Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - A Study in Drowning

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

54 reviews

reddeddy's review against another edition

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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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misslav20's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I feel like some details weren't very clear even at the end of the book. Effy wasn't the easiest character to like but I'm empathized with what she was going/went through. I think if your paying attention and asking questions while reading your going to get to a point very close to the end and feel like it's full of holes, or things that weren't explained but they become very clear I'm the last 2 chapters. The book has one very tame sex scene but multiple times it implies sexual acts.

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midgereads's review against another edition

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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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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.25

The writing of this book is absolutely stunning. So many good lines that made me think, especially knowing that this is YA. However, the plot and characters fell short for me. The FMC was very annoying to me, she was overly shy and submissive in some instances and extremely brash and rude on others. She also had no sense. Overall, not a consistent characterization, and I liked almost none of her. The MMC I liked better, but his perspective was definitely lesser in the story. I couldn’t get behind this world and how certain things like literature were exclusive for men and women were seen as temptresses but almost no other misogyny was talked about to set the frame for this type of world. It felt incomplete. The “mystery” of what was happening was not very deep, I predicted the gist of things very early on but the main characters seemed really oblivious and thick-headed. And when a major plot hole regarding the wife was ignored until it was extremely convenient, all the questions the reader had were answered in a straightforward, interview-style reveal, which wasn’t satisfying. The climax did not have the background lore lead up that would have made it a more powerful story. Overall, the story itself was very mediocre and basic, though with lots of unfulfilled potential, and yet the writing style was really beautiful to read.

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justnicole's review against another edition

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4.75

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daydaybookbay's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.75

I rated this book a 5.5 out of 10. There are many elements to this novel I enjoy, but I wish each had been explored more. By dropping the adolescent romance, more effort could be dedicated to expanding the settings and main plotlines.

Ava Reid writes beautiful phrases and sprinkles them throughout the chapters. Her artistic metaphors rest on the boundry of remaining applicable. The wording captures the reader, but any further, the intention would be lost. She uses imagery to convey emotion and the characters' mindsets.

The characters fell a bit flat for me. Each character was one dimensional and served only one purpose throughout the book. Preston exists to be an on-paper protective love interest. Effy is constantly reminding you how misogyny, sexism, and her beauty overshadow her genius. Every other character means nothing to me.

Effy's low-key racist. Her xenophobia is front and center, but we are
overlooking that? Why?! Time and time again, she shows her
academic rivalry" is really just her prejudice against Argantians.

I wanted more from the fairy-tale.

We are to believe the Fairy King is real, so why are there literally ZERO other elements involved? Everything points to Effy actually having mental health issues where she has "episodes." If Angharad was a ghost/spirit or if Effy would have seen an alternate reality through the hagstones, these would be easy places to incorporate fantasy aspects.

Is Effy a reliable narrator? Honestly, I'm left thinking the fantasy aspect is really part of Effy's imagination. She experienced great trauma from her mother, and her obsession with Myrddin's novel plays a role in her coping. I'm left to feel she really has mental health issues, and maybe the pink pills are good for her.

I know that's not the conclusion I'm "supposed" to reach, but...

I wish there had been more development in the setting and the characters. The countries, the North and South, the school, the house, the land... I could never picture them. The only thing I was able to imagine was the door to the basement. There is this whole world Reid introduced in this book, but we never get a clear picture of what it's like.

I really wanted to love this book. Part of me feels I would have enjoyed it more as a physical book because I would get bored listening to it. I never got the feeling of being immersed in the story.

I love the moody vibes Reid is able to create. The feel and the way she conveys emotion is beautiful. I wish the attention to the setting had matched. I want to visualize where the characters are and how the North/South/Bottom Hundred look and compare to each other. I wanted to pull more from the text.

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folkofthebook's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

"i will love you to ruination."
"yours or mine?"

ava reid is just one of those authors where i feel like i'm falling slowly into the book, enveloped by my own senses as the her masterful imagery illustrates her story. it's a slow lull that draws you in, like waves rising on the shore that before you know it, you've reached high tide.

"it began as all things did: a girl on the shore, terrified and desirous."

effy sayre is timid, unassuming, and afraid. she desperately wants to break out of her shell, to spill out the words and dreams inside her, but is paralyzed by fear. she yearns to be a writer, but is resigned as a woman to study architecture instead (as the only woman in her college, it was enough of a fight for that alone). reid cleverly likens the dissociation one may experience post-trauma to being underwater - effy struggles to swim, and her anxiety comes in waves.

the story is about her finding her voice again and breaking to surface, learning to not let herself drown.

the only enemy is the sea.

"it's terrifying."
"most beautiful things are."

reid's use of the sea as a supernatural force, an ever-present threat, a means of escape, and, later, a symbol of peace is poetic and powerful. the storms make for an ominous atmosphere, with saltwater's ability to erode land, ships, and man. but there is also a mystical element, a way of cocooning or stepping out of reality when effy disconnects. the idea of drowning - how one can suffer, silently. "it can take 10 minutes to drown" ianto tells her. that sometimes people pass away weeks later from the aftereffects of drowning. but some people drown for a whole lifetime.

i didn't know how to do anything but wait and drown.

she wondered if you could love something out of ruination, reverse that drowning process, make it all new again.

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.

the romance between effy and preston was a delightful surprise for me. i went into this book as blind as i could be, though i had some preconceived notions about the tone and vibes from art and just seeing posts around. but i hadn't realized there would be such friction between the two of them from the start, effy rebuffed at being stuck in proximity with a literature student (and the envy she felt, only doubled by the fact he borrowed all the books she wanted lol). their banter was delightful, the small seeds and buds of effy effortlessly blooming back into herself. she's never afraid to speak up around him, and the gentleness preston provides her lets her continue to grow and build trust with him. he's the only character who really sees her.

"you'd be surprised how much cognitive dissonance people are capable of."

he hadn't touched her, but saints, she wanted him to.

"you took away all other wanting from me."

ava loves motif and imagery. preston and his glasses, the indents. his cigarettes. the fairy king's dark hair, echoed on master corbenic's arms, as well as ianto's. corbenic's large hands to preston's slim, smooth fingers. angharad's blond hair mixing into the fairy king's dark locks. clear eyes, murky eyes. and water, the ever-present sea. the ceilings leak. the water rises. effy's stomach churns like a violent riptide. reid leaves breadcrumbs for you to trail and mull over. the wavering connection between reality and fable keeps you guessing at what is the truth - and what exactly is truth.

i was a woman when it was convenient to blame me, and a girl when they wanted to use me.

it's very hard to believe something when it feels like the whole world is trying to convince you otherwise.

at the heart of this story is a feminist commentary on academics, literature, and society as a whole. women are expected to be meek and unassuming, they are thought to be too capricious and silly for deep thinking, philosophizing, and even storytelling. they are not listened to and when they are, not believed. they are thought to be too childish, but also too tempting. this is a fantasy piece that follows in the footsteps of the #MeToo movement and its lasting effects during the years since.

effy and her story is one that resonated greatly with me. after ASID and lady macbeth, reid is well on their way to securing themselves as a spot as one of my favorite authors.

but if fairies and monsters were real, so were the women who defeated them.

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kryzysowa_narzeczona's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.75

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purplesapphire's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

4.25

Crimson Peak meets All The Murmuring Bones.

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

2.5

After hearing everyone rave about this book last year, I was curious to pick it up for myself.
"A Study in Drowning" follows Effy Sayre, a young woman who is an architecture student who wants to believe in nothing more than fairy tales. When she gets the opportunity to help design the remodel of Hiraeth Manor, she thinks it is finally her chance to make a name for herself. Preston Héloury is a literature student that is hellbent on disproving renowned author Emry Myrddin, who also happens to hold a very special place in Effy's heart. Effy and Preston get off to a rocky start, but they quickly learn that they will need to work together so they both can get what they desire.
This book was fine, and I see why everyone seems so enamored with it. The prose is beautiful and haunting, and the mental illness representation seen in Effy is great to see. Unfortunately, this book just did not land for me like I thought it would. The story felt very predictable and relied heavily on stereotypical Young Adult tropes. This is not a bad thing per say, but it made the story feel uninspired to me.
Rather than coming across as a meek, struggling student, Effy just felt like a very weak protagonist who needed more time to grow up. I empathize with her struggles, and her mother is awful towards her, but I did not enjoy reading from her perspective. Preston felt much more dynamic of a character, and I think I might have enjoyed the story more if we got his perspective instead, or just more of him in general.
I think this book has all of the right ingredients; it was just not executed well.

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