When I pick up a book written by Allison Saft, I feel transported to places with the frostiest atmospheres where the very cold sets your body aflame, and the story that unfolds before your eyes is a fever dream that you hope you never wake from. I have had A Dark and Drowning Tide in my possession since January, and it has been quietly haunting my shelves since. I’m now writing this review having just finished the book and I am both in awe of the characters and the incredible story that I have just finished. It’s a story of survival, fantasy, and a romance that burns with as much fervour as the supposed hatred that the two protagonists claim to have for each other. I don’t even think I have the adequate thoughts to properly name how I feel right now…but one thing is certain, everyone needs a copy of this book if you’re into fantasy.
This story is centred around Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist selected to join an expedition of nobles on the hunt for a fabled spring. This spring promises power to the wielder, which the king wants to use to cement his hold of the country of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is eager to prove herself, as this is the chance for her to earn her freedom as a naturalist, except her mentor is murdered as they are beginning their journey. The suspects are those same nobles within her expedition, each with plenty of motive for wanting this journey to be unsuccessful. The only person Lorelei can trust is her long-time rival Sylvia von Wolff. As they work to uncover the truth, they’ll find that their mentor had secrets of her own that will turn the course of their journey, on top of the dangers hidden within the dark forests and treacherous terrains that await them.
Something that I enjoy about Saft’s books is the candour with which her characters are written. Lorelei could easily rank in the top five of characters I have loathed from the start, her sharp edges make her incredibly unlikeable from the start of the book…which is the magic of Saft’s words. Lorelei’s edges are hard because she’s had to hone herself into a weapon, sharpened against those who would harm her. Nothing can be worse than what she already thinks of herself, and it is in those glimmers within the cracks of her armour that we see who Lorelei truly is. She’s a woman who is desperately and fiercely determined to survive. Throughout this book, we get to see growth due to her mentor’s death, but also because she starts to truly look beyond the armour she wears to find a new perspective.
The book is told from Lorelei’s perspective, giving us a one-sided view to her rivalry with Sylvia, but also leaving readers to speculate about the words that are left unsaid. In that vitriolic kinship, trust is formed, and so is something else. Sylvia takes space unapologetically, but in a way that is charming and endearing, everything that Lorelei seems to lack. Her cunning lies well below the surface, hiding away until a certain folklorist comes to stir her up. There’s also a bit of whimsical romanticism to her character that truly makes you root for her to charm Lorelei at every turn. While their personalities couldn’t be more different, their motivations are somewhat the same. They desire to be seen, to be recognised. Their romance is passionate once it is ignited, and I am still pining for their romance now that this book is finished.
Although the characters are incredible, the world that Saft has created is even more so. I love that the magic system takes a toll upon the user and is pretty well detailed. What I loved even more is how each of the roles of the characters in this book played a key role in the book. There was a lot of detail about Lorelei’s role as a folklorist that I just adored. It was expertly woven into the story in a way that not only made sense, but readers will be able to connect with. There’s mention of a couple of my favourite fairy tales (especially bluebeard, which may go by another name) and I loved the combination of the natural and fantasy elements that make up the world that Lorelei, Sylvia, and crew are exploring. The fantasy in this story isn’t the whimsical kind, it bears teeth, and the stories and characters remind us of the consequences of forgetting it along the way.
I could go on and on about how much I loved this book… The political machinations and the internal struggle to survive in a world that seems determined to stamp out your presence for what you are also pretty significant aspects of this story that I would love to get into. However, for the sake of this not being any longer than it is, I will say that this book is a 10/10 for me. Please add it to your shelves, you’re not going to want to miss it. Also, have you seen the character art?! It’s GORGEOUS.
A Dark and Drowning Tide is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of September 17th 2024.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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 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 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.
