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jillie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
3.5
Pros:
- beautiful writing (some of the best i’ve read all year)
- gloomy, well-crafted atmosphere
- sweet love story
Cons
- too short for all of the world building it had - things felt muddled or should have been more in depth
- the “twist” (?) wasn’t really a twist & was fairly predictable
I enjoyed Reid’s writing but wish I had known what this book was actually about before reading it.
November 2023
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Sexism
Moderate: Xenophobia, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
sam_appa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
The story is of a young girl, Effy, who gets chosen to redesign the house of the late Emrys Myrddin, her favorite author. She has been having visions of the fabled Fairy King ever since she was little, the same Fairy King detailed in the Myrddin’s book ‘Angharad’. We follow along as her and the other collegiate guest of the house, Preston, uncover the mysteries of the book, questioning both it’s authorial origins and how much truth it’s words hold.
I enjoyed it, I thought the romance was really well done, the dark academia vibe was exactly what I was looking for, and the plot kept me interested. I did wish that either the magic was more complex and fleshed out (since I went into this thinking it would be fantasy driven) or Effy’s madness fully realized. I also wished that the triumph at the end was more.. triumphant?This magical Fairy King that had been tormenting Effy her whole life was defeated in a single page with his own reflection in a shard of glass. It felt rushed and a bit unsatisfying. The way in which her sexual assault was handled in the end also felt unfinished, though I appreciated that it was consistently validated as sexual assault. It never glamorized the relationship between an older man and a teenage girl, instead, using Angharad’s story as fuel to further validate the assault. But it was nice to see Effy’s development as well as Preston’s. As a whole, although it’s predictable at times, I thoroughly enjoyed it. From the gorgeous writing to the lovable characters, this was a great read.
I enjoyed it, I thought the romance was really well done, the dark academia vibe was exactly what I was looking for, and the plot kept me interested. I did wish that either the magic was more complex and fleshed out (since I went into this thinking it would be fantasy driven) or Effy’s madness fully realized. I also wished that the triumph at the end was more.. triumphant?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Child abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Drug abuse
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Death of parent
bekyaaa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
rtf. i need time to process my thoughts
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, and Misogyny
azrah786's review against another edition
4.25
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: misogyny/sexism, parental abuse/neglect, emotional abuse, gaslighting, adult-minor relationship/grooming, sexual harassment/assault, toxic relationship, domestic abuse, violence, injury, blood, death, death of parent, bullying, xenophobia, grief, mental illness including hallucinations and delusions, suicidal ideation and self-harming behaviors; post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety
--
This was my first Ava Reid book and it definitely won’t be my last!
A big reason for this is Reid’s writing, which is phenomenal and perfectly encapsulates the haunting and mysterious atmosphere of this story and setting.
A Study in Drowning follows Effy, a young woman who is an architecture student who grasps the opportunity to design the house of her now late favourite author, Emrys Myrddin as it also means escaping the misogyny and harassment at her institution. Upon arriving at Hiraeth Manor, Effy meets the author’s son who unsettles her with his demeanour and Preston another student who is out to prove Myrddin as a fraud.
Effy’s connection to Angharad, Myrddin’s famous book is more than just sentimental and so she falls in with Preston as a means to uphold Myrddin’s legacy but they both begin to realise that there is more to the house and the author than they expected.
I don’t actually recall reading the synopsis so discovering that the protagonist was an architecture student (albeit reluctantly, as women aren’t allowed to study literature in this world) was such a surprise! There is definitely a niche for more Dark Academia with an Architecture / Engineering focus and I have a mighty need!!
That being said the book does eventually diverge from architecture and despite the study of literature being a big part of the story I feel like genre-wise this leans more towards gothic fiction. Though there is still much commentary on the prejudice women face in academia and in society overall which was really well addressed.
On immediately finishing the book I enjoyed so many things particularly how immersive and vivid everything was and the mystery aspect to the plot. The rivals to lovers aspect did start off a little flat but I liked how it eventually developed.
I do think that the magic side of things wasn’t as fleshed out as I expected by the end, it felt more like it was there to add to the overall ambiance and was overshadowed by the themes of agency and power. Then again I am also a reader who isn’t the biggest fan of fae elements in books so this could have just been a me thing.
All that aside I did enjoy this book and i'm glad I finally picked up Reid's work!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
CW: misogyny/sexism, parental abuse/neglect, emotional abuse, gaslighting, adult-minor relationship/grooming, sexual harassment/assault, toxic relationship, domestic abuse, violence, injury, blood, death, death of parent, bullying, xenophobia, grief, mental illness including hallucinations and delusions, suicidal ideation and self-harming behaviors; post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety
--
This was my first Ava Reid book and it definitely won’t be my last!
A big reason for this is Reid’s writing, which is phenomenal and perfectly encapsulates the haunting and mysterious atmosphere of this story and setting.
A Study in Drowning follows Effy, a young woman who is an architecture student who grasps the opportunity to design the house of her now late favourite author, Emrys Myrddin as it also means escaping the misogyny and harassment at her institution. Upon arriving at Hiraeth Manor, Effy meets the author’s son who unsettles her with his demeanour and Preston another student who is out to prove Myrddin as a fraud.
Effy’s connection to Angharad, Myrddin’s famous book is more than just sentimental and so she falls in with Preston as a means to uphold Myrddin’s legacy but they both begin to realise that there is more to the house and the author than they expected.
I don’t actually recall reading the synopsis so discovering that the protagonist was an architecture student (albeit reluctantly, as women aren’t allowed to study literature in this world) was such a surprise! There is definitely a niche for more Dark Academia with an Architecture / Engineering focus and I have a mighty need!!
That being said the book does eventually diverge from architecture and despite the study of literature being a big part of the story I feel like genre-wise this leans more towards gothic fiction. Though there is still much commentary on the prejudice women face in academia and in society overall which was really well addressed.
On immediately finishing the book I enjoyed so many things particularly how immersive and vivid everything was and the mystery aspect to the plot. The rivals to lovers aspect did start off a little flat but I liked how it eventually developed.
I do think that the magic side of things wasn’t as fleshed out as I expected by the end, it felt more like it was there to add to the overall ambiance and was overshadowed by the themes of agency and power. Then again I am also a reader who isn’t the biggest fan of fae elements in books so this could have just been a me thing.
All that aside I did enjoy this book and i'm glad I finally picked up Reid's work!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Death
krisglomb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Things about this book that hit and hit HARD: atmosphere, a sense of doom, romantic descriptions of nature and people so heavy they feel positively gothic. This is the type of book I love however, there were some parts I felt could’ve been better.
First, the overall mystery. I liked the interplay of a haunted house/person, the ugly realities of Effy’s (and others’) day to day, and the main mystery of Angharad’s authorship. I feel like the 3 didn’t come together to make each story line stronger, however. I think it became obvious to the reader the solution to the main mystery halfway through. And while sometimes its ok for a reader to have information our MCs don’t, in this case it didn’t make much sense. And then, even though we had known the answer to the question for about half the book, we get to the end and instead of a clarity of pieces being put together in an event or revelation, its all revealed in an info dump. It wasn’t very satisfying. There was also a distinct tie between Effy’s “haunting” and her daily atrocities, but by the end they feel so far separated. Their combined resolution make her a stronger person able to step into her life more fully, but it felt like the author couldn’t quite decide if she wanted to keep her worlds separate/the consequences separate/etc.
I love this book for the potential for discussion and while sometimes the prose hit you over the head (yes, not only the sensation of drowning, but the word drowning is used HEAVILY in the book), it didn’t end up taking away from the atmospheric quality overall.
I would also say this is more light academia than dark academia. I know the definition is squishy and more of an aesthetic, but I was expecting some themes and tropes and mechanisms in this book that I didn’t get.
QUOTES
The solitude that had once comforted her had become an enormous empty space where so many bad things could happen.
I would also say this is more light academia than dark academia. I know the definition is squishy and more of an aesthetic, but I was expecting some themes and tropes and mechanisms in this book that I didn’t get.
QUOTES
The solitude that had once comforted her had become an enormous empty space where so many bad things could happen.
She was tired, tired of trying so hard for something she didn’t even want.
It was an eternal feeling, this sense of being unwelcome.
There was an intimacy to all the violence, she supposed. The better you knew someone, the more terribly you could hurt them.
She wasn’t a Southerner, but she knew what it was like to drown.
“No one owns the right to tell a story.”
As if stories were not spoils of war.
“You don’t have to love something in order to devote yourself to it.”
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” “It’s terrifying.” “Most beautiful things are.”
“They didn’t think to fear the Drowning until the water was lapping at their door […] It’s the fear we have to learn. The fear keeps the sea from taking us.”
She was not afraid of the ghost. But she was horribly, wretchedly afraid of whatever had killed the woman it had once been.
“You’d be surprised of how much cognitive dissonance people are capable of.”
Anything can be taken from you, at any moment. Even the past isn’t guaranteed. You can lose that, too, like water eating away at stone.
Even though she was afraid of living, she didn’t want to die.
“Survival is bravery, too.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Bullying
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Sexism
Minor: Classism and Confinement
shakiral's review against another edition
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
5.0
Love it, but now I'm left with the knowledge that there's limited editions out there with different bonus content in each.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Child abuse
hazychapters's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
Third book by Ava Reid that I've read and it's another very pleasant reading. A small change of universe, with a dark academia world inspired by Welsh folklore.
The characters are very endearing, although I had a little difficulty at first differentiating Effy's voice from Marlinchen’s (Juniper and Thorn). Ultimately, Effy becomes a fully-fledged character, very interesting to analyse and follow. Preston is a very good love interest who touched me a lot. A little faded but that didn't bother me since for me, Effy is the main character, not him. Their romance was perhaps a little rushed but it was self-evident given Effy's narrative arc and her evolution.
Reid's prose is still as melodious as in his other books. The descriptions are imposing but they immerse us with the characters in their emotions and feelings.
However, I had a little more difficulty with the worldbuilding, which was a little vague at the start (I needed a map!!), and the pace of the story. This one is indeed quite slow, which didn't help my reading slump, and we progress very slowly until the half or even the two thirds of the book. The ending is much more accelerated but therefore causes an imbalance.
In conclusion, a very beautiful book with a powerful message: the invisibility of women in academic circles and of the victim of a toxic relationship and abuse. Ava Reid always manages to write beautiful stories that deal with dark and serious subjects.
The characters are very endearing, although I had a little difficulty at first differentiating Effy's voice from Marlinchen’s (Juniper and Thorn). Ultimately, Effy becomes a fully-fledged character, very interesting to analyse and follow. Preston is a very good love interest who touched me a lot. A little faded but that didn't bother me since for me, Effy is the main character, not him. Their romance was perhaps a little rushed but it was self-evident given Effy's narrative arc and her evolution.
Reid's prose is still as melodious as in his other books. The descriptions are imposing but they immerse us with the characters in their emotions and feelings.
However, I had a little more difficulty with the worldbuilding, which was a little vague at the start (I needed a map!!), and the pace of the story. This one is indeed quite slow, which didn't help my reading slump, and we progress very slowly until the half or even the two thirds of the book. The ending is much more accelerated but therefore causes an imbalance.
In conclusion, a very beautiful book with a powerful message: the invisibility of women in academic circles and of the victim of a toxic relationship and abuse. Ava Reid always manages to write beautiful stories that deal with dark and serious subjects.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Addiction
catolac's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The pacing was felt quite off with this one. It was too fast in some areas, yet too slow in others. I think the components were compelling but wish parts of the story were fleshed out more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexism, and Xenophobia
bailey_walk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Grief, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, Violence, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Child abuse, Bullying, and Alcoholism
agentlywildrebellion's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Violence, Ableism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent