This book took me a minute to get into, but once I was, I was swept away and I could not put it down. The folklore really dragged me in and I wanted to know more!

A Dark And Drowning Tide presents itself as an imaginative novel with rich characters and intertwined relationships. It's a shame that its beauty stops at the concept that gave it shape and the covers.
I couldn't feel the magic, nor any connection with the character, which to be honest it's something not even the characters felt with each other (and they are childhood friends...)
It's a novel full of problem, from worldbuilding to the characterization of the characters. They're so many elements that made me turn up my nose that if I made I list I would be telling the whole story. But there's something I can say, even if it's a little spoiler: the book has, almost, a pro-colonialist tone. Because of that I found myself rooting for the villain.
About the sapphic romance, it left me with nothing. It was quite bland, it didn't rouse the slightest interst in me and the sour personality of the protagonist didn't help at all (and I like mean lesbians...)
So, having said that, I really can't recommend it, especially given the path it took toward the end. I'm sorry but I will always be on the side of the revolutionaries and the independence.

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Despite it taking me a VERY long time to get into this story, I thoroughly enjoyed it once I did!

I loved the prose, folklore, mystical forests, and the ROMANCE was BEAUTIFUL OH MY LORD!!

The ending made me feel so warm and fuzzy!!


I highly recommend checking out this gorgeous book!!

Sapphic academic rivalry, I am in. The yearning, grumpy sunshine, slow burn and forbidden romance vibes, I have been missing this! The romance is top tier!

The story itself builds an immersive world that doesn't get bogged down in exposition dumps. The German folklore inspired world is charming, with a picturesque view that I enjoyed imagining thanks to the fantastic imagery.

While being a stunning love story, this also deals with some serious themes, such as anti-Semitism. The focus on humanity in this tale and how complex we are and the belonging we look for, this really pulled out all the stops.

I went in knowing very little and loved it. Great story, fun twists, fascinating characters and fresh takes on magic.

This book had interesting ideas but ultimately had too many story threads by far for it's length. Because of that the story instead of being fun just became full of holes and messy.
It also had some really weird pro-colonial aspects to it that i *really* wasn't a fan of...

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Daphne Press for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: antisemitism, death, murder, blood, war, injury, violence, xenophobia, grief, drug use, anxiety, PTSD

Lorelai Kaskel is a gifted magical folklorist determined to make people see past her religion to be allowed out of Brunnestaad as a naturalist, even if her quick temper and sharp tongue make things more difficult. After she’s invited to be part of an exclusive expedition alongside six nobles and her beloved mentor, she jumps at the chance to search for a magical spring that guarantees King Wilhelm will have a secure reign after years of war. One of the people she’s travelling with is her academic rival, the beautiful war hero, noble and naturalist Sylvia von Wolff, who Lorelai considers to be the biggest threat to her future career. However, the expedition has a horrific start when Lorelai’s mentor, Ziegler, is murdered on the ship during the first night. Everyone onboard is a suspect, all with their motives and traumas to deal with. Lorelai becomes the expedition’s leader, determined to carry on while also investigating Ziegler’s death, but it quickly becomes apparent that her companions’ biases label her as the killer. Only one person, Sylvia, is definitely innocent- she has far too much to lose if they fail. They begin to work together, but as they travel through rivers full of dragons, forests that move at night and shapeshifting monsters made from blood, their rivalry turns into a passion they can’t ignore. Lorelai learns that Ziegler was hiding many things; as they hunt for her killer and the truth comes to light, Lorelai has to decide if King Wilhelm’s kingdom is even worth saving.

I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Allison Saft so far, “A Dark and Drowning Tide” is her fourth published novel, and I think it’s her best one yet. Set in a world of academia and nobility where prejudice has driven Lorelai to become a harder version of herself, this book is beautifully written as it explores the idea of magic. She was such a complicated character, I adored her from the first page and as the book went on I found myself growing even more attached to her- her experiences of xenophobia have defined her life, and she naturally assumes that everyone feels the same. Her relationship with Sylvia shone instantly, Lorelai is torn between jealousy, irritation, fascination and outright adoration (which she hates) all at the same time, having obsessively read each of her rival’s published works. The chemistry between the two of them, built throughout the mystery of Ziegler’s killer and the expedition, worked brilliantly; Sylvia is as complex and intelligent as Lorelai, disguising her true feelings underneath enthusiasm and self-sacrificing decision-making. Their slow burn, enemies to lovers sapphic romance was perfectly balanced while also not taking over the entire plot. The descriptions of the creatures they discover on the expedition are beautiful, my favourite is the scene with the lindworm on the river or the opening scene of the book. The overall mystery of the killer, and the secrets hidden by King Wilhelm and the other members of the expedition, were incredibly tense and well-plotted. I raced through this book and can’t wait to see what Allison Saft might write next.

2.5? I wish I could say I loved this, I really wanted to, and there are some parts that I did like. I like the characters, mostly, and I like the world. The introduction of folklore and the heavy weight it carries in the story was right up my alley. My main problem is what happens on a political level. I sort of agreed with the bad guys, to be honest. Not only that but there was such a simplification of matters, it was sort of weird and the thing is that it can really be applied to real world matters, and I didn’t love the general message of the story. The style was also maybe a miss for me. Some parts I liked, but others felt a little jarring, out of place.

Thank you to @blackcrow_pr @daphne.press for the arc of this book and for having me on the tour as well.
This was one of my most awaited book of this year and I am so glad I had the chance to read it before its release on Tuesday.

The vibes of the book were great, with its gothic atmosphere and rival academics was just my cup of tea. What more could you want?

The story was just so magical and captivated that you couldn’t put the book down cause you needed to know more. The writing was great and flawless that made you enjoy the book and story even more.

In this book you can find

💜Romantasy
💜Sapphic Love
💜Academic Rivals
💜Magical World
💜Mystery
💜Quest

Back in the days when wishes still held power.. what a unique way for storytelling. We get all these little folkloric fairytales served during the main storyline to highlight characters motives or take comparison to a situation they’re in.

It took me a while to get into the story. I liked the concept of it but it didn’t grab me like I’d have hoped. The expedition is full of adventure, wonder and mythical beings which I am all here for. A sapphic rivals to lovers romance in which we experience the grumpy X sunshine trope through the eyes of the grumpy one. I love a good rivals to lovers but the misunderstood signals went on a bit longer than preferred. The mystery is complicated enough that you won’t figure out the “who-done-it” until the reveal, but it is smart enough written that it will a make sense.

Perfect book if you’re looking for an adventurous read with unique folklores, a challenging murder mystery and an academic grumpy x sunshine romance.

DNF @ ~77%

I'm sorry but... I tried, I really did, I'm just bored and I don't want to continue.

The setup was messy and I still don't fully understand it (or remember it that well tbh).
The romance starts super late (about 70%) and is very sudden at that point.
The main character is somewhat off-putting and annoying.
The others in the crew don't feel fully fleshed out, and I don't feel connected to them for that reason.
The murder mystery also fell flat.
I also don't think this should be marketed as "dark academia". Where's the school setting, the school/academic vibes? Lorelei and Sylvia were hardly academic rivals either.

I haven't DNFed a book yet in 2024, so I'm going to give myself this and let it go.
It wasn't for me.

Thank you to Daphne Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful atmosphere of folklore mixed with a gothic vibe wrapped up with a grumpy x sunshine romance in the centre. The first thing that I noticed about this book was its beautiful and descriptive writing. I highly enjoyed Saft's world building and the way she writes her characters, the way they are all so strong. Do I wish we could have gotten to know some of them better? Sure, but still it does not take away from the fact that I loved most of them.

The plot is a bit of a slower one, starting off with a lot of descriptions of nature and the history behind the lands. This is, sure, an important part of world building but I felt that it could be a drag at times. It wasn't a perfect fit for me, this book, although I enjoyed a lot of the elements in it. But if you are interested in a slower-paced fantasy with a focus on the nature and magic of the world, then this book is definitely for you.

I also feel that I need to mention the banter and dynamics between the two protagonists, Lorelai and Sylvia. I highly enjoyed their academic rivalry and the way they interact, definitely made the conversations more interesting. The other characters were kind of unlikeable and it took a while for me to warm up to them, but when I did I enjoyed the story so much more.

Recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a cozy gothic fantasy filled with magic and nature and folklore. Thank you to Netgalley and Daphne Press for receiving an arc of this book in exchange of an honest review!

I will start saying that this is my first ever saphic book and my first Allison Saft's I have read, and definitely not the last.

I loved the vibes and how well written and distinctive all of the main and side characters were. I especially loved Lorelei. The writing style was beautiful and reminded me of my favourites authors. That's why I'd love to give Allison's other books a try in search of a new favourite!

The cover of this book is S-T-U-N-N-I-G; the palette, the art style, everything. And I'd love to have a physical copy of this book to add to my collection just to admire it.

I think this one's perfect as an autumn read for its atmospheric and dark academia vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Dark and Drowning Tide saw the untapped potential of Sapphic Romantasies and finally thrust open the door to whimsical, fantasy-heavy stories of lesbian knights and magic. Indeed, Saft’s idea and general plot felt like a breath of fresh air, gearing up to compete with straight romatasy novels and even holding its own against the genre’s colossi (not that it is such an impossible task). The queer representation, too, was wholly refreshing, portraying the two main characters without relying on stereotypes, but, rather, placing a lot of importance in their fluid gender expression and fully abandoning heteronormative portrayals—for example, in this novel, Sylvia, the femme co-protagonist, has all the innate traits of a brave and honorable knight, adept with her sword and combat skills, while the masc character is more of an avid academic, whose strength lies in their mind and their magic.

Furthermore, the narrative seemed to be brimming with potential. the cast of characters, as well, looked to be promising.
A Dark and Drowning Tide is, indeed, a (not so) veiled exploration of antisemitism and prejudice, delving in the tragedy of having to be precluded from all manners of life outside of the ghetto and fighting tooth and nail to survive. Indeed, throughout the book, Lorelei struggles with being used as a scapegoat, being outwardly denied access to all manners of establishments, and being distrusted and hate-crimed by everyone, even her own research team. She, herself, having been raised in such a situation, displays a staggering level of self-hatred and recrimination, sentiments that are only partially addressed and deconstructed throughout the novel. Despite this fantasy device having been employed plenty of times as an apologue for historical Jewish struggles, Saft’s take felt original and like a powerful reclamation. Despite this, it has to be said that, especially in the latter part of the novel, the genuine exploration of antisemitism gave way to a much more muddy and individualistic narrative of personal freedoms and self-redeemings, rather than the impassioned denunciation of the early novel.

Herein lies one of the biggest issues of this book: the fact that Saft refuses to properly commit and carry out anything more than what is superficially shown to the reader. She does not deliver on her characters’ desires and aspirations , but she also doesn’t fully commit to her narration and logical cause-effect relationships: starting with the lack of effort put into the worldbuilding, in which every aspect (except the magic) is a 1:1 scale model of imperial Germany. The narration, too, sometimes suffers from this half-hearted curse, causing massive rifts in the immersion and requiring a lot of suspension of disbelief, because of the author’s predilection for running changes (such as when the reader is told that Character A cannot have gone far, because he left his tarp where they’ve all made camp, but later on in the novel said Character A is discovered in a remote location, sheltered in his tarp… you know, the one we were told he had left behind? Or when the reader is told that the party has lost most of its equipment and luggage at the bottom of a lake, but then everyone still has their backpacks and clothes and instrumentation) or leaps in logic (such as when one Character B takes off their jacket to be able to properly dive into an underwater cave, while still keeping on the backpack that conveniently later on holds furs, FURS, a change of clothes and all the requisites to make yet another tent).

Despite all of this and the elementary revelations, the book proved to be a pleasant read, magnified by the lovable dynamic between Lorelei and Sylvia: their banter is quick-witted and compelling, their interaction are hilariously entertaining and, together, they hold their scenes perfectly, immediately grabbing the spotlight whenever they’re made to work unitedly. In this aspect, A Dark and Drowning Tide succeeds in what many sapphic novels fail: their relationship unapologetically drives the story, without sparing any thought to any discourses regarding their sexual identity, the slow burn isn’t there because they’re lesbians and it’s forbidden, rather, because they’re two giant idiots. Furthermore, Saft doesn’t shy away from making her characters unpleasant and difficult, forgoing all propriety and decency that is oftentimes conventionally expected from female characters.

It is especially because of this, that I found the choice of villain(s), events and consequent denouement of the story so sourly disappointing: this book’s uttermost sore point (one that, in this past year especially, cannot be overlooked or done away with a slap on the back) is, to me, the fact that it reads as openly pro-colonization in the name of choosing the “lesser-of-two-evils” because that would “maintain peace”. I wholeheartedly expected the story to take on a more proactive condemnation of the task, expecting to see Lorelei even going so far as to hinder the expedition. Instead, while recognizing the threat and danger of delivering what essentially is a weapon of mass destruction to what essentially is an imperialist, both Lorelei and Sylvia convene that the king possessing such a tool would be much better than assassinating him and rendering independent the new annexed regions, because that would cause unrest, and unrest is dangerous.

Essentially, then, the major conflict of this story rests on the fact that, among the six-party expedition, there is one (or more) people trying to sabotage it to not surrender Brunnestaad’s regions to this enforced and coerced unity. The crux of the conundrum, thus, lies here: while Lorelei and Sylvia admit that the king isn’t a good person and his quest for absolute power is concerning, they argue that sacrificing everyone’s freedom is definitely better than a civil war/war for independence essentially dubbing it the “lesser of two evils” (it is thus a true mockery when, very quickly in the epilogue, the author lets us know that some civil wars still happened, but they were quashed quickly so that is what matters)—going even so far as to killing two of their companions (one of which we indeed discover to have been planning to assassinate the king and extricate her country from the empire) to ensure this plan—and while the narration doesn’t technically vilify the character trying to liberate their country from colonization, it also very clearly offers a skewed assessment of imperialism. I believe, that such a position (be it unintentional, which I think it must have been, given the author’s stance on certain political issues) warrants a much-needed reassessment of one’s own worldview, positions and indoctrinations. In the end, I believe that Saft’s blunder was caused by her inability to properly delve in the complexities that such a discussion requires, choosing to instead maintain the topic at surface-level and wanting to quickly resolve it. It completely ruined the book for me. If an author does not have the bandwidth to properly write about political issues, then they should not write about political issues, it’s that simple. It wouldn’t have been difficult to make the villain of the story someone else, wouldn’t have been difficult to write the same story without these appalling implications and yet, somehow, they ended up here and it genuinely soured the experience for me. To me, my enjoyment of everything else wasn’t worth it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 5 stars

"All of them where haunted women. Violence had broken and reforged them, and the sharp edges it left behind made them dangerous."

Tropes, Themes, and Things to Expect
• murder mystery
• sapphic, angsty romance
• academic rivals to lovers
• magical world filled with folklore
• gothic dark academia vibes
• an epic quest
• cast of unique characters, somewhere between friends and enemies

content warnings for this book include: antisemitism (discussed), drugging (sleeping drought), blood, gore, and injury depiction, depiction and description of dead bodies, strangulation, drowning

This is my first Allison Saft novel and oh boy, what an introduction to her writing. A Dark and Drowning Tide follows Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist who has grown up as an outcast and is followed by ghosts everywhere she goes. Desperate to prove herself and to see herself, her family, and her people safe, she is determined to succeed on the expedition she has embarked on with her beloved mentor, as well as six eccentric nobles -- one of which is none other than the annoyingly beautiful, knowledgeable, and kind Sylvia von Wolff, Lorelei's rival (and general pain in her ass). But when her mentor is brutally murdered on one of the first nights aboard their vessel, Lorelei must take over leadership and also attempt to find out who is behind this atrocious act. The only one she knows is innocent, is Sylvia, and grudgingly the two work together to uncover the truth, all amidst the strange dangers of their world – forests that rearrange themselves at night, and bloodthirsty, shapeshifting beasts. But in their pursuit of justice and truth, the two grow far closer than Lorelei had ever imagined, and secrets are unveiled that have her questioning, whether justice can ever truly be served, and if anyone can truly be saved.

I genuinely don't know where to begin with this review. Lorelei is one of the most intriguing main characters I have had the pleasure of reading of potentially all year. She is witty and snarky, dark and cunning. There is a hidden softness to her, but rarely does she let it show, instead allowing everyone to think her sharp and cold. There is a desperation to her that drives her throughout the entire novel, and a goodness as well, that she cannot help but return to, even when it would be easier to embrace the darkness. Lorelei is deeply flawed and multi-faceted. She knows that the world is a cruel place, and yet still she wishes to make it better, especially for her people, who have been so awfully mistreated for far too long. Throughout this novel, we see her ebb and flow like the tide, and I love the overarching arc that Saft takes us on with her character, and who she becomes by the end.

Sylvia on the other hand, is Lorelei's perfect counterbalance. Someone who has seen the evils of the world and yet came out on the other side and is fiercely optimistic, kind, and pure. She loves this world and all its mesmerizing creatures. She loves her home and her friends. Sylvia is deeply intelligent and while I enjoyed the closed POV, I do wonder what it would be like to have a narration more from her perspective as well. She is a fighter, but a gentle one. Seeing these two slowly coming together had me genuinely kicking my feet and giggling. The amount of highlights I have of Lorelei being stubbornly and blissfully unaware of either of their feelings towards one another is truly incredible. The angst was written to perfection and the reward was so amazing when we finally did get to see the two of them opening up to one another more and more.

The gothic vibe of this book was another highlight for me. It comes through not only in the world-building, the history and folklore that we get so much insight into, without it ever feeling like too much, but also in Saft's writing style. It is lyrical in a way, but still easy to follow. Reading this book felt like being swept away by a river; to say I enjoyed the feeling of the current pulling me under and into this world, would be a massive understatement.

I also found it incredible how well we got to know the rest of the cast of characters. Each were individual and unique, with their own ways of speaking and being. Hats off to Allison Saft for this book, it might be my favorite read of 2024 so far!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Daphne Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I now own two beautiful editions of this book: the Waterstones exclusive and the Illumicrate edition because I am mildly obsessed with it…

From the very first page this had me enthralled, and I dropped everything to carry on reading (seriously, I inhaled the first half of this book!) The writing was beautiful, with intriguing characters and an immediate sense of something sinister happening which kept me reading to unpick the mystery, true detective style.

Magic, mystery and mystic folklore combined to make the perfect recipe for autumn reading, with a sizzling romance to boot!

It also juggles more serious topics such as antisemitism and prejudice throughout this folkloric, fairytale-esque world, and this really packs a punch to the gut at times, hitting me right in the feels!

Though I have yet to 100% finish this book, I know it will become one of my favourites which I will recommend for years to come! The highlight for me is the beautifully lyrical writing style which just flows and weaves effortlessly to create a rich narrative, drawing you in with every single word, enveloping you like a misty morning.

Thank you for sending me an early e-copy of this book to review, and I will update with my final thoughts on goodreads as soon as I make it through the last few chapters!

DNF at 11%

I think this one was pretty clearly not for me from the get-go. While I love an atmospheric book, I couldn't get into the worldbuilding - which wasn't particularly well laid-out - and found the characters particularly unlikable. It felt a little like A Study in Drowning-lite.

If you're a fan of The Wolf and the Woodsman or A Study in Drowning, I'd recommend giving it a try.

I absolutely adored this book. I thought the writing and the writing style was absolutely
delectable; there were so many lines in this novel that I highlighted, took a moment to appreciate, and physically wanted to eat up. I will definitely be reading more from Saft just purely on her writing!

I really enjoyed the plot, how the mystery and the progress of their journey slowly unravelled. All the characters felt distinct enough and I really enjoyed Lorelei, Sylvia, and Ludwig a lot! The romance made complete sense and it was wonderful seeing Lorelei being either completely blind or overwhelmed by her feelings. It was adorable!

Saft also interwines some of our real world fairytales and places them into this world really well! There were quite a few I recognised and I adored how they were used in this story.

My only slight criticism would be:

1. The worldbuilding; I would love to have learnt a lot more about the world and the creatures in a lot more detail. I don’t think we’re really given a good idea of this world, what it looks like, where everything is, and how it works. Especially at the beginning, the worldbuilding was very, very minimal. I wanted to know a lot more about the creatures too! We’re introduced to all these creatures (like alps) and it felt like we are expected to just accept them, but I wish there had been more lore explained for them.

2. Also, give this book a map! Any fantasy book without a map is such an oversight. It appears the first published version also doesn’t come with a map, but I hope future editions of the book and reprints of the book come with a map in them.

I am so glad I enjoyed this book as I have been anticipating reading it for months and the wonderful writing elevated my enjoyment of the story even more! I cannot wait to read more from Saft!

This was a really fun and enjoyable read! I loved the murder mystery element, and the folklore, and the atmospheric writing. The thing that I liked the most, though, was the sapphic, academic rival romance between our main characters.

I’m not usually disappointed when books aren’t series’, as I really enjoy standalone, but this time I am as I really wanted to explore more of the world and the romance between these characters.

I don’t read dark academia very much, I haven’t got much to compare it to, but I loved it. A perfect gothic and gloomy book to match the weather we’re having and this time of year!

I did take some issues with it, though. I didn’t like that it ended in a similar place it began, so there wasn’t much in terms of character arcs or change. The middle of the book struggled to grab my attention sometimes, too, and the politics of the world, I felt, could have built upon and have more character conversations on it because the politics were wild!

Thank you, Netgalley and publishers, for the review copy.

Arc review


So this is sad , because i was so excited to be given this eArc and i am so disappointed 😔
I had a hard time finishing the book but I wanted to have a complete picture so I could do a review.
The blurb of the book sounded really interesting and great but the execution was in need of more editing and in fact was boring. I understand that the MC is a folklorist ,but the telling of these folklories within rhe storyline was telling,not showing and slowed down the book . The folkories kept the reader away from understanding the secondary characters better and being able to follow and solve the murder mystery together with the mc. I was expecting a more strong and dynamic magic system , magic show and world building.
Also it was difficult for me to be inside of the MC 's mind that hated everybody because they hated her people and everything they represent without actually knowing why everybody hated her people . And at the end what exactly did she do ro help her people and clear their name ?? I was so confused .... beyond the fact that our mc gets a happy ending with her love intrest (their enemies to lovers relationship didn't convince me either ) I didn't understand if our ending was happy. as I said I was very confused because on the one hand I believed that the murderer was right for what he claimed but neither the villain nor the hero in our history convinced me of their right.



Thank you netgalley for the eArc in exchange for my honest opinion!!

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a book I have mixed feelings about but have ultimately settled on a 3 star rating for it. It took me a while to get the world building but it grew on me the more I read. I loved the use of fairytales and folklore to explore the way discrimination is baked into society from childhood. Any critique of mythmaking and its relationship to nationbuilding (even in a fantasy world) is exciting for me as a reader. Stories are baked into our lives, often fading into the background as we age but they shape our sense of morals, who belongs in our societies and who is the Other, and what we deem important as a culture.

This has plenty of tropes that I love, academic rivals to lovers, its sapphic, there's a locked room mystery, political intrigue, a cast of characters who have all of their own motivations and secrets, and reluctant allies.

I loved the characters at the beginning of the novel, angry and brooding folklorist Lorelai who is Yeva, which is parallel to Jewish in this world. She carries the world on her shoulders after a traumatic incident that she cannot heal from. Her entire life she has ben treated with disdain for her religion and culture and is becoming increasingly jaded with the idea that her advancement will come through her education and leading an expedition to find the Urspring for the king. This way she can become a trusted adviser and advocate for the betterment of the Yevani. I could understand Lorelei and why she was this closed off person. She was grumpy but she was also traumatised and living in a world that did not treat her like an she deserved to exist.

Her infuriating fellow scholar Sylvia continues to infuriate her but Lorelei cannot help but be drawn towards her, the golden child of Albe. Syvlia is unlike Lorelei, she's bright and optimistic despite swearing off from magic after the war for King William. She's a naturalist, enchanted by the wonder of the supernatural world around her.

When their beloved mentor is murdered, the two team up to work out which of their fellow expeditioners killed Ziegler. This was my first gripe with the book. There was no real reason for them to team up aside from the this vague idea that they know the other couldn't be the murderer, not because they were together, rather Sylvia walks in on Lorelei standing over Ziegler's dead body. There needed to be something stronger than this vague notion that they know each other too well from that, especially as Lorelei in particular continues to be combative with Sylvia.

I think my main problem is Lorelei, we are constantly stuck in her head watching as she pushes and pulls Sylvia towards her. The romantic relationship between them I felt needed 50 more pages to develop properly but the plot didn't have 50 more pages of content to give. What I was hoping was Lorelei would begin to open up to Sylvia. There were times where we were close but then she reverted back to this defensive, sardonic grump. There was no character progression or change within her. She is emotionally withholding, bitter and angry, and this is with the woman she loves. What should have been a lovely scene at the very end of the book by her calling Sylvia a fool. I couldn't see what Sylvia saw in her. I understand that she's traumatised but there was no attempt to allow the woman she loves in to her inner world. I honeslty do not think they are a couple that would last in a relationship very long.

The other major issue I have is the last 30%, the climax seemed to happen pretty much at the 70% mark and the next lot of conflict after that felt manufactured and I could see the author's hand in crafting the conflict. It didn't feel natural and it felt like it threw out any character development we got especially with Lorelei. I don't want to spoil it but the betrayal felt forced and the ending didn't stick. It got to the last 50 pages and I had no idea how everything was going to tie up and in some parts it didn't.

I loved the aesthetic and the start of this book. There are people who I would recommend it to but it just didn't land for me.