Mini-review: A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

"Back in the days when wishes still held power".

This time, I will not make a full review but I would rather like to focus on one of the aspects I really enjoyed in my latest read, A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft. The premise was a tad misleading as I thought I was going to read a murder mystery book with some magic sprinkled on top. However, it becomes very clear that the protagonist, Lorelei Kaskel, isn't the greatest detective out there since she is rather bad at making friends and keeping up polite conversations. She is on the other hand extremely well-aware of how she is perceived in society and over a five year period she has fostered a real hatred to Sylvia von Wolff, her academic nemesis.

But where Sylvia divulges all of her time to magical beings, Lorelei spends her time on folklore, collecting and transcribing myths throughout the magical realm that she inhabits - and this is where Saft does something I haven't seen before. Lorelei often reflects over the folklore she has learned throughout her twelve years of study, and every time one begins, it starts with the words: "Back in the days when wishes still held power".  Afterwards comes a myth, rarely any longer than a page or two, and then Lorelei snaps back to reality. But as a reader, I enjoyed it so immensely. The myths are also placed strategically in the story; with purpose and intent. Nothing is ever dropped into a page to fill a wordcount. Instead, Saft is giving the reader world building through myths - some we know from our own world, others still fit the criteria of how myths, fairy tales and folklore are written and characterised. By God, it was a treat to read a book that knew how to give world building, especially in such a unique way. These last couple of years I have read my fair share of books with painful and awkward descriptions of a world that never really felt 'real'. Ironically, what makes this book feel real is the fantastical myths. It should be noted that the magical beings and expectational fauna is indeed real in this book, however, the folklore is situated in a grey area. Some are simply meant to teach people morals (as we know from fairy tales) whereas others contain truths which Lorelei uses to progress in her investigations - both into her mentor's murder but also in her search for the origin of magic. 

It is delightful to read the many folklores throughout the book, and even though not all of them impact the story progression greatly, they still create a world building that feels authentic. It also deepens Lorelei as a character and shows how she has a survived in a difficult research environment all those years. She is extremely clever and has torn her way through life due to her passion for myths and folklore. This passions fuels her, even if she often doubts that her life would ever evolve into something else than being a second class citizen with a degree. Her life, and life in general in this book, is so very fragile and we all cling to stories to help us survive the day. So thank you Saft for writing a story about the joy of stories - it satisfied a hunger I did not know I had.

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