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samflowerv6's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
the only enemy is the sea
“I will love you to ruination,” the Fairy King said, brushing a strand of golden hair from my cheek. “Yours or mine?” I asked. The Fairy King did not answer.
Deeply atmospheric tale of how our brains deal with trauma in the backdrop of a gloomy and mysterious cliff by the sea town. Effy and her academic rival (sort of) unfold the mystery of her favorite author on his late estate under the guise of helping rebuild the property. Effy deals with understanding her own mind, battling with the difference between reality and fantasy while struggling as a young woman in a world of men who see her as not smart enough in an academic setting and take advantage of her in others. Preston and Effy comfort each other and mesh well intelligently while the solve mysteries and try to stay under the radar in the gloomy sea side manor. I loved this story so deeply to my core. Ava Reid is a visionary. I love Preston and Effy as individuals and together. The audiobook was also such a treat. This story is a hauntingly beautiful of gothic fantasy, dark academia and survival against the self and everyone else. I would say that the focus isn’t on the romance but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful. Preston loves her in a way that’s different from anything in her life and the the haunting chill that permeates the entire book. He is just the sweetest baby to me and I will die for Effy. I see myself so much in her and the entire book is just so deeply beautiful. The mystical fantasy elements were breathtaking. 🌊
“I was a woman when it was convenient to blame me, and a girl when they wanted to use me.”
“That was the cruelest irony: the more you did to save yourself, the less you became a person worth saving.”
“I wish I had fought.” Effy surprised herself by saying it. The words had leaped out of her throat, unbidden. “I know I beat him in the end, but for so many years all I could do was run and hide. I just sat there and let the water pour in around me. I didn’t know that I could fight back. I didn’t know how to do anything but wait to drown.”
“Oh no, Effy. That’s not what I meant at all. You don’t have to take up a sword. Survival is bravery, too.”
“It began as all things did: a girl on the shore, terrified and desirous.”
“Effy found herself half in love with the Fairy King sometimes, too. The tender belly of his cruelty made her heart flutter. There was an intimacy to all violence, she supposed. The better you knew someone, the more terribly you could hurt them.”
“You're not just one thing. Survival is something you do not something you are. You're brave and brilliant. You're the most real, full person I've ever met.”
“You don’t see yourself very clearly, Effy.” Preston shifted in his seat so that they were facing one another. “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 things are only beautiful because they don't last- Full moons, flowers in bloom, you.”
“What is a mermaid but a woman half-drowned,
What a selkie but an unwilling wife,
What a tale but a sea-net, snatching up both From the gentle tumult of dark waves?”
“He had loved nothing more than the truth, and she had loved nothing more than her imagined world. Somehow, in spite of that, they had found each other.”
“I will love you to ruination,” the Fairy King said, brushing a strand of golden hair from my cheek. “Yours or mine?” I asked. The Fairy King did not answer.
Deeply atmospheric tale of how our brains deal with trauma in the backdrop of a gloomy and mysterious cliff by the sea town. Effy and her academic rival (sort of) unfold the mystery of her favorite author on his late estate under the guise of helping rebuild the property. Effy deals with understanding her own mind, battling with the difference between reality and fantasy while struggling as a young woman in a world of men who see her as not smart enough in an academic setting and take advantage of her in others. Preston and Effy comfort each other and mesh well intelligently while the solve mysteries and try to stay under the radar in the gloomy sea side manor. I loved this story so deeply to my core. Ava Reid is a visionary. I love Preston and Effy as individuals and together. The audiobook was also such a treat. This story is a hauntingly beautiful of gothic fantasy, dark academia and survival against the self and everyone else. I would say that the focus isn’t on the romance but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful. Preston loves her in a way that’s different from anything in her life and the the haunting chill that permeates the entire book. He is just the sweetest baby to me and I will die for Effy. I see myself so much in her and the entire book is just so deeply beautiful. The mystical fantasy elements were breathtaking. 🌊
“I was a woman when it was convenient to blame me, and a girl when they wanted to use me.”
“That was the cruelest irony: the more you did to save yourself, the less you became a person worth saving.”
“I wish I had fought.” Effy surprised herself by saying it. The words had leaped out of her throat, unbidden. “I know I beat him in the end, but for so many years all I could do was run and hide. I just sat there and let the water pour in around me. I didn’t know that I could fight back. I didn’t know how to do anything but wait to drown.”
“Oh no, Effy. That’s not what I meant at all. You don’t have to take up a sword. Survival is bravery, too.”
“It began as all things did: a girl on the shore, terrified and desirous.”
“Effy found herself half in love with the Fairy King sometimes, too. The tender belly of his cruelty made her heart flutter. There was an intimacy to all violence, she supposed. The better you knew someone, the more terribly you could hurt them.”
“You're not just one thing. Survival is something you do not something you are. You're brave and brilliant. You're the most real, full person I've ever met.”
“You don’t see yourself very clearly, Effy.” Preston shifted in his seat so that they were facing one another. “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 things are only beautiful because they don't last- Full moons, flowers in bloom, you.”
“What is a mermaid but a woman half-drowned,
What a selkie but an unwilling wife,
What a tale but a sea-net, snatching up both From the gentle tumult of dark waves?”
“He had loved nothing more than the truth, and she had loved nothing more than her imagined world. Somehow, in spite of that, they had found each other.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Alcohol
erinreadsbooks'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is stunning, dark, horrifying, and visceral. Not for the faint of heart. Although it is classified as YA, it is not lighthearted or whimsical. Though Effy’s trauma is never explicitly laid out in a complete scene, the glimpses we get through memories and the description of her physical responses to those flashes are truly harrowing to read. Effy’s struggle to believe in herself and find her identity outside of her trauma made me really root for her from the beginning.
As for the prose, the reader is truly drowned in all the water symbolism (pun intended). The theme of drowning is truly hammered home in every sentence, which interestingly worked for me. The water everywhere truly permeated the feel of the book and the experience of reading it felt a bit like drowning, just like Effy felt in the story.
I also liked that the fairy tale aspect of it morphs from being romanticized to being exposed and criticized but also appreciated for what it was. We learn along with Effy and Preston that you can believe in a story’s power while also looking at it and the world with a critical eye. There is balance to be found between Effy’s initial romanticism and Preston’s initial cynicism.
My small critiques would just be that the world itself isn’t very fleshed out, and that the protagonists are a bit slow on the uptake. The prejudice shown against Preston because of his heritage is just kind of vaguely mentioned and the reasons for the two countries’ animosity isn’t explained in any sort of depth. We are told that there are personal phones and televisions and cars but some things seem incongruous, such as Effy’s friends using hairpins to hold up banners instead of tape, and everyone writing letters to each other. I never really had a clear mental image of the world outside of the manor. However, that being said, it didn’t detract much from the reading experience as the characters and the mystery of Angharad were the main focus. As for the mystery, the answer to who wrote Angharad was pretty clear from the beginning, which made it a tad frustrating that the protagonists didn’t get it until the very end. I think it would’ve been more satisfying if the reader found out later on in the story.
Read if you like dark, disturbing, fairy tale-esque stories with themes of overcoming trauma.
As for the prose, the reader is truly drowned in all the water symbolism (pun intended). The theme of drowning is truly hammered home in every sentence, which interestingly worked for me. The water everywhere truly permeated the feel of the book and the experience of reading it felt a bit like drowning, just like Effy felt in the story.
I also liked that the fairy tale aspect of it morphs from being romanticized to being exposed and criticized but also appreciated for what it was. We learn along with Effy and Preston that you can believe in a story’s power while also looking at it and the world with a critical eye. There is balance to be found between Effy’s initial romanticism and Preston’s initial cynicism.
My small critiques would just be that the world itself isn’t very fleshed out, and that the protagonists are a bit slow on the uptake. The prejudice shown against Preston because of his heritage is just kind of vaguely mentioned and the reasons for the two countries’ animosity isn’t explained in any sort of depth. We are told that there are personal phones and televisions and cars but some things seem incongruous, such as Effy’s friends using hairpins to hold up banners instead of tape, and everyone writing letters to each other. I never really had a clear mental image of the world outside of the manor. However, that being said, it didn’t detract much from the reading experience as the characters and the mystery of Angharad were the main focus. As for the mystery, the answer to who wrote Angharad was pretty clear from the beginning, which made it a tad frustrating that the protagonists didn’t get it until the very end. I think it would’ve been more satisfying if the reader found out later on in the story.
Read if you like dark, disturbing, fairy tale-esque stories with themes of overcoming trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual assault, Racism, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Blood
abby_can_read's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
📖
This was a good book. I enjoyed reading it. The characters were interesting and their relationship were good. The plot kept my interested and it was a little predictable, and the writing style kept me engaged.
This was a good book. I enjoyed reading it. The characters were interesting and their relationship were good. The plot kept my interested and it was a little predictable, and the writing style kept me engaged.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Mental illness
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
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
milcahh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Xenophobia, Death of parent, Car accident, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Abandonment
Minor: Grief, Vomit, Confinement, and War
poempelnator's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is wonderful, if it had been advertised correctly. The book I prepared for, was not the one I read. It took me about 1/3 to shrug of my expectations and then Effy got me.
She's almost insufferable in the beginning. Very unlikable. And then you get some side story's about her and you don't know what to do with them and why they're here. Because we're reading a fantasy mystery enemy's to lovers, right?
No. The fairy fantasy and the mistery are merely a vessel.
This book felt to me like a woman sharing a heartwrenching truth about being a women now as well as hearing about women in history. Misogyny, self doubt and what it does to us. Giving a beacon of hope, what we can do if we want to and will.
It's about the people we praise in society bc of some image we have. How it crumbles if we get to know sth about the actual person. How we handle art and it's meaning to us, how reality can hurt and to loose our projections.
This book would've been a lot. And it would've been great. If we'd talk about what it truly is.
She's almost insufferable in the beginning. Very unlikable. And then you get some side story's about her and you don't know what to do with them and why they're here. Because we're reading a fantasy mystery enemy's to lovers, right?
No. The fairy fantasy and the mistery are merely a vessel.
This book felt to me like a woman sharing a heartwrenching truth about being a women now as well as hearing about women in history. Misogyny, self doubt and what it does to us. Giving a beacon of hope, what we can do if we want to and will.
It's about the people we praise in society bc of some image we have. How it crumbles if we get to know sth about the actual person. How we handle art and it's meaning to us, how reality can hurt and to loose our projections.
This book would've been a lot. And it would've been great. If we'd talk about what it truly is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse
kattila's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
Great atmosphere, a little bit predictable at times, but overall a great story. I liked how the book combined the real world and magic/fairy tales, although I was left a bit confused by certain things.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual content, Child death, and Colonisation
coco_bookish's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent and Mental illness
Minor: Forced institutionalization
iridescentkila's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Bullying
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship