Actual Rating: 4.5

Whimsical, enchanting and divine, ‘A Dark And Drowning Tide’ is sure to be a major hit with many a reader over a variety of genres. At its heart it’s a fantasy romance but there were elements of it that gave me cosy fantasy vibes, its cast of characters fit within the dark academia bracket, there’s a dangerous journey to undertake, a murder mystery to unravel and, much to my delight, it was filled with stories within stories. What reader doesn’t delight in devouring the folktales of the fantastical worlds they explore? Needless to say I was hooked upon this book.

One of the features of this novel that first cast its spell over me has to be its writing. It’s beautifully crafted and filled with elegant segments that I longed to share with the world. How wasn’t I already aware of how gorgeously this author wrote? I’ve had my eye on her other books for a while but now I desperately need to get on and read them. The fact that the main character was a Folklorist utterly delighted me too as it meant that there were lots of little stories scattered throughout, sharing the varying myths and legends of the land. Naturally I found myself longing for a collection of those tales.

Similarly I couldn’t help but find myself longing to read Sylvia’s books (a factor I mention only because you just know a books good when you find yourself intrigued by the idea of more within its world). She was surprisingly charming and delightful, diving into danger almost obliviously as she longed to discover all that she could about the wonders of the natural world. Lorelei, on the other hand, was prickly and generally disdained everybody. Her past was so harrowing to unravel and the reality of the Yevani cannot fail to make you feel. Together they had the perfect vibes and dynamic for an enemies to lovers tale as well as the beloved grumpy meets sunshine trope.

The surrounding characters were varied and intriguing, managing to keep me guessing as to who could be trusted. The magic of the world was also refreshingly delightful; based around water and set within a land that had various stories of the properties of several of its water sources. It was also a world filled with a delightful array of mythological creatures which I was naturally mesmerised by.

Towards the end there was one scene that I initially questioned but the reality behind it was later explained in a satisfying manner. I did question an act of betrayal too at the time but upon reflection, given the circumstances, it made sense. So although I questioned a few things in the moment I haven’t let it affect my rating as they ultimately made sense.

So obviously I absolutely recommend ‘A Dark And Drowning Tide’; it’s a beautiful and mesmerising romantasy tale with lots of other elements at play. It has danger and intrigue interspersed with scenes that you can’t help but smile at. Plus it’s filled with mythical beings, magical water and beguiling folktales. Needless to say I was hooked and will definitely be checking out what the author writes next. I’d also fondly return to this world if given the chance.

I wanted to love this book sooo badly and had seen the amazing reviews but I just couldn’t get into this book. I got about 70% of the way and did enjoy a bit of it, but all in all it just dragged for me, and I was never itching to read it.
I usually love murder mysteries with fantasy vibes so I was guttered that I didn’t like it. Still hopeful and will still be reading other books this author has written.

"A Dark and Drowning Tide" is a slow-burn sapphic rivals to lovers fantasy that I really enjoyed. I loved the magic, the supernatural creatures, the whole crew, the representation (hello masc lesbians) and the relationship between the main characters. Although I found the story simple and the ending a bit abrupt, this is a book I'll definitely recommend. Perfect for the spooky season!

This synopsis really got me interested in the story. Anything with folklore I’m usually a sucker for – I did not get a BA in Ethnology for nothing. Not that into romance but, hey, it’s good to read different things from time to time.

A thing I really liked with the story was the world and its lore. That whole bit was very thought out and clear to me as a reader. I also thought the two main characters Lorelei and Sylvia was well-written, and actually felt like people. The romance also felt believable as it grew as the story progressed.

The story itself, however, did not really capture me but I’ve rounded my rating up to a four star because of the lore and the characters.

A fun gothic, slow burn academic rivals to lovers, murder mystery. What more can a girl ask for.

The interspersion of folklore tales was fun, as well. The magical and fantastical felt so very woven into the story, nothing feeling out of place. And it was great to read an academic setting in a fantasy novel, I love that.

The murder mystery kept me guessing, I was so sure who the killer was, and I was so very wrong.

I love when a cast of characters goes on a quest, as we went along looking for the fabled Ursprung, there was a light sprinkling of political intrigue, but what I loved most about this story was our little sapphic slow burn romance, and seeing the characters develop over the course of their journey.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the eARC of 'A Dark and Drowning Tide' by Allison Saft in exchange for my honest review 💫

"𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑆𝑦𝑙𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑣𝑜𝑛 𝑊𝑜𝑙𝑓𝑓 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑟."

Okay, you had me with 'Sapphic Academic Rivals'! 🤭 A Dark and Drowning Tide takes us to a gothic, dark world full of folklore and mystery. Lorelei, a folklorist aspiring to be a naturalist, is determined to find the fabled spring of untold power, the Ursprung. On her journey she teams up with a group of nobels, including Sylvia, her longtime academic rival. On their way Lorelei's beloved mentor is murdered. Lorelei must team up with Sylvia. Finding the murderer is not the only danger they encounter.
The chemistry between Lorelei, witty & quick tempered, and Sylvia, gallant and soft, gives a intruiging layer of depth to the story.
I'm not sure how I feel about the German namings. It makes me feel the story is happening in the real world, instead of a fictional one. But that's maybe just me 🫣
Overall, a masterpiece of dark magic, worldbuilding, fantasy, romance and seamlessly woven folklore.

"𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑦, 𝐼 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑚 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢.
𝐼 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢.
𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢?"

This book is for all the lovers of A Study in Drowning and Emily Wilde's! 🧚‍♀️

Tropes:
🗡 Sapphic Academic Rivalry
🏞 Dark Fairytales and Folklore
✨️ Rivals to Lovers
🧚‍♀️ Fairy magic
☠️ Murder mystery

Rating:
5/5⭐️
1/5 🌶

Expected release date: september 17th 2024, so stay tuned 😊

This is one of those story’s that matches perfectly with its covers. Hauntingly beautiful. Could not put it down!

I really enjoyed this book and read it super fast because I was hooked and interested though out. Thank you for the author and publisher for the advanced copy. I was interested in the plot, the characters and the pacing was brilliant, can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you very much for this ARC!

Folklorist Lorelai goes on an expedition to find a magical spring, contending with murder, political betrayals and violent prejudice—whilst refusing to admit that she’s falling for her only ally, her academic rival Sylvia.

A gorgeous sapphic rivals to lovers romance in a folklore-inspired fantasy world which didn’t shy away from the more violent applications of ‘fairytales’.

The prose was stunning, whilst still allowing for humour, especially in the dialogue between Sylvia and Lorelai.
The folklore interludes were beautiful and so fitting for the character of Lorelai, although occasionally it felt like they interrupted the action. This is definitely intentional though, and would be perfect for people who like their fantasy books wandering and dreamlike.
I found it a little slow to begin with, but past the halfway mark the pace really picked up and I flew through it.

I liked the characters, especially Lorelai, Sylvia and Ludwig. I’ve seen a few people say that the characters felt a little younger than they’re meant to be, but to me they felt exactly like grad students! They’re petty, squabbling and occasionally make terrible decisions to do with their research. 10/10 PhD student representation.

The relationship between Sylvia and Lorelai was beautiful. I love the dynamic of the grumpy, bitter person who is convinced they are unlovable meeting a ray of sunshine who insists on loving them, darker parts and all. The two women meet each other where they’re at and heal each other—there were some wonderful sexy scenes in there too, which always helps.

The world created felt absolutely magical, but still maintained realism and reflected some dark parts of European history, especially with regards to antisemitism. It was a brutal read at points, but a necessary one.

Thank you, NetGalley and DelRey, for the digital ARC. What initially intrigued me the most about A Dark and Drowning Tide was the dark academia element underlying the narrative. But this book is much more, and there are barely words to describe it. Plot: Despite certain aspects reminiscent of well-known genre books, A Dark and Drowning Tide stands on its own. The originality of the concept feels familiar yet continues to surprise with its unpredictability. Trope: The trope I feared the most was academical rivals to lovers, which doesn’t always have a solid construction and structure. However, here the relationship between the characters not only makes sense but is also well-developed both in the past and during the narration. Characters: Each of them is well-characterized and avoids falling into the good vs. evil stereotype; every aspect of their personalities is explained, and each trait has its own facets. Development: The book unfolds slowly, allowing readers to understand the world, the magical system, and the various dynamics. Note that this doesn’t mean it’s slow, as there’s action. The story’s structure is well-defined. Magical system: Highly original. The folkloristic element adds even more nuances

A very easy to read book with a mystical and almost a whimsical feeling storyline. My favourite parts all involved touches of folklore or even the mystical creatures themselves. This was a definite rivals-to-lovers rather than enemies-to-lovers.

Allison Saft introduces us into a world divided, but with inhabitants that live in the wild nature that could either ignore or maul you. The world building is exquisite, though I wish we delved more into the magic that flowed through the people. Most of them just seemed to make ice spears...

Our main characters are both feisty and headstrong, which does get a little bit irritating sometimes (especially with Lorelai), but when they realise their lack of communication with each other clears up a lot of misunderstandings, it's almost endearing to see them together.

The other characters were also interesting in their own way (Ludwig has become his own botanical wonder for investigation). Their personalities shone through, each with clear determination to do what they set out to. Perhaps more than some...

Nonetheless, an enjoyable dark sapphic read.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a wonderful and mystical story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I devoured this book and was fully immersed in its dark and arcane world. I loved the mystery and whimsy and the diverse set of personalities. I particularly loved Lorelei and felt seen in her character, as it’s often quite rare to come across masculine lesbians in the fantasy genre. I normally don’t particularly care for the enemies-to-lovers trope but this was more an academic-rivals-to-allies-to-lovers situation, which was much more tolerable. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a sapphic, dark academia, murder mystery fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.

I honestly loved this book so much. I don't think I've read a lot of books about scholars in a fantasy setting, so that was original and lovely. Lorelei and Sylvia are so cute, although very stubborn and at times a bit dense. 

I do wish we could've seen more of Sylvia's interesting way of dealing with magical creatures. 
I also don't think I cared that much for the other travelling members, but I think that's mostly because Lorelei herself also doesn't really care for them. 

Overall it was a lovely read and I'd totally recommend it!

2.75 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Daphne Press for providing the ARC.

I liked the idea of the book more then I liked reading it. I’m a really big vibe reader and when I read the blurb I got really enthusiastic but reading it I was a bit disappointed.

The characters and especially the fmc that we get the pov of complain and nags a lot. If she would just talk with the other fmc she wouldn’t have to complain about feeling lonely and jealous.

The whole journey felt a bit flat because of it and I didn’t feel the high stakes because of it.

I did like the use of mystical creatures and a bit of folklore inspired things but the magic system could have been explained a bit more.

It was an okay read and if you are looking for something that doesn’t take to long and has a bit of lgbtq romance with an fantasy element give it a go.

Firstly I want to start this review with: Lorelei and Sylvia are EVERYTHING!

A Dark and Drowning Tide follows a group of individuals on an academic expedition on behalf of the king, all aiming for the same thing...but all with very different goals in mind.

I utterly adored this book from page one, it was a delightful epic quest meets murder mystery, MEETS POLITCAL DRAMA (my fave) and I was so very here for it all. Saft has the most wonderful writing style and captures all the different characters of the unusual group together. I loved the touches of folklore throughout and the magical elements which were written beautifully. Overall just such an enjoyable read from start to finish!

Thanks so much to the publisher for the ARC!

A Dark and Drowning Tide is swimming with rich folklore and gothic atmosphere. As for the story, there was too many instances where exposition was painstakingly long, I felt the copious amounts of world building could have been put to better use in developing the characters. I wanted to love this book but unfortunately I could not connect with the story.

DNF

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for accepting to send me my first ARC and starting my experience here.

This is a book that, in my opinion, has great potential and all the necessary elements to be translated and brought abroad. I hope one day to be able to read it in Italian and form a complete opinion based on the entire book; it is unique, with the right dark academia x fairy vibes and sapphic representation, which is never enough. Additionally, I find it very interesting that the author chose to include German folklore and a gothic setting in the story.

Unfortunately, besides being in a major reading slump where nothing seems to capture my attention, including this book, I also found it a complicated read in terms of terminology and writing style. Therefore, I decided to put it aside and not finish it, hoping that one day it will be translated so I can read and enjoy it fully, without a constant question mark on my forehead or having to look up the translation of every single word.

Despite this, the more I read about the plot and the elements that make up this book, the more intrigued and captivated I become. So, I don't feel like dismissing it or saying I won't pick it up again, quite the contrary.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and Daphne Press for this ARC!

This book follows the story of a team of academics on an expedition to find the source of magic - the Ursprung. Their mentor is killed along the way and so Lorelei, a folklorist, has to lead this group of very strong personalities (and a killer) to finish their mission. Whilst on this journey something starts to bloom between Lorelei and Sylvia, Lorelei’s biggest academic rival.

This is a NA sapphic, grumpy/sunshine, rivals to lovers story set in a fantastical world where magic flows through rivers. I wouldn’t classify this as ‘dark’ academia, just academia. It had more of a cosy fantasy vibe. The academics use lots of instruments to measure…stuff. And they’re all kind of rivaling each other for a career or for power.

This story features a lot of folklore and fairytales. There’s also an epic magic battle, the slaying of a beast or two, royal court drama and a murder mystery.

The murder mystery was not mysterious to me. As soon as the culprit’s personality was described I knew they would be the murderer. This element was a bit too obvious for me. The motive was more mysterious though so it was still entertaining.

The world building was great. I felt transported into this magical world. The atmosphere was also described well without using too many words.

Lorelei is a cold and calculated cynic. Sylvia is a tree-hugging carefree character. Opposites attract I guess. The characters aren’t necessarily likable but it works. Each character is more unlikable than the next. I like how Saft was able to give each character a very different personality and still hhave them all have their own flaws that make them unlikable. They’re very well-written.

Spoiler! I was a bit disappointed with how they went about their expedition though. You have these scientists that have all of this fancy equipment to measure frequencies and whatnot but it, or rather their mentor purposefully, leads them astray. They find another spring and this magical spring answers one question. Lorelei simply asks where the Ursprung is and this spring just shows it to her without anything in return. It’s just a bit too easy. There’s no sacrifice made for such vital information and magic used. I also find it disappointing that the premise of the story is that they’re these academics using scientific measures to find this Ursprung and in the end it’s (easy) magic that gets them there. I think this story would’ve benefitted from having 50 extra pages so that the ‘solution’ wasn’t so easy and simplistic.

As a native Dutch speaker, some of the names made me giggle a bit. For example: Heike van der Kaas. Van der Kaas means from the cheese lol. I think Allison Saft threw a little pun in there since the Dutch love their cheese so much. Also ironic is Adelheid: which means nobility in Dutch. Adelheid (the character) is also, coincidentally a nobel in this story.

In conclusion, I like this book but I think it could benefit from being 50 pages longer to make the journey a bit less simplistic and make the plot a bit thicker. The story right now feels a little bit too character-driven. The murderer in the murder mystery element was also a bit too predictable for me. I would still recommend this book as it is a light and quick read, the characters are well-written and it has a cosy feel.

I ultimately give this 3.75 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an E-arc. Minor spoilers ahead.

A dark and drowning tide was a fun read that gave me a lot of thoughts. Not everything in the book was perfect but in the end I did enjoy reading it.

I did really like the opening but the chapters that follow did make me doubt the book. It starts info dumping and setting up quite the convoluted relationships between the cast. I think this could have been done in a better way. The book picks up quite a lot as soon as they get onboard the boat and the real ‘story’ starts. It made my interest peak again and after that I was entertained all the way through.

The world building was fun but some parts did feel a bit messy at times.

My favourite part was the atmosphere and the creatures. The descriptions were fun and you could clearly see what Saft imagen when she wrote it. I really hope at least one edition comes illustrated since it would be such a perfect book for it.

I do think the book's politics is where it becomes a mess. It’s not the worst but it did bother me at times.

Safts choice to make a book so based in reality and then cherry pick what oppression carried over without really making society change over it feels a bit odd. We see Lorelei struggle with being jewish and It’s very clear Safts well read on the topic since its very based in real history. ( which makes sense since she is is Jewish . ) But then we see gay arranged marriages are something that happens in this universe. Which makes little sense since arrange marriages are for making *heirs* something that does seem to be a thing in the book. I could have accepted it if they both had siblings who could take care of the whole heir thing but it just felt a little odd to add that especially since the story didn’t really need it.

Women just being a thing in academia is something I am willing to accept though. That feels more plausible in a fantasy setting.

I do think Saft writes oppression very well and would have preferred if she added just a tinged more of it just to really balance it out.

I'm also not a fan of the kinda bad German and Dutch names but that's a me thing. I could not get over that Heikes surname means “of the cheese” it's just too goofy. But that's just me being very nitpicky.

On to the characters and cast.

I really enjoyed Lorelei as a character in the end. She goes through some nice development and I appreciated the way she could grow as a person without sacrificing who she is as a person. Her struggles seem very real and you understand why she acts like she does.

Sylvia I adored from the start to the end. I love her wildness and her burning love for nature and the love she holds for all living things. I'm also incredibly weak for star motifs. She truly feels like *the* manic pixie dream girl but that might just be us reading from Lorelei's perspective.

Their relationship is also very well written. I think a lot of authors fumble romance between two women but Saft manages to hit every single point. The leads both feel like complex people and that adds so much to the tension. Usually I can get quite annoyed by romances that's just bickering but in this case it really really works. I don’t wanna go into too deep of a spoiler territory but god they’re both so stupid in love.

The rest of the cast is fine. I especially enjoyed Ludwig and his friendship with Lorelei but a lot of little things could probably be shaved.

I think Saft wanted to do a little too much for a stand alone and it muddles the story a little bit. I understand why choices were made though even if they bothered me. In the end it was a fun read and I’ll definitely recommend it to people interested in the premise!

Thank you to NetGalley, Daphne Press and Allison Saft for the e-ARC of this book!

I was very torn with rating this book, the premise really excited me and I felt very lucky to get to read this book. Sapphic rivals to lovers romance, dark, gothic, magic, I love it all. It definitely delivered on theme and storyline, it just fell short on some of the execution for me.

We follow Lorelei, a folklorist, on a venture into the unknown with a handful of academic rivals and their expedition leader searching for the sacred lake, master of all magic. From the outset the journey is plagued with death and we’re following the mystery, and adventure that ensues.

I found the first half of the book quite long, the world building fell short for me with some of the events feeling underdeveloped, but the action picked up for the second half and I found it much more gripping. It did read as more young adult, than adult, aside from the few racier scenes and language used. I think the rivals to lovers story line was really well presented, especially following the switch in dynamic I felt the atmosphere created and pacing was satisfying as a reader.

Overall this book was very easy to read, the writing is very poetic. There were countless phrases that I could have highlighted just because they were so beautiful to read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a straightforward, rivals to lovers featuring magic, folklore, strange creatures and fantasy all thrown in there.