4.5 ⭐

"A Dark and Drowning Tide" is an adult fantasy standalone written by Allison Saft.

Allison Saft has won me over again! I have read several books by the author, enjoyed them a lot, and couldn't wait to jump on this new title! A novel that has captivated me since its announcement, thanks to the intriguing premise and the gorgeous cover. I had very high expectations and was not disappointed at all! I loved "A Dark and Drowning Tide" so much! The spellbinding, evocative and lyrical writing completely absorbed me into the vortex of the narration, enchanting me with its vivid descriptions, dark academia side, gothic overtones and abundant folklore present. This is not a quick or a particularly action-packed novel, but a tale that takes its time, proceeding slowly until the second half becomes more eventful. It is a narrative choice that I have also found in her previous books and that I personally like, especially because it puts more focus on the characters and their evolution. I loved Lorelei and Sylvia, the beautiful way they are portrayed and the fantastic evolution of their relationship!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All my thanks to Daphne Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was an absolute joy to read. I was hooked from the first page, and I adored the beautiful descriptions, the world-building, and the aching relationship between Sylvia and Lorelai. This is a book I didn’t know I needed, and I’m so grateful to have read it.

The author’s character work was exceptional, and I loved the slow build relationship between Sylvia and Lorelai. The little moments between them as the book progressed was just lovely, and I found myself outright grinning at my phone while reading!

The stunning descriptions of the scenery helped immerse me into this world, as well as all the creatures and magic.

And of course, only one tent!

This was a highly anticipated read and it did not disappoint. I loved this lush, gorgeous sapphic fantasy novel and I can’t wait to read more from the author!

4 stars.
A dark and drowning tide would be perfect for fans of the Emily Wildes series, it is an academic fantasy based on, I believe, their world’s version of folklore with elemental magic. It’s a sapphic rivals to lovers with an expedition setting.
It took me a while to get into this, I didn’t find the main character very likeable until her personality started becoming more fleshed out. She reads as very standoffish at first but her background with trauma and oppression, and interactions with other characters provide us better characteristics to like.
The relationship development between the main character Lorelei and Sylvia progressed at a good pace, I feel it didn’t develop too quickly, although the characters were angsting and pining for one another pre-book.
I felt the plot was well devised with the plot points merging well together, the only personal hang up was how many of the characters were royalty. I think it may have been better to have had some of the characters have ties to government or in some other capacity for their agendas to work for the main plot.
Overall, I liked it, the authors way of blending fantasy with mystery and working in complex characters with moral dilemmas and differing world views made it for a great read!
Thanks to NetGalley.co.uk and Daphne Press for the opportunity to read this.

This book didn’t work for me, unfortunately: I found the characters immature and moody, and the set-up not inventive enough, as this was clearly bits of German history smooshed together and rehashed at surface level. The gratuitous addition of German words sprinkled throughout in their most literal and basic meaning was unintentionally hilarious, throwing me off the sentence level reading. It’s fine with serial numbers sawn off it’s fine says the book. Or the Buch lol.

thank you to Netgalley for the arc!! ♡

I loved reading this book so much.
A dark and drowning tide is a story lush with folklore, with characters that are flawed and even unlikeable but heartbreakingly real. At its core, there are two elements: a hunt to find a magical spring and Lorelei's desperate quest to find the murderer who is sabotaging the expedition, and the relationship between Lorelei and her academic rival, Sylvia. Both elements are dealt with care and attention, and at no point did I feel that one suffers because of undue attention to the other.

The expedition is the main plot of the story, and is tangled with Lorelei's fears, pains and deepest desires. As a discriminated minority in Brunestaad, the only way for her to gain a secure position of respect is to be recognised as the expedition leader and deliver the king with the fabled spring. Yet the pursuit of this dream has caused her to alienate herself from her family and culture, separating herself from all that can mark herself as other to fit in. Lorelei's story is an examination of bigotry, anti-Semitism and cultural erasure. Her trauma is a constant companion, and this combination of guilt and burning want forces her to adopt a persona of the worst qualities that people brand her with- becoming the viper everyone thinks she is to survive a cruel and harsh world. Lorelei may not always be likeable, but it's clear how her character today has been molded by Brunestaad's treatment of her and her people.

The relationship between Lorelei and Sylvia is a product of Lorelei's tangled emotions- to Lorelei, Sylvia represents the perfect, privileged life she could never have. As a result, she despises Sylvia, yet at the same time is fascinated by her. The murder of Lorelei's mentor forces Lorelei to enter an uneasy alliance with Sylvia, and as she interacts with her fiercest rival, she begins to realise that there may be more to her than she had previously assumed. Lorelei and Sylvia's relationship is a tender slow-burn, and it was a delight to read them navigating their pain together.

The book is not perfect- I found some of the dialogue, particularly the banter a bit clunky and forced. The plot reveals were also a little predictable, however I don't think that's a major drawback since the book reads less like a whodunnit and more as an exploration of the magical wilderness of Brunestaad. The misunderstandings at times felt frustrating, however they didn't drag for too long. The conflict towards the end was the weakest section for me, but despite that I did enjoy reading it a lot- all in all, this is a solid 3.5 stars, rounded up because of its use of fantastical creatures, folklore, and the well-crafted relationships and characters.

I really enjoyed this book! It was easy and engaging. I liked how the dynamics shifted amongst the six main characters. The folk lore and magic aspect was very well done and enjoyable. I can definitely see this being a longer series with how nicely everything was set up.
My only complaint was that it was a bit trope heavy and cliched at times but that didn’t put me off too much.
Overall a really fun and easy read!

A dark and drowning tide was my most anticipated book release this year and it did not disappoint! I liked the main character Lorelei and enjoyed her dynamic with Sylvia. I like reading through her perspective and I didn't find her surliness offputting. For someone in her circumstances I would not expect their outlook to be sunshine and rainbows.

I haven't read any other fantasy novels with a backdrop quite like this one and I enjoyed the world building and gothic vibes. The folk tales Lorelei recites weave into the events of the novel and the characters actions adding extra layers to the storytelling and adds to her characterisation by her using folk tales as the lens in which she sees the world.

As for aspects that didn't quite hit for me. The ending didn't really feel particularly satisfying to me and Wilhelm's reaction was very underwhelming. He was the driving force behind the expedition yet it felt like he had no impact in the story overall. How he was described by the other characters and his goals didn't really match up with how he presented when we saw him talk. The story took a bit to get to the mentor's death which slowed me down a little when reading. There was mentions of the characters fighting in wars together and I was a little unclear of when and why especially as I had read it through multiple sittings and the details didn't always stick with me.

While I had my gripes about certain things there is still, of course, so much to love about the story! I think I'll eventually purchase the physical book when it's released as I feel I would reread it and immerse myself in a dark and drowning tide yet again.

4.5 stars rounded up ✨

The way I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars for this!

So, I think I really liked this, but I had such a hard time through the first half that it’s holding me back. This is a story where you’re landed fully in the middle of a deeply developed group dynamic of privileged people who all come from complicated former kingdoms that have now been colonised into one…and you learn all about it from the perspective of Lorelai, an outsider. It’s a lot to get your head round and I didn’t find myself wanting to pick it up as the info dumping was a lot.

Lorelai and Sylvia were highlights for me and when they finally get to go off together, the book really took off for me and I was really into the last half. Their romance - rivals to lovers - was so brilliantly done. It was complex and there was so much yearning.

Lorelai was great as someone who’s lived a difficult life under persecution but has developed their own coping mechanisms of grit, distrust and hard graft. She is not that likeable, a trait she is very aware of and thinks that means no one could love her - enter Sylvia!

Sylvia was my favourite. She was written so vividly and she was so goood; she just sparkled for me. Ludwig was also great but he didn’t feature much, and like the other side characters from the royal group was a bit underdeveloped.

This is a fairytale whodunnit, with more emphasis on the whodunnit. It covers themes of persecution and power, with Lorelai coming from a Jewish coded fantasy community who face constant discrimination. This side of the story was covered so deftly that it’s surprised me about the ending, which leans towards pro-colonialism for me.

Overall, a slow start with great sapphic romance and an intriguing whodunnit, just over complicated world building and overemphasis on the crime over the magic took away from it for me.

I really wanted to love this one, the blurb was sooo promising. I mean I didn't hate it, but I did almost DNF'ed it, but since I generally don't like abandoning books, especially ones that in a way were gifted to me, I decided to soldier through. And yes, I am glad I did. It does pick up around 40% in. My biggest issue was the main character itself I think. She hated literally everyone and everything, including the love interest, and in her case it was for no other reason that... she decided to hate her ?

A spellbinding rival to lovers set in an academic landscape- how could it be bad honestly.
Our protagonist Lorelei is all thorns, a mask she has spent her academic career carefully crafting. Sylvia is her opposite in every way, where Lorelei is brooding sharpness, Sylvia strives to see the magic in the world. When the two of them alongside some of their peers are sent on an impossible journey by the king to find a fabled magic spring, they all have to work together.
Saft's characters are all very complex and are driven by their own personal goals. Throughout the novel we watch them all struggle to survive in a world that would perhaps see them dead.
It took me a moment to orientate myself in the complex political machinations of this world, but once I did it was amazing watching Lorelei and Sylvia specifically struggling to navigate their people's precarious situations.
Reading in Lorelei's view (who is the groups Folklorist) was fascinating, watching her attribute things to fables or continuously using the stories to justify means or understand the others in her group.
Overall this novel was absolutely beautiful; dark academia, sapphic, rivals to lovers and set in German folklore- honestly amazing.

There are aspects of this book that gripped me like never before, and others that unfortunately didn’t convince me much. Overall, this was a great read, with an amazing lore and a rivals to lovers to make other titles blush in comparison. I will definitely check the other books by the author.

The settings were dark and moody, just what I love. I think the world-building is one of the things I enjoyed the most in this book. It is rich, with all kinds of monsters, folklore, landscapes and culture. To read this book was to travel through its lore, and the experience truly was worth it. I would have loved a map to go with the story (maybe included in the physical copy? That would be amazing!).
The only part of the world-building that unfortunately didn't make it for me was the linguistic inspiration behind the writing. I think it is very personal (for context, I talk both German and Dutch), but the names of places and characters sometimes confused me. The use of German names was dominant, but then some Dutch was slipped in there and the lack of linearity in the language made the understanding of the world a bit harder for me. I did understand that both Germany and the Netherlands were inspiration for some part of the world-building, but when the languages didn't match it got me out of the story quite a bit.

The romance has the perfect amount of angst, tension and release I was hoping for. What I truly appreciated is the fact that while being an important part of the story, it doesn't take all the space and doesn't come in the way of the world building and the lore. It was truly a blast. It is an amazingly well-build rivals to lovers, the kind of slow burn where you know they actually are both crazy for each other but simply cannot let it show. I am usually not one for rivals or ennemies to lovers (in these instagram polls I always answer childhood friends or best-friends to lovers) but trust me when I tell you that this one is AMAZING. And it's sapphic, what else could we even ask for?

The writing was fast-paced, but with enough details to allow you to immerse fully in the world. BUT I have to admit it was all quite confusing to me at first (maybe related to the language I mentioned higher up in this review), with lots of information and little time to digest it as we dive straight into the plot. I really enjoyed the folkloric tales included in there, they all bring so much to the story, the lore and the plot. On the other hand, I feel like most of them could have been brought up in a more subtile way. It is something I also noticed in some of the dialogues and resolutions, a sort of bluntness that could almost be mistaken for a desire to round situations and discussions more conveniently. But then, I think it is also the writing style of the author, which is something very subjective.

I think it is super important to have discussions on anti-semitism, and the author brought them up very cleverly in this work. It seemlessly goes with the lore and the characters building, and I think this is an amazing way to include 'real life' issues in fantasy works while still showing them as important and actionnable.

Thank you Daphne press and Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was actually very intrigued by the premise of A Dark and Drowning Tide, so I was excited when I finally got a chance to read it. But did it live up to my expectations?

What I liked most about this book was the gothic, dark vibes permeating the story and characters, but I'm afraid to say the rest felt rather dull to me.

The first half of the novel didn't actually contribute much, apart from taking an excruciatingly long time to set up the second half of the book - which is more interesting - without actually delving into the characters, the relationship between the two leads, or the worldbuilding.
It all remains rather superficial, so it was hard to really care about any of it.

Lorelei is an angry protagonist who is, in my opinion, sometimes a bit difficult to like, but she's the only character who is decently fleshed out.
Sylvia could've been an interesting character, if only we had seen more of her.
The dynamic between the two would've been great, if only there actually was any chemistry between them or at least a decent build up to the evolution of their relationship.
The other characters were one dimensional, so all their potential was wasted.

The writing is nice, but I didn't like how Saft introduced the lore, it felt out of place and it disrupted the flow of the story.

I kept feeling that maybe, if it had been developed into more books, there could've been more time to properly delve into the world, the political intrigue, the characters, the mystery and the romance.

Still, if you're looking for a dark sapphic romantasy, you might want to give this book a try.

🌑⛲️𝕬 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕯𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕿𝖎𝖉𝖊⛲️🌑

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️

I adored this book! A sumptuous and enthralling tale of sapphic academic rivals to lovers, twisted delightfully around a locked room murder mystery.
this book was a joy to read, filled with such a deeply detailed world and character building.

within this story, we follow a team of academics as they search for an intensely magical spring; and the hardships and heartbreak that relentlessly follow them on this journey. I loved how each character had their own distinct place of origin within the setting, and it was shown so much how this directly affected their actions throughout the book. I also loved how each character was completely their own and how Allison wasn't afraid to show her characters having flaws and that those flaws did have direct consequences within the novel!
the development of relationships between all the characters, the worldbuilding, the rich description was all so good.
I really enjoyed the little drop ins of in world folkloric knowledge, it was really interesting to see how these stories then affected the perception and treatment of characters at the time the story was told.
Very much recommend for anyone looking for a dark yet sweet sapphic fantasy, who loves magic and a touch of politics!

⚠️potential spoilers⚠️
and of course, the inclusion of one of my favourite romance tropes: person A who thinks they cannot possibly be loved and person B who loves them like its the easiest thing in the world is one of my favourite themes throughout the book - if a bit emotionally devastating to read at times.

Thank you Daphne Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a e-copy of this.
In this novel we follow Lorelei and five fellow students as they look for a magical spring that will help them overturn the war. While traveling there however, their professor is found dead; so Lori wants to find the killer before they strike again and has to ally with Sylvia to investigate.
The plot of this was really good and I enjoy the adventure aspects, however the characters made the rating lower for me. While I didn’t really care about liking the rest of the cast, Lorelei was insufferable through the entire book. I could understand her feelings and actions to a certain point. However her treatment of Sylvia was out of pocket and straight up rude while she helped her and understood her.
I would recommend this book to you if you like an adventure with high stakes with morally grey characters this book is for you.

A lovely story, rich with fairytale and a magic system based around manipulating aether, present in water. A quest for a magical spring, guided by folklore, magical science, and instinct, on a ship populated with academic rivals, courtly politics and romantic tension, soon turns into a murder mystery. Saft’s prose is lyrical and the characters fascinating, as is the culture, which borrows from German and Jewish folklore and history, with city-state rivalry, old conflicts and prejudice rising to the fore. Whilst there is a murder mystery it leans more heavily into the romance aspect: by which I also mean the traditional quest aspect of romance. Will Lorelei win respect, or her rival’s heart? Will she gain what she wants, or what she needs? A sapphic gem that was a pleasure to read.

Lorelei knew the shape of a fairy tale: a prison.

Two star students are pitted against each other for the same position on the Ruhigburg Expedition where their mentor and professor is murdered by someone on the team.
Lorelei had never believed she would be chosen. Her rival, Sylvia, was one of the most famous and beloved naturalists in the country and Lorelei was no one, a cobbler's daughter plucked from the despised Yevanverte. Sylvia was the princess and Lorelai was the witch, the goblin, the Yevanisch viper.

The Ruhigburg Expedition aims to discover the Ursprung, the fabled source of all magic and King Wilhelm's current obsession. If she succeeds, Lorelai can win the king’s favour and her freedom. However, the rest of the team also want to gain the King’s influence.

There was a lot of information dumping. You are thrown into a world where everything is established and little explanation is given so you are frantically trying to piece the world together.

Not to mention, it is clear the characters outside of Lorelei have a deep and complicated past and childhood together. Whilst this can feel frustrating to try and figure out connections and hatred and loyalty, it also meant you were fed tidbits of backstory as you go along, the same as Lorelei who is trying to discover the murderer.

After everything that had happened today, she had no energy left in her to yell. Slowly, Lorelei sat down in the middle of the street. I'm ready, she thought. Just strike me down now. God, however, was cruel.
Sylvia von Wolff's face appeared in her field of vision instead. "Please get up. People are beginning to stare."

Onto the sapphic yearning. Whilst other reviewers have complained that Lorelei’s hatred for Sylvia is unfounded, I disagree. Sure, she is being petty and insecure, yet you can see how she acknowledges how inane this bitterness is. However, it’s something she has learnt growing up ostracised from both her community and the world outside those walls.
She doesn’t hate Sylvia per se, just what she represents.

Lorelei is a pretty infuriating character. She wallows in self-pity and regularly fails to see beyond her own problems and self-defeatism. I think this was a deliberate ploy of Saft’s as she reveals the other characters’ own grievances, troubling choices, and rocky motivations.
I think this might have been helped by a longer book, but also one of the perks of this is it being a relatively standard-to-short length fantasy standalone.

Over and over again, she repeated to herself, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. Like an incantation— like a fairy tale repetition might make it true.

I think the ending was fairly rushed which ruined my enjoyment for me. I think this would have benefitted from being a duology.

I would recommend this if you enjoyed Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries and keep an eye out for August release The Phoenix Keeper! Also Evocation by ST Gibson!

Thank you to Del Rey for sending me the physical arc in exchange for a review!

I did not finish this book. It’s not that it was bad, but it was not to my taste. I apologise for wasting your time. I have rated it 3 stars on the fact I did not finish it and acknowledge the issue is probably my taste in genre.

I enjoyed this book: mostly the cast of characters and that all the expeditioners had their own specialty and relationships with the others. The main plot did take a backseat to the intrigue of the politics and loyalties, which I did not mind at all. However, it also overshadowed the magical aspect of the plot. The world was wonderfully magical and so were the folkloric creatures they came across, but I hoped for more exploration of Lorelai's (and also Sylvia's) magic. It's quite a big deal that she has to keep her powers a secret, but once it comes out that she has them... she just has them and that's it. I wish this book showed us more of her and the world's relationship to magic as it is part of the main plot of finding the origin/root of magic. The vibes and general atmosphere of the book were quite appealing; it felt wild, magical and fantastical! The academic rivals trope was also done well, I thought the romance was cute. It stood out to me that all the names were German and then that Lorelai and her Yevani people are Jewish. I think the fantasy spin on these tensions was interesting, however, it felt a bit too ... literal. It's confusing to me that they are not called Jewish, while 'rabbi' and 'kosher' for example are still concepts. It kind of pulled me out of the book a bit as it seemed a bit out of place for a fantasy book.

It sounded very promising. Adventure, magic, female leads …. However I found the character and world building not rich enough for me and couldn’t engage with the characters. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This beautifully written, sapphic rivals-to-lovers story is rich with folklore, magic, and a dark, misty atmosphere that I adored. The book brilliantly addresses antisemitism and discrimination. However, my praise stops there.

I expected more from this story, particularly in terms of magical exploration and character development. While the world-building captivated me, it was solely due to Saft's stunning prose and the incorporation of German folklore, not the characters' interactions within it. The characters fell flat, making it difficult for me to connect with any of them, especially the main character. Although her negativity is understandable given her circumstances, it quickly became tiring, especially when it abruptly shifted.

It took me two weeks to finish this book, and overall, I can't say I enjoyed it. However, I cannot overlook Saft's remarkable writing style. Having loved "A Far Wilder Magic," I know this author is capable of great work.