Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

24 reviews

justdandy_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.0

I really enjoyed this read! I devoured it in one day, completely hooked by the atmosphere. I went into the story knowing almost nothing about it, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much it pulled me in. As someone who’s a sucker for anything Fae, I was instantly intrigued, easy points for that alone.

Effy was a bit standoffish at first. She had an issue with Preston for what seemed like no reason, and honestly, she came off with some mean girl vibes. But as the story progressed, I started to understand her more, and by the end, I was rooting for her (and Preston). One of my favorite quotes was from Preston: “Challenging me isn’t pestering. I’m not always right. Sometimes I deserve to be challenged. And changing your mind isn’t foolish. It just means you’ve learned something new. Everyone changes their mind sometimes, as they should, or else they’re just, I don’t know, stubborn and ignorant. Moving water is healthy; stagnant water is sickly. Tainted.” That really helped me forgive Effy’s early prejudices. She is proven wrong, learns and grows from it, proving that people can change, and I like that development. 

That said, while I loved the book, it didn’t quite hit 5 stars for me. There were some plot elements that felt a little off or predictable.

The ending, especially the Fairy King confrontation, felt a bit anticlimactic and didn’t have the big impact I was hoping for. I also predicted a good chunk of the “twist,” which took away some of the surprise for me. (i.e. Ianto being taken advantage of by the Fairy King, Myrddin not being the true author, etc.)

I guess it is technically a YA, so I can’t fault it for reading like one. 

Despite the little hiccups, I had a fantastic time being immersed in this world. The writing is gorgeous, and I loved the atmosphere set up. It’s a story I’ll remember, and I’d still recommend it for anyone looking for a captivating read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma

Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, and War

may4la's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

bibliomania_express's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid intertwines magic and folklore with a quest to discover the true identity of an author. This is a book with an interesting premise that tackles hard topics like sexual assault, misogyny, and the erasure of women, but suffers from awkward worldbuilding, a bit too much on-page sexual harrassment, and a lacklustre romance. 

I've been avoiding reviews of this book and the little I haven't been able to avoid has been vehemently negative. I'm more on the ambivalent side. I think the book is doing some interesting things with its drowning motif and exploring mental health and the repression of women. It's depicting the casual sexual harrassment women are faced with that society expects them not to react to. 

But. The literal only good male character is the main love interest. Who, while a fine character, seems to be the love interest only because he's the only person not sexually harrassing Effy and because this is a "romantasy" when it didn't need to be. The sexism is so pervasive that the triumphant ending seems a bit too good to be true.

My real gripe beyond the ever-present misogyny that made this hard to read is that the magic system and worldbuilding is all over the place. I had a hard time understanding what was accepted existing magic and what was just "local supersition", especially when the supersitions were maybe (?) having an effect on a literal real war. But also there was nothing about the book that felt like it was taking place in a country currently at war, even when the main setting was a university town on the border with the enemy country.

I think I've ended with a 2.5 stars mainly because it was fast-paced and interesting enough to keep me engaging and blasting through it, but the list of gripes is too long to warrant a 3.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and War

Minor: Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

plswaitaminute's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment

basil_blastname's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Medical trauma

5aru's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

The story was beautifully crafted; you could understand what the truth was, not because it was a predictable twist but because it was properly foregrounded. Effy and Preston were likeable protagonists, though the development of the romance felt a little lacking for my taste. In fact, I think the major problem is that the book should've been longer, or else differently paced: as it is, the last quarter is too packed with information and so it feels like too many things happen at once. If some of the reveals

(especially the Fairy King being real)

happened earlier, the final confrontation would've been better set up and thus more satisfying to lead up into the reveal.

I still enjoyed it immensely, though. I liked the worldbuilding and felt very close to Effy's experiences, particularly one which I'm sure is almost universal (esp. as a woman) — that of finding out your favourite author, in fact, sucks.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Sexual assault and Medical trauma

reddeddy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

hadadelamiopia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.0

It took me an eternity but I finally finished this book and I really liked it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual harassment

emmieanna's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I loved the aesthetic of this book and I really felt as though I were in the world there with them. It is folklore fantasy crossed with light academia and the romance elements were really tasteful, complementing the style and tone of the book. I would love to explore this world further with any future spin-offs or novellas. I do feel as though the Fairy King could have featured more as an antagonist.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment

justnicole's review against another edition

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and War