a folklore tale relevant to that exact situation. When she finds Johann standing over a bed, I could have screamed as she cut to the tale of Godfather Death.

The relationship between Lorelei and Sylvia is unbelievable and completely surface level. This is an almost infatuation-level love that Lorelei has for Sylvia. Lorelei has never been with anyone. There would be those skipped heartbeats and moments of sheer terror and trepidation. Yet Lorelei is going on about wanting to f*** her when she likely has no experience whatsoever and would be nervous. I guess I just wanted more to be made of those intimate moments. For us to truly see why we should love Lorelei, too. Maybe a chapter from Sylvia’s POV could help?

The other thing that made me super uncomfortable reading this book is how heavily the first third of the book focuses on Lorelei’s Yeva (Jewish coded) experience and all of the suffering of her people. It fully took me out of a fantasy world and was not easy to read. And the fact that the story wasn’t about the emancipation of her people then made the focus on it at the start all the weirder. I would highly recommend this book carries a content warning around Jewish trauma especially as it’s completely unexpected from the book’s synopsis.

Finally, the writing style was extraordinarily basic and simplistic. I just don’t think it’s strong enough to compete in the fantasy genre and do justice to the stories Saft is telling.

This book could have been so much more, but I think it needed a strong editor to come in and help shape that.

I really enjoyed this book, it took me a while to read because I have been in a reading slump but the wait was definitely worth it. The relationships between the characters were great and well developed, the banter was just fantastic. The plot was incredible, with each chapter being more entising then the last. By the end of the book I really felt like I knew each one of the characters. The plot twists were incredible and I didn't see them coming. I don't have much more to say, great book, no notes.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy.

I really liked the premise of this book, and I was looking forward to getting into this fantasy world, with a dark academia feel to it.

The world itself clearly had a lot of depth to it, and had been well thought out. Unfortunately, I didn't feel truly drawn in to and immersed in the world, so I found it difficult to connect with the politics of the story and backgrounds of all the characters.

All the characters seemed really interesting, and at the beginning there was real potential for well-rounded characters and interesting, complex relationships between them all. Unfortunately, the development of the relationships between the characters felt rushed, so I never really felt invested in any of the relationships between the main group.

Whilst I appreciate that characters can (and should!) have flaws, I didn't connect with the characters of Lorelai or Sylvia. Lorelai, in particular, felt too entirely self-absorbed, and (due again to the pacing of the book), I didn't really understand the connection between the two characters.

Overall, the pacing of the book was too fast for me to get into the book.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a perfect book. The book has a dark academia feel to it as the characters, a group of scholars, set out on an expedition following legends to locate a magical source. The book has a mystery at the heart of it that keeps you constantly interested and questioning each of the characters loyalties and motivations.

The magical elements of this book were reminiscent of dark fairy tales, with magical mischievous creatures and creepy sentient forests. The prose was atmospheric and thoughtful, and the dialogue was beautiful to read. Alison Saft has a true talent in writing and this book was beautifully executed.

For me, the strongest element of this book is the story’s protagonist, Lorelei. Lorelei is such an interesting, flawed and well fleshed out character that I loved following. She is such a refreshing change from the fantasy female characters I am used to and I know she will stick with me for a long time to come.

If you love dark academia fantasy, a love story full of pining and an atmospheric read - I cannot recommend this enough.

Dark Academia Sapphic Enemies to Lovers was enough to draw me in, the folklore and commentary on stereotypes and antisemitism in fairy tales (I wish this had been around when I was doing my degree in religion and theology!) kept me and the writing made sure that this book will live rent free in my head for a for a long time to come.
The character dynamics were immaculate, the mentor/student obsession, the childhood friends turned rivals still trying to play at being friends, yes to all of it.
If I have gained anything from reading this book it is a desire to read more Jewish fantasy stories (and another book to recommend incessantly to friends forever more)

Really enjoyed this!!

Haven’t read high fantasy for a while but it was easy and intriguing to get into. I loved the fairytale aspects and the little stories within the main story; ‘when wishes still held power…’

Great mix of characters too. Sylvia and Lorelie DEFINITELY had the grumpy x sunshine troupe 😂 but I kind of loved the depth of Lorelie’s character and the reasons she protected herself from getting close to others. Ludwig was cute too and would have loved to seen more from him… Johann I could have done without 😂 but his presence makes sense in the story.

If you’re looking for the DARK version of something like Can’t Spell Tea Without Treason or loved A Study In Drowning, I would definitely recommend this! Whimsical but very much Hans Christen Anderson vibes, thrown in with a little politics and morally grey characters!

Thank you to Netgalley and Daphne Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so I really enjoyed this one.

First of all, the prose was so lovely and smooth. I tore through the whole thing in several days, because it was well-written enough for me to actively crave more of it. There’s lavish attention paid to atmosphere and world-building, and it made for a really enjoyable experience.

Our two main characters are a delight. Lorelei, with her emotional repression and rather sexy sardonicism, made for a wonderfully spiky narrator. It’s hard to nail the characterisation of the POV character – they always run the risk of being too generic – but this book truly did. We see her vivid internal responses to things, at the same time as reading her snide spoken replies, and it’s excellent; never is information doubled up, we’re left to connect the emotional dots ourselves, and as frustrating as it can sometimes be to witness her total inability to trust, it’s thoroughly in-character. Meanwhile, the embedded critique of antisemitism, and the exploration of how constant oppression affected Lorelei, was skilfully done throughout.

Sylvia is ridiculous and wonderful. She’s dashing, she’s brash, and she’s utterly wonderful. She made for such a gorgeous contrast with Lorelei. Part of why I loved her is because of how faintly entitled she is at the beginning – how she and Lorelei clash, not just because of misunderstandings, but because of a genuine failure to see where the other is coming from.

The rivals-to-lovers dynamic is complex, and satisfying, and full of genuinely difficult to resolve differences – just the way it ought to be. I do have one quibble, which is that the plot beats of the romance seemed a bit rote. Lorelei’s shifting feelings towards Sylvia happened a little too fast, which made later developments seem a bit contrived. But amidst all this, the actual character interactions were gold. What I love is just how complicated and flawed our girls seemed. I’ll always love rivals-to-lovers where the differences are internal to the relationship rather than based on misunderstandings of events, and for the most part this book delivered.

I loved the folklore, the academic characters, the culturally rich world and the murder mystery. I devoured this book with a passion. Until the ending, the only thing I could complain about was that there was too much romance for my personal taste (but this is a personal thing and honestly, not even that relevant given all the positive points I previously mentioned).

But then the ending came and it felt way too rushed, leaving me a bit disappointed. I think that ending could have literally been another book (full of intrigue and characters developing into the futures after the expedition) and we’d have a duology to enjoy!

Overall, a very enjoyable read and a must read for the romantasy fans. This book delivers the most amazing rivals to lovers academic atmosphere ever.

Thank you so much to Daphne Press and NetGallery for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy. I really wanted to love this one as the premise sounded fantastic, but sadly it did not work well for me. There are a number of things that I don't like in fantasy books including poorly defined world building and magic systems and using real world places/people with just a different name. The other major thing was pacing, in that the book is so fast paced that I struggled to connect with any of the characters. This was not helped by the fact that most of the characters were very unlikeable.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Daphne Press for this e-arc for an honest review.

I'm pulling the plug at 85%. I'm sorry I just stopped caring around the 70% mark as the pacing on this one is so off. There are times where everything is happening all at once but majority of it, nothing is actually happening??? It feels empty and at the same time so info dumpy it's hard to care.

Also Lorelai is so hateful for some reason. I hate that the enemies to lovers trope was just inserted here for the sake of it. So we're pitting these two women against each other why? They're jealous of each other? Coz they're secretly in love? Why is that? Like give me a valid reason why they're actually supposed to be secretly feral for one another coz I just don't buy the romance. This is not a slow burn. It's just arson.

The only redeeming quality of this book is Alison Saft's beautiful prose. But that's really it.

2 stars out of 5.

My love for this book, for Lorelei and Sylvia, for its fairytales and warnings and lessons, snuck up on me as all good things should. As natural and creeping as the vines and wildeleute, ather-based magic, mysteries and ‘monsters’ in the pages that have been so carefully brought to life by Allison’s wonderful prose. This is a tale of magic and betrayal, a greedy king, personal growth and an unlikely romance between two women, a dark fairytale of its own right much like those that are included in its pages. It reminds me of Hans Christian Andersen, of painful lessons learned through tales of love and murder and cruel fate. There are painful parallels, commentaries on the oppression of cultures and of peoples, which are made and which bring this tale even more depth and poignancy.

We meet Lorelei and Sylvia as academic rivals on the cusp of an expedition, commanded by the king, to find the source of all magic - the Ursprung. A lake of mythical powers. What follows is a quest across Allison’s wonderfully crafted lands with a medium sized cast of characters who are all rich, well-fleshed out and all of whom drive the plot in their own right. And after the unexplained murder of Lorelei and Sylvia’s mentor, they must work together to uncover the culprit, discover their motive, all while Lorelei works under the threat of being made a scapegoat by the king should she not return with the location of the power-bestowing Ursprung. There were layers to the plot, a believable and compelling lattice of main and subplots which was highly engaging.

Lorelei and Sylvia are our main characters, but Allison’s cast of the “Ruhiburg Five” alongside Lorelei and her mentor Ziegler are all flawed and richly imagined, who make mistakes and act in their own interest, are swayed by personal loyalties - they’re infallibly human, which makes this adventure even more enjoyable.

I deeply loved to hate Johann, who was outwardly terrible yet loyal to a promise he made; I adored Ludwig and his cleverness, his painful tendency to overlook the cruelties of his comrades to fit in (my baby); Heike’s unflinching selfishness; Adelheid’s strength of conviction and the understanding (viper to viper) that she shared with Lorelei to do what she thought was right, to protect herself, to survive.

Lorelei hurt me in many ways during this story, for her tendency to self punish, to keep herself distant from others because letting people in would allow them chance to hurt her. She sees herself a villain, and protected herself with anger, determination and data. Her angry “I hate her, that’s definitely why I pay so much attention to her” internal attitude towards Sylvia was a delight, a true “rivals to lovers” compared to characters who proclaim themselves rivals/enemies then succumb to instalove. She’s prickly, thinks herself undeserving of love, haunted by her past and wracked with guilt turned inwards. I love her, your honour.

Sylvia was a much needed foil to Lorelei, and it’s what drove much of their connection. She is bright and tender, a wonderfully complex female main character. She shows her strength through compassion, positivity and empathy, and is no less for it - something much needed in adult fantasy. Though she too is wounded, carrying the burdens of a violent past thanks to the war that the previous and current Kings demanded in an attempt to violently unify the entire region. Sylvia deeply loves the wildeleute, the ‘supernatural beings (classed as ‘monsters’ in many of Lorelei’s folktales, and it’s her compassion that ultimately saves both her and Lorelei’s lives over and over. There is a clever play between the perceived ‘monstrosity’ of the wildeleutes despite them governed only by their natures, and the monstrosity of many of Saft’s cast of characters. She’s a beacon in the dark of the story, but not unbelievable. I found her compelling, restful for the peace she offered Lorelei, and deeply admirable in her boundless love.

Their connection is genuine, and they don’t just become instantly in tune as soon as their love for each other is realised. Lorelei remains mercurial, Sylvia remains hurt by her moods, but theirs a believable connection between them which just made my heart sing.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a tale of mystery and magic, of sapphic yearning x academic rivals to lovers, of folktales and morals, then this is perfect. I can’t wait for more of Allison’s adult fiction!

Fans of Saft's previous work won't be disappointed with her adult debut! We follow Lorelei on an expedition to find a magical spring that can help her gain the king's favour and allow her freedoms not given to the rest of her people.

Everything is going to plan till the murder of her tutor and Lorelei is tasked to find the murderer alongside the location of the spring or be blamed for the act herself. The only one in the group who isn't a suspect is her much hated rival Sylvia and so begins this very complex rivals to lovers arc! Not a downside at all but wow took Lorelei a bit to get there.

The story is jam packed with dark but whimsical visuals, fascinating creatures and unique magic. You'll be instantly grabbed by Saft's writing and not want to stop. Honestly, Saft's writing style is so great and everything combined creates an absolutely amazing read, cosy but also dark works so well. Looking forward to more adult books from her in the future.

Thanks to Daphne Press & Netgalley for this arc.

A beautifully descriptive sapphic romantasy with lush worldbuilding and compelling characters. As someone who usually steers away from fantasy, I was intrigued by this book’s plot and I’m so glad I gave it a go. I loved it! The magic used in the world seems very inspired by waterbending which was cool, and I enjoyed both the murder mystery and romance subplots.

This wasn’t an easy read by any stretch. Lorelei is distinctly unlikeable. She’s spiky and unkind, jagged edges and a brittle facade covering her social ineptitude. But you’ll root for her anyway. You’ll understand her hard edges and barbed tongue, even as you wish she’d let up just a little for once.

It is the sloooooooowest of slow burns, where you’ll internally scream for lorelei to just SEE for F’s sake. But it’s satisfying when she does finally see what is in front of her. It’s less grumpy sunshine and more cactus sunshine, but Sylvia is a sweetheart and I enjoyed her character very much.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and the journey Lorelei goes on. I particularly enjoyed that her character is retained throughout rather than having a sudden 180 once love comes into the picture. I enjoyed the folktales and gorgeous magical world they inhabit. So whilst it wasn’t an easy read, it was an enjoyable one and I’m glad I picked this one up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Daphne Press and Allison Saft for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I rarely read fantasy but then I heard this book was similar to "A Study in Drowning" I was so curious to read it. And it was even better than I anticipated!
The world-building is great and the subjects are very interesting even for readers who are not used to fantasy-related themes. the story and characters are what tie everything together, they keep you on your toes and you keep turning the pages to see what will happen next.
The writing is phenomenal and it makes the tropes refreshing and fun to read and not cliché

First and foremost, thank you very much to Daphne Press for approving me for the advanced readers copy of this novel.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 & 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬: gothic, quest, murder mystery, Fairies and Folklore, Jewish main character and traditions, sapphic, academic rivals to lovers, water magic, German inspired setting, Emily Wilde meets Spinning Silver

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/3.75

A Dark and Drowning Tide was a bewitching novel which intertwined a gothic murder mystery with a romantic fantasy all whilst dripping with folk and fairy lore.

In a world where magic floods through the so-called aether, a substance only found in water, Lorelei Kaskel, a scared and dutiful folklorist, embarks on an expedition with six eccentric nobles including her academic rival Sylvia von Wolff, in search of a fabled spring called the Ursprung. Whilst for their friend, the young king Wilhelm, this magical spring of untold power is a tool to secure his reign of the embattled country, Lorelei is determined to use this quest to prove herself and fulfil her dream of becoming a naturalist and of being able to travel freely to faraway lands.

And so, the reader embarks not only on a dangerous and bloody journey full of wicked fairie folk creatures such as nixies, alps and irrlichter, but also on one full of superstition and betrayal, during which trust is long forgotten and everyone could be lying at any time.
In particular this latter aspect, added a lot of suspense to this book and had you questioning every word and action exchanged between our cunning cast of characters. In addition to that, I loved how the contrasting personalities of our two female main characters added so much banter to their romance and this novel. I also simply must mention that the German side of my bilingual brain had a good time laughing over the German words Allsion Saft used for the river names.

Most notably though was how brilliantly and elegantly Allison Saft intertwined the German inspired setting of Ruhigburg/Brunnestaad with the religious persecution of the Yevani people, and through that making a clear nod and reference to the atrocities Jewish people had to experience in German history. In addition to that, I was captivated by how this novel illustrated the depth of the aftereffects of trauma.

Nevertheless, I´ve found that sometimes Lorelei´s thoughts jumped quite quickly, making it hard to follow them and their logic. Along with that, I occasionally struggled to follow the dialogue passages of this novel for similar reasons. Furthermore, Heike, Adelheid, Johann and Ludwig were all quite similar to each other in terms of their backgrounds and motives, which was a shame since it took away a lot of their own individuality as side characters. Additionally, I´ve also noticed some lose and unsolved plot threads involving the murder mystery which was a bit disheartening, and I personally found that the ending was a bit too sweet for what the story and its themes were previously about.

3.5/5 Stars

A Dark and Drowning Tide is an atmospheric, mysterious and magical tale. This was my first read from Allison Salt so I had no idea what to expect, and I have ended up completely obsessed with her writing. The whole book was dripping in a dark folklore atmosphere and lyrical writing. The atmosphere almost felt like the main character in the story, with the mystery and fairytale-feel driving a lot of the tension.

I admit, the thing that drew me in most about this book was the academic sapphic rivals. Sylvia and Lorelai had so much tension radiating between them from the very first scene. Their personalities bounced so well off each other, with their relationship feeling so heated and dynamic. As I am weak at the knees for a good rivalrous romance, this was absolutely perfect and everything I wanted.

As well as the romance, the relationship between all of the characters was complex, rich and nuanced. While I really admire this storytelling, I admit that the way I read the book left me a bit confused and missing the more nuanced part of the story and context. Due to life busyness in the last month, I wasn’t able to sit down and read this book completely over a couple of days like I would have wanted. Instead I picked it up and dropped it with long gaps between. This made the complex setting, magic system and history of relationships a bit lost on me, with this book having a very confusing and hazy feel to me. I’m not sure if this confusion was partly intensional, but it did leave me feeling like I didn’t get all out of the book.

I also think the mystery and build up was so well drawn out, that the climax at the end felt a bit disappointing. Especially in terms of Lorelai’s ending, I really wanted more for her.

Nonetheless, overall this was a memorable and intoxicating story that I think wlw readers will adore. I’m excited to see more adult stories from this author, especially more from this world (maybe?!? Hopefully?!?)

2.5 stars

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a sapphic rivals-to-lovers story following Sylvia and Lorelei and an eccentric group of academics on an exhibition. When they mentor is found murdered, the pair must stick together to ensure brother are wrongly blamed when they come across her body.

The characters embark on their adventure/quest all the while trying to size each other up - it definitely fell into formulaic murder mystery territory which isn’t what I was expecting.

My overall impression of this book is wishy-washy. A lot of the characters blended together and so did the settings. I was caught off realising the location had changed between scenes because literally nothing stood out to me.

The author’s prose is beautiful and the romance & pining was enjoyable but I just think these characters would’ve been more enjoyable in a different book. Also nothing changes the fact this is one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen.