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

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Allison Saft’s adult debut brings everything missing from the dark academia trope. Sapphics, Jewish women, conversations on antisemitism in fairytales, and a hunt for something magical.

…

Hauntingly written as a gothic dark academia fantasy, this book is one of a few that actually express a realistic rivals to lovers relationship - based on miscommunication and misunderstanding, not any real sort of hatred for one another.

Taking the conversation of antisemitism in folklore further, Saft also applies it to the world around Lorelei, with her at one point being threatened to be a scapegoat - something our people are all too familiar with. And that is just one example of her beautifully written tension throughout, genuinely heightening the reading experience - even on a reread.

Everything was so amazingly described that I genuinely can recall how I envisioned almost everything and am itching to reread already.
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