Unfortunately this book was not for me but I am sure others will love this. The premise sounded promising but after reading the first couple of chapters i found that it did not capture me as i would have hoped.


Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this e-copy.

Dark Sapphic fairytale. Love the academic rivalry, the dark atmosphere and the folklore elements. Romance was sweet, but seemed rushed at times. And would have loved more interactions between the whole group. Overall a fun read.

This review has taken me a while to get to but i’m here now!

First of all I adored the characters in this book and I ended up loving Sylvia and Lorelais relationship. I did find the side characters slighty confusing as they all started to blend together.

Unfortunately the plot itself was a let down for me, I found it hard to picture anything that was happening and the lore was really lacking. I was also confused on the location and the journey taken, it just didn’t make sense to me (a map really would have helped!).

Overall I did enjoy myself with the characters but the plot was a bit lacking, I may try and re read via the audiobook as it might of just not been the right time for me.

This was an enchanting tale with a dark undertone. I loved the politics of the realm and the complicated group dynamic. The folklore and the sinister creatures that popped up throughout the story really fired my imagination. The developing relationship between Lorelei and Sylvia was heart felt and the mystery kept me on my toes. I enjoyed it so much I couldn't resist a finished copy when I saw the gorgeous Waterstones edition.

2.5 stars rounded down.

This is the second Allison Saft book I've read, and I think it will be the last.

Let's start with the things I liked.

Sylvia was great, just a really likeable character, and you can see why Lorelei falls in love with her. I was on board with the idea of a grumpy, irascible protagonist in theory, but Lorelei was mean to the point that I was doubting her when she said she put survival ahead of all other goals. Someone so bent on surviving would try to make herself liked, or at least useful. I also found her a very inactive protagonist - she spends most of the story acting reactively, and a lot of times things would work out for her based purely on luck.

I appreciated that the romance was actually somewhat slow-burn, at least as much as is possible in a book this short. I did think Sylvia <spoiler>forgave Lorelei for her betrayal too quickly</spoiler> though.

Some of the supernatural creatures were interesting or cute. I especially liked the coffee craving Alp.

Things I didn't like:

The way the expedition is setup and introduced makes no sense. At first it seems like finding the Ursprung was a collaborative effort between all the expedition members, but then as they are leaving, Ziegler, their mentor and leader, just announces the location. First of all it's weird that she waited until they were leaving to tell them - didn't they want to know how far they were going, at the very least? - but also while everyone is surprised at the actual location, no one asks how she came to her conclusion. I get that she's the leader and they must obey her, but no one seems to have any intellectual curiosity even, which is strange for academics. Lorelei does bring up that it doesn't fit with what she knows (without telling us why), but Ziegler just mentions "the data" and that shuts her up. In general there is not a lot of academia in this supposedly dark academia book, which I found disappointing.

The murder mystery plotline was the one I was most interested in, but it was half-assed. Lorelei does basically no investigating, assumes who the murderer is based mostly on her own dislike, then accidentally finds out the real culprit about two thirds through the book. What a waste.

Like Saft's other book <i>A Fragile Enchantment</i>, the setting is very obviously based on historical real world countries with the names changed. This isn't the worst thing ever but it seems lazy and kind of boring. I would rather have either a completely new world or for it to actually just be set in a real country, with no pretending otherwise. The few changes Saft makes to the setting often don't make sense either. Here we have a society with nobility and royalty, where bloodlines matter, but there is also gay marriage somehow. This bothered me in <i>A Day of Fallen Night</i> too.

I didn't care about any of the characters apart from Lorelei and Sylvia.

The writing was fine, I guess? I didn't hate it but didn't love it either. A few times Saft uses the word "evidently" where "apparently" or "supposedly" would make much more sense.

Not recommended.

I used up every ounce of willpower to finish this book, and even now, I can’t decide if it was worth the effort. From the start, this book struggled to hold my attention, with pacing so slow it felt like slogging through mud. Every scene dragged on, and no amount of lyrical prose could disguise how little was actually happening.

One of the biggest letdowns was the so-called "murder mystery" at the story’s centre. In theory, having a murderer among you should create a sense of fear or urgency, but there’s absolutely none of that here. The main character, Lorelei, responds with indifference to multiple life-threatening situations and misses every chance to investigate or show any real interest in the danger around her. At one point, Lorelei finds a button in her room—a potentially critical clue—but her lacklustre response (asking one person about it and never revisiting it) reveals how truly low-stakes the entire situation felt.

The plot twists were similarly disappointing, failing to add depth or excitement. Likewise, the romance fell flat, with hardly any chemistry between the characters. Identifying the characters and understanding the world they inhabit felt unnecessarily difficult. The worldbuilding was overcomplicated, with confusing details and unexplained terminology that left me genuinely lost for the first third of the book. The lore and world felt convoluted rather than immersive.

Overall, A Dark and Drowning Tide ended up being a frustratingly monotonous read. Despite it's intriguing premise, it ultimately failed to deliver on suspense, romance, or even basic character agency. If you’re looking for a murder mystery with real stakes and tension, keep looking—this one isn't worth your time.

A fantastic enemies to lovers slow burn romance. The worldbuilding is great and the character growth is well done. If you enjoyed her other books then you'll love this one too!

3.5⭐️

Rather slow and Lorelei annoyed the hell out of me with how insistent she was on being awful to everyone for seemingly no reason (even when she acknowledged to herself she liked them). Infuriating!! Maybe if this wasn’t set in Lorelei’s pov I would have liked it more. The concept and the folklore was so interesting!

I loved the vibes of this book, it was almost a Nordic shadow and bone but if shadow and bone was made about sapphic pirates. I am obsessed to see what this author does next.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft (3⭐️)
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I was lucky enough to receive an arc! A sapphic dark academia fantasy with a murder mystery sounded amazing. While I enjoyed it, it unfortunately did not meet my expectations and it left me a bit underwhelmed.

I’ll start with what I liked. I’m still obsessed with the cover. Both covers actually. I loved the writing about the nature, the wildlife and the magical creatures in the story. I’m glad there weren’t chapters full of info dumping. Instead it was spread throughout the book, which made the writing very accessible and the political & magical system understandable. I would have loved a map though!

My main issue with the book was the pace. I liked some parts a lot, but other parts were too slow for my taste and it dragged a bit. In the second half, the pace picked up fortunately and I was enjoying it a lot more. The same applied for the romance actually.

I wish the side characters (the other nobles) were more fleshed out because they all felt rather similar to me and I sometimes confused them. I felt like I didn’t get to know them. Although Lorelei frustrated me sometimes, I liked how clever and direct she was. And to be fair, her behavior & opinions to the others were very understandable. The part I was most interested in and I think was done well was Lorelei’s background and family. I wish we saw more of that!

The ending left me confused. However I don’t want to spoil it, but with the themes of the book, it did not feel wrapped up very well to me. I would say if you love a slowburn sapphic fantasy with grumpy and morally grey characters in a magical dark academia setting it might be something for you.

A Dark and Drowning Tide
A re-review - the issues I had with the reading experience I had put down to the experience of reading on a phone and so I reviewed it more positively initially. But on reflection, I remember very little of the plot and I forgave many lacklustre elements largely because I loved the cover and really wanted the book to live up to it.
There are definitely readers who would still enjoy this a lot, but it lacked depth, and leaned too heavily on the idea of various genres without really engaging with any of them fully, leaving the book feeling a little empty.
Both covers are still a 10/10

First things first, thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had read more Allison Saft's books before and loved them dearly, that's why I asked for an arc of this one, since I felt that I would love it as well and, don't get me wrong, I still love her writing and her stories, but this was a little bit underwhelming... The gothic vibes are immaculare and the plot and characters hooked me up from the very beginning, I really liked the romance as well (who doesn't like a good academic rivals to lovers?) but the murder mystery side of the story is what really threw me off, since I found myself not really caring much about it.
But, don't get me wrong, I still think the book it's great, beautiful and atmospheric, it was just that it wasn't totally for me.

3.75

I really enjoyed this book. I feel like the characters were well build, and that they were interesting to read about

So, this was a big one for me.

A Dark and Drowning Tide was one of my most anticipated books of the year and now that I've read it I can confidently say it did indeed live up to most of that hype, as I'll go on to explain.

Firstly, the magic system in this book is so beyond fascinating. I loved the fact all magic is water based and it all flows from one singular source. Such a fascinating idea and it was executed so well throughout the book with new and creative ways to use water based powers showing up each time magic was used. Unless I missed it however (and I probably did knowing me) I wish we were told a bit more as to how this power was harnessed in the first place and how certain people can use it and others can't. The world itself also feels very fairytale like, with myths and legends being truth. Saft truly has a talent for making a world feel lush and the descriptions of the environments were beautifully written.

LORELEI KASKEL MY BELOVED!!! Oh how I adored her. It's such a refreshing change to read a book from the perspective of someone so closed off emotionally and angry at the world around her. Lorelei has every reason to behave the way she does but seeing that slowly crack open even the smallest bit was so lovely to see. She's all sharp edges and cutting remarks and often comes off as uncaring to those around her, but under it all you can tell it's a form of protection for herself and those she cares about. Lorelei is for those of us who have had to fight our whole lives because of the cards we've been dealt and have watched on as others with more privilege than us go about the world unaware they have it. She's for those of us who find ourselves horrified that one person can break open the shell of self-preservation we've built around ourselves for so long and finally face the horrors of being seen and known.

Sylvia is also a wonderful character and as a love interest she initially, to me, felt very much like the ray of sunshine/dream girl trope. She's free and uninhibited and takes risks and lives life to the fullest and is everything Lorelei isn't. But as the book goes on and the two are forced to spend time together, we see while being born into royalty with a silver spoon in her mouth, she too has had her own struggles. Sylvia is a result of growing up with expectations and hopes pinned on her that she doesn't see herself fulfilling and she would much rather chart her own path than live on one trodden for her. Her and Loreleis banter and eventual deep connection is done so well throughout the book and it honestly makes me wish we could have gotten a prequel about their earlier years at to see how they fell into this dynamic.

If I have one gripe with this book, I felt that the pacing was where it suffered the most. The beginning of the book and the last 40% were the best parts in my opinion, as they fulfilled what the description stated which was that this would be a murder-mystery adventure to find a magical source. While I did enjoy the almost bait and switch nature of the middle of this book it truly felt like it dragged on a bit too long and much of the urgency and mystery was left to the side only to pop up again in small increments. Once they finally return to the ship, that is when things pick up again and I wish that certain moments were either expanded on more or cut down to save time. I felt the middle tended to drag on with moments while I understand their importance, could have been done in a more efficient way.

In summary, I had a good time with this book and will be recommending it to other readers! While it does have some issues I'm more than willing to forgive the book for what it does right. If you're looking for a fun fairytale flavoured adventure with a good splash of sapphic romance, this is your jam.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

What's not to love about a fantasy murder mystery? I had never read an Allison Saft novel before, and I fell in love with the writing. The world building and the characters were so beautifully written that I couldn't put it down.

This pushed all my buttons - sapphic, dark academic rivalry, lush magical system, excellent creatures and lovably flawed characters. Immediately, Lorelei and Slyvia had so much chemistry and unresolved tension. I was hooked. Alison Saft uses really immersive language so I could picture this (Germanic, I assume?) fantasy world quite vividly. I loved the magic system being based on water, and the rivers being the source of power.

This book really tapped into some of my daydreaming as a child, - a quest, an expedition to explore uncharted forrest and jungles, encountering magical beings. With a hefty dose of a "who dunnit" murder plot.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.

So the reason I wanted to read this book is because I saw the description of it on Netgalley and thought it would be something I would love. As much as I appreciate receiving it I'm not going to lie friends, I actually found the first half of this book quite boring. Until the main plot point happens (and even a little bit after that) the book was just unfortunately too slow for my liking. I really wanted to love this book because we all know how much I love queer storytelling especially in fantasy settings but I just couldn't bring myself to do so. With that being said, when you do fully get into all the action and adventure of this book, it is really enjoyable and does pick up the pace a fair bit. I had a love/hate relationship with the enemies to lovers aspect of the story, I feel like until we got to the lovers part of it, it was just a little too much. I absolutely adored the twists within the story and the adventurous ending. Unfortunately though, because of how long it took us to get there (more than half the book) I don't think I'll be picking up another Allison Saft book. I might try one of her YA stories but just going off this book, I wasn't overly fond of how long it took to get into the nitty gritty of the story.

(If you'd like to see more of my reviews please go to my blog:
https://doesden.blogspot.com/)

Thank you netgallery and the publisher for the ARC

From the moment that the author announced this book, I was so excited as it had all the elements that I was excited about. I found it a real struggle, I trudged through 6 chapters of this and I just could not continue further and had to DNF. I tried going back to it numerous times and I just felt I couldn't connect with the characters and felt the story was so boring... I really wanted to like it, I really did.

I loved Allison's A Fragile Enchantment, I will hopefully have more success with any future books that she brings out as it's likely this was just not for me this one.

The character dynamics are at the heart of A Dark and Drowning Tide. Lorelai Kaskel is a folklorist with a sharp wit and quick temper, but beneath her confident exterior lies a deep sense of insecurity and self-sabotage. Her character arc centers around her struggle with self-worth and finding her place in both the expedition and the kingdom.

Sylvia von Wolff, Lorelai's academic rival, is a naturalist with a sunny disposition and a deep affinity for the fae. She serves as a counterbalance to Lorelai’s sharp edges, and their relationship develops slowly and beautifully throughout the story.

Supporting characters like Johann zu Wittelsbach (medic and war hero), Heike van der Kaas (navigator), and Adelheid de Mohl (thaumotologist) add depth and intrigue to the ensemble, each with their own motives and backstories that enrich the narrative.

Ludwig von Meyer, the botanist, stands out as one of the few nobles Lorelai can trust. His grounded nature contrasts with the eccentricities of the other members of the expedition, offering Lorelai a rare sense of camaraderie.

The relationships are complex, and the dynamic between Lorelai and Sylvia is a slow-burn romance that is filled with yearning, emotional vulnerability, and personal growth. The intricate backstories of the nobles, including King Wilhelm’s childhood friendships, further add layers of political tension and personal stakes for all characters.

At its core, A Dark and Drowning Tide is a journey fantasy wrapped around a murder mystery. The murder of Lorelai’s mentor, Ingrid Ziegler, is the catalyst for the plot, as the characters race to uncover the truth while pursuing the Ursprung, a magical spring that promises untold power.

The romance between Lorelai and Sylvia unfolds gradually, with their relationship growing in the background as they face both external and internal struggles. The tension builds slowly but surely, creating a strong emotional payoff as barriers are broken down.

The magical creatures like Nixies, Maras, and brownies enhance the folklore-inspired atmosphere, drawing readers deeper into the world of Brunnestaad. These magical beings, coupled with the rich and mysterious setting, give the story a sense of wonder and danger that keeps you on edge.

The expedition's political intrigue is another important facet, as the group must navigate both the physical dangers of the wilderness and the emotional landmines of their own relationships. The backdrop of King Wilhelm’s reign, the quest for power, and the secrets of the Ursprung provide the story with a layered complexity that feels immersive.

Allison Saft's writing in A Dark and Drowning Tide is atmospheric and lyrical, perfectly capturing the fairy-tale quality of the world she’s created. The German-inspired kingdom of Brunnestaad, with its enchanted forests, magical rivers, and shifting landscapes, is brought to life through rich descriptions and vivid imagery.

Saft’s prose has a timeless, folklore-like quality that seamlessly blends fairy tales and fantasy tropes. The world-building is intricate, and the slow unraveling of the murder mystery fits perfectly with the methodical pace of the romance and the journey. You will be swept away on a magical expedition that feels both familiar and refreshingly new.

Folklore is a central theme in the novel, and Saft explores how the myths and stories of the past influence the present. The character of Lorelai, in particular, grapples with the power and meaning of stories, as she seeks to create a future for herself beyond the expectations placed upon her.

Themes of class and social status are also explored, as Lorelai, a Yeva, is restricted by her second-class citizenship. This dynamic plays out in both the personal and political struggles she faces, as she attempts to prove herself in a society that has placed barriers in her path.

Another key theme is the concept of transformation—both magical and personal. From the shapeshifting creatures to the emotional growth of the characters, A Dark and Drowning Tide delves into how change, both physical and emotional, can be a powerful force in shaping destiny.

A Dark and Drowning Tide fits comfortably within the journey fantasy subgenre, reminiscent of works like The Hobbit. The expedition structure, complete with perilous landscapes and magical creatures, will appeal to readers who enjoy classic fantasy adventure tales. Additionally, the novel's dark academia vibe, combined with its folkloric elements and murder mystery, creates a unique blend that fans of atmospheric, character-driven stories will love.

Positives of A Dark and Drowning Tide

Beautiful, lyrical writing with strong folkloric influences.

Slow-burn romance that’s both tender and emotionally satisfying.

Complex characters with deep emotional arcs, especially the dynamic between Lorelai and Sylvia.

Intriguing murder mystery plot that keeps you guessing.

Rich world-building in a German-inspired magical kingdom with fascinating creatures.

Negatives of A Dark and Drowning Tide

Slow pacing may not appeal to readers looking for a fast-moving plot.

The murder mystery, while intriguing, sometimes feels secondary to the romance and character development.

Some readers might find the magical and political complexities hard to follow.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft is a beautifully written fantasy novel that weaves together elements of folklore, mystery, and romance. With complex characters, a richly imagined world, and a slow-burn romance that will tug at your heartstrings, it’s a must-read for fans of atmospheric and character-driven fantasy. Though the pacing may be slow for some, the depth of emotion and the magical setting make it a truly enchanting read. Highly recommended for fantasy lovers who enjoy rich world-building and a dash of romance.

❤️ Gothic Fantasy

❤️ Romance

❤️ WLW

❤️ Little spice

❤️ LGBTQIA+



I enjoyed reading this book but I don’t think that it is for me.

The characters

I really liked Lorelai’s character, she felt like the best written, with her motives and personality feeling fully fleshed out. I just felt I couldn’t connect with the other characters as well because I was never able to trust them fully.

The romance

The romance was my favourite part of this book, I loved how their story was depicted and how the reason that they would avoid each other made sense.

The plot

I really enjoy the idea of the plot, especially at the start. But for me, it felt like there were too many plots happening at once. Trying to remember every motive for each character and certain details while also focusing on the romance, it just felt like to much.

Who would I recommend it to?

I would recommend this book to people who have already read books in this genre and are looking for another interesting read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.