A review by beccaannekent
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

My god it has been a long, long time since I have read a book that captured folklore, fantasy and fairytales like this one has. 

A Dark and Drowning Tide combines the darkness of A Brothers Grimm Fairytales with the whimsical and alluring style of Lewis or Tolkien (and as a huge Tolkien Fan, I do not say this lightly). 

Setting out on an expedition, we follow an intrepid group of individuals, each with their own unique talents, as they attempt to find the source of magic within their lands, whilst solving a murder along the way. Our FMC, Lorelei, must work with her rival, Sylvia to ensure the project goes ahead as planned and confirm who killed their mentor before it is too late. 

The writing style was so utterly captivating and gorgeous, weaving so many different folklores and stories together I was enraptured from the very start. I must admit, I was not aware of any German Fairytales or creatures before delving into this book, and I did have Google on hand to ensure I was able to keep up with each one introduced, but this absolutely only enhanced my experience. 

However, the thing that absolutely makes this book is the stunning enemies/rivals to lovers romance that entwines throughout the story. These two had me giggling and kicking my feet from just them holding hands! Note: this is a fade to black series, ensuring that it remains within the YA genre. This does not, in my opinion, take anything away from this romance. 

I want to thank NetGalley, Daphne Press and Allison Saft for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. The review is my own opinion and I have given this freely.