• DNF at 15%

I honestly tried pushing through but I felt very unaffected by the story as by the characters. The pacing is very slow and I was looking at the page number at the bottom of my Kindle whenever I finished reading one page, which says enough for me. I’m not saying the story is bad but I feel like it just isn’t for me.

Dark academia, sapphic and folklore all sounded right up my alley but this book didn't hit the marks for me.

First of all, dark academia where? Yes, we start off with information about Lorelai's and Sylvia's academic work but that's pretty much as far as this book goes when it comes to academia. I would describe this novel as a quest/detective fantasy instead.

Secondly, I did not care about any of the characters. The MC hates everyone and is frustratingly stubborn. Everyone else is either emotionally closed off or perceived as narcissistic by the MC.

Thirdly, the pacing is waaaaay too slow. When something happens it's resolved quite quickly or seemingly forgotten and then brought up a couple chapters later.

Finally, this wasn't a sapphic couple I was rooting for and the relationship felt forced. There wasn't a natural progression from enemy to lover. It just comes out of nowhere.

4.25* - the scenery and descriptions of flora and fauna were enchanting and my favourite aspect of this book. Another highlight was the fairytales interspersed throughout the book, which were creative and beautifully told; the writing style was just perfect for the atmosphere of the story. I can absolutely see why people love Allison Saft's other books if they're as well written. It was just missing a little bit of plot - I wanted more twists and didn't love the resolution of the book. Also, I didn't feel particularly attached to any of the characters or the romance, until the very last scene:

"... and maybe someday, with time, the world will realize there was never anything wrong with someone like me loving someone like you."
"That is a fantasy," Lorelei whispered. "The loveliest fairy tale I have heard in all my life."

This scene was gorgeous and got me in my feels, happy pride month <3

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for providing a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

It's a fantastic beautiful book! The development between the 2 female leads is so endering with a dark and sunshine dynamic. A murder mystery that keeps you guessing in a unique and vividly described world that has so much depth in the creatures and folk lore.

I enjoyed Saft's writing and vivid descriptions in this novel. My favourite aspects were the folktales woven into the story, and the banter between Lorelei and Sylvia was a fun time! Here and there, the plot moved a too little quickly, and I occasionally needed a moment to catch up with Lorelei's reasoning.

"A sapphic dark academia? I HAVE TO READ IT." - my thoughts when requesting this book.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is set in a germanic world (I would say around the XIX century of our own world) where magic is widespread and studied in an academic setting. We follow Lorelai, her mentor and their expedition group on a quest to find the source of magic.

Lorelai is our folklorist, our black cat of the black cat/labrador couple. She's clearly jewish, and we get to see how many prejudices there are against jewish people and how they have to live in ghettoes. That reminds us of real European modern history, and I think was a nice touch to world building as it leads to conversations about xenophobia.

The romance aspect was a little bit weird in pacing, as Lorelai hates Sylvia from the beginning and about halfway about the book she has these thoughts about being with her, which kinda felt out of the blue. But once they were together, I was sold. I adore the black cat/labrador trope.

Worldbuilding-wise I think it could have been expanded a little bit more. I would have loved to see much more insight on how magic is studied, how the war started and how the reigns are characterised. I don't know, it kind of felt rushed sometimes and I wished it was a multi-book series as there's much to explore. I really enjoyed the snippets of fairytales we got tho.

In the end, I would say that it's the perfect book if you liked "Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Fairies" and "Six of Crows". It wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but I enjoyed anyway.

Thank you to Daphne Press and Netgalley, for providing me with an early opportunity to read and review.

"I want you however I can have you. I want you brutal, and I want you tender, and I want you at your best and your worst. Saints. I want you, Lorelei"

Sapphic rivals to lovers - check
Gothic lesbians - check
Who dunnit - check
Dark Academia - check
Folkore - check
Forced proximity - check

Okay so theoretically, this book ticked all the boxes, and Saft's writing is beautiful, however the execution of this story fell flat for me especially towards the end. I really wanted to love the book as a whole, but I've walked away with only a love for Lorelai and Sylvia together (Lorelai was painful on her own) amicably, which honestly we hardly get to until about 80% of the book. I also felt that the "rivals to lovers" wasn't a gradual transition, but rather an abrupt change in terms of Lorelai's feelings for Sylvia.

For me personally, I felt no connection to any of the other characters in the book. I honestly got to the 60% mark and was questioning what in terms of story line had actually happened until thus far (not much).

The 'murder mystery' aspect lacked. It wasn't an Agatha Christie, and didn't need to be, however when it's the main plot to your story you'd think to focus more around it? I felt like majority of this book was just Lorelai being insufferable.

I am so conflicted by this book, because whilst it took me a whole week to get through and I reluctantly wanted to pick it up, I still really liked it in some way.

My favourite thing about this book was the writing, the way Allison describes everything is just so incredibly beautiful!

I absolutely loved the whodunnit X folklore/fantasy crossover! I often find that murder mysteries take away from the main plot of a book, however in this instance I thought it worked really well and that element of the story gets wrapped up just in time to ensure the main plotline can take centre stage again for the ending.

This book is sapphic, and I adored the relationship between Lorelei and Sylvia. Lorelei's character develop is fantastic. It is very much a Rivals to Lovers and Grumpy/Sunshine romance, for people who enjoy those tropes!

My only critique would be that I wish it was just a little longer! The ending felt rushed and I really wished I'd been given a better conclusion, I still have a lot of questions regarding how everything ended up panning out for some of the characters.

This was a dark but intriguing sapphic story. It took me a while to get into it but once I was, I did get hooked. Do not go in thinking you like the characters because it's not that kind of story.

This beautifully written, sapphic rivals to lovers story is full of folklore, magic and dark, misty atmosphere that I simply adored. It discusses topics of antisemitism and discrimination in brilliant manner - but that would be where the list of positives ends.

I expected a bit more from this story, especially in terms of magical exploration and character arcs. Although I liked the world building, it was solely due to Saft's stunning prose and elements of German folklore and not characters' interactions with it. This group of people fell so flat for me I wasn't able to get close to any of them - especially the main character. I understand very well why she hates people around her but at the same time, this constant negativity (which changed quite suddenly) was very tiring. I was reading this book for 2 weeks.

Overall, I wouldn't say I enjoyed this book but I can't get pass Saft's stunning writing style. I read A Far Wilder Magic and loved it so I know this author knows what she is doing!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to the author, Daphne Press and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to fall in love with this book, but in the end, I just merely liked it. It was okay.

Things I liked:
Discussion of racism
Sapphic rep
Fairytale vibes
Academic rivals to lovers trope
The UK cover!

First off: the main character is clearly Jewish, and it’s lovely to see this representation. If you are clued up on certain history, the pain and anguish the main character feels will hit hard. I'm not Jewish, so it is not my place to say whether the book handles this representation with the care and nuance deserved, but I would encourage readers to come to their own conclusion.

I loved the banter between Sylvia and Lorelai, how they were both exasperated with each other. Good stuff 🤌🤌

The main gang of characters we meet are all introduced so closely together and so quickly, it was hard to remember who was who, what their views and alliances were, etc. I felt similarly with the geography of the book, too. Each place would be briefly explained but it was hard to keep on top of it all.

This isn't a spoiler, we learn in the blurb that their mentor is killed. Upon learning of the death, the response from one of the characters is 'how tragic.' No shock or bewilderment, as you'd expect from a murder on the ship you're currently aboard. It pulled me out a little.

Not sure how I feel about the ending, but the last page was cute.

Overall, it was okay. 3 stars.
Thank you to the author, Daphne Press and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to fall in love with this book, but in the end, I just merely liked it. It was okay.

Things I liked:
Discussion of racism
Sapphic rep
Fairytale vibes
Academic rivals to lovers trope
The UK cover!

First off: the main character is clearly Jewish, and it’s lovely to see this representation. If you are clued up on certain history, the pain and anguish the main character feels will hit hard. I'm not Jewish, so it is not my place to say whether the book handles this representation with the care and nuance deserved, but I would encourage readers to come to their own conclusion.

I loved the banter between Sylvia and Lorelai, how they were both exasperated with each other. Good stuff.

The main gang of characters we meet are all introduced so closely together and so quickly, it was hard to remember who was who, what their views and alliances were, etc. I felt similarly with the geography of the book, too. Each place would be briefly explained but it was hard to keep on top of it all.

This isn't a spoiler, we learn in the blurb that their mentor is killed. Upon learning of the death, the response from one of the characters is 'how tragic.' No shock or bewilderment, as you'd expect from a murder on the ship you're currently aboard. It pulled me out a little.

Not sure how I feel about the ending, but the last page was cute.

Overall, it was okay. 3 stars.

This is probably the most pleasantly surprised I've ever been about a book.

There had been a number of YA authors whose adult works have sorely disappointed me, and I expected no less from this one. I also read two of Saft's other works and they didn't really impress me, either. But, against those judgements, I still decided to request it because 1) it's sapphic, and 2) I adored both versions of the US and UK cover.

I'm always happy when my wrong assumptions lead to a fantastic read.

It's so rare for me to invest into a standalone fantasy because it's incredibly difficult to strike that perfect balance of worldbuilding with only one book. I've criticized Saft for the worldbuilding in her last YA book, but she did infinitely better in with this book. The world in this book is seemingly fantasy unified Germany (Possibly Central Europe), where all the separate countries were unified under one sometime before the story began. Everyone in the character cast, except Lorelei, originates from one of these countries. The only one I knew immediately was Lorelei, because she is basically Jewish, but the rest of the casts' identities were kind of lost on me. Either way, I still found the world these characters to inhabit to be so fascinating and rich with lore. From what I gather, Saft doesn't really do sequels, but I feel as though there's so much potential to expand on this world somehow, like from a whole new character's POV or something.

The characters are also such a joy. Lorelei and Sylvia are the best parts of it, of course. Their banter was so delightful, and watching Lorelei graduating grow to love Sylvia and her optimism, as well as finally believing she, too, can have her fairytale ending, was so genuinely heartwarming. I feel like, in another universe, Lorelei would have been the love interest, given that the sunshine characters are often the protagonists, but I honestly love this book all the more for letting Lorelei have her moments to shine. Additionally, Sylvia is such fully realized character. She was a soldier, experienced the worst of humanity at the height of conflict, and yet she still chooses to be kind and forgiving, even to those who would take advantage of it. This is one of the rare times where I enjoyed the romance just as much as the story. The rest of the cast are amazing, too, particularly the cast of Sylvia's childhood friends. They are so distinct and are given much thought and depth; the banter/dynamic each person has with Lorelei varies so much, and I adored it so.

All in all, I'm glad I was proven wrong. This is such a gorgeous read, and I have no doubt this will be loved by many once it officially releases!

4.5 stars. This was so good!! It’s an adult fantasy with a mystery plot and a wonderfully angsty sapphic romance on the side.
The writing was beautiful without leaning into the pretentious and I loved the slightly creepy water imagery. The world wasn’t very unique for the fantasy genre, but all the strange folklore fey creatures made it fresh and intriguing nonetheless.

I fell head over heels in love with Sylvia, she was so full of light and hope and determination. All the little details, quirks and imperfections, made her just leap off the page. Lorelai in comparison was bitter and stubborn but I was still fond of her. I can’t deny she was frustrating sometimes, but I also understood where she was coming from. What an oblivious little fool. Her and Sylvia’s relationship was delicious, full of yearning and pain, but they also made me burst out laughing several times. They were polar opposites and the way they contrasted against one another made for a very fun dynamic.

The mystery kept me guessing right up until the end. I swear I was suspicious of literally everyone except the right person. And not in a “the author deliberately lied and hid things from me” way, the clues were all there, I just somehow managed to completely overlook the actual murderer.

If I wanted to nitpick, I thought the ending was a bit unsatisfying since the events of the book change nothing in terms of the world's politics, but I don’t know what else the author could’ve done since this is a standalone and she doesn’t have the luxury of planning a revolution or something like that over the span of a whole series. I suppose it's a story about characters surviving in an oppressive environment rather than changing the world.

Overall, this was a delightful book, and I enjoyed every word of it. I’ll definitely check out Allison Saft’s other works.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read the book early in exchange for an honest review.

thank you netgalley for the arc!! 
i really enjoyed this book!

a fantasy folklore with a sapphic slow burn in it (:

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Daphne Press for sharing an ARC of this book with me in exchange of an honest review.
That being said, this book wasn't for me, unfortunately. In theory it should have been a really interesting book, full of folklore and gothic vibes. But I struggled to read it and the main reason is that Lorelei and the other characters are insufferable. From the very first line it was clear that Lorelei wasn't very likable. She has a bleak outlook on life, she is miserable, she finds the negative side in everything. She despises everyone... and everyone despise her. The other characters, too, are not very nice. I couldn't connect with them. Another problem is the heavy infodump with terms thrown out here an there randomly. But if you can overlook these details maybe you can enjoy this book more than I did.

I went into this expecting the main character(s) to be solving the murder of their teacher but it's almost like half the time that wasn't even mentioned and they weren't even questioning people, or looking for answers. Majority of the book is spent with beautiful writing describing scenery and creatures instead of an actual plot. It took me well over 150 pages to get into the book and it's only 260 pages long!

However, I did enjoy the romance aspect. The two main females do spend most of the book pointlessly bickering but they're interesting people, with decent personalities. There's a nice slow build to the love confession and I think they balance each other out well.

This would've been rated higher if the plot before the murderers reveal had been more interesting.

3.5/5

Where to start? I wanted to like this book so much and it was one of my anticipated releases for 2024, however unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is set in a Germanic inspired, queer-norm world, where magic and folkloric creatures and tales are very much real. The protagonist, Lorelai, is a folklorist and an outsider who is given the opportunity to join an expedition led by her mentor, along with six nobles, to locate a fabled spring that will give their imperialist king unimaginable power. When Lorelai’s mentor is murdered, she must lead the expedition and uncover the murderer before more people die, whilst navigating the dangers of the magical places the group are traversing to find the spring.

Huge elements of the world and the narrative don’t hold up to scrutiny and it was difficult to get a sense of the broader political, historical and cultural context of the world, or the magic system and how it worked. The story felt untethered to the world it was supposed to be in. The pacing was off, and it dragged in significant chunks. It also read very YA for an adult book. The characters were immature and made decisions that weren’t logical or well thought out, though they’re meant to be highly educated scholars.

There will be plenty of people who will love this book. It’s a sapphic romantic fantasy, has Jewish-inspired representation (although check content warnings, as it contains acts and expressions of anti-Semitism throughout), and contains folkloric tales interspersed throughout the main narrative.

As soon as I heard that this book was going to be a sapphic dark academia rivals to lovers story I knew I needed to read it. However, unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this book nearly as much as I thought I would and decided to DNF at page 170/47%.

The first thing that really disappointed me about this book was the world building which I found info-dumpy and confusing. I really struggled to imagine the scenes or understand the rules of the world e.g how the magic system worked, which made me struggle to invest in the story.

The sapphic rivals to lovers romance was something that really drew me to this story but sadly this also let me down. There were obvious attempts by the author to hint at Lorelai’s growing feelings about Sylvia but I didn’t find these very convincing and I failed to get emotionally invested in the relationship.

Overall, I think this book had HUGE potential but it just wasn’t written in a way that appealed to me personally.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for my opportunity to read this ARC

I had heard a lot about this book and it was one i was thrilled to receive as an ARC. Unfortunately though, i was sadly disappointed. I battled through to the end, hoping my opinion would change the further I got into the book, but this was not for me.

I wasn't interested in any of the characters, they came across dull and bored. The story was overcomplicated (names, countries, sex)- it was hard to remember who was who. When the murderer was revealed, I couldn't remember which one they were, so the reveal fell flat.

The plot was good, but sadly this book wasn't.

I really loved this, so atmospheric and full of things I like! Love the characters, love the folklore and the creatures…..

I think it was well balanced between the plot worldbuilding and romance - though if you’re not into any of the elements it might all fall flat for you. but I love all these things. so I had a good time.

I did feel like some parts of the narrative/character relationships went a bit fast, and I wanted a little more detail in between? Plus the ending wrapped up easier than I expected. I wanted to get to know the side characters a bit more, and a bit more of the backstory/leadup (re: the character relationships).

I also couldn’t stop thinking about how taxing the environments they’re in would be on their bodies and gear….. I was getting distracted from the plot thinking about whether their clothes were warm enough and how horrible their wet boots would be from the snow and how heavy their packs would be and what sleeping in a tent in the snow is like and what they’re eating and how they’re preparing it - all things which I have a lot of experience with (with modern gear!). Not to say that this stuff isn’t mentioned at all, and I’m aware too much would have taken away from the story. Lets take it as an indication of just how lush and atmospheric the writing was. I was having flashbacks of the last time I spent 9 hours walking up an snowy icy mountain. I put the book down three separate times to draft three separate fanarts though.

But listen: you stick two lesbians in a forest/mountain/cave and put a couple Creatures in there too and I will eat that up