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novellearts 's review for:
A Dark and Drowning Tide
by Allison Saft
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5/5 stars, rounded down.
I'll be honest and say I picked this one up for the absolutely stunning cover and the sapphic romance. While the cover did not disappoint, I think the romance did. I had extremely conflicting feelings on the main character, Lorelei. Lorelei was written with flaws on display. She has an extremely rough personality with a flaming temper and a smart mouth. While I appreciated that she was different from most FMCs that I tend to read, she also irritated when it came to treating others around her so poorly. Specifically Sylvia. I understand that this was meant to be an enemies (or rivals) to lovers, but even when they worked their way towards "lovers," I still found Lorelei to be cruel and unkind which really bothered me. Their relationship felt steeped in toxicity which left me struggling to get on board with.
I also wasn't as engulfed in this story as I hoped to be. These two things are what prevented me from rating it 4 stars.
What really worked for me was the atmosphere, setting, and writing. I loved all of these so much that I desperately was wishing that I didn't feel let down from the characters and story so that I could've rated this higher. The setting and atmosphere were amazing. I loved the world that Allison Saft created and fell in love with her prose. It's extremely rare that I wish for a series out of standalone books, but for this one, I wish there was a second book. I wanted to see more character development and I felt that the ending could've benefited from a sequel. If this was a duology, I would pick up book 2 in a heartbeat.
Another shoutout for the stunning cover artwork. This is probably one of my favorites of all time.
I'll be honest and say I picked this one up for the absolutely stunning cover and the sapphic romance. While the cover did not disappoint, I think the romance did. I had extremely conflicting feelings on the main character, Lorelei. Lorelei was written with flaws on display. She has an extremely rough personality with a flaming temper and a smart mouth. While I appreciated that she was different from most FMCs that I tend to read, she also irritated when it came to treating others around her so poorly. Specifically Sylvia. I understand that this was meant to be an enemies (or rivals) to lovers, but even when they worked their way towards "lovers," I still found Lorelei to be cruel and unkind which really bothered me. Their relationship felt steeped in toxicity which left me struggling to get on board with.
I also wasn't as engulfed in this story as I hoped to be. These two things are what prevented me from rating it 4 stars.
What really worked for me was the atmosphere, setting, and writing. I loved all of these so much that I desperately was wishing that I didn't feel let down from the characters and story so that I could've rated this higher. The setting and atmosphere were amazing. I loved the world that Allison Saft created and fell in love with her prose. It's extremely rare that I wish for a series out of standalone books, but for this one, I wish there was a second book. I wanted to see more character development and I felt that the ending could've benefited from a sequel. If this was a duology, I would pick up book 2 in a heartbeat.
Another shoutout for the stunning cover artwork. This is probably one of my favorites of all time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content