Reviews tagging 'Violence'

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

65 reviews

chelbawamba's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

2.75

This is my second attempt with this author and sadly I don’t think I can be convinced to try again. Ava Reid relies heavily on simile and metaphor, to a point of excessiveness, does a lot of telling instead of showing, and everything happens to this main character “suddenly” or “for some reason.” Even when the reason was obvious to me as a reader, it happened “for some reason.”

Overall, the concept of the story was interesting, but the way it was executed was extremely predictable. I knew early on what most of the reveals at the end were going to be. In my opinion, there is a fine line between good foreshadowing and offering too much too early on. 

A personal pet peeve of mine is when characters speak about each other as if they’ve known each other for a long time when it’s only been a few days, for example: saying things like “he’s always been kind to me,” or “I had never seen him this flustered” when the character only knew the other person for maybe a collective three hours. This happened frequently in the first half of the book.

I didn’t not enjoy it, but I also didn’t enjoy it. Would not necessarily recommend it, but it had its moments and kept me engaged through the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Mental illness, Colonisation, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Death, Car accident, Addiction, Xenophobia, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Classism, Sexual harassment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Child abuse

tsegareads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Misogyny

Moderate: Sexual content and Violence

haileekaye's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Death of parent, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Mental illness

grace_koalateareads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

“didn’t all drownings begin with a harmless dribble of water?” 

A Study In Drowning by Ava Reid was a mysterious, magical, dark academia read. I went in not knowing much about the story, only that it was a fairly hyped book, and I wanted to jump in the bandwagon. I loved architecture of the world building, how it could have been set in the past or present, with mentions of cars, phones and televisions, as well as typewriters, letters and candlelight. 

“Her only enemy was the sea.”

It was definitely worth the read, however, it fell slightly flat for me. The predictability of the plot was a big factor, I like having a few more twists and turns to keep me engaged. Also the characters didn’t feel as real as I would have liked. They definitely had backstories and a “life” off the page, but there was just something about Effy and Preston that irked me slightly. Still a solid four star read though. 

“The trick of any good lie is just finding an audience who wants to believe it.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Sexism, Mental illness, Drug use, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Violence, Death, Abandonment, and Blood

jessamo19's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Death of parent

Moderate: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

peachyybooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny and Violence

Minor: Sexual assault

shaylatrumpower's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.0

A very atmospheric read which shines in its descriptions. I would consider this book to be on the older end of YA. The romance was sweet and well developed. It wasn't instalove but moved a little quicker than I would have liked.  Effie is very much a YA heroine in that we are completely inside her thoughts and they are immature in their reactions and her attitude at times. I liked that Preston was very much a foil to the misogynistic male characters but he didn't feel fake about it. 

The story moves at a good pace however the climax is slightly rushed.

I found myself wanting the Faerie King part to be longer. It felt anticlimactic to have it confirmed that Effie wasn't hallucinating and then suddenly he's dead, especially since he's been such a specter her whole life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual violence

sydneysegraves9's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious 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

so close to a 5 star

but the villain was defeated too easily

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Content Warnings

Minor: Violence and Sexual violence

akevaa's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Death, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

classical_learner's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

It’s true, this book is delightfully atmospheric and all the better when read after dusk to the sound of a rainstorm (I can testify)! The subplot of romance was a great complement to the themes of the book. I loved the blend of academia, mystery, and magical realism. 
Only warnings are that the themes of overcoming past sexual harassment were far stronger than I anticipated. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual content

Minor: Violence