A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft | Book Review

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A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
Published by Del Ray on September 17, 2024
Genres: Fantasy, LGBT
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

Content Warnings: Torture, Antisemitism, Death, Murder, Sexual Assault, Gore, Stigmata

Rating:

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 in order to secure his reign over the embattled country of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and make her wildest, most impossible dream come true: to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to lands she’s only 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 the 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 dark: forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons hiding 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 each other—they discover that their leader had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, and if this kingdom is worth saving at all.

I am so glad I picked this book up when I did because Saft's poetic prose, gripping story, and slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance got me through one of the toughest events of my entire life this past December. I don't know what I would have done without this magical world to anchor me.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is a commentary on anti-Semitism mixed with magic, romance, and political intrigue. Saft is not subtle about what she based her story on in the least. She mixes elements from both World Wars into one fantastical tale while simultaneously including real religious practices from Catholicism and Judaism. Sometimes Saft uses the correct terms to describe the practices while other times she uses descriptions. For example, Lorelei, who is Jewish, talks about how they would normally mourn the dead by bathing, praying, and watching over the body for several nights before burial. Not once does Saft mention this is called "sitting shiva" but that is exactly what she was describing. While I am not Jewish, I am familiar enough through friends, coworkers, and previous work experience to know exactly what she was talking about, and was thankful she didn't bastardize very sacred practices in the process of telling her tale. I felt her descriptions, uses, and inclusion were done so respectfully, but as someone outside both faiths, I cannot speak with authority on this issue.

I did not mind that Saft wasn't subtle in her presentation but did sometimes find it lazy that she was unable to come up with systems and practices of her own. Others have mentioned this in their reviews as well, and I am inclined to agree. However, this wasn't enough for me to rate the book poorly. With a severe lack of media literacy, I can see why Saft would want to be as blunt as possible. I am sure we all remember just a month ago that "Books shouldn't be political." Yes...yes they should and sometimes the political aspects need to be better spelled out for people to understand. Because this book isn't spicy, I am sure the people who really need to hear this message aren't picking it up to begin with, which is an utter shame.

Despite lifting practices and history straight from reality, the magical system, world-building, and story were rather unique. The entire magic system focuses on the use of water, as water holds the magic from the original source, the Ursprung (which means 'origin' in German by the way). I absolutely adored this system as water has a tendency to hold onto things much longer than other sources. For example, spent radioactive cores are stored in pools of water because water retains radiation. I viewed the magic in A Dark and Drowning Tide as radiation being held exclusively by water. Water closer to the source contained more magic and therefore was easier to wield, while water further away was less so. I honestly wish Saft had spent more time delving into this magical system than she did and why water was the magical source and not others.

On top of an interesting magic system, the world-building was beautifully constructed, full of interesting and unique creatures. Many of these creatures were pulled directly from folklore but with a twist. I am a sucker for folk and the fact that our main character, Lorelei, is a folklorist herself sucked in me. From Saft's description of the landscape to the creatures to the plant life, I was hooked. I could fully immerse myself into this story, the images blooming across my inner eye as I read. It's not often a book sucks me in so completely, and this one certainly did.

Finally, I adored the story. I am not super into romance, let alone such tropes as enemies-to-lovers, but I felt Saft did a good job making the romance secondary to the main plot. It's a slow burn as Lorelei grapples with her feelings and the little bit of spice was tastefully done. 

My only complaint is there is no real resolution at the end of the book. Everything Lorelei does is to save her people, rescue them from the ghettos, and allow them to exist free of discrimination, but there is no resolution. They are never freed, there is no talk of what is to happen to them in the future, nor are they granted full citizenship. Yes, Lorelei is free, but that's it. I was disappointed that anti-Semitism took center stage, but there was no real addressing it. We were fed crumbs when we should have been given cake. This was the biggest disappointment.

With everything that is going on in the world, A Dark and Drowning Tide is definitely a book I would recommend others pick up, especially older teens studying more recent history. Reading teaches empathy and we could all use a little more of that right now.