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av0universe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Me ha encantado si soy completamente honesta. Es el primer libro que leo de la autora y creo que empezar por el juvenil que tiene ha sido una idea acertada.
Lo que me encanta de este libro es el desarrollo de personaje de la protagonista, Effy. Pasa de ser una "niña llorona y asustada" a una mujer empoderada con sus miedos y angustias (no me gusta ponerlo de esta manera, pero creo que se entiende la idea). Ese viaje que sigue Effy para encontrarse a sí misma y sobre todo aceptarse tal como y finalmente verse como Preston la ve, fuerte, inteligente y valiente. También adoro el mundo en el que se desarrolla la trama, me parece muy rico y creo que la autora lo conoce perfectamente (aspiro a lo mismo como future autore).
La única razón por la que no es 5 estrellas es precisamente porque a veces, especialmente al inicio del libro que no entendía ni mierdas, Effy me parecía demasiado redundante en sus miedos, que aunque reales y bienfundados, me desconcertaba bastante. Ahora, creo que es extremadamente realista, todo el mundo tiene miedos y me parece maravilloso que la autora haya elegido una persona así como protagonista, no lo cambiaría por nada.
Lo que me encanta de este libro es el desarrollo de personaje de la protagonista, Effy. Pasa de ser una "niña llorona y asustada" a una mujer empoderada con sus miedos y angustias (no me gusta ponerlo de esta manera, pero creo que se entiende la idea). Ese viaje que sigue Effy para encontrarse a sí misma y sobre todo aceptarse tal como y finalmente verse como Preston la ve, fuerte, inteligente y valiente. También adoro el mundo en el que se desarrolla la trama, me parece muy rico y creo que la autora lo conoce perfectamente (aspiro a lo mismo como future autore).
La única razón por la que no es 5 estrellas es precisamente porque a veces, especialmente al inicio del libro que no entendía ni mierdas, Effy me parecía demasiado redundante en sus miedos, que aunque reales y bienfundados, me desconcertaba bastante. Ahora, creo que es extremadamente realista, todo el mundo tiene miedos y me parece maravilloso que la autora haya elegido una persona así como protagonista, no lo cambiaría por nada.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and War
swen20's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A story about a female student who wins a contest to design the remodel of the house of her literary hero, only to find out his legacy is darker than she realized.
I liked what this book was trying to to but I don't think the author executed it particularly well. The main character didn't feel fully developed and didn't feel believable as a person. Additionally, I liked the concept of the story but it just fell a bit flat.
I liked what this book was trying to to but I don't think the author executed it particularly well. The main character didn't feel fully developed and didn't feel believable as a person. Additionally, I liked the concept of the story but it just fell a bit flat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault
drhoneybee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Blood, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
florecita_lectora's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
everdeeen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
3.5
Starts out a bit slow and takes you a while to get to the plot but it's very interesting! Deals with heavy topics and does it so without being traumatic, which I appreciate immensely! The plot is so interesting I kinda wanna read Angharad! Feels like a mythical novel through and through, like it could be real but also a bit distant! I liked it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
grayvie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
Minor: Child abuse and Death
malima's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Effy, the protagonist of “A Study in Drowning” is a young woman that has spent her whole life trying to survive, to be believed and to find her place in a world set against her. Having been refused at the literature college, the most prestigious academic institution in Llyr, for being a woman, she is now the only woman in the architecture college, where she’s been sexually assaulted by her advisor and called a “slut” by her peers for having had an “affair” with him. In addition to these new problems, she’s always had problems with seeing the Fairy King, a character from myths and the stories of her favorite author. These supposed “hallucinations” and Effy’s fear of them have been a constant burden to her family.
When she’s chosen by the family of her favorite author to design a new house for them, she thinks this is the way to prove herself to her family, the university and her peers as well as bring the magic of her favorite stories to life.
Once there, things are different than she expects: the author’s widow doesn’t want her in the house, the author’s son can’t seem to decide what he wants from her, switching from fatherly figure to lusting after her, the house she is supposed to redesign is falling apart and being swallowed by the sea. And then there’s an Argantian literature student staying there that has everything Effy wants — studying the works of her favorite author at the literature college, but seems to want to discredit instead of appreciate him.
Being the least hostile part of her environment, she strikes a deal with him: If she helps him find out the truth, his dissertation will bear her name as well, gaining her entry in the literature college. Effy hopes to prove him wrong during their search for the truth, but first they have to survive the house and its inhabitants.
In the duration of the book, I’ve become a big fan of it. The world of myths that was developed for Llyr and the way it plays together with the culture in the country both in the North and in the South and with the protagonists own beliefs was very interesting to me. I enjoyed the way romance and sexual assault and the power dynamics at play in these contexts were portrayed in this book. How Effy’s history has her react to other’s advances or just other situations that could possibly be ambiguously read, as well as the difference in situations she lets happen to her and situations where she’s the one initiating and pursuing someone.
Effy was a deeply compelling character to me, and I struggle to put all that I loved about her story and this story in general into words, but I definitely fell in love with this book and would recommend it to other fans of the fantasy or romantasy genres.
When she’s chosen by the family of her favorite author to design a new house for them, she thinks this is the way to prove herself to her family, the university and her peers as well as bring the magic of her favorite stories to life.
Once there, things are different than she expects: the author’s widow doesn’t want her in the house, the author’s son can’t seem to decide what he wants from her, switching from fatherly figure to lusting after her, the house she is supposed to redesign is falling apart and being swallowed by the sea. And then there’s an Argantian literature student staying there that has everything Effy wants — studying the works of her favorite author at the literature college, but seems to want to discredit instead of appreciate him.
Being the least hostile part of her environment, she strikes a deal with him: If she helps him find out the truth, his dissertation will bear her name as well, gaining her entry in the literature college. Effy hopes to prove him wrong during their search for the truth, but first they have to survive the house and its inhabitants.
In the duration of the book, I’ve become a big fan of it. The world of myths that was developed for Llyr and the way it plays together with the culture in the country both in the North and in the South and with the protagonists own beliefs was very interesting to me. I enjoyed the way romance and sexual assault and the power dynamics at play in these contexts were portrayed in this book. How Effy’s history has her react to other’s advances or just other situations that could possibly be ambiguously read, as well as the difference in situations she lets happen to her and situations where she’s the one initiating and pursuing someone.
Effy was a deeply compelling character to me, and I struggle to put all that I loved about her story and this story in general into words, but I definitely fell in love with this book and would recommend it to other fans of the fantasy or romantasy genres.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Sexism, and Sexual assault
lucyhoneychurchreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
4.0
I very much liked the atmosphere of this book. A drizzly dark academic landscape filled with coffee and tweed. The writing is beautiful, evocative and lyrical at times. Overall the tone of the story is very melancholy and dark, dealing with trauma, abuse and inequality.
It’s marketed as young adult and while our protagonists are the correct age and maturity the rest of the story, writing and themes did not strike me as YA.
I found rating this very difficult- much of the story made me angry and sad but Effy’s character development was gorgeous and overall I’m so glad I read this even if I can’t quite say I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting
probablytoolate's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
samanthas_book_nook's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse