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dianaschmidty's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Warning: this review doesn’t feature any spoilers, but it’s also really hard to talk about this book without spoilers, so I didn’t go into much detail.
This poor girl. As someone who deeply related to multiple of Effy’s experiences, Ava Reid perfectly encapsulated both how to be a survivor and how it feels to survive. As a female history major, I think that Ava Reid also perfectly encapsulated how it feels to academically survive in a world where it’s assumed that “scholarly” articles are more valid coming from a man. Watching Effy survive and learn to thrive by the end of the book was really special.
This was one of the most complex YA books I’ve ever read and I really enjoyed that. I hope that more English teachers add this to their reading lists. The world building was very complex and I would love to read more books set in this world! I also can’t wait to read more from Ava Reid!
Also, I absolutely adored Preston. The world needs more Prestons.
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperTeen, and Ava Reid for providing me access to this book.
This poor girl. As someone who deeply related to multiple of Effy’s experiences, Ava Reid perfectly encapsulated both how to be a survivor and how it feels to survive. As a female history major, I think that Ava Reid also perfectly encapsulated how it feels to academically survive in a world where it’s assumed that “scholarly” articles are more valid coming from a man. Watching Effy survive and learn to thrive by the end of the book was really special.
This was one of the most complex YA books I’ve ever read and I really enjoyed that. I hope that more English teachers add this to their reading lists. The world building was very complex and I would love to read more books set in this world! I also can’t wait to read more from Ava Reid!
Also, I absolutely adored Preston. The world needs more Prestons.
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperTeen, and Ava Reid for providing me access to this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Rape, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content
booksthatburn's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
Ava Reid is one of a small group of authors who I trust when reading a new story that deals with abuse and the precarity of survival. A STUDY IN DROWNING deals with institutional misogyny, sexual abuse, and societal dismissal of complaints about the same, all while telling a gripping story that delves into perception, unreality, and the difficulty of knowing what’s real or imagined when you’re dismissed out of hand as hysterical or crazy. Any summary or specific explanation that I could provide pales in comparison to just how fucking good this book is. It has a specific focus on abuse by men in power on young women who are technically women, and that they're legally adults but are in that strange zone where any signs of maturity are taken as indications that they knew exactly what they were getting into, but they can still be conveniently dismissed as children in an instant when it's convenient for their abusees. Even this thought is an inadequate paraphrasing of the way that this position is described in the text.
A STUDY IN DROWNING is a story of uncertainty and a shaky sense of reality, figuring out how to name and shame abusers who use their power, position, and (often) gender to obscure and diminish their abuse, and to cultivate uncertainty as to whether they did what they did, and if they did it, if it even was wrong. The fantastical setting allows for a recursive reinforcement of themes of decay, drowning, and rot as the specter of the Fairy King is invoked, threatened, and manifested in turn to build a story where the water is certain, death is inevitable, but drowning is slow. In that gap is room for denial and obfuscation as the water rises.
Effy is obsessed with the works of a particular author, and of his novel, Angharad, in particular. It tells the story of the Fairy King seducing his human bride from the perspective of that girl. Effy has the text largely memorized, and many lines in it are deeply meaningful to her, whispered as talismans against the sexism of her daily life. In a country where she has to go to the architecture college because no women are allowed in the literature college, the idea that one of the most famous writers in her country would have written this book with such a careful and nuanced understanding of a female perspective is deeply meaningful and inspiring to her. The college bars women because of misogynist nonsense about their minds being unable to handle understanding or producing great works of literature. Though she is admitted at the architecture college, Effy is the only female student there. The few girls in her dorm who are studying at the music college where they are admitted in greater numbers.
At first, Effy has a xenophobic reaction to learning that a boy from an enemy nation was admitted to study at the literature college at the same time she was denied because of her gender. She ends up meeting him, and it turns into a rivals to lovers scenario where they work together to get around the sexist institution and call abusers to account. Gradually it becomes clear as Effy is able to think and process more specifically that one of the professors abused her. She feels unable to go to anyone for help, or even necessarily to be certain in herself, that it was wrong. The other students assume she used her body to get where she is, that somehow she doesn't deserve to be in the same halls as them.
A STUDY IN DROWNING has cemented Ava Reid on my must-read list for her consistently nuanced handling of themes of abuse and coercion in ways that leverage the strengths of fantasy to help deal with traumatic realities surrounding sexism and abuses of power.
A STUDY IN DROWNING is a story of uncertainty and a shaky sense of reality, figuring out how to name and shame abusers who use their power, position, and (often) gender to obscure and diminish their abuse, and to cultivate uncertainty as to whether they did what they did, and if they did it, if it even was wrong. The fantastical setting allows for a recursive reinforcement of themes of decay, drowning, and rot as the specter of the Fairy King is invoked, threatened, and manifested in turn to build a story where the water is certain, death is inevitable, but drowning is slow. In that gap is room for denial and obfuscation as the water rises.
Effy is obsessed with the works of a particular author, and of his novel, Angharad, in particular. It tells the story of the Fairy King seducing his human bride from the perspective of that girl. Effy has the text largely memorized, and many lines in it are deeply meaningful to her, whispered as talismans against the sexism of her daily life. In a country where she has to go to the architecture college because no women are allowed in the literature college, the idea that one of the most famous writers in her country would have written this book with such a careful and nuanced understanding of a female perspective is deeply meaningful and inspiring to her. The college bars women because of misogynist nonsense about their minds being unable to handle understanding or producing great works of literature. Though she is admitted at the architecture college, Effy is the only female student there. The few girls in her dorm who are studying at the music college where they are admitted in greater numbers.
At first, Effy has a xenophobic reaction to learning that a boy from an enemy nation was admitted to study at the literature college at the same time she was denied because of her gender. She ends up meeting him, and it turns into a rivals to lovers scenario where they work together to get around the sexist institution and call abusers to account. Gradually it becomes clear as Effy is able to think and process more specifically that one of the professors abused her. She feels unable to go to anyone for help, or even necessarily to be certain in herself, that it was wrong. The other students assume she used her body to get where she is, that somehow she doesn't deserve to be in the same halls as them.
A STUDY IN DROWNING has cemented Ava Reid on my must-read list for her consistently nuanced handling of themes of abuse and coercion in ways that leverage the strengths of fantasy to help deal with traumatic realities surrounding sexism and abuses of power.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Medical content, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Murder, Alcohol, and War
xennial_reader's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual content, Grief, and War
katyakat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and War
kiandrareadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual assault, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism
heartbrekker's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"Better to pen a story of your own. Better to build your own house, with a foundation that was strong, with windows that let in plenty of light."
I have officially found my favorite book of 2023. I definitely didn't expect it to be a young adult book, but I'm certainly glad that it is Ava Reid's newest release.
“Lovely and dangerous and vast beyond mortal comprehension, the sea makes dreamers of us all.”
WARNING: SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT
"I was a woman when it was convenient to blame me, and a girl when they wanted to use me."
"I know you think I am a little girl, and what could a little girl know about eternity? But I do know this: whether you survive the ocean or you don't, whether you are lost or whether the waves deliver you back to the shore—every story is told in the language of water, in tongues of salt and foam. And the sea, the sea, it whispers the secrets of how all things end."
Along with not expecting a YA book to become my favorite this year, I did not expect Effy to become the protagonist I connect to the most of Ava Reid's characters. I've always felt a particular bond to Marlinchen, so when I had to marathon A Study in Drowning because I could not get enough of this world or Effy, I was pleasantly surprised. Effy actually ended up comforting me in the most surprising circumstance. I had a triggering experience at my jury duty, and it was A Study in Drowning and notably Effy's constant push through her own anxieties that got me through that day. Her thought process (ex: her anxiety in thinking about the perceptions of her trauma from loved ones or strangers) particularly about Ianto and Corbenic were helpful for my own digestion of my youth and triggers. Effy's still coming to terms with her trauma and experiences—much like myself—and it was a balm on my heart to have her going through it alongside me.
"I will love you to ruination."
I think this book, much like Ava's other books, is going to comfort a ton of readers like myself and even help people start their journey to healing. I never thought Effy would bring so many emotions and tears out of me, but she is wringing me out to dry in the best way possible for my mental health. Effy and even Angharad's journeys will stay with me for as long as I'm able to hold them close.
"There's very little worse than when our heroes fail us, is there?"
Now getting beyond my own emotional attachment to this book—A Study in Drowning is the type of gothic, dark academia literature that I YEARN for and rarely ever find. It has the perfect blend of those genres with its own unique magic. I want dark academia in particular to branch out away from books like The Secret History because the genre has more to it than focusing solely on those narratives.
"But stories were devious things, things with agendas. They could cheat and steal and lie to your face. They could crumble away under your feet."
Moreover, Ava adds in some wonderful commentary and criticism between the North and South stereotypes and biases within A Study in Drowning's world. This tension between these two regions only intensified the mystery and world building of this world. I'm actually from the south here in the U.S., and while I don't believe Ava was basing this part of their world off of the US. north and south regions, I felt very vindicated in Effy and Preston's understanding and respect of the region. Their desire to actually understand the people living there rather than trivializing or stereotyping them was sooooo refreshing. It made their search for Myrddin's truth more genuine.
"I come for the girls who are left out in the cold. They cannot belong anywhere else but with me."
Furthermore, if you are a big fan of traditional faerie/fae lore, look no further than this book! While it does not taste immediate center stage, the faeries are an underlying current throughout the entirety of this book. A Study in Drowning is also one of the only examples I can give nowadays that actually leans into true faerie lore and not the ones dominating the romantasy genre. The Fairy King is terrifying and creepy. He feels like a culmination of so many nightmares and toxic men that thrive off of abusing their power. His deep, unsettling connection to Effy also made so much sense. Her being left by her neglectful mother in a clearing because she was believed to be a changeling just... it blew my mind to learn of that in the reveal. It also brought so much of her personality and relationships (mother in particular) into better perspective. I wanted to squeeze Effy so tight and never let her go in those moments. Lastly, in terms of the Fairy King, his final scene with Effy is one that still hasn't left me. It was electrically charged and horrifying. Again, Ava's callback to mirrors and faerie lore made this entire end to the antagonist so much sweeter. A lore-obsessed child using her own wits and intuition was a perfect conclusion to her big bad.
"Maybe the idea of constancy is what's actually terrifying. Fear of the sea is fear of the eternal—because how can you win against something so enduring. So vast and so deep."
Books overall play such a tumultuous relationship in A Study in Drowning. Honestly, it is very meta from Myrddin's role as a Sleeper all the way to Effy actually meeting Angharad. A Study in Drowning talks about authors, readers, the influence of books and literature on society, and I find that incredibly fascinating. I could write a whole entire thesis about the ins and outs of books' effects on society at large. Even Effy's own unique relationship to Angharad as a strong, independent female lead is a stepping stone on how ASID's world negatively depicts women besides this singular book. Without Effy's deep connection to Angharad, we would not have a plot. A Study in Drowning goes to show that books are not what they seem, same with authors, and while we may create our own assumptions about authors or books based off of the material, we do not know the reality behind the written word—or very few actually do. Readers abilities to revere authors and public figures is not a healthy lifestyle and usually will only lead to disappointment. Power almost always taints the wielder, maybe already has, and Effy's journey to understanding this was a long and hard one to read. But it was also beautiful in this coming of age story.
"Ret eo anavezout a-raok karout. 'One must know before loving.'"
Finally, I couldn't write this review without commenting on Effy and Preston's relationship. I am a slow build romance junkie. It will always be the best trope when don correctly, and obviously, A Study in Drowning did it perfectly. Preston reminded me a ton of my own partner in many of the scenes where he gives Effy the space or time to understand her own anxiety or feelings. He's the type of love interest, especially in young adult books, that makes me excited for young readers. He teaches respect and gentle love in the best manner possible. In the climax, I was shaking with horror as he was chained near the drowning basement steps. I was so stressed that not only something would happen to Effy (fuck the Fairy King), but that Preston would die immobile, knowing he could not do everything in his power to help her fight off the Fairy King. It was something that brought on his own trauma, and it empowered him and Effy's bond, their complementing of one another's strengths and weaknesses, when she came back for him. It's leads like Preston that make me excited for this age range/genre of books.
"Trees didn't die when they were cut down, did they? Their dying took months, years. What a terrible fate to endure."
Also, Ava Reid's acknowledgment to Zelda brought my tears back on full blast. I thought of Zelda many times throughout the course of this novel, and I even theorized Myrddin's wife was the actual writer of Angharad. It felt full circle to see Zelda referenced and remembered—believed in—in the acknowledgements.
"What defines a romance? All scholars seem to converge on a single point: it is a story that must have a happy ending. And why is that? I say, it is because a romance is a belief in the impossible: that anything ends happily. For the only true end is death—and in this way, is romance not a rebuke of mortality? When love is here, I am not. When love is not, I am gone. Perhaps a romance is a story with no end at all; where the end is but a wardrobe with a false back, leading to stranger and more merciful worlds."
Thank you to Harper's Children's team and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this eARC. It was so special to read it early, and I'm eternally thankful. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
"The sea is a thing no sword can slay."
I have officially found my favorite book of 2023. I definitely didn't expect it to be a young adult book, but I'm certainly glad that it is Ava Reid's newest release.
“Lovely and dangerous and vast beyond mortal comprehension, the sea makes dreamers of us all.”
WARNING: SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT
"I was a woman when it was convenient to blame me, and a girl when they wanted to use me."
"I know you think I am a little girl, and what could a little girl know about eternity? But I do know this: whether you survive the ocean or you don't, whether you are lost or whether the waves deliver you back to the shore—every story is told in the language of water, in tongues of salt and foam. And the sea, the sea, it whispers the secrets of how all things end."
Along with not expecting a YA book to become my favorite this year, I did not expect Effy to become the protagonist I connect to the most of Ava Reid's characters. I've always felt a particular bond to Marlinchen, so when I had to marathon A Study in Drowning because I could not get enough of this world or Effy, I was pleasantly surprised. Effy actually ended up comforting me in the most surprising circumstance. I had a triggering experience at my jury duty, and it was A Study in Drowning and notably Effy's constant push through her own anxieties that got me through that day. Her thought process (ex: her anxiety in thinking about the perceptions of her trauma from loved ones or strangers) particularly about Ianto and Corbenic were helpful for my own digestion of my youth and triggers. Effy's still coming to terms with her trauma and experiences—much like myself—and it was a balm on my heart to have her going through it alongside me.
"I will love you to ruination."
I think this book, much like Ava's other books, is going to comfort a ton of readers like myself and even help people start their journey to healing. I never thought Effy would bring so many emotions and tears out of me, but she is wringing me out to dry in the best way possible for my mental health. Effy and even Angharad's journeys will stay with me for as long as I'm able to hold them close.
"There's very little worse than when our heroes fail us, is there?"
Now getting beyond my own emotional attachment to this book—A Study in Drowning is the type of gothic, dark academia literature that I YEARN for and rarely ever find. It has the perfect blend of those genres with its own unique magic. I want dark academia in particular to branch out away from books like The Secret History because the genre has more to it than focusing solely on those narratives.
"But stories were devious things, things with agendas. They could cheat and steal and lie to your face. They could crumble away under your feet."
Moreover, Ava adds in some wonderful commentary and criticism between the North and South stereotypes and biases within A Study in Drowning's world. This tension between these two regions only intensified the mystery and world building of this world. I'm actually from the south here in the U.S., and while I don't believe Ava was basing this part of their world off of the US. north and south regions, I felt very vindicated in Effy and Preston's understanding and respect of the region. Their desire to actually understand the people living there rather than trivializing or stereotyping them was sooooo refreshing. It made their search for Myrddin's truth more genuine.
"I come for the girls who are left out in the cold. They cannot belong anywhere else but with me."
Furthermore, if you are a big fan of traditional faerie/fae lore, look no further than this book! While it does not taste immediate center stage, the faeries are an underlying current throughout the entirety of this book. A Study in Drowning is also one of the only examples I can give nowadays that actually leans into true faerie lore and not the ones dominating the romantasy genre. The Fairy King is terrifying and creepy. He feels like a culmination of so many nightmares and toxic men that thrive off of abusing their power. His deep, unsettling connection to Effy also made so much sense. Her being left by her neglectful mother in a clearing because she was believed to be a changeling just... it blew my mind to learn of that in the reveal. It also brought so much of her personality and relationships (mother in particular) into better perspective. I wanted to squeeze Effy so tight and never let her go in those moments. Lastly, in terms of the Fairy King, his final scene with Effy is one that still hasn't left me. It was electrically charged and horrifying. Again, Ava's callback to mirrors and faerie lore made this entire end to the antagonist so much sweeter. A lore-obsessed child using her own wits and intuition was a perfect conclusion to her big bad.
"Maybe the idea of constancy is what's actually terrifying. Fear of the sea is fear of the eternal—because how can you win against something so enduring. So vast and so deep."
Books overall play such a tumultuous relationship in A Study in Drowning. Honestly, it is very meta from Myrddin's role as a Sleeper all the way to Effy actually meeting Angharad. A Study in Drowning talks about authors, readers, the influence of books and literature on society, and I find that incredibly fascinating. I could write a whole entire thesis about the ins and outs of books' effects on society at large. Even Effy's own unique relationship to Angharad as a strong, independent female lead is a stepping stone on how ASID's world negatively depicts women besides this singular book. Without Effy's deep connection to Angharad, we would not have a plot. A Study in Drowning goes to show that books are not what they seem, same with authors, and while we may create our own assumptions about authors or books based off of the material, we do not know the reality behind the written word—or very few actually do. Readers abilities to revere authors and public figures is not a healthy lifestyle and usually will only lead to disappointment. Power almost always taints the wielder, maybe already has, and Effy's journey to understanding this was a long and hard one to read. But it was also beautiful in this coming of age story.
"Ret eo anavezout a-raok karout. 'One must know before loving.'"
Finally, I couldn't write this review without commenting on Effy and Preston's relationship. I am a slow build romance junkie. It will always be the best trope when don correctly, and obviously, A Study in Drowning did it perfectly. Preston reminded me a ton of my own partner in many of the scenes where he gives Effy the space or time to understand her own anxiety or feelings. He's the type of love interest, especially in young adult books, that makes me excited for young readers. He teaches respect and gentle love in the best manner possible. In the climax, I was shaking with horror as he was chained near the drowning basement steps. I was so stressed that not only something would happen to Effy (fuck the Fairy King), but that Preston would die immobile, knowing he could not do everything in his power to help her fight off the Fairy King. It was something that brought on his own trauma, and it empowered him and Effy's bond, their complementing of one another's strengths and weaknesses, when she came back for him. It's leads like Preston that make me excited for this age range/genre of books.
"Trees didn't die when they were cut down, did they? Their dying took months, years. What a terrible fate to endure."
Also, Ava Reid's acknowledgment to Zelda brought my tears back on full blast. I thought of Zelda many times throughout the course of this novel, and I even theorized Myrddin's wife was the actual writer of Angharad. It felt full circle to see Zelda referenced and remembered—believed in—in the acknowledgements.
"What defines a romance? All scholars seem to converge on a single point: it is a story that must have a happy ending. And why is that? I say, it is because a romance is a belief in the impossible: that anything ends happily. For the only true end is death—and in this way, is romance not a rebuke of mortality? When love is here, I am not. When love is not, I am gone. Perhaps a romance is a story with no end at all; where the end is but a wardrobe with a false back, leading to stranger and more merciful worlds."
Thank you to Harper's Children's team and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this eARC. It was so special to read it early, and I'm eternally thankful. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
"The sea is a thing no sword can slay."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm
rachelreadsfantasy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual assault
Minor: Alcoholism, Misogyny, and Sexism
gagereadsstuff's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Effy Sayre is a first year architecture student who would rather be studying literature. At the beginning of her story, she finds a poster for a design contest to redesign the estate of Emrys Myrddin, her favorite author. If she can't study his works, she'll at least enter the design contest to see his home in southern Llyr.
Upon arriving, she finds a decrepit, waterlogged manor on a cliffside and is greeted by an academic rival, Preston Héloury whose thesis she disagrees with. Regardless of their differences, they band together to solve the mystery of Myrddin's principle work, Angharad, in the face of natural and supernatural forces at play.
My scholarly heart was filled with joy reading this Gothic/dark academia/young adult mystery. Can I just say how much it pleases me to puzzle out the little details in Reid's works? Like Llyr is Wales while Argant is possibly Brittany? The university is in Caer-Isel, the mythical sunken city of Ys, and Llyr went through a "Drowning" a little over 200 years earlier in the story. Emrys Myrddin? *Kind of a spoiler* Immortal Bard?! We also get some nods to Marlovian theory going on later in the plot, and the publisher of the famed novel at the center of the mystery is called Marlowe! *Chef kiss*
The themes of ASiD are numerous and complex: superstition, fairies, misogyny, women's roles in academia. But the one that stuck out to me most was mental illness. Effy questions her reality throughout the book as she confronts visions of the Fairy King and dang, if that ain't a trauma response. Even her resilience as she struggles and survives is a sign of her past trauma.
Misogyny and its trappings are the other themes that stuck out to me. Effy is barred from the college of literature since women "have not, as a sex, demonstrated great strength in the faculties of literary analysis or understanding."
First of all, ugh. Every man except for Preston says something misogynistic to her. Ugh. Second, it was interesting to see the internal rebellion Effy had in the face of such outright misogyny. Eventually, she was able to stick up for herself in a way that made the ending satisfying.
The atmosphere of the story was immaculate! The crumbling Gothic manor on a cliff by the sea, the stormy weather, the gruff and helpful harbinger in town. I. Ate. It. Up.
There's also outright romance and romantic tropes in the book that I haven't seen in Reid's other works. I enjoyed the way she incorporated them and molded them to her style.
I can't recommend this book enough. I hope my review has convinced you to read it, and that you'll pick it up when it's released in September!
Also, many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Upon arriving, she finds a decrepit, waterlogged manor on a cliffside and is greeted by an academic rival, Preston Héloury whose thesis she disagrees with. Regardless of their differences, they band together to solve the mystery of Myrddin's principle work, Angharad, in the face of natural and supernatural forces at play.
My scholarly heart was filled with joy reading this Gothic/dark academia/young adult mystery. Can I just say how much it pleases me to puzzle out the little details in Reid's works? Like Llyr is Wales while Argant is possibly Brittany? The university is in Caer-Isel, the mythical sunken city of Ys, and Llyr went through a "Drowning" a little over 200 years earlier in the story. Emrys Myrddin? *Kind of a spoiler* Immortal Bard?! We also get some nods to Marlovian theory going on later in the plot, and the publisher of the famed novel at the center of the mystery is called Marlowe! *Chef kiss*
The themes of ASiD are numerous and complex: superstition, fairies, misogyny, women's roles in academia. But the one that stuck out to me most was mental illness. Effy questions her reality throughout the book as she confronts visions of the Fairy King and dang, if that ain't a trauma response. Even her resilience as she struggles and survives is a sign of her past trauma.
Misogyny and its trappings are the other themes that stuck out to me. Effy is barred from the college of literature since women "have not, as a sex, demonstrated great strength in the faculties of literary analysis or understanding."
First of all, ugh. Every man except for Preston says something misogynistic to her. Ugh. Second, it was interesting to see the internal rebellion Effy had in the face of such outright misogyny. Eventually, she was able to stick up for herself in a way that made the ending satisfying.
The atmosphere of the story was immaculate! The crumbling Gothic manor on a cliff by the sea, the stormy weather, the gruff and helpful harbinger in town. I. Ate. It. Up.
There's also outright romance and romantic tropes in the book that I haven't seen in Reid's other works. I enjoyed the way she incorporated them and molded them to her style.
I can't recommend this book enough. I hope my review has convinced you to read it, and that you'll pick it up when it's released in September!
Also, many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail