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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall, it was okay. 3 stars.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3.5/5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 😊