Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - A Study in Drowning

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

728 reviews

isabella_sans_merci's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

The pieces are so promising but the assemblage is lacking. The climax was so fully out of place that it made me roll my eyes, instead of feeling the intended emotions. The writing is quite good regardless, and it wasn’t long enough of a story that it overstayed its welcome

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bobkit's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

The settings are wonderful. It is a perfect fall read with the mood/spooky coastal setting.

The romance between two of the characters was well done as well. It was sweet and not too heavy handed.

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laurenleigh's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

I tried listening to this audiobook months ago and very quickly realized I wasn’t in the mood. I’m so glad I waited for the right time, because I absolutely loved this on my second attempt! The gothic crumbling manor house vibes were so good, set up with a perfect dark academia plot. I don’t know if loved the romance build up (it was slow burn but maybe could have been even slower?), though I loved the couple in the end. It felt very similar to Divine Rivals, but with more spooky fantasy elements.

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seasoledad's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed reading this book. The writing is so beautiful. The book has some creepy moments, which I am not used to reading, but I liked them. It was perfect for the Halloween season. I predicted from the start that

Angharad is the real writer of the book

but I still wanted to know the full story. There was still a bit of mystery that I wanted to find out.

This story not only focuses on the mystery of Emrys Myrddin but also on how Effy processes her trauma as an SA survivor. It was devasting to read how much she went through. She is surrounded by people who either do not believe her or put the blame on her. She finds herself encountering men who make her feel inferior. But I liked how she gradually processes her trauma and eventually feels empowered to stand up for herself. That was emotional to read.

I also enjoyed the romance between Effy and Preston. It wasn't the main focus of the book, which I liked. They're complete opposites, which causes them to clash a lot but they eventually set aside their prejudices and understand each other. They come to respect each other and from that respect comes love for each other. It was sweet. He is a gentleman to Effy, and he uses his privilege as a man to assist Effy in fighting against the patriarchal system in academia. Love that for them.

Overall, a good book to read if you want to get into gothic horror.

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kristannereads's review against another edition

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4.0

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gabsyko's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Suuuuch a fun read! I was so invested in the story the whole way through. Looooove me a mysterious book. Been in a bit of a romantasy era and this really scratched the itch. Really excellent world building as well!

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