Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

104 reviews

anna_xiety's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

I loved this book so much- I was hesitant to start it because I had high hopes for it, but it definitely lived up to them. I think the start was a little slow but the pacing builds up and I love how Reid handles the issues in the book.

  and how the characters stories connect with each other ( put as a spoiler just in case)!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, and War

fairyreader75's review

adventurous dark 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment

Minor: War

the_rabble's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Fantasyland pre-80s Berlin's xenophobia smashed together with FantasyOxford's academic gender segregation BUT NONE OF THAT'S IMPORTANT- TIME TO GO TO A DAMP, ISOLATED, LEAKY BEACH HOUSE. 

Sexual assault and misogyny allergory that really, really loves aggressive and inconsistent water imagery. Buckle up for feeling sticky and coping with trauma via dissociation.

Single POV, 3rd person past tense, main characters are teen book nerds (college freshmen.) 1 semi-spicy scene.

Very strong world building. Would support this setting being used again. Likeable main characters. Plot, themes, and story structure are a bit of a mess. Action drags and we get a lot of heavy handed imagery and navel gazing. 

In a piece that excels at world building, the villian [bad guy lore]

isn't really explained as an entity. Which is fine, but things are overexplained through the whole book, except for the driving force of the book.

If this is on your TBR list bc the cover looks dope or it's been on lists, I suspect you'll get as much out of this book if you read the first two and last two chapters as reading the whole thing.

[Ending] Vibewise, Reid

does a good job on the ending. The pacing is well done and you feel like this chapter of the story is done and the characters are ready to move on. Things resolve.

I expect that's part of why this book gets good marks.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment

Minor: War

booksmoviesandstories's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

moonchild_cos'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? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

saurahsaurus's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Abandonment

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Infidelity, Alcohol, and Colonisation

mollieweitzman's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense 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

5.0

This was everything!!! Am I Ava Reid’s biggest fan now?!?? Yall were right!! Absolutely the best book to finish while in the dark and with no power for 3 days after a hurricane the vibes could not be more perfect I fear. Literally in the second drowning as we speak!!
 
As an aside I didn’t really like Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross and I know the plot doesn’t match up at all but this was kind of exactly the vibe I was wanting and missing from that!

 This book like it literally has EVERYTHING that I have ever wanted in a book please read this my moody dark academia girls who love the cruel prince and women destroying shithead men in power!! DO IT DO IT 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Xenophobia and Abandonment

feignedfennix's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual assault

Moderate: Xenophobia

shamaramill's review

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

this book starts a bit slowly but man did I soon feel like I was imprisoned in a rotting house on the sea… “mad” wives locked away… sublime climatological events… the Gothic TM!!!! Reid took NOTES on gothic classics and passed this practical with flying colors methinks 


Effy is deeply, sadly relatable: scared, often cowed by the incredibly shitty hand she is dealt, but empowered by genuine love and support, and her commitment to never backing down from her dreams. Preston was almost uncannily perfect as a love interest, and frankly I need me a literature freak like dat. hinge isn’t working so maybe i gotta start hanging out in the bookstore looking ready to Have Discourse

I liked this a lot, and am very interested in reading Reid’s other work. I didn’t realize this was YA until I’d already started it, but I would call this a really good example of YA writing, maybe towards the end of YA and into New Adult (is that still a thing)? the themes are very timely imo for 17-20 year olds moving into higher ed and the workforce, and something I think would’ve really resonated with me at that time. as a 26 year old, they still ring quite true for me as a person a bit beyond those years, but still able to remember the simultaneous freedom and fear inherent in being a newly “adult” woman. you’re on your own! but that means you’re on your own. a terrifying and exhilarating time of life, and a vulnerable time to those with power over you or your future. great read

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual assault and Xenophobia

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, War, and Injury/Injury detail