A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey

Date of publication: September 17th, 2024

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Lesbian, Queer, LGBT, Adult, Gothic, Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | Kobo | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

A sharp-tongued folklorist must pair up with her academic rival to solve their mentor’s murder in this lush and enthralling 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 of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and make her wildest, most impossible dream come true: to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to lands she’s only ever read about.

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 longtime academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before the murderer strikes again—and a coup begins in earnest.

But there are other dangers lurking in the dark: 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.

First Line:

Sylvia was in the river again. Lorelei didn’t need to see her to be certain of it.
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Alison Saft

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pace of A Dark and Drowning Tide alternated between slow and medium.

POV: A Dark and Drowning Tide is told from Lorelei’s 3rd person POV.

Trigger/Content Warning: A Dark and Drowning Tide has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Death
Murder
Antisemitism
Eugenics
Colonization
Grief
Loss of Sibling
Blood & Gore
Violence
Dead Body
Injury Detail
Drowning
Drugging
Fire
Vomit
Alcohol Consumption

Sexual Content: There are sexual situations in A Dark and Drowning Tide. They are not graphic.

Language: There is mild swearing in A Dark and Drowning Tide. There is also language used that could be considered offensive to people.

Setting: A Dark and Drowning Tide is set in Brunnestaad, Albe, Ebul, and The Vanishing Isle.

Age Range: I recommend A Dark and Drowning Tide to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Lorelei is a folklorist who is the cohead of an expedition to find a fabled spring for the king of her wartorn country. As the expedition starts, her beloved mentor is killed, leaving her in charge. That enrages other party members until they are reminded why they are there. Lorelei is desperate to find the spring before her fellow expedition members make good on their threats to kill her. But she soon discovers there is more to the expedition than finding the spring. And that includes the tentative partnership with Sylvia von Wolff. Can Lorelei find the spring before they decide to kill her? Will she be able to prove herself to the king?

Main Characters:

Lorelei Kaskel (folklorist)—Lorelei was a tough character to like. She presented as very defensive and had an acid tongue on her. But, as the book went on, I began to see why Lorelei was the way she was. The hatred that she dealt with from certain party members was awful. She was on edge the entire time. However, her character started softening when Ludwig got cursed, and I liked her by the end of the book.

Sylvia von Wolff (naturalist)—I liked Sylvia but found her almost too naive. She acknowledged her friends’ faults, but at the same time, she protected them. I got very frustrated with her during the last half of the book. Even in danger, she still believed that her friends would do no harm. But, she did rise to the occasion during the critical battle scene.

Johann zu Wittelsbach (medic)—II couldn’t stand Johann, but at the same time, I pitied him. He was molded into what he was by his abusive father. In some parts of the book, the author conveyed that a part of him hated what he became. His death was one of the more gruesome ones in the book.

Heike van der Kaas (astronomer and navigator)—Heike came across as someone you didn’t want to mess with. But, as the book went on, she mellowed out. I figured out that she was all bark and no bite.

Adelheid de Mohl (thaumatologist)—Besides Ludwig, she was the kindest on the boat to Lorelei. So, when things went sideways, I was shocked at her role.

Ludwig von Meyer (botanist)—I liked him and wished he had more page time. But, the author took him out fairly early in the book.

My review:

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a wonderfully dark fantasy lesbian romance. When I read the synopsis on NetGalley, I knew I needed to read this book. So, I wished for it and was thrilled when I got the email that my wish was granted.

The main storyline of A Dark and Drowning Tide centers entirely on Lorelei and the journey to find the Ursprung. This storyline was wonderfully written. Lorelei and the team have to make trips that are intense and strange. They have to contend with dragons, mermaid-like creatures, forests that move, curses, and other obstacles. Those obstacles also include what they feel towards each other, whether hate or love.

The fantasy angle of the book was perfect. I enjoyed reading about how the magic works in this work, the different magical beings portrayed, and the various lands that they traveled through. I enjoyed that the magic wasn’t all sunshine and roses but had a darker element.

The romance angle was all right. It may be overshadowed by everything else that is going on in the book. It also seemed forced in some sections. But, overall, I enjoyed seeing Lorelei and Sylvia fall in love.

The mystery angle was interesting. I thought I had figured out who killed Ziegler. I wasn’t wrong; there was more to that than what the author initially let on. I was shocked when Lorelei figured it out in the middle of the book.

The end of A Dark and Drowning Tide was heartbreaking but enlightening. I liked that there was a HEA for Lorelei and Sylvia. The last chapters, detailing life after the expedition, were what I thought they would be. I was surprised by what was asked and the reaction it got.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey, NetGalley, and Allison Saft for allowing me to read this ARC of A Dark and Drowning Tide. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

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