Reviews with content warning for Vomit - A Study in Drowning

I went into this knowing nothing but the title, and that it was a runner up for book of the year..

Did I expect a wonderfully written novel thats engaging, has dark academia, found family, enemies to lovers, grumpy x grumpy, mystery, academic rivals tropes, dark urban fantasy, fae legend proving true, great world building, feminism, mental health awareness, and is trickled with beautiful poetry, in a gloomy, misty island setting??

Did I LOVE IT and read half of it within one day? Yes!!!

And the romance was JUST the right amount, not overly annoying or taking away from the protagonist's innner conflict, or the mystery in the plot.
THE FMC is called Effy, btw. What other Effies do we know? Trinket, the one from skims... She's another one in a line of amazing, uniquely flawed and intriguing characters!

The "plot twist" was a bit expectable, but I don't mind figuring it out earlier than the protagonists. It was just too obvious

with there only being one name unmentioned and then turning out to be exactly her, lol.

You'll love this if you liked books like Divine Rivals or , cold oceans and cliff sides, LOADS of references to water, a slow burn academic rivals romance, elements of fairy tales, female empowerment, discussions of mental health... And beautiful, poetic writing!

Here are my favorite, most memorable wuotes;

(TBA)

Content Warnings

cristina_margarita's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous 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

4.75

I really love Ava’s books. This one is the perfect middle ground between The Wolf & The Woodsman & Juniper & Thorn. I come away from each of Ava’s books feeling like just the girl she’s written them for. This book is once again a tender love letter to survivors.

The dark academia/gothic blend was so well executed.

Having followed her for a while & kept up with not just her progress on this book but also the little bit of her life she shares online, it was interesting to see how much of herself & her fiancé she put into this book.

I did have a couple of qualms with the book. The biggest being that while I understand the symbolism behind

having Effy’s showdown with the Fairy King as he posses Ianto being over so quickly to demonstrate how absolutely inconsequential he is to Effy etc. it still had an air of disappointment to it. The whole book was building to this climax & I appreciate what Ava was going for, but I think it was a path that requires some faith on the part of the reader to continue & sit with why that was the choice. Additionally, I wish we had gotten an explanation from Angharad herself as to why she never made herself known before the very end.

Content Warnings

lena_kellogg's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

I cannot think of a better read to get your hands on this fall!

Effy Sayre is an avid fan of the haunting fantasy works of the late great Emyrs Myrddin. When she is denied entry into the all-male literature college to study Myddin’s works, she grudgingly settles on architecture. After winning a design contest, Effy is invited to Myrddin’s estate to redesign his now crumbling, waterlogged manor. While redesigning the manor, Effy becomes acquainted with Preston, a smug literature student studying Myrddin’s old letters. As Myrddin’s son and other unknown magical forces try to keep Effy and Preston from working together, they clandestinely operate to uncover the secrets held within the slowly sinking manor - secrets that could topple everything that Effy has ever held dear.

Effy is one of my favorite female main characters I’ve read. She reminds me so much of myself as a first year college student: determined, but timid and shy in a place she feels she just doesn’t belong. She’s strong without having to dominate every interaction, battle with swords, or make amusing quips. Effy is a wonderful example of quiet bravery, fighting against her past and clamoring to create her future.

The setting and world are haunting and eerie. I pictured everything in a washed-out sepia tone. Mythology and inspiration is drawn heavily from England and Wales. We also have some early 20th century technology, adding an unexpected element to the world. It’s a perfect ethereal dark-academia fall read!

The romance in this book is so tender, so real, and so beautiful. It was touching to see a relationship built upon trust, shared intellectual pursuits, and honest respect for each other. Our love interest shows such a realistic sweetness and gentleness that is (I believe) lacking in a lot of upper YA romantic interests.

There are a couple minor instances of swearing and one closed-door romantic scene. I’d recommend it for the older YA age group (16-19) as Effy is in her first year of college and this book is focused around themes of sexism in academia and grooming/sexual harassment.

If you want an atmospheric, dark academia, rivals-to-lovers, mysterious story, A Study in Drowning is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for providing me with a digital advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Content Warnings

More...