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abby_ace_of_books 's review for:
A Dark and Drowning Tide
by Allison Saft
Rivals to lovers will always be a million times better than enemies to lovers.
A Dark and Drowning Tide is a dark fantasy story that borders on dark academia and romance, but it's full of whimsical magic and plenty of rivalries. I think a lot of the actual "lore" and histories for some of the folklore were lost on me, but if you like what I think is German folklore, you'll probably be less confused than I was.
I think the main issue I had with the book was the pacing. Given that this was described as a murder mystery-type adventure expedition, I was expecting a little more action. However, most of the book just seemed to be the characters insulting and accusing each other. The actual "mystery" aspect was very minimal, as was the adventure. While the plot picked up in the second half, there were only three scenes I genuinely enjoyed. That being said, the "big reveal" in this book was amazing, and I really enjoyed the tension following it. I sort of called the plot twist, but the reason I accused my guess was completely unrelated to actual reasons, and I still kind of got it wrong?
Besides the reveal, the character dynamics are the reason this book got a rating as high as it did. I'm a big fan of rivalries between all of the characters, and this book delivered on the tensions. However, I think it would have been more effective if I could actually tell the difference between half the characters because it took me nearly 50% of the book to know who was who. I didn't know much about Heike or Adelheid, so I don't have many comments. I thought Johann was kind of neat for no reason at all, and I started to appreciate Ludwig at the halfway point as well (and he ended up being my favorite, I guess?) As far as Lorelei and Sylvia go, I thought they were interesting, but I didn't love them. Their romance made sense; it just wasn't all that enticing to me, despite the rivals to lovers. I liked their backstories, but I was more intrigued by everyone except Lorelei and their combined histories.
For fans of academic rivals to lovers, gothic sapphics, and academic tensions, A Dark and Drowning Tide is an interesting read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!
3.5/5
A Dark and Drowning Tide is a dark fantasy story that borders on dark academia and romance, but it's full of whimsical magic and plenty of rivalries. I think a lot of the actual "lore" and histories for some of the folklore were lost on me, but if you like what I think is German folklore, you'll probably be less confused than I was.
I think the main issue I had with the book was the pacing. Given that this was described as a murder mystery-type adventure expedition, I was expecting a little more action. However, most of the book just seemed to be the characters insulting and accusing each other. The actual "mystery" aspect was very minimal, as was the adventure. While the plot picked up in the second half, there were only three scenes I genuinely enjoyed. That being said, the "big reveal" in this book was amazing, and I really enjoyed the tension following it. I sort of called the plot twist, but the reason I accused my guess was completely unrelated to actual reasons, and I still kind of got it wrong?
Besides the reveal, the character dynamics are the reason this book got a rating as high as it did. I'm a big fan of rivalries between all of the characters, and this book delivered on the tensions. However, I think it would have been more effective if I could actually tell the difference between half the characters because it took me nearly 50% of the book to know who was who. I didn't know much about Heike or Adelheid, so I don't have many comments. I thought Johann was kind of neat for no reason at all, and I started to appreciate Ludwig at the halfway point as well (and he ended up being my favorite, I guess?) As far as Lorelei and Sylvia go, I thought they were interesting, but I didn't love them. Their romance made sense; it just wasn't all that enticing to me, despite the rivals to lovers. I liked their backstories, but I was more intrigued by everyone except Lorelei and their combined histories.
For fans of academic rivals to lovers, gothic sapphics, and academic tensions, A Dark and Drowning Tide is an interesting read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!
3.5/5