What do you think?
Rate this book
A Dark and Drowning Tide
A sharp-tongued folklorist and her academic rival must solve their mentor's murder in this lush sapphic fantasy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic.
Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness to secure his reign of the embattled country, and Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and to make her dream come to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to faraway lands.
The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader—Lorelei's beloved mentor—is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are her five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her long-time academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before a coup begins and the murderer strikes again.
But there are other dangers lurking in the forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons waiting beneath the water, and shapeshifting beasts out for blood. As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth—and resist their growing feelings for one another—they discover that their professor had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, or if this kingdom is worth saving at all.
Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness to secure his reign of the embattled country, and Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and to make her dream come to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to faraway lands.
The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader—Lorelei's beloved mentor—is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are her five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her long-time academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before a coup begins and the murderer strikes again.
But there are other dangers lurking in the forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons waiting beneath the water, and shapeshifting beasts out for blood. As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth—and resist their growing feelings for one another—they discover that their professor had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, or if this kingdom is worth saving at all.
Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2024
About the author
Allison Saft
6 books2,530 followersAllison Saft is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic and Down Comes the Night. After receiving her MA in English Literature from Tulane University, she moved from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast, where she spends her time rolling on eight wheels and practicing aerial silks. She lives with her partner and an Italian greyhound named Marzipan.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,271 reviews
August 30, 2024
you had me at sapphic academic rivalry
okay but i may have gone a little insane reading this.
Read my full review here
thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review
okay but i may have gone a little insane reading this.
Read my full review here
thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review
September 28, 2024
Ever heard of "backpack fantasy"? (Shoutout to Zana who enlightened me). At first, I had a little laugh at how oddly specific it is but then I found out Tolkien and T. Kingfisher are part of the crew, so apparently, I've been into it this whole time without even knowing.
Fast forward to A Dark and Drowning Tide, and it seems that we can go even more niche: I’m a folklore-inspired backpack fantasy murder mystery romance with a splash of dark academia stan because sentient forests that rearrange themselves at night, fantastical wildlife and botany, and a hiking buddy who’s your rival but also annoyingly charming checked all the boxes I never knew I had.
So yeah, Allison Saft is now firmly in my top new author discoveries for 2024, and I’m ready to add every book she has written or will write in the future to my TBR pile. This book had some of my favourite tropes, premise settings and rep:
• Grumpy cynic/sunshine optimist
• Slow-burn academic rivals to reluctant allies to lovers
• Forbidden romance vibes
• Childhood friends group cast where everyone is in love with each other
• One bed/tent
• Fantasy adventure expedition/quest filled with nature and magical flora and fauna
• Murder mystery
• Sapphic romance
• Jewish-inspired rep
• Tortured yearning
• Abundance of German folklore and fairytales
• Unique magic system
Lorelai our self-sabotaging and aloof FMC, and Sylvia, our secondary FMC who is a ray-of-sunshine naturalist and basically Newt Scamander and Steve Irwin’s lovechild, make for an unforgettable duo.
Moreover, I cared not just for the main characters but also for the morally grey whodunnit supporting characters, who all had realistic motivations and desires. Sure, some are more insufferable than others but there are some fabulous trope subversions. Plus, there are multiple female friendships and queerness is normalised amongst multiple characters.
Notably, I always appreciate immersive world-building that doesn't bog me down with clunky info dumps and that's exactly what I got in this book. Set in the German-inspired kingdom of Brunnestaad, this tale swept me away on a magical expedition through vast rivers, enchanted forests, snow-capped mountains, magical secret springs and charming small villages. On top of that, it introduced a unique magic system and hinted at some deliciously devious political scheming. I found the style of prose really suited to my tastes, lush and descriptive yet refreshingly free of flowery excess.
Nonetheless, it’s not all whimsical escapades. The story also tackles serious themes like anti-Semitism and prejudice. It’s a fantastical journey that navigates both a mesmerising world and the complexities of the human experience, explorations of loneliness and belonging as well as imparting timeless lessons about respecting and revering the natural world. As a nature and wildlife enthusiast myself, I was pretty smitten!
For the ultimate experience, go in with as little knowledge as possible. The story, with its clever twists and incredibly unique characters and magical creatures and beings, is best enjoyed with a fresh perspective. Trust me, you’ll want to savour every surprise as it unfolds. Highly recommend!
My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & Daphne Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
🔹🔹🔹
Trying to dial down my NetGalley addiction but this had me at academic rivals romance, murder mystery, perilous forests and river dragons!
Fast forward to A Dark and Drowning Tide, and it seems that we can go even more niche: I’m a folklore-inspired backpack fantasy murder mystery romance with a splash of dark academia stan because sentient forests that rearrange themselves at night, fantastical wildlife and botany, and a hiking buddy who’s your rival but also annoyingly charming checked all the boxes I never knew I had.
So yeah, Allison Saft is now firmly in my top new author discoveries for 2024, and I’m ready to add every book she has written or will write in the future to my TBR pile. This book had some of my favourite tropes, premise settings and rep:
• Grumpy cynic/sunshine optimist
• Slow-burn academic rivals to reluctant allies to lovers
• Forbidden romance vibes
• Childhood friends group cast where everyone is in love with each other
• One bed/tent
• Fantasy adventure expedition/quest filled with nature and magical flora and fauna
• Murder mystery
• Sapphic romance
• Jewish-inspired rep
• Tortured yearning
• Abundance of German folklore and fairytales
• Unique magic system
Lorelai our self-sabotaging and aloof FMC, and Sylvia, our secondary FMC who is a ray-of-sunshine naturalist and basically Newt Scamander and Steve Irwin’s lovechild, make for an unforgettable duo.
Moreover, I cared not just for the main characters but also for the morally grey whodunnit supporting characters, who all had realistic motivations and desires. Sure, some are more insufferable than others but there are some fabulous trope subversions. Plus, there are multiple female friendships and queerness is normalised amongst multiple characters.
Notably, I always appreciate immersive world-building that doesn't bog me down with clunky info dumps and that's exactly what I got in this book. Set in the German-inspired kingdom of Brunnestaad, this tale swept me away on a magical expedition through vast rivers, enchanted forests, snow-capped mountains, magical secret springs and charming small villages. On top of that, it introduced a unique magic system and hinted at some deliciously devious political scheming. I found the style of prose really suited to my tastes, lush and descriptive yet refreshingly free of flowery excess.
Nonetheless, it’s not all whimsical escapades. The story also tackles serious themes like anti-Semitism and prejudice. It’s a fantastical journey that navigates both a mesmerising world and the complexities of the human experience, explorations of loneliness and belonging as well as imparting timeless lessons about respecting and revering the natural world. As a nature and wildlife enthusiast myself, I was pretty smitten!
For the ultimate experience, go in with as little knowledge as possible. The story, with its clever twists and incredibly unique characters and magical creatures and beings, is best enjoyed with a fresh perspective. Trust me, you’ll want to savour every surprise as it unfolds. Highly recommend!
My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & Daphne Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
🔹🔹🔹
May 6, 2024
Bleeding with folklore, adorned in the atmosphere of a sentient forest, and hung with tension and yearning so thick you can feel it like a mist curling around your heart, A DARK AND DROWNING TIDE is the Jewish, sapphic romantasy of my dreams.
Call me delusional but I’m convinced Allison Saft wrote this book for me. (Sapphic, check! Jewish MC, check!! Folklore-heavy, check!!! Discusses antisemitism in fairytales as a major theme, check?! Sentient forests, check!! Dark academic elements, check!!!!)
A DARK AND DROWNING TIDE has been luring me in like a siren song since its announcement, calling my name as it pulled me into its alluring tide. And as soon as my toes hit the water, I was torn beneath the surface and down into its depths by my ankles. My lungs swelling with rich atmosphere, my eyes burning with the salty sentimentality of the characters, and my throat singing with the reverberations of gorgeous prose as this story swallowed me with a gulp.
We enter a world of fantasy, of fairytale, and of mystery, as Lorelei Kaskel—a folklorist—sets out on an expedition with six nobles to seek out a fabled magical body of water for the king. But when she finds her mentor—who is also the expedition’s leader—dead in the middle of the night, tensions grow high. Lorelei must work with her academic rival, Sylvia von Wolff, to solve her mentor’s murder, all while taking over the leadership of the expedition and dealing with political and emotional turmoil of her own. Not to mention the dangers that lay beyond in the forest ahead and in the court back home. Oh, and all of her peers hate her. As she makes her way through the thick foliage of a political and literal landscape, Lorelai has to decide what risks are worth taking and who is worth trusting.
The melody of this book’s themes soothed me like a monster’s caress: its tender yet sharp exploration of fairytales and the prejudice that lies within them. I felt so seen by our main character that it ached. Her Jewishness and her experience with antisemitism profoundly colors her worldview and therefore the entire book. Its pages are saturated with the hues of hatred I’ve grown to know all too well, as Lorelai struggles with the way she’s been painted as a villain or a witch or a monster just for existing as herself. As a Jew. And the grief and survivor’s guilt and fear and pain that comes with that existence.
But the bloody and fatal sting of this book’s siren’s kiss was its romance. Alexa, play Abstract (Psychopomp) by Hozier. There was so much heart-wrenching angst and the characters burned with such yearning and desire, they left scorch marks in my heart. I found myself making noises that were far too inhuman (maybe some of the wildness of this book worked its way down my throat and into my vocal chords). I’ve been craving a sapphic romantasy that gets the tension just right, and Allison Saft absolutely delivered on this front.
I’m not sure I’ve quite emerged from Saft’s taloned and tranquilizing grasp. And if I ever do find my way back to the surface, my water-logged heart will never quite be the same.
If you’re looking for a sapphic Jewish story with the perfect blend of fantasy, folklore, dark academia, and romance that will seize your heart and tear your hair out and linger like a ghost long after you’ve left it behind, run and do not walk to pick up A DARK AND DROWNING TIDE. (The alp will get you if you don’t.)
Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC! This is my honest review!
CW: death, murder, antisemitism, eugenics, colonization, grief, loss of sibling, blood & gore, violence, dead body, injury detail, drowning, drugging, fire, emesis, alcohol consumption
Call me delusional but I’m convinced Allison Saft wrote this book for me. (Sapphic, check! Jewish MC, check!! Folklore-heavy, check!!! Discusses antisemitism in fairytales as a major theme, check?! Sentient forests, check!! Dark academic elements, check!!!!)
A DARK AND DROWNING TIDE has been luring me in like a siren song since its announcement, calling my name as it pulled me into its alluring tide. And as soon as my toes hit the water, I was torn beneath the surface and down into its depths by my ankles. My lungs swelling with rich atmosphere, my eyes burning with the salty sentimentality of the characters, and my throat singing with the reverberations of gorgeous prose as this story swallowed me with a gulp.
We enter a world of fantasy, of fairytale, and of mystery, as Lorelei Kaskel—a folklorist—sets out on an expedition with six nobles to seek out a fabled magical body of water for the king. But when she finds her mentor—who is also the expedition’s leader—dead in the middle of the night, tensions grow high. Lorelei must work with her academic rival, Sylvia von Wolff, to solve her mentor’s murder, all while taking over the leadership of the expedition and dealing with political and emotional turmoil of her own. Not to mention the dangers that lay beyond in the forest ahead and in the court back home. Oh, and all of her peers hate her. As she makes her way through the thick foliage of a political and literal landscape, Lorelai has to decide what risks are worth taking and who is worth trusting.
The melody of this book’s themes soothed me like a monster’s caress: its tender yet sharp exploration of fairytales and the prejudice that lies within them. I felt so seen by our main character that it ached. Her Jewishness and her experience with antisemitism profoundly colors her worldview and therefore the entire book. Its pages are saturated with the hues of hatred I’ve grown to know all too well, as Lorelai struggles with the way she’s been painted as a villain or a witch or a monster just for existing as herself. As a Jew. And the grief and survivor’s guilt and fear and pain that comes with that existence.
But the bloody and fatal sting of this book’s siren’s kiss was its romance. Alexa, play Abstract (Psychopomp) by Hozier. There was so much heart-wrenching angst and the characters burned with such yearning and desire, they left scorch marks in my heart. I found myself making noises that were far too inhuman (maybe some of the wildness of this book worked its way down my throat and into my vocal chords). I’ve been craving a sapphic romantasy that gets the tension just right, and Allison Saft absolutely delivered on this front.
I’m not sure I’ve quite emerged from Saft’s taloned and tranquilizing grasp. And if I ever do find my way back to the surface, my water-logged heart will never quite be the same.
If you’re looking for a sapphic Jewish story with the perfect blend of fantasy, folklore, dark academia, and romance that will seize your heart and tear your hair out and linger like a ghost long after you’ve left it behind, run and do not walk to pick up A DARK AND DROWNING TIDE. (The alp will get you if you don’t.)
Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC! This is my honest review!
CW: death, murder, antisemitism, eugenics, colonization, grief, loss of sibling, blood & gore, violence, dead body, injury detail, drowning, drugging, fire, emesis, alcohol consumption
September 28, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
Yearning is so BACK, baby!!!
Yearning is so BACK, baby!!!
November 14, 2023
the dynamic where A believes that loving them will be the hardest thing ever or that someone like B couldn't possibly love someone like A, and then there's B who loves A as easy as breathing.. i cry every time
January 3, 2024
‧₊˚ ┊ 4.5 ☆
➼ no spoilers !!
~ thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy in exchange for my honest review !!
🎧 — Delicate by Taylor Swift
─────────────── I WENT IN NOT KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT AND FINISHED AND KNEW THAT I WOULD DEFINITELY NOT GET OVER THEM. This was my first arc and I was soso excited and I'm actually so happy that I loved this one and the experience was good for me. This book gave me such strong vibes of Kristin Cashore's Graceling series, and it might've just been because I haven't read a book like this in some time but it gave such huge matching vibes. This was the first book I've read from Allison and I'm definitely eager to pick up her other book as well. i was honestly so desperate for this to live up to my expectations and I'm so happy that it didn't disappoint. I'm honestly not even sure how to describe my feelings about it but I'll try my absolute best.
➵ the writing. was so fucking gorgeous, I'm in love with her writing style. The tale has been intertwined with so many different topics so beautifully that I adored it so much. It was written so elegantly and was so enticing, it made me want to keep going. I feel like even if I didn't like the actual book, I would have continued solely for the writing. I did get confused at times, but it's morely because I'm slow than anything else. Another thing I loved was how Allison put modern fairytales and gave it her own twist. It was a new aspect that I haven't really seen before and it made me so giddy. The plot was so interesting to me, even if it shocked me for it to end up as who I thought was way too obvious and another who I didn't even think about 😭. The entire time, I suspected others. In my defense, it made more sense. Everything about the writing was so perfect, I adored it. Some of the quotes are so beautiful, they hold a special place in my heart.
➵ the worldbuilding. confusing the fuck out of me shouldn't even be surprising at this point. It's a regular occurrence!! But I love how it was built, how the things were described and how uniquely they were constructed. It literally reminded me of Kung fu panda: the dragon knight 💀💀. But from what I got, there are several different countries and the king combined them into one country as a whole. Or maybe not. as I said, lost ✨.
➵ the romance. the thing that had me screaming pretty much the entire book. I literally love love love the romance so much. This was the first time I read a sapphic rivals to lovers, and I'm so glad I decided to apply for it. It did feel a little choppy, because Sylvia kinda just started caring for her out of nowhere. I wish it had been a little more gradual, but it wasn't so bad that it tipped the whole romance off. It was super slow burn, and I swear I was giggling when they literally held hands and I'm not even slightly ashamed. Sylvia and Lorelei own my heart, i love them so much 🫶🏼. their banter, the way they looked at each other, the way the talked, everything ‼️
➵ the characters. while well written, irked me off. There was depth to them, there were layers, and you connected to them. however, it felt like you could only connect to them to a certain extent. It frustrated so much at times. You knew what the characters were feeling but you weren't feeling what they were feeling, and, in my opinion, that's a huge part of reading. It's not just about telling the readers about how they felt, it's about feeling what they felt. kind of like "show not tell" .
Reading about Lorelei and Sylvia was such an adventure, about them being so hopelessly in love and constantly denying made me scream and die and fall in love. I finished and read more than half the book one night, and I swear I was kicking my feet and feeling all warm and fuzzy the entire time the words flowed through the page. Sylvia and Lorelei made this book so much better, forget the mystery aspect. That itself had me ripping my hair out in an anxious attempt to find out who the fuck did what. Literally what do I need to say to convince you to add this book to your tbr and wait for it to release in anxiousness? I'm literally impatient for it to release so I can snatch a physical copy 😋.
YALL THERE'S A LETTER SUB-TROPE, SOBBINGGGG-
⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒
𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 ‧₊˚✩彡
𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐢 𝐊𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐥
"He deserves to be yelled at," she said spitefully. "I wish he could understand how unimpressed I am with him. Perhaps we should leave him here to die."
this girl was everything 😭. she was so brutally honest and savage, I was cackling half the time. Lorelei is such a strong and firm-willed character, I'm so glad we got her as our main lead. She was smart, courageous, brave, and badass. I love her. She was determined, she knew what she was doingmostly. She was insecure, she's never had anyone care for her as Sylvia wanted to and watching her experience it all was so heart ache inducing. Her lines were everything, I adored them sm. She was so witty and sarcastic, my favorite. She's a character I could have connected to brilliantly if there wasn't that little blockage I felt, but I feel as if I already connected with her on so many levels.
𝐒𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐯𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐥𝐟𝐟
"Go on, then. Far be it from me to distract you." Sylvia smiled beautifully.
"Wonderful! Then please be quiet." Lorelei had half mind to shove her into the river, but she complied.
the way she always snapped back at lorelei had me dying 🫸🏼. She was literally the only one who could handle her girl, it was hilarious. Sylvia was reckless and wild, much unlike Lorelei. Then again, opposites do attract! Tbh, she was so like Lorelei, the two of them were just so eager to deny such notion. The way Lorelei made fun of her for being called moon princessor something like that 😭. She was everything. She was sassy, smart, and balanced. The way I saw that she would have to do it from miles away, but it was somehow still unexpected? I adored Sylvia, and the fact that she's a princess is sm better 🤭
𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐒𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐚
THESE. TWO. WHERE. EVERYTHING!!! I'm literally in love with them, you do not understand guys. they were so perfect? THE LETTERS, THE LETTERS STOP IT OMG 😭😭. Someone kill me, they didn't even tell us what the letters were, but i died 😩. THE WAY LORELEI DID NOT HESITATE TO KILL FOR HER. I adore these two, I can't evenn. Lorelei read all her books and denied it too 🤭. She talked described her as beautiful as the moon and water, and how every breath without her was like she was dying. GOOD BYE.
⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒
quotes and playlist to come soon!!
⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒
𓏲 . ˙ ˖ 🎀 ꒱ POST-READ REVIEW
"which means that one of the people in this room killed zeigler"
me: iT's tHe nIcE oNe, iT'S aLwAyS tHe nIcE oNE 👹👹
bye, i don't think i can even explain my feelings for this book, how tf am i supposed to write a review about this??? someone send help!! and my throat is kinda sore from screaming over them holding hands like 490234092384 pages later 😔🫸🏼
⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒
𓏲 . ˙ ˖ 🎀 ꒱ PRE-READ REVIEW
DID I JUST GET ACCEPTED FOR MY FIRST ARC 😦🫸🏼
➼ no spoilers !!
~ thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy in exchange for my honest review !!
"There's time." Sylvia cradled her jaw, a fond smile playing on her lips. "I want you however I can have you. I want you brutal, I wat you tender, and I want you at your best and your worst. Saints. I want you, Lorelei..."
🎧 — Delicate by Taylor Swift
─────────────── I WENT IN NOT KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT AND FINISHED AND KNEW THAT I WOULD DEFINITELY NOT GET OVER THEM. This was my first arc and I was soso excited and I'm actually so happy that I loved this one and the experience was good for me. This book gave me such strong vibes of Kristin Cashore's Graceling series, and it might've just been because I haven't read a book like this in some time but it gave such huge matching vibes. This was the first book I've read from Allison and I'm definitely eager to pick up her other book as well. i was honestly so desperate for this to live up to my expectations and I'm so happy that it didn't disappoint. I'm honestly not even sure how to describe my feelings about it but I'll try my absolute best.
➵ the writing. was so fucking gorgeous, I'm in love with her writing style. The tale has been intertwined with so many different topics so beautifully that I adored it so much. It was written so elegantly and was so enticing, it made me want to keep going. I feel like even if I didn't like the actual book, I would have continued solely for the writing. I did get confused at times, but it's morely because I'm slow than anything else. Another thing I loved was how Allison put modern fairytales and gave it her own twist. It was a new aspect that I haven't really seen before and it made me so giddy. The plot was so interesting to me, even if it shocked me for it to end up as who I thought was way too obvious and another who I didn't even think about 😭. The entire time, I suspected others. In my defense, it made more sense. Everything about the writing was so perfect, I adored it. Some of the quotes are so beautiful, they hold a special place in my heart.
➵ the worldbuilding. confusing the fuck out of me shouldn't even be surprising at this point. It's a regular occurrence!! But I love how it was built, how the things were described and how uniquely they were constructed. It literally reminded me of Kung fu panda: the dragon knight 💀💀. But from what I got, there are several different countries and the king combined them into one country as a whole. Or maybe not. as I said, lost ✨.
➵ the romance. the thing that had me screaming pretty much the entire book. I literally love love love the romance so much. This was the first time I read a sapphic rivals to lovers, and I'm so glad I decided to apply for it. It did feel a little choppy, because Sylvia kinda just started caring for her out of nowhere. I wish it had been a little more gradual, but it wasn't so bad that it tipped the whole romance off. It was super slow burn, and I swear I was giggling when they literally held hands and I'm not even slightly ashamed. Sylvia and Lorelei own my heart, i love them so much 🫶🏼. their banter, the way they looked at each other, the way the talked, everything ‼️
➵ the characters. while well written, irked me off. There was depth to them, there were layers, and you connected to them. however, it felt like you could only connect to them to a certain extent. It frustrated so much at times. You knew what the characters were feeling but you weren't feeling what they were feeling, and, in my opinion, that's a huge part of reading. It's not just about telling the readers about how they felt, it's about feeling what they felt. kind of like "show not tell" .
Reading about Lorelei and Sylvia was such an adventure, about them being so hopelessly in love and constantly denying made me scream and die and fall in love. I finished and read more than half the book one night, and I swear I was kicking my feet and feeling all warm and fuzzy the entire time the words flowed through the page. Sylvia and Lorelei made this book so much better, forget the mystery aspect. That itself had me ripping my hair out in an anxious attempt to find out who the fuck did what. Literally what do I need to say to convince you to add this book to your tbr and wait for it to release in anxiousness? I'm literally impatient for it to release so I can snatch a physical copy 😋.
YALL THERE'S A LETTER SUB-TROPE, SOBBINGGGG-
⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒
𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 ‧₊˚✩彡
𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐢 𝐊𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐥
"He deserves to be yelled at," she said spitefully. "I wish he could understand how unimpressed I am with him. Perhaps we should leave him here to die."
this girl was everything 😭. she was so brutally honest and savage, I was cackling half the time. Lorelei is such a strong and firm-willed character, I'm so glad we got her as our main lead. She was smart, courageous, brave, and badass. I love her. She was determined, she knew what she was doing
𝐒𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐯𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐥𝐟𝐟
"Go on, then. Far be it from me to distract you." Sylvia smiled beautifully.
"Wonderful! Then please be quiet." Lorelei had half mind to shove her into the river, but she complied.
the way she always snapped back at lorelei had me dying 🫸🏼. She was literally the only one who could handle her girl, it was hilarious. Sylvia was reckless and wild, much unlike Lorelei. Then again, opposites do attract! Tbh, she was so like Lorelei, the two of them were just so eager to deny such notion. The way Lorelei made fun of her for being called moon princess
𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐒𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐚
THESE. TWO. WHERE. EVERYTHING!!! I'm literally in love with them, you do not understand guys. they were so perfect? THE LETTERS, THE LETTERS STOP IT OMG 😭😭. Someone kill me, they didn't even tell us what the letters were, but i died 😩. THE WAY LORELEI DID NOT HESITATE TO KILL FOR HER. I adore these two, I can't evenn. Lorelei read all her books and denied it too 🤭. She talked described her as beautiful as the moon and water, and how every breath without her was like she was dying. GOOD BYE.
⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒
quotes and playlist to come soon!!
⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒
𓏲 . ˙ ˖ 🎀 ꒱ POST-READ REVIEW
"which means that one of the people in this room killed zeigler"
me: iT's tHe nIcE oNe, iT'S aLwAyS tHe nIcE oNE 👹👹
bye, i don't think i can even explain my feelings for this book, how tf am i supposed to write a review about this??? someone send help!! and my throat is kinda sore from screaming over them holding hands like 490234092384 pages later 😔🫸🏼
⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒
𓏲 . ˙ ˖ 🎀 ꒱ PRE-READ REVIEW
DID I JUST GET ACCEPTED FOR MY FIRST ARC 😦🫸🏼
September 18, 2024
A Dark and Drowning Tide is the upcoming Adult debut for beloved author, Allison Saft. I have loved all three of Saft's previous YA Fantasy releases, with my favorite probably being, A Fragile Enchantment.
Saft's writing is accessible and fluid. It's magical and enchanting, but without feeling overly-done. Her plots never get drowned out by flowery writing. It's easy to follow along and become emotionally attached to her characters, as well.
In this story we mainly follow Lorelei, who is a folklorist making her way through her academic career. At the start of the tale, she's getting ready to set out on a serious expedition with her mentor and some peers.
Their goal is to find a fabled spring said to be a powerful source of magic. They're being commissioned by the King, who believes the powers of this spring will help him better secure his reign of their embattled country.
Shortly after the group boards the ship however, the unthinkable happens. Lorelei's mentor, their group leader, is murdered in the middle of the night. An ominous start.
Since the ship was sailing at the time, the suspects are limited. It has to be one amongst them. To me, Lorelei's academic rival, Sylvia, is immediately suspicious.
She keeps popping up at strange times and places. A bit of a midnight wanderer, if you will...
But Lorelei feels she is innocent. Plus, the four others have equal amounts of motive. Honestly, it could be any of them.
It's too late to turn back though, so Lorelei takes charge and hopes that they'll be able to find the spring before the murderer strikes again. Unfortunately, dangers do not just lie aboard the ship, there's dangers all around them.
The group knows they need to band together in order to survive, but that's easier said than done. Tensions are high and tempers flare on a regular basis. Is anyone going to make it through this expedition alive?
Saft's Adult Fantasy debut succeeded in transporting me to another time and place. I had a very good time reading this, although I will say, it definitely has a more serious tone than her YA stories. Nevertheless, it's still as powerful.
This also had a slower build than her YA-stories, but I did like the introduction to the characters prior to them setting out on the expedition. Once they board the ship though, that's when things really pick up.
I enjoyed the combination of the academic side of this story mixed with the dangerous Fantasy world. I thought that was a lot of fun. The expedition provided plenty of setting changes and you were seeing unique circumstances in each one, different terrain, magical creatures, etc.
The expedition group has a good mix of personalities and there's a lot of tension running among them, which provided solid drama throughout. Some of them were fairly insufferable, but I love having characters to hate.
There's also a light Romance element to this; an enemies-to-lovers trope that develops nicely over the course of the story. The Romance, IMO, isn't the focus of the story, but it does provide a means for developing the two characters involved more deeply.
Saft's character work is always top notch and happily, that carried over into this Adult release. There's also a ton of action though, so Plot Lovers, you won't be disappointed.
Overall, I think this is a sensational Adult debut, and I feel like so many Readers are going to absolutely adore it, and I know I'll continue picking up Saft's work regardless of what age category it falls into.
Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is a lush, exciting, engaging and entertaining read!
Saft's writing is accessible and fluid. It's magical and enchanting, but without feeling overly-done. Her plots never get drowned out by flowery writing. It's easy to follow along and become emotionally attached to her characters, as well.
In this story we mainly follow Lorelei, who is a folklorist making her way through her academic career. At the start of the tale, she's getting ready to set out on a serious expedition with her mentor and some peers.
Their goal is to find a fabled spring said to be a powerful source of magic. They're being commissioned by the King, who believes the powers of this spring will help him better secure his reign of their embattled country.
Shortly after the group boards the ship however, the unthinkable happens. Lorelei's mentor, their group leader, is murdered in the middle of the night. An ominous start.
Since the ship was sailing at the time, the suspects are limited. It has to be one amongst them. To me, Lorelei's academic rival, Sylvia, is immediately suspicious.
She keeps popping up at strange times and places. A bit of a midnight wanderer, if you will...
But Lorelei feels she is innocent. Plus, the four others have equal amounts of motive. Honestly, it could be any of them.
It's too late to turn back though, so Lorelei takes charge and hopes that they'll be able to find the spring before the murderer strikes again. Unfortunately, dangers do not just lie aboard the ship, there's dangers all around them.
The group knows they need to band together in order to survive, but that's easier said than done. Tensions are high and tempers flare on a regular basis. Is anyone going to make it through this expedition alive?
Saft's Adult Fantasy debut succeeded in transporting me to another time and place. I had a very good time reading this, although I will say, it definitely has a more serious tone than her YA stories. Nevertheless, it's still as powerful.
This also had a slower build than her YA-stories, but I did like the introduction to the characters prior to them setting out on the expedition. Once they board the ship though, that's when things really pick up.
I enjoyed the combination of the academic side of this story mixed with the dangerous Fantasy world. I thought that was a lot of fun. The expedition provided plenty of setting changes and you were seeing unique circumstances in each one, different terrain, magical creatures, etc.
The expedition group has a good mix of personalities and there's a lot of tension running among them, which provided solid drama throughout. Some of them were fairly insufferable, but I love having characters to hate.
There's also a light Romance element to this; an enemies-to-lovers trope that develops nicely over the course of the story. The Romance, IMO, isn't the focus of the story, but it does provide a means for developing the two characters involved more deeply.
Saft's character work is always top notch and happily, that carried over into this Adult release. There's also a ton of action though, so Plot Lovers, you won't be disappointed.
Overall, I think this is a sensational Adult debut, and I feel like so many Readers are going to absolutely adore it, and I know I'll continue picking up Saft's work regardless of what age category it falls into.
Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is a lush, exciting, engaging and entertaining read!
June 4, 2024
A sapphic rivals to lovers taking place over the length of a folkloric expedition in order to find a magical spring sounds so up my alley that it was soul crushing that the best thing I can say about this book as a whole is that I’m relatively ambivalent towards it. Where I was expecting a more fleshed out expedition rich in magic and folklore I primarily got a not-so-well fleshed out whodunnit murder mystery that checked so many formulaic boxes and investigated so many people that were just random cut outs instead of fully realized characters that I just got bored. Lorelai, our main character, is also so frustrating to be in the head of that I wanted to rip my hair out. Being in the head of someone who hates other people so much and also refuses to feel her full range of emotions makes it incredibly hard to care about any of the side characters, which was disappointing as I think I would’ve liked the book a smidge more if I cared. Even the folklore, which I was most excited for, felt so crammed into the story that I was getting annoyed every single time a new, random story was brought up. The whole of this really was boring and I felt as there was no reason for me to care about anyone or anything. Maybe I’m just having a bad day, but nothing about this surprised me and almost nothing made me feel anything. It's an incredibly sad day for me when I have to say that atmosphere doesn't hold a book together.
One thing I think was handled really well was how Saft used Lorelai’s heritage (fantasy Jewish) to discuss antisemitism and hatred that is still incredibly rampant. The most hard hitting moments were memories from Lorelai’s life where her and her family had to deal with so much hate anywhere they went and the way that she had to go through with this mission so she would hopefully be seen as a citizen with full status, something her people were not readily given.
I don’t like how the villain(s) or resolutions were handled and found the message to be… weirdly pro-colonialism? Or at least accepting of colonialism? It left a bad taste in my mouth, especially as we were shown all the harm that the conquering nation did. Maybe it was just a bit half-baked, but it left a sour taste in my mouth as our “good” characters were so anti-revolution. I think this was an attempt to flesh out everyone a bit more, but it fell flat with the end message.
I think I may be being extra harsh on this because it sounded so perfectly up my alley and I am now sitting here, a bit heartbroken that it wasn’t. This wasn’t a bad book, I’m just completely ambivalent towards it.
2.5/5
Thank you netgalley for the arc
One thing I think was handled really well was how Saft used Lorelai’s heritage (fantasy Jewish) to discuss antisemitism and hatred that is still incredibly rampant. The most hard hitting moments were memories from Lorelai’s life where her and her family had to deal with so much hate anywhere they went and the way that she had to go through with this mission so she would hopefully be seen as a citizen with full status, something her people were not readily given.
I don’t like how the villain(s) or resolutions were handled and found the message to be… weirdly pro-colonialism? Or at least accepting of colonialism? It left a bad taste in my mouth, especially as we were shown all the harm that the conquering nation did. Maybe it was just a bit half-baked, but it left a sour taste in my mouth as our “good” characters were so anti-revolution. I think this was an attempt to flesh out everyone a bit more, but it fell flat with the end message.
I think I may be being extra harsh on this because it sounded so perfectly up my alley and I am now sitting here, a bit heartbroken that it wasn’t. This wasn’t a bad book, I’m just completely ambivalent towards it.
2.5/5
Thank you netgalley for the arc
January 11, 2024
Prepare to be immersed in the enchanting depths of "A Dark and Drowning Tide," where Allison Saft orchestrates a mesmerizing tale of mystery, magic, and self-discovery. This sapphic dark academic rivals-to-lovers romance, adorned with German folklore, unfolds as a slow burn ignited by remarkable banter, ensnaring readers right from the opening notes.
Saft masterfully crafts a plot-driven narrative, weaving elements of magic, mystery, and a spellbinding quest that keeps you teetering on the precipice of anticipation. The prose isn't just delicious; it's a lyrical symphony, painting vivid tapestries of landscapes and characters imbued with profound depth. The magic system's uniqueness and the atmospheric setting contribute to the lush canvas of the story.
At the story's core are Lorelei and Sylvia, whose love story blossoms amidst a tapestry of faeries, unexpected twists, and a mystical murder mystery. Sylvia, an embodiment of passion and kindness, acts as the perfect counterbalance to the grumpy and emotionally intricate Lorelei. Their dynamic journey evokes a whirlwind of emotions, creating a profound connection between the reader and their enthralling tale.
Saft's exploration of societal reform and the burden of survivor's guilt adds layers of complexity to the characters, particularly Lorelei. As the narrative unfolds, themes of self-discovery and emotional growth seamlessly intertwine with the central mystery. The beautifully perfect ending delivers a satisfying resolution that will undoubtedly leave a cascade of emotions in its wake.
This book showcases Saft's storytelling prowess. The nuanced characters, vibrant landscapes, and suspense-laden plot coalesce into a reading experience that is both atmospheric and character-driven. Saft ingeniously melds fantasy, mystery, and romance, providing readers with a narrative that is not just gripping but also deeply immersive.
In the realm of Brunnestaad, where forests shift ominously and rivers conceal dragons in their depths, Saft beckons readers on an enthralling expedition through treacherous beauty. The pursuit of truth becomes a harmonious dance with the characters' self-discovery, rendering this novel essential for those yearning for narratives that resonate on emotional frequencies.
Overall, "A Dark and Drowning Tide" is not merely a book; it's a symphony that transports readers to a realm where magic, suspense, and moral dilemmas converge. Allison Saft's bewitching novel leaves an indelible mark, and aficionados will eagerly await her future compositions, craving more of her enthralling storytelling.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballentine/ Del rey for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium blog
instagram
facebook
twitter
Saft masterfully crafts a plot-driven narrative, weaving elements of magic, mystery, and a spellbinding quest that keeps you teetering on the precipice of anticipation. The prose isn't just delicious; it's a lyrical symphony, painting vivid tapestries of landscapes and characters imbued with profound depth. The magic system's uniqueness and the atmospheric setting contribute to the lush canvas of the story.
At the story's core are Lorelei and Sylvia, whose love story blossoms amidst a tapestry of faeries, unexpected twists, and a mystical murder mystery. Sylvia, an embodiment of passion and kindness, acts as the perfect counterbalance to the grumpy and emotionally intricate Lorelei. Their dynamic journey evokes a whirlwind of emotions, creating a profound connection between the reader and their enthralling tale.
Saft's exploration of societal reform and the burden of survivor's guilt adds layers of complexity to the characters, particularly Lorelei. As the narrative unfolds, themes of self-discovery and emotional growth seamlessly intertwine with the central mystery. The beautifully perfect ending delivers a satisfying resolution that will undoubtedly leave a cascade of emotions in its wake.
This book showcases Saft's storytelling prowess. The nuanced characters, vibrant landscapes, and suspense-laden plot coalesce into a reading experience that is both atmospheric and character-driven. Saft ingeniously melds fantasy, mystery, and romance, providing readers with a narrative that is not just gripping but also deeply immersive.
In the realm of Brunnestaad, where forests shift ominously and rivers conceal dragons in their depths, Saft beckons readers on an enthralling expedition through treacherous beauty. The pursuit of truth becomes a harmonious dance with the characters' self-discovery, rendering this novel essential for those yearning for narratives that resonate on emotional frequencies.
Overall, "A Dark and Drowning Tide" is not merely a book; it's a symphony that transports readers to a realm where magic, suspense, and moral dilemmas converge. Allison Saft's bewitching novel leaves an indelible mark, and aficionados will eagerly await her future compositions, craving more of her enthralling storytelling.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballentine/ Del rey for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium blog
Shelved as 'not-released-yet'
November 14, 2023gothic lesbians ftw
Want to read
August 15, 2023this cover might be the most beautiful thing i have ever seen with my own two eyes
September 21, 2024
4.25⭐️
Beautifully written, deeply atmospheric, this is very much so a “me” book 🫶🏼
ADADT is a novel about the characters operating within a larger political landscape, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the lack of detail into all that politicking irked some readers.
If you want my two cents, the book would have benefited from a more thorough exploration, simply by spending more time with the characters, perhaps expanding the novel into a duology instead.
Even still, this is a story that deals in subtleties, especially in its Jewish representation. Anyone familiar with my reviews knows I dislike heavy-handed authors; the ones who don’t trust the reader to be smart enough to pick up what they’re putting down. Saft has faith in her reader to note what she’s trying to achieve without bashing our heads in about—and I appreciate that immensely.
In terms of the romance? Good lord, this is a good one. The frustration-cum-yearning unfurls at just the right pace, with the perfect amount of woeful insight into her own feelings (on the part of Lorelei) for the reader to fall in love along with her.
Many a romance featuring an academically-brilliant FMC have trounce right across the line of believability and left me groaning in aggravation. Because surely she can’t be THAT stupid?
Well, there’s none of that here.
Once again, it’s Saft’s subtle touch that saves the day.
Beautifully written, deeply atmospheric, this is very much so a “me” book 🫶🏼
ADADT is a novel about the characters operating within a larger political landscape, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the lack of detail into all that politicking irked some readers.
If you want my two cents, the book would have benefited from a more thorough exploration, simply by spending more time with the characters, perhaps expanding the novel into a duology instead.
Even still, this is a story that deals in subtleties, especially in its Jewish representation. Anyone familiar with my reviews knows I dislike heavy-handed authors; the ones who don’t trust the reader to be smart enough to pick up what they’re putting down. Saft has faith in her reader to note what she’s trying to achieve without bashing our heads in about—and I appreciate that immensely.
In terms of the romance? Good lord, this is a good one. The frustration-cum-yearning unfurls at just the right pace, with the perfect amount of woeful insight into her own feelings (on the part of Lorelei) for the reader to fall in love along with her.
Many a romance featuring an academically-brilliant FMC have trounce right across the line of believability and left me groaning in aggravation. Because surely she can’t be THAT stupid?
Well, there’s none of that here.
Once again, it’s Saft’s subtle touch that saves the day.
September 17, 2024
Back in the days when wishes still held power...
this was my first read of the year AND first book by allison saft and it did not disappoint! a whimsical, dark, and atmospheric read w sapphic academic rivals to lovers, a murder mystery, political machinations, and magic.
“You're like something out of a nightmare.”
And you, Lorelei thought dispairingly, are resplendent.
brooding, sharp-tongued folklorist lorelei embarks on an expedition with her rival aboard, the bubbly, vivacious sylvia von wolff. when their mentor is murdered, lorelei must balance handling her precarious role navigating strange, mystical lands while trying to uncover the murderer.
“You saved me,” Sylvia said. “Again.”
“You still sound surprised.”
“You’re awful.”
“I’m aware.”
the banter between lorelei & sylvia is delightful and the romance builds well, but my focus was really on lorelei. thinly coded as jewish, she faces intense prejudice from the world around her and is constantly reminded of the danger in the very folktales she specializes in and loves. in a genre that has had many famous books that contain antisemitic tropes (goblins, witches, etc.), it’s refreshing as a jewish reader to see a jewish protagonist take the spotlight while dealing with these issues.
i felt quite connected to lorelei, who wields her wit as a weapon to protect herself, only amplified by the pressure she’s under. though there are numerous sunshine x grumpy stories, we rarely get the grumpy character as the sole POV. i loved lorelei and all her viciousness because i could see how she wore it as her armor.
“Don’t delude yourself. People like me don’t win the princess’s heart.”
“They’re just stories, Lorelei.” Sylvia’s voice frayed. “You must stop taking them so seriously.”
“You and I know very well that they’re not.”
i love saft’s writing. it’s a slower pace story, but i enjoy that; you’re really meant to sit and savor the tale and take in all its lush details.
this was the perfect book to start off what’s so far been a great year of reading!
Maybe, just this once, she could be the hero of a story like this. Maybe, just maybe, there was a happily ever after waiting for her on the other side of this nightmare.
an honest arc review ♡
_________________________________
jewish sapphic academia rivals to lovers with dragons?
i'm SAT.
this was my first read of the year AND first book by allison saft and it did not disappoint! a whimsical, dark, and atmospheric read w sapphic academic rivals to lovers, a murder mystery, political machinations, and magic.
“You're like something out of a nightmare.”
And you, Lorelei thought dispairingly, are resplendent.
brooding, sharp-tongued folklorist lorelei embarks on an expedition with her rival aboard, the bubbly, vivacious sylvia von wolff. when their mentor is murdered, lorelei must balance handling her precarious role navigating strange, mystical lands while trying to uncover the murderer.
“You saved me,” Sylvia said. “Again.”
“You still sound surprised.”
“You’re awful.”
“I’m aware.”
the banter between lorelei & sylvia is delightful and the romance builds well, but my focus was really on lorelei. thinly coded as jewish, she faces intense prejudice from the world around her and is constantly reminded of the danger in the very folktales she specializes in and loves. in a genre that has had many famous books that contain antisemitic tropes (goblins, witches, etc.), it’s refreshing as a jewish reader to see a jewish protagonist take the spotlight while dealing with these issues.
i felt quite connected to lorelei, who wields her wit as a weapon to protect herself, only amplified by the pressure she’s under. though there are numerous sunshine x grumpy stories, we rarely get the grumpy character as the sole POV. i loved lorelei and all her viciousness because i could see how she wore it as her armor.
“Don’t delude yourself. People like me don’t win the princess’s heart.”
“They’re just stories, Lorelei.” Sylvia’s voice frayed. “You must stop taking them so seriously.”
“You and I know very well that they’re not.”
i love saft’s writing. it’s a slower pace story, but i enjoy that; you’re really meant to sit and savor the tale and take in all its lush details.
this was the perfect book to start off what’s so far been a great year of reading!
Maybe, just this once, she could be the hero of a story like this. Maybe, just maybe, there was a happily ever after waiting for her on the other side of this nightmare.
an honest arc review ♡
_________________________________
jewish sapphic academia rivals to lovers with dragons?
i'm SAT.
Read
August 30, 2024Lorelei knew the shape of a fairy tale: a prison.
Two star students are pitted against each other for the same position on the Ruhigburg Expedition where their mentor and professor is murdered by someone on the team.
Lorelei had never believed she would be chosen. Her rival, Sylvia, was one of the most famous and beloved naturalists in the country and Lorelei was no one, a cobbler's daughter plucked from the despised Yevanverte. Sylvia was the princess and Lorelai was the witch, the goblin, the Yevanisch viper.
The Ruhigburg Expedition aims to discover the Ursprung, the fabled source of all magic and King Wilhelm's current obsession. If she succeeds, Lorelai can win the king’s favour and her freedom. However, the rest of the team also want to gain the King’s influence.
There was a lot of information dumping. You are thrown into a world where everything is established and little explanation is given so you are frantically trying to piece the world together.
Not to mention, it is clear the characters outside of Lorelei have a deep and complicated past and childhood together. Whilst this can feel frustrating to try and figure out connections and hatred and loyalty, it also meant you were fed tidbits of backstory as you go along, the same as Lorelei who is trying to discover the murderer.
After everything that had happened today, she had no energy left in her to yell. Slowly, Lorelei sat down in the middle of the street. I'm ready, she thought. Just strike me down now. God, however, was cruel.
Sylvia von Wolff's face appeared in her field of vision instead. "Please get up. People are beginning to stare."
Onto the sapphic yearning. Whilst other reviewers have complained that Lorelei’s hatred for Sylvia is unfounded, I disagree. Sure, she is being petty and insecure, yet you can see how she acknowledges how inane this bitterness is. However, it’s something she has learnt growing up ostracised from both her community and the world outside those walls.
She doesn’t hate Sylvia per se, just what she represents.
Lorelei is a pretty infuriating character. She wallows in self-pity and regularly fails to see beyond her own problems and self-defeatism. I think this was a deliberate ploy of Saft’s as she reveals the other characters’ own grievances, troubling choices, and rocky motivations.
I think this might have been helped by a longer book, but also one of the perks of this is it being a relatively standard-to-short length fantasy standalone.
Over and over again, she repeated to herself, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. Like an incantation— like a fairy tale repetition might make it true.
I think the ending was fairly rushed which ruined my enjoyment for me. I think this would have benefitted from being a duology.
I would recommend this if you enjoyed Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries and keep an eye out for August release The Phoenix Keeper! Also Evocation by ST Gibson!
Thank you to Del Rey for sending me the physical arc in exchange for a review!
Bookstagram
Two star students are pitted against each other for the same position on the Ruhigburg Expedition where their mentor and professor is murdered by someone on the team.
Lorelei had never believed she would be chosen. Her rival, Sylvia, was one of the most famous and beloved naturalists in the country and Lorelei was no one, a cobbler's daughter plucked from the despised Yevanverte. Sylvia was the princess and Lorelai was the witch, the goblin, the Yevanisch viper.
The Ruhigburg Expedition aims to discover the Ursprung, the fabled source of all magic and King Wilhelm's current obsession. If she succeeds, Lorelai can win the king’s favour and her freedom. However, the rest of the team also want to gain the King’s influence.
There was a lot of information dumping. You are thrown into a world where everything is established and little explanation is given so you are frantically trying to piece the world together.
Not to mention, it is clear the characters outside of Lorelei have a deep and complicated past and childhood together. Whilst this can feel frustrating to try and figure out connections and hatred and loyalty, it also meant you were fed tidbits of backstory as you go along, the same as Lorelei who is trying to discover the murderer.
After everything that had happened today, she had no energy left in her to yell. Slowly, Lorelei sat down in the middle of the street. I'm ready, she thought. Just strike me down now. God, however, was cruel.
Sylvia von Wolff's face appeared in her field of vision instead. "Please get up. People are beginning to stare."
Onto the sapphic yearning. Whilst other reviewers have complained that Lorelei’s hatred for Sylvia is unfounded, I disagree. Sure, she is being petty and insecure, yet you can see how she acknowledges how inane this bitterness is. However, it’s something she has learnt growing up ostracised from both her community and the world outside those walls.
She doesn’t hate Sylvia per se, just what she represents.
Lorelei is a pretty infuriating character. She wallows in self-pity and regularly fails to see beyond her own problems and self-defeatism. I think this was a deliberate ploy of Saft’s as she reveals the other characters’ own grievances, troubling choices, and rocky motivations.
I think this might have been helped by a longer book, but also one of the perks of this is it being a relatively standard-to-short length fantasy standalone.
Over and over again, she repeated to herself, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. Like an incantation— like a fairy tale repetition might make it true.
I think the ending was fairly rushed which ruined my enjoyment for me. I think this would have benefitted from being a duology.
I would recommend this if you enjoyed Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries and keep an eye out for August release The Phoenix Keeper! Also Evocation by ST Gibson!
Thank you to Del Rey for sending me the physical arc in exchange for a review!
Bookstagram
December 11, 2023
Darkly beautiful and so richly alive with folklore that the pages almost seem to breathe. This is a murder mystery, a political fantasy, and an epic quest all swirled up together and set against a backdrop of quaint yet sinister towns, forests that move around at night, and remote, glittering icy locales.
The slow-burn sapphic academic rivals to lovers arc is just to die for. Lorelei was a very tenderly realized prickly character, and her growth happens in ways that feel so organic and believable. I was obsessed with her, and with the ethereal, idealistic Sylvia; I actually really wish we had gotten Sylvia's POV as well, particularly for a handful of specific scenes. I really feel like if that had been integrated it would have elevated this from a four to a five star book for me personally. I'm a huge sucker for some yearning, some angst, some unrequited love, and I just KNOW Sylvia was yearning up a storm while we were glued to the POV of the clueless character who keeps her emotions super locked down.
I'm left with a hint of wanting more at the end of the story, particularly from the geopolitics of this world - I finished the book thinking, "surely we can't leave things here???" If Saft ever decided to write a sequel, I think that this story is primed for one; but I also recognize that that isn't really her style. This isn't a book where every wrong will be righted, every bad person punished, every social injustice neatly eliminated by the end of the novel. It's a story about people surviving and finding a way to be happy the best they can in a hostile, imperfect world.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The slow-burn sapphic academic rivals to lovers arc is just to die for. Lorelei was a very tenderly realized prickly character, and her growth happens in ways that feel so organic and believable. I was obsessed with her, and with the ethereal, idealistic Sylvia; I actually really wish we had gotten Sylvia's POV as well, particularly for a handful of specific scenes. I really feel like if that had been integrated it would have elevated this from a four to a five star book for me personally. I'm a huge sucker for some yearning, some angst, some unrequited love, and I just KNOW Sylvia was yearning up a storm while we were glued to the POV of the clueless character who keeps her emotions super locked down.
I'm left with a hint of wanting more at the end of the story, particularly from the geopolitics of this world - I finished the book thinking, "surely we can't leave things here???" If Saft ever decided to write a sequel, I think that this story is primed for one; but I also recognize that that isn't really her style. This isn't a book where every wrong will be righted, every bad person punished, every social injustice neatly eliminated by the end of the novel. It's a story about people surviving and finding a way to be happy the best they can in a hostile, imperfect world.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
May 18, 2024
This was a bit of a fun, folklore heavy, sapphic fantasy. Also, surprise! locked room murder mystery! Except it’s not a room but rather a scientific expedition through whimsical forests in search for the source of magic.
This cover art is some of my favourite of the year. I remember being shocked at how stunning this was when it was released initially.
I can see why they marketed this as dark academic (the current popularity alone would be enough reason) but I don’t actually agree on that for a genre fit. For me an important element of dark academia also includes the institution. Whereas in this story the characters are all researches/ scientists but the story occurs on their exploration.
You are kind of just dropped in the deep end with the magical world building and political landscape on this one. King Wilhelm has recently united a number of neighboring countries through war and there is still significant unrest and distrust among the people of the countries and peace is very delicately balanced at the moment.
Considering how feral I am for enemies to lovers as a dynamic I continue to find rivals to lovers a bit uninspiring. I enjoyed Lorelei and Sylvia together later in the book, but I found their initial chemistry a bit flat and like there wasn’t enough of the internal push/pull that comes with the revelation of “oh shit, I misunderstood what this feeling was” which is always part of the fun of this trope. I think in part it’s cause Lorelei is a hard character to like, she’s cold and callous cause the world made her that way, but she is not a character with much warmth (maybe hidden deep deep down). That being said, pretty much everyone in this is pretty unlikeable, with the exception perhaps of Sylvia, so I suspect that’s meant to be the point.
Saft is a very capable writer and the writing craft in this was lovely. I’ll admit though it was not especially ground breaking and the ending didn’t shock me.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide my thoughts on this eARC
This cover art is some of my favourite of the year. I remember being shocked at how stunning this was when it was released initially.
I can see why they marketed this as dark academic (the current popularity alone would be enough reason) but I don’t actually agree on that for a genre fit. For me an important element of dark academia also includes the institution. Whereas in this story the characters are all researches/ scientists but the story occurs on their exploration.
You are kind of just dropped in the deep end with the magical world building and political landscape on this one. King Wilhelm has recently united a number of neighboring countries through war and there is still significant unrest and distrust among the people of the countries and peace is very delicately balanced at the moment.
Considering how feral I am for enemies to lovers as a dynamic I continue to find rivals to lovers a bit uninspiring. I enjoyed Lorelei and Sylvia together later in the book, but I found their initial chemistry a bit flat and like there wasn’t enough of the internal push/pull that comes with the revelation of “oh shit, I misunderstood what this feeling was” which is always part of the fun of this trope. I think in part it’s cause Lorelei is a hard character to like, she’s cold and callous cause the world made her that way, but she is not a character with much warmth (maybe hidden deep deep down). That being said, pretty much everyone in this is pretty unlikeable, with the exception perhaps of Sylvia, so I suspect that’s meant to be the point.
Saft is a very capable writer and the writing craft in this was lovely. I’ll admit though it was not especially ground breaking and the ending didn’t shock me.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide my thoughts on this eARC
Shelved as 'priority-tbr'
August 30, 2024I never needed anything mooo-ooore...
September 13, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up.
I haven't been impressed with a fantasy novel in a while!
A Dark and Drowning Tide hit all the right spots for me: extensive worldbuilding, multi-faceted MC and love interest, engaging plotline.
My only complaint is that I want so much more out of this world and its characters now. Give me a book about Sylvia and Lorelei's childhoods and undergraduate years. Hell, give me another book about their ancestors and Brunestaad's history. Or even a book about Ziegler's adventures and political schemes.
Like, honest to god, I would die for a Witcher level of historical, geographical, and political worldbuilding.
It's been a week since I finished this arc and I already miss the mythical creatures, the expedition to find the Ursprung, Sylvia's sword-wielding, the slow burn will they/won't they between Lorelei and Sylvia.
I won't lie, I didn't care much about the rest of the characters in the expedition (Ludwig, Heike, Adelheid, and Johann), but they did serve their purpose in the murder mystery plotline. At first, I found it hard to tell them apart, but as the Ursprung expedition went on, it was easy to tell who's who and what their motives might or might not entail.
Also, Ziegler's fate seemed like it came out of left field. I wish it hadn't been such a kneejerk reaction. (Even if it technically wasn't, Lorelei's decision seemed out of character.) ***SPOILER*** ***END SPOILER***
Allison Saft wasn't on my radar before, but I'm definitely interested in her previous and future books now!
Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the arc.
I haven't been impressed with a fantasy novel in a while!
A Dark and Drowning Tide hit all the right spots for me: extensive worldbuilding, multi-faceted MC and love interest, engaging plotline.
My only complaint is that I want so much more out of this world and its characters now. Give me a book about Sylvia and Lorelei's childhoods and undergraduate years. Hell, give me another book about their ancestors and Brunestaad's history. Or even a book about Ziegler's adventures and political schemes.
Like, honest to god, I would die for a Witcher level of historical, geographical, and political worldbuilding.
It's been a week since I finished this arc and I already miss the mythical creatures, the expedition to find the Ursprung, Sylvia's sword-wielding, the slow burn will they/won't they between Lorelei and Sylvia.
I won't lie, I didn't care much about the rest of the characters in the expedition (Ludwig, Heike, Adelheid, and Johann), but they did serve their purpose in the murder mystery plotline. At first, I found it hard to tell them apart, but as the Ursprung expedition went on, it was easy to tell who's who and what their motives might or might not entail.
Also, Ziegler's fate seemed like it came out of left field. I wish it hadn't been such a kneejerk reaction. (Even if it technically wasn't, Lorelei's decision seemed out of character.) ***SPOILER*** ***END SPOILER***
Allison Saft wasn't on my radar before, but I'm definitely interested in her previous and future books now!
Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the arc.
Want to read
October 24, 2023This sounds lovely! The cover drew me in and that blurb... sapphic, academic rivals and folklore expertise are a yes for me.
I can't wait to track this down from the library in March. If this isn't already on the lists of planned purchases I will request it. Realistically I am broke and in college so I can't buy it, but I would if I could.
I can't wait to track this down from the library in March. If this isn't already on the lists of planned purchases I will request it. Realistically I am broke and in college so I can't buy it, but I would if I could.
July 25, 2024
~play Too sweet sjsjjsjs
4,5⭐️
This book was fabulous! Magical, enchanting and wonderful, pulls you into world of tales and fables and doesn't let go.
There's everything: magic, murder mystery, SAPPHIC ACADEMIC RIVALS TO LOVERS, adventure, and lots of folklore.
Lorelei is a folklorist and she must team up with her rival Sylvia - a naturalist - to figure out who killed their mentor. To make matters worse they're on expedixtions with four other people and everyone has their own motives. So lorelei must fight not only magical creatures trying to get her, but also has to sleep with one eye open for her "colleagues".
The romance made me scream and giggle and kick my feet. It was so good I have basically half of their interactions highlighted
the only minus i have and the reason it's not full 5⭐️ is because sometimes, especially in the beginning, the pace was off and it dragged a little
Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
4,5⭐️
This book was fabulous! Magical, enchanting and wonderful, pulls you into world of tales and fables and doesn't let go.
There's everything: magic, murder mystery, SAPPHIC ACADEMIC RIVALS TO LOVERS, adventure, and lots of folklore.
Lorelei is a folklorist and she must team up with her rival Sylvia - a naturalist - to figure out who killed their mentor. To make matters worse they're on expedixtions with four other people and everyone has their own motives. So lorelei must fight not only magical creatures trying to get her, but also has to sleep with one eye open for her "colleagues".
The romance made me scream and giggle and kick my feet. It was so good I have basically half of their interactions highlighted
the only minus i have and the reason it's not full 5⭐️ is because sometimes, especially in the beginning, the pace was off and it dragged a little
Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
September 28, 2024
✧.* A book that nearly lives up to its gorgeous cover...
𖤓 Academic Rivals to Lovers
𖤓 Sapphic Romance
𖤓 Dark academia
𖤓 Jewish Main Character
𖤓 Murder Mystery at sea
𖤓 Slow burn
I had never read an Allison Saft before but this one really piqued my interest and I have to say this was the perfect transitional read for autumn. I think this book had a lot of positives but also unfortunately a few things that did really bother me. So I am going to try my absolute best to do this in the most logical way possible without forgetting everything 😂
ׂ╰┈➤ Characters:
Overall the characters were really intriguing, the main character although irritating at times was easy to read about. Both her and the whole cast of characters are morally grey and you don't really know who you can trust. Sylvia (the love interest) is very whimsical and upbeat which makes a nice contrast with Loralei but unfortunately I just didn't feel any chemistry between Sylvia and Lorelei. Its not that I didn't like them together its just I felt nothing for them, there was no banter and barely any on page scenes for a large part of the book so it made it hard to really connect with them.
However, the romance isn't really the main forefront of the story so it didn't bother me too much.
The wider cast of the characters was again interesting they all had known each other since children and it was only really Lorelei who was the outcast. I do however wish perhaps the cast of characters was smaller because I don't think the author spent enough time delving into their backstories or what makes them tick because a lot of them were totally forgettable after finishing the book and felt a little rigid.
ׂ╰┈➤ Writing :
The writing was incredibly readable and it was really pretty at times. I think one of the biggest strengths of this book was the atmosphere created by the writing. Everything was really vivid in this world. However, the world building itself was clunky and at the start I thought it was a me problem but 150 pages in I still was fuzzy with certain things and I think that is because so much of it is glossed over. I think that was also one of the reason why the wider cast of characters were so forgettable because there wasn't much depth to them and so their motives weren't clear. So by then end of the book when it is revealed who is the murderer I'm just like...
oh ok.. cool. Because sure it makes sense ( now you have explained it to me) but would I have been able to guess that? No because these characters and their backstories were not fleshed out enough to deduce that.
╰┈➤ Romance :
Like I mentioned earlier it wasn't as strong as I was hoping it to be. I love a slow burn romance but there needs to be the chemistry for it to work for me. It got of to a great start with the academic rivals but quickly fizzled out when they became allies... and had little to no page time together...
This is probably really niche but I would say it is like A study in drowning meets pretty little dead girls (I doubt anybody has read that) but that is the vibes it gives off.
𖤓 Academic Rivals to Lovers
𖤓 Sapphic Romance
𖤓 Dark academia
𖤓 Jewish Main Character
𖤓 Murder Mystery at sea
𖤓 Slow burn
I had never read an Allison Saft before but this one really piqued my interest and I have to say this was the perfect transitional read for autumn. I think this book had a lot of positives but also unfortunately a few things that did really bother me. So I am going to try my absolute best to do this in the most logical way possible without forgetting everything 😂
ׂ╰┈➤ Characters:
Overall the characters were really intriguing, the main character although irritating at times was easy to read about. Both her and the whole cast of characters are morally grey and you don't really know who you can trust. Sylvia (the love interest) is very whimsical and upbeat which makes a nice contrast with Loralei but unfortunately I just didn't feel any chemistry between Sylvia and Lorelei. Its not that I didn't like them together its just I felt nothing for them, there was no banter and barely any on page scenes for a large part of the book so it made it hard to really connect with them.
However, the romance isn't really the main forefront of the story so it didn't bother me too much.
The wider cast of the characters was again interesting they all had known each other since children and it was only really Lorelei who was the outcast. I do however wish perhaps the cast of characters was smaller because I don't think the author spent enough time delving into their backstories or what makes them tick because a lot of them were totally forgettable after finishing the book and felt a little rigid.
ׂ╰┈➤ Writing :
The writing was incredibly readable and it was really pretty at times. I think one of the biggest strengths of this book was the atmosphere created by the writing. Everything was really vivid in this world. However, the world building itself was clunky and at the start I thought it was a me problem but 150 pages in I still was fuzzy with certain things and I think that is because so much of it is glossed over. I think that was also one of the reason why the wider cast of characters were so forgettable because there wasn't much depth to them and so their motives weren't clear. So by then end of the book when it is revealed who is the murderer I'm just like...
oh ok.. cool. Because sure it makes sense ( now you have explained it to me) but would I have been able to guess that? No because these characters and their backstories were not fleshed out enough to deduce that.
╰┈➤ Romance :
Like I mentioned earlier it wasn't as strong as I was hoping it to be. I love a slow burn romance but there needs to be the chemistry for it to work for me. It got of to a great start with the academic rivals but quickly fizzled out when they became allies... and had little to no page time together...
This is probably really niche but I would say it is like A study in drowning meets pretty little dead girls (I doubt anybody has read that) but that is the vibes it gives off.
Shelved as 'unreleased'
May 16, 2024I GOT THE ARC RAHHHH i’m unstoppable now. i am SO excited, sapphic academic rivals to lovers by allison saft??? INSANE
Want to read
May 3, 2024Guess who got approved for the ARC hours after requesting 😍 the gods are smiling down on me today
September 11, 2024
It's an Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade* retelling, but Indy is a miserable, self-loathing, woman living in a Jewish ghetto. Sprinkle in Saft's usual tactic of renaming religions and countries (while not bothering to rename some people or practices), a bit of purple prose, and you have this book. Suffice it to say, this is the review of someone disappointed by a lack of subtlety and lazy world building.
First of all, getting approved for the ARC of this book many months ago made me read the author's backlist. I found the repetitive use of the same world-building lazy. I think someone who doesn't know historical events might find these books interesting, but I don't think people who know history will feel the same way.
For this review, I'm not going to use the words Saft gave established people and places. The Jewish people are called Yevani in this story (most likely a reference to Yevanic). They are living in a ghetto in a kingdom ruled by Wilhelm, who is obsessed with unification. So we're getting a mash up of WW1 and WW2 here. Some of Wilhelm's people are "hounds" who are clearly playing the role of the Nazis in this story. The Albisch people are the Catholics and they're a bit of a wild card, as they aren't persecuted like the Jews, but are lower status in the society. The only aspect totally made up was the magic system, which wasn't fully defined.
Lorelei, the main character, is a selfish, self-loathing, miserable scholar living in the Jewish ghetto. She's part of a group of academics, but is on the outside as the rest of them are either from the mainstream cultural group or have submitted to it. She despises everyone, including Silvia, the sweet and ethereal Catholic naturalist. Lorelei has navigated many traumas, but she's as negative and selfish at the end as at the beginning, which isn't the most satisfying character arc. She reaps a reward for the result of the mission, but it seems like the Jewish people are still in the ghetto at the end.
The overall story is that scholars have a mission to find a magical spring that will give Wilhelm power. Each scholar used their academic specialty to help identify where to look. Lorelei's specialty is folklore, though we randomly learn that she didn't even want to study that. This revelation doesn't serve the plot and her interest in other things is never resolved. Folk tales are thrown into the story in a haphazard way. Sometimes they are new, sometimes they are tales you'd recognize (The Elves and the Shoemaker by the Brothers Grimm, for example). There are a few parts where you must suspend your disbelief or forget what you just read. For example, after some treacherous rock climbing, a character has their pack with tent, furs (to sleep on), and a sword on them. At another point, a character's hands are injured and useless, but they then are able to take off clothes one scene later.
Regarding the romance here, it feels shoehorned in. Lorelei loathes herself and the others...until close to the end, when she very suddenly likes the aforementioned Silvia. Silvia likes Lorelei all along, no matter how nasty Lorelei is to her. It would have been so easy to make Lorelei prickly with the rest of the group and let her guard down with Silvia, who is also part of a marginalized group (though one that isn't persecuted the way Lorelei's is).
*There was a point when I was thinking I had to be mistaken about The Last Crusade aspect of this story, but the use of the word "penitent" in the cavern scene when they find the spring sealed it. That word is critical to the movie.
Reviews are for readers. This was available on NetGalley for early reads in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, getting approved for the ARC of this book many months ago made me read the author's backlist. I found the repetitive use of the same world-building lazy. I think someone who doesn't know historical events might find these books interesting, but I don't think people who know history will feel the same way.
For this review, I'm not going to use the words Saft gave established people and places. The Jewish people are called Yevani in this story (most likely a reference to Yevanic). They are living in a ghetto in a kingdom ruled by Wilhelm, who is obsessed with unification. So we're getting a mash up of WW1 and WW2 here. Some of Wilhelm's people are "hounds" who are clearly playing the role of the Nazis in this story. The Albisch people are the Catholics and they're a bit of a wild card, as they aren't persecuted like the Jews, but are lower status in the society. The only aspect totally made up was the magic system, which wasn't fully defined.
Lorelei, the main character, is a selfish, self-loathing, miserable scholar living in the Jewish ghetto. She's part of a group of academics, but is on the outside as the rest of them are either from the mainstream cultural group or have submitted to it. She despises everyone, including Silvia, the sweet and ethereal Catholic naturalist. Lorelei has navigated many traumas, but she's as negative and selfish at the end as at the beginning, which isn't the most satisfying character arc. She reaps a reward for the result of the mission, but it seems like the Jewish people are still in the ghetto at the end.
The overall story is that scholars have a mission to find a magical spring that will give Wilhelm power. Each scholar used their academic specialty to help identify where to look. Lorelei's specialty is folklore, though we randomly learn that she didn't even want to study that. This revelation doesn't serve the plot and her interest in other things is never resolved. Folk tales are thrown into the story in a haphazard way. Sometimes they are new, sometimes they are tales you'd recognize (The Elves and the Shoemaker by the Brothers Grimm, for example). There are a few parts where you must suspend your disbelief or forget what you just read. For example, after some treacherous rock climbing, a character has their pack with tent, furs (to sleep on), and a sword on them. At another point, a character's hands are injured and useless, but they then are able to take off clothes one scene later.
Regarding the romance here, it feels shoehorned in. Lorelei loathes herself and the others...until close to the end, when she very suddenly likes the aforementioned Silvia. Silvia likes Lorelei all along, no matter how nasty Lorelei is to her. It would have been so easy to make Lorelei prickly with the rest of the group and let her guard down with Silvia, who is also part of a marginalized group (though one that isn't persecuted the way Lorelei's is).
*There was a point when I was thinking I had to be mistaken about The Last Crusade aspect of this story, but the use of the word "penitent" in the cavern scene when they find the spring sealed it. That word is critical to the movie.
Reviews are for readers. This was available on NetGalley for early reads in exchange for an honest review.
June 10, 2024
Bawling??? I LOVED this with every ounce of my soul.
If you want a sapphic dark academia vibes read that’s filled with folklore, rivals to lovers, an intriguing mystery plot, and adventure/quest, this is for you.
It’s hard to describe my emotions reading this but Saft writes in a way that pulls such visceral emotions from the reader.
This book was beautiful and poetic, it was powerful and moving. And honestly, will likely be my favourite read of
the year.
It’s one of those stories that wriggles its way between your heart and your ribs and makes you feel everything.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy to honestly review
Rep// Jewish masc sapphic MC, Sapphic MC. Sapphic SC. Relationship featured is sapphic / WLW.
TW// death and body, antisemitism, colonisation themes, loss of loved ones, scenes of harm involving water and fire, alcohol.
If you want a sapphic dark academia vibes read that’s filled with folklore, rivals to lovers, an intriguing mystery plot, and adventure/quest, this is for you.
It’s hard to describe my emotions reading this but Saft writes in a way that pulls such visceral emotions from the reader.
This book was beautiful and poetic, it was powerful and moving. And honestly, will likely be my favourite read of
the year.
It’s one of those stories that wriggles its way between your heart and your ribs and makes you feel everything.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy to honestly review
Rep// Jewish masc sapphic MC, Sapphic MC. Sapphic SC. Relationship featured is sapphic / WLW.
TW// death and body, antisemitism, colonisation themes, loss of loved ones, scenes of harm involving water and fire, alcohol.
Shelved as 'arc-tbr'
May 3, 2024The arc gods have smiled upon me today 🙏
September 18, 2024
3.5 Stars
I wasn't too sure what to expect when I started this book, having only read one other work by Allison previously but quickly found myself engaged and immersed in the world Saft created.
The Romance - It is most definitely a slow-burn and the romance is a background plot compared to the mystery, academic, folklore and adventurous aspects (which I found myself really enjoying!). However, the tension was there and when it came to fruition I was obsessed. Our two protagonists crave a sense of belonging and acceptance, and I really found myself relating to their feelings if not their circumstance. I find this is difficult to do with novels of this genre but Saft created fleshed out characters we could relate to and engage with.
How is it possible that you exist? You are something out of a fairy tale.
The world - The folklore and folktales aspect was done brilliantly and I found myself truly immersed in the world Saft created. I found myself able to visualise the world based on Safts descriptions and this is somewhere that a lot of fantasy based novels lose me. There was tension and suspense in all the right places and the academia storyline was truly engaging and simple to understand and follow. At times it did feel a bit slow paced, especially at the start - but the end more than made up for this.
This was so unique compared to other Sapphic Novels I have read recently and I thought the enemies/rivals to lovers aspect was done superbly. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a unique read interwoven with folklore and mystery.
Thankyou to Netgalley and the Publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
------------
Lets goooooooooooo I am SO excited
I wasn't too sure what to expect when I started this book, having only read one other work by Allison previously but quickly found myself engaged and immersed in the world Saft created.
The Romance - It is most definitely a slow-burn and the romance is a background plot compared to the mystery, academic, folklore and adventurous aspects (which I found myself really enjoying!). However, the tension was there and when it came to fruition I was obsessed. Our two protagonists crave a sense of belonging and acceptance, and I really found myself relating to their feelings if not their circumstance. I find this is difficult to do with novels of this genre but Saft created fleshed out characters we could relate to and engage with.
How is it possible that you exist? You are something out of a fairy tale.
The world - The folklore and folktales aspect was done brilliantly and I found myself truly immersed in the world Saft created. I found myself able to visualise the world based on Safts descriptions and this is somewhere that a lot of fantasy based novels lose me. There was tension and suspense in all the right places and the academia storyline was truly engaging and simple to understand and follow. At times it did feel a bit slow paced, especially at the start - but the end more than made up for this.
This was so unique compared to other Sapphic Novels I have read recently and I thought the enemies/rivals to lovers aspect was done superbly. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a unique read interwoven with folklore and mystery.
Thankyou to Netgalley and the Publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
------------
Lets goooooooooooo I am SO excited
January 10, 2024
Leveraged my Goodreads clout for an advanced copy of this, thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey.
I really enjoyed this. All I really knew going into this was "sapphic, dark academia, academic rivals to lovers, fantasy romance." That was enough for me to be interested and excited to read, but I think that really undersold what the book was. Part fantasy, part romance, yes, but also part murder mystery, part political thriller, part high adventure, all working together to amount to a book greater than the sum of its parts.
What worked for me: almost everything, I hardly know where to start. First of all, the writing was beautiful. The overall atmosphere was super alluring, thanks to strong worldbuilding, folklore, and a fun magic system. I loved the themes: academia, marginalized identities, and institutions of oppression.
But really, what carried the story were the central characters and the relationships between them. I loved Lorelai, she's exactly the kind of character I love to read a story from: prickly, flawed, hard to like, full of anger. I loved the third person-limited narration following her, how her personality and history were woven throughout the story so well. I also loved the rest of the expedition's crew. I love stories with a group of interconnected characters with complicated histories, contrasting interests, and torn loyalties put in the same situation, and watching all the drama unfold.
What didn't work for me: Surprisingly, I was not super compelled by the romance. I think it took a backseat to the rest of the plot. Although it was built up throughout, I didn't find it to be fully realized. I was okay with this though, since the rest of the book was so strong, I didn't really feel like I needed that to be a bigger storyline. Also, I was occasionally lost with the worldbuilding and the characters' places in it, especially in the beginning when there was so much being set up. But even later, Lorelai would realize something significant about a character or their motives, and I was sometimes confused about what exactly this revelation entailed. Sometimes things were too implied. But these were super minor complaints. I'm already excited to reread the published book, and for all my homies to read so I can discuss with them because this was a good one.
I really enjoyed this. All I really knew going into this was "sapphic, dark academia, academic rivals to lovers, fantasy romance." That was enough for me to be interested and excited to read, but I think that really undersold what the book was. Part fantasy, part romance, yes, but also part murder mystery, part political thriller, part high adventure, all working together to amount to a book greater than the sum of its parts.
What worked for me: almost everything, I hardly know where to start. First of all, the writing was beautiful. The overall atmosphere was super alluring, thanks to strong worldbuilding, folklore, and a fun magic system. I loved the themes: academia, marginalized identities, and institutions of oppression.
But really, what carried the story were the central characters and the relationships between them. I loved Lorelai, she's exactly the kind of character I love to read a story from: prickly, flawed, hard to like, full of anger. I loved the third person-limited narration following her, how her personality and history were woven throughout the story so well. I also loved the rest of the expedition's crew. I love stories with a group of interconnected characters with complicated histories, contrasting interests, and torn loyalties put in the same situation, and watching all the drama unfold.
What didn't work for me: Surprisingly, I was not super compelled by the romance. I think it took a backseat to the rest of the plot. Although it was built up throughout, I didn't find it to be fully realized. I was okay with this though, since the rest of the book was so strong, I didn't really feel like I needed that to be a bigger storyline. Also, I was occasionally lost with the worldbuilding and the characters' places in it, especially in the beginning when there was so much being set up. But even later, Lorelai would realize something significant about a character or their motives, and I was sometimes confused about what exactly this revelation entailed. Sometimes things were too implied. But these were super minor complaints. I'm already excited to reread the published book, and for all my homies to read so I can discuss with them because this was a good one.
April 16, 2024
2024 reads: 91/250
2024 tbr: 45/120
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
lorelei, a folklorist aspiring to be a naturalist. she’s determined to find a fabled spring, sure that this will get her to her dream. but when her beloved mentor is murdered, she has to shift gears to clear her own name. she teams up with her rival, sylvia, to find the real murderer before they strike again.
something i love about allison saft’s books is that they are so magical, all the way down to the prose itself. this helped immerse me into lorelei and sylvia’s world, and i didn’t want to leave.
i also loved lorelei and sylvia’s character exploration and growth. they weren’t perfect by any means, which is partially what made them so interesting. plus, their relationship was definitely a slowburn, which i loved.
i highly recommend this to adult fantasy fans.
2024 tbr: 45/120
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
lorelei, a folklorist aspiring to be a naturalist. she’s determined to find a fabled spring, sure that this will get her to her dream. but when her beloved mentor is murdered, she has to shift gears to clear her own name. she teams up with her rival, sylvia, to find the real murderer before they strike again.
something i love about allison saft’s books is that they are so magical, all the way down to the prose itself. this helped immerse me into lorelei and sylvia’s world, and i didn’t want to leave.
i also loved lorelei and sylvia’s character exploration and growth. they weren’t perfect by any means, which is partially what made them so interesting. plus, their relationship was definitely a slowburn, which i loved.
i highly recommend this to adult fantasy fans.
August 23, 2024
I received an ARC of A Dark and Drowning Tide at San Diego Comic Con and I was ECSTATIC! I’d been waiting for its release, so I am very happy that I got the chance to read it early!
A Dark and Drowning Tide gave me what I wanted from Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries; adventure, creatures, whimsy, and magic. The writing was beautiful. It evoked all this fantastical imagery, with sirens, pixies, and dragons roaming about these magical lands. This is why I love fantasy.
The romance was also very well done. I absolutely adore Sylvia. I found her and Lorelei’s relationship to be entirely believable, which for me is the highest form of praise.
Overall, a great read. Add it to your TBR!
A Dark and Drowning Tide gave me what I wanted from Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries; adventure, creatures, whimsy, and magic. The writing was beautiful. It evoked all this fantastical imagery, with sirens, pixies, and dragons roaming about these magical lands. This is why I love fantasy.
The romance was also very well done. I absolutely adore Sylvia. I found her and Lorelei’s relationship to be entirely believable, which for me is the highest form of praise.
Overall, a great read. Add it to your TBR!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,271 reviews