Looking for some sapphic Jewish romantasy with a historical- and folklore-inspired setting and an edge of dark academia? A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft has it all! Somehow I missed reading this one back when it first came out in 2024, but a friend recommended that I bump it up my TBR pile and I’m very glad I did. A Dark and Drowning Tide scratched an itch that no book has since I last read some Naomi Novik.
Lorelei Kaskel is on the brink of achieving her wildest dreams—or being plunged into a nightmare. As a leading scholar of the region’s folklore, she’s been invited by the king of Brunnestaad to join an expedition in search of the legendary spring that is said to be the source of all magic. If their expedition is successful and King Wilhelm can harness the power of the ursprung to stabilize his reign over the newly unified nation, Lorelei will be rewarded with a place in his court and perhaps some measure of protection for her people, the Yevani (as Jews in this world are called), who face violent persecution. But if anyone on the expedition discovers her ability to wield magic (a power the Yevani are thought incapable of), Lorelei’s position could be compromised. Then something even worse happens: Lorelei’s mentor is murdered on the first night of the expedition. Lorelei is the first to discover the body, and the only person who can vouch for her innocence is her academic rival Sylvia von Wolff. Together, Lorelei and Sylvia must figure out who among their team is trying to sabotage the expedition before more blood is shed.
The setting of this novel blends historical elements with fantasy based on real and invented folktales. The country of Brunnestaad draws inspiration from the delicate political situation of newly unified Germany in the nineteenth century. Though much of the region largely shares the same language and religion, the individual states have their own history, culture, and political goals—along with the lingering memory of past independence. This is also the era of history in which the Brothers Grimm embarked on their quest to collect folklore, and thereby promote a cohesive German national identity and culture. In Saft’s novel, Brunnestaad is populated with the wildeleute, or wild folk (fae creatures) that appear in German folklore. Anyone who wanders too close to a river’s edge may find themselves entranced by the song of the nixies who lurk beneath its depths, while nighttime brings the danger of shapeshifting alps who like to sit upon the chests of their sleeping victims. Sylvia specializes in studying these creatures and engaging with them on friendly terms—a unique approach when most others would rather fight or flee from the wildeleute. Lorelei, on the other hand, collects folk stories from the oral tradition and peppers her narrative with short tales that begin “Back in the days when wishes still held power…” Though she doesn’t use the names familiar to us, astute readers will recognize tales from Grimm’s collections such as “Bluebeard” and “Rapunzel,” as well as traditional Jewish tales like “The Golem of Prague.” There are also references to Grimm’s tales that are lesser-known today, such as the virulently antisemetic “The Jew Among Thorns.” Mixed with these are original tales, including multiple legends about heroes discovering the ursprung, which showcase the multifaceted versions and varieties that a single folktale can take on.
Though the setting abounds with creatures that might be considered monsters, the novel explores true monstrosity within its human characters. Lorelei’s colleagues on the expedition are all young nobles from the different regions that compose the united Brunnestaad, and they fought together in the bloody war through which King Wilhelm established his dominance. For some, this wartime experience gave them an aversion to violence and wielding magic, while others developed a taste for cruelty and bloodshed. It is Lorelei, however, who is considered monstrous by the larger society, simply for being Yevanish. From the moment she left the walled ghetto and stepped foot in the university halls, whispered voices called her “the viper.” Her peers make no secret of the fact that they expect her to be secretive, scheming, and ready to stab them in the back. Lorelei is told who she is by others so often that she begins to believe them—if not that she holds these traits by nature, then that she must adopt them to survive in this harsh world. There is a temptation among the demonized to embrace a monstrous reputation and prove the haters right. But it is far more challenging to choose empathy in the face of antipathy and to repeatedly fight to defy negative expectations. It is only when Lorelei discovers an ally where she least expects to find one and sees herself through the eyes of someone who views her as strong, intelligent, and heroic that she can finally shed her “viper” persona.
Come for the folklore and fantasy, stay for the yearning! You can find A Dark and Drowning Tide on shelves now at your favorite local retailer, or order a copy online and support The Gothic Library in the process using this Bookshop.org affiliate link. If you’ve already read it, let me know your thoughts in the comments!