I have trouble with getting through this book, since it is really complicated and there are so many Dutch words in it. Even some names are normal Dutch words, making it really hard to read. I put it down for now, but might try to finish it later on

I expected a murder mystery with quite a lot magic and some romance. When I finally DNFd at 43% and about 160 pages, there had been a murder, but no sleuthing whatsoever. The small bits of magic were tempting, but there was little to no explanation of the water-based magic system. And no romance.

I disliked all of the characters. They are a bunch of arrogant nobles with a good smattering of institutionalized racism. The main character Lorelei is a bitter, negativ and hateful woman. She has no redeeming features, although she is the one they all discriminate against and theoretically the hero of the narrative. In the book blurb she is mentioned as witty. I saw none of that.

The world of this book is based on imperial Germany, the king is even called William II. Lorelei is Jewish by a different name, living in a ghetto in the main city of that world. All the nobles in her traveling party are either from the royal families of conquered lands or part of William‘s military, with a strong dose of antisemitism.

What is it all about? To stabilize his kingdom, the king sends forth an expedition to find the fabled source of magic in his kingdom. The mentioned nobles and Lorelei are the expedition members. One of those nobles is Sylvia, Lorelei’s eventual love interest. Shortly after the expedition has gathered, the leader of the group, Lorelei‘s mentor, is murdered. The expedition is undertaken anyway, now under Lorelei‘s leadership. There is some traveling and fighting of mythical monsters and plenty of uncomfortable conversations between Lorelei and the rest of the team that didn‘t add much to the story. It made me miserable and I dreaded picking up the book. This was not what I had signed up for based on the book blurb. I disliked the constant racism and the slow pace didn’t help, aka I was bored on top of it all.

On the plus side the book has a beautiful cover. And there are some enthusiastic 5-star reviews out there. You might like it, but I can not recommend it.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

Firstly, I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, Allisons Saft’s book, A Dark and Drowning Tide, failed to deliver what it promised and it didn’t convince me completely. I wanted to dnf it around the 60% mark, but i pushed through, without any improvement. In detail, i thought that:
- The characters were quite bland, had no personality and were quite unlikable
- The folklore and the worldbuilding were underwhelming
- The writing style was pedantic
- The pacing was odd, uneven and too slow for a 300-page novel

I liked the mystery and the romance, even if both were quite predictable.

I so wanted to love this book but….i just didn’t! I found it so slow, way too ‘wordy’, couldn’t really grasp what was going on for ages and yeh! I struggled to read it, so disappointed that I didn’t love it. However, the cover is beautiful 😂 maybe I’ve read too many fantasy books lately and there’s just so much to live up to?! Or maybe it’s just boring?! I’m hoping the first option… I really hate not liking books!!

3.5

‘A Dark and Drowning Tide’ is German inspired adult fantasy/dark academia tale, and a sapphic love story. It’s very steeped in folklore, which was interesting, and strongly reflects Jewish history.

Set in a recently unified kingdom, the young king is seeking a fabled spring, rumoured to give a chosen figure extraordinary power. He sends out a team of naturalists to try and locate the spring for him. Among the ranks are Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist who has much riding on the success of this expedition, her academic rival Sylvia von Wolff, and a variety of other characters from different backgrounds and classes. The stakes are turned up even higher when the leader of the expedition, their professor (and Lorelei’s mentor) is murdered on the first night - who of their team killed her? Who can be trusted? And will they be able to find the spring before more members are harmed?

While I absolutely adored the atmospheric setting of this book, I never fully connected with the characters, which was a shame. I loved exploring the murky fantasy world they inhabited, but just felt held slightly at arms length from them, which dampened my overall enjoyment of the book. But truly, I cannot praise the world building enough.

The folklore elements were really well done, and I loved all the different creatures, and the variety of tales, that were weaved into the story. I also found the magic system really intriguing, and the romantic yearning is pretty great. I mostly loved the building tension within the novel. The element of fear while a murderer remains at large, the ongoing quest to find the spring, the questioning of long held beliefs, the stakes of opening up to be loved.

Saying that, I wasn’t fully sold on the relationship aspect - but I think this was again due to not feeling totally drawn in by the individual characters. It truly is the one thing that held me back from really falling in love with this book, sadly.

I do think Saft quite skilfully handled the anti-semitism themes in this book, with the Jewish main character, and how that ideology pervaded in this fantasy world.

Simply put, this book isn’t bad by any means - indeed, certain parts are wonderful, but I found it to be slightly dragged down overall by its characters. I’m still interested in the author overall (I have two of her previous books sitting on my shelf, still waiting to be read) but I was a little bit underwhelmed by my first foray into her work.

Thank you to the publishers, and netgalley, for the copy to review.

DNF at 20 percent.

This book just wasn’t for me. Firstly, the formatting on NetGalley wasn’t great which didn’t help, but secondly it was just really boring and dry! The prose didn’t draw me in, neither did the characters and the world building seemed lack lustre. I was truly excited for this book, but in the end it proved to be a disappointment. What am I missing?

The Dark and Drowning Tide is a gripping and atmospheric story that I thoroughly enjoyed. It blends folklore, magic, mystery and sapphic romance together to create this fantastic Dark academia with amazing world-building and morally grey characters.

Lorelei is a fascinating character who in most cases you should like; she's frustrating, quick to anger and at times feels incredibly cold. However the more you get to know her character and the issues she's faced due to her heritage you start to realise why she acts that way and why she struggles to trust people, including the idealistic Slyvia. I loved the slow burn enemies to lovers between the two and loved seeing the way Lorelei fought against her feelings.

Allison Saft had a beautiful and lyrical way of writing that vividly paints the scenery and it's characters clearly. It makes the experience of reading this book more immersive and I now need to pick up Saft's previous books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a disappointment and nobody is more sad about it than I am. It seemed like the perfect book recipe for me, however this bored me do death. I wanted to dnf at about 20% but I pushed through because I had hope it could improve and become a decent 3 stars book, but in the end I have to stick with my original impression.
The mystery part was not as present as I expected but that would have been okay if the plot itself had been interesting like its premise and the stunning cover art. I did not particularly care about any of the characters and found the fmc to be insufferable so the romance lost my interest too at some point. The fantasy aspect was interesting but not enough flashed out, some creatures simply appeared from time to time. It's not a horrible book, I am sure some people will like it but I've read too much fantasy to enjoy this.

DNF at 47%

I really did try with this one. I wanted to DNF at around 17% but I held out because I thought it would get better as the story went on. Sadly, it did not.

It dragged on for what felt like an eternity.
I don’t think I could even tell you what was going on apart from women hating on women and a murder.

I saw a lot of amazing reviews about this that made me so excited to read it! But unfortunately, I was left disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley & Daphne Press for this ARC.

I requested the ARC of this book from @NetGalley because I enjoyed @allisonhsaft's A Far Wilder Magic - massive thanks to the lovely people at @daphne.press for the approval -
and the same brilliant immersive world building is on display here. The loosely Germanic world, with shades of the Austrian Empire, is full of complex characters, secrets, political machinations and plots, as well as a fascinating water based magic system. Lorelei is a compelling main character, spiky and abrupt as she wrestles with what she wants (to be a great scholar) and her Yevan heritage that marks her as an outsider and the trauma of her brother’s murder when they were children simply for being Yevan. The Yevani are an explicitly Jewish analogue and with the world building analogous with the late 19th Century, Saft explores the effects of Anti-Semitism and obviously its current
resurgence with the rise again of far-right politics as Lorelai has to contend with the exceptionally bigoted Johann whose beliefs and violence are barely held in check by his love of Adelheid, who weaponises his hatred and brutality for her own ends. This adds to the tension and the strain
relationships of the expeditionists. The central relationship between Lorelai and Sylvia is brilliant and I enjoyed watching Lorelai have to challenge her own prejudices and influences as they draw closer.
The romance itself is tender, sweet, and heartbreaking and I was so invested by the end! Saft’s
descriptions of the world are so lush, and I really felt myself traversing Brunnestad with the characters! Plus you can get the gorgeous edition above from Waterstones so GET ON IT.

I really did like this book! It gave adventure vibes with a whodunnit feel on top of that. I loved the story but I think I did struggle a little with the characters. There weren’t any that I particularly liked and I think because of that I did get myself quite confused by them in parts. Other than that is was a great book and it’s for sure something I would recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I'M IM LOVE WITH THIS BOOK

Yes, it took me some time to actually get into it. Yes, it was a bit slow at the beginning. BUT, and it's a big but, when it gets there... It just gets amazingly there.

So I completely understand that that first 15% or so sets everything else in motion, so you understand the premise, the themes, the world and obviously the characters

Because let me tell you: a dark academia sort of vibe, with a very clearly inspiration on German folklore, rivals to lovers (maybe enemies at some point?), a murder and some political conspiracies. This needs to have a strong base, so I now thank those first chapters.

And the rest of the book you ask? It's a Y E S from me. And a strong one. So strong that I bought the physical copy, so... Yeah.

I have to say, the ambiance is my favourite part, because it feels like a bow that ties everything else up. But the characters... Oh mama. The characters. Love the main character, she is so grey... I mean, she is good, but she knows how the world is not, so she sometimes has to make decisions for her and just her. Don't worry, you'll like her. She is a brooding lesbian. And so smart and so... so stupid.

If you like dark academia, rivals to lovers, complots, folklore creatures, and brooding lesbians, this is your book.

DNFd at 57%.

I tried and tried really hard to get through this but I found it far too boring and the world building to be too poorly explained.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a copy to review!

I absolutely adored this book! From the worldbuilding and the magic system to the character dynamics and complicated feelings - everything left me spellbound.

I DNFed this book for a couple of reasons, a small part of this was bc i have vision problems and the format options for this book in netgalley just made it so hard for me to read, the second reason is that i really just wasn’t captivated by the story. The writing style is wonderful i do love it, i just couldn’t get on board with some aspects of the story line and the main characters lacked depth i feel, i feel like the sunshine x grumpy trope was way too hardcore and just made the characters lack chemistry, this book just isn’t for me which sucks because i’ve heard such great reviews and this was such an anticipated read for me but i’m sure there’s so many people out there that will love this book!

I rather enjoyed this book. It was a slow read, but it was interesting enough to keep me entertained and wanting to continue reading. A sapphic, forbidden romance, full of enemies to lovers, political intrigue and court politics, betrayal, adventure, mythical creatures, murder mysteries, and cross sea quests. A dark and drowning tide is written with German inspiration, and this is reflected through the story, from names to locations. A Magical adventure, that I am sure many will love.

3 stars because of my overall lacklustre feelings about this book.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a dark academia tale infused with folklore and unsettling creatures. Set during an expedition to discover the Ursprung (literally translates as ‘origin’, by the way), it features a group of six academics of different fields, among which are our main character, Lorelei, and love interest, Sylvia.

First, let’s talk about pros. The writing and ambience were excellent. I’ve read one previous work by this author, so I wasn’t surprised, but the way Saft invokes the environment in each scene is masterful. The folklore tales and comparisons to the members of the expedition were great additions—they really brought forth the power of the stories that represent our culture, how they can cause great harm and spread prejudice, or bring understand between peoples.

The concept was also a key factor in drawing me in—the magic system, the Germanic inspiration for the folklore. In parts, it reminded me a bit of Gilded by Marissa Meyer. Though I’ll say it lacked a bit in depth.

And here are the two main problems I had with this story—characters and plot progression. For the first, as a prickly person who can be a bit of a grouch, being inside Lorelei’s head felt alienating. Because she only saw the people around her in one-dimensional ways, the reader gets no depth from them. I was going around in circles as to what bothered me most in this, and I finally put a finger on it—the lack of discovery.

First, I don’t believe for a second that Lorelei and Sylvia like each other; I also never believed their rivalry, because there was simply nothing but forced (and stupid at multiple times) bickering between them. Where is this idea that their mentor pitted them against each other coming from? Because they’re competing for the same spot for this one expedition, but they’d both be going regardless? Because the king (who is so underdeveloped it’s painful) will likely appoint one of them as his advisor? That wasn’t their mentor’s doing. (Also, the cast are supposed to be 25 and up but I’d be generous in labelling them as 18-year-olds.)

Second, there was no curiosity between each other, or even just from Lorelei’s point of view. About nobody, but it’s especially grating when you see it reflected on the love interest. Her family? Besides the obvious, it's barely on her mind. But we're supposed to believe she cares about an entire group of people when it’s convenient for the plot? She literally spends the entire book hating on everyone and everything. Which is fine, but don’t pretend she cares later when we barely get any glimpse of it. Don’t have Sylvia tells us all the ways Lorelei is incredible when we see nothing of it.
Third, what do you mean some of these people have fought in a war before and you don’t use that as a vehicle for empathy and exploration of grief and trauma?

I could go on, but let’s move on to the plot. In essence, there are two mysteries: 1) who killed the mentor, and 2) where is the Ursprung? Neither of them really take the lead. It’s clear from the beginning how it’ll go. And I’m sorry, but if I was aboard a ship and knew that out of five people, one was a murderer, I would not be proceeding as normal. We don’t get enough of a sense of the world for it to be truly relevant where the Ursprung is either.

I won’t touch on the questionable political messaging because 1) I believe the author was trying to go the route of the unification of Germany rather than colonisation, but 2) I’m not going to do the labour of a nuanced exploration of those ideas when the author herself didn’t either.

So, in short, if you’re in for the dark academia, sapphic rivals-to-enemies vibes, do pick this up. But if you’re like me and vibes alone can’t sustain you, maybe skip this.

I’ll say, it’s the second time in a Saft book that I could see an alternative route for two specific characters that would have added so much more interest to their arcs, but instead was disappointed by having them be mostly passive and there to fulfil a small purpose. I’d have two nickels and all that. I may try another book of hers in the future, but for now I’m unsure.

Thank you to NetGalley, Allison Saft and Daphne Press for the chance to read and review this book.

From the words, ‘ A sharp-tongued folklorist and her academic rival must solve their mentor's murder’ I was sold. Add in that it is sapphic fantasy romance and it couldn’t have gotten any more perfect.

Loved the dynamic between Lorelei and Sylvia. More than that, loved the setting and concept. I did struggle a bit the fantasy element I struggled getting my head round and world building history and political alignments to begin, I was really missing having a map I won’t lie! Hoping to see a beautiful illustrated map in a special edition or physical copies in the future.
But the part I really loved was that despite being in a fantasy setting we had this incredible multidisciplinary academic, field research, expedition with disciplines I could only dream of coming together. A folklorist, botanist and naturist being my top ones. What I would give for some art work or special edition to look like their field notes journal. I fell in love with the natural aspects of this book. Add on a murder mystery and it really couldn’t be more perfect for me.

This book surprised me in tackling strong themes of anti-semitism and prejudice in a German inspired kingdom. Taking inspiration not just from germanic folklore but the country’s history was a bold but impressive move to make to explore not only a fantasy but complex narrative of human experience and how their experiences can shape us.

Honestly a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to see what the author does next. Definitely someone I will keep an eye on in the future for sure. I am absolutely not surprised at all that Daphne Press published this book with their importance on inclusive storytelling and I love seeing what stories they pick up. Another 5 star for them from me.Thank you Daphne Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the arc in exchange for an honest review

Ahh I am so disappointed by this. I really thought this was going to be a 5 star read for me based on the premise: enemies to lovers, sapphic romance, academic rivals in a fantasy setting, but I was woefully underwhelmed. Before I go any further I just want to say, by no means, is this a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.

I hated Lorelei. She was mean and just kind of horrible to Sylvia? I felt like she really needed to do some work on herself before she got into a relationship with her (spoiler). She was not in the right place to love her and to be honest, she seemed like quite a toxic partner? I know she has experienced a lot which has caused her to think and act in the way she did, but that doesn’t justify her being cruel. Sylvia was ok, she definitely gave me manic pixie dream girl or a Mary Sue character. Sometimes she felt a bit bland and two dimensional. A few times it felt like the characters were swallowed up by the plot.

The plot itself was interesting as was the world, but I felt like we only really got snapshots into this world. I think this may be a standalone, so unfortunately, I don’t think we will get to learn anymore about the world, but I wish we could of taken some of the character dialogue heavy scenes out and replaced it with more exploration of the lore and the world itself as for me this was the most interesting part of the book. I did also like the magic system which again was interesting, but not always fully explained and in some parts felt confusing.

The pacing in this book also felt a little off to me. There were parts of it which seemed to go too quickly and other parts which felt long and drawn out. The pacing just seemed a little all over the place and several times I got confused and wasn’t what was going on.

Overall, I just didn’t really enjoy this book. I think there will be plenty of people out there who will love this book but it just really wasn’t for me.

Stunning! I really liked the dynamic between Lorelei and Sylvia, their romance unfurled beautifully and although it wasn’t the easiest at times, they were exactly what they needed for each other in the end.

I loved the folklore sprinkled throughout this one, as well as the water magic and overall world building. It’s a really poetic, captivating kind of story, perfect for those who like cosy fantasies and gothic/ dark academia vibes.