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malisac16's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.0
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Abandonment and Bullying
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
booketofbooks's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual assault, and Sexism
amberreadsgood's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
This had beautiful prose and lots of potential, but I think it tried to be too many things at the same time. Effy and Preston had little to no romantic tension, which made it difficult to buy the relationship as genuine, and that's without the weird fantasy racism Effy has towards Preston in the beginning. Her overcoming her misguided preconceptions seemed like a shallow way to develop her character, and personally if I were Preston, I would find it difficult to be attracted to someone who hurled racist remarks at me because they didn't agree with my academic views that I'm actively trying to prove as opposed to believing without merit.
The magic and fantasy elements were (in my opinion) so minimal that it felt like they should have just been cut to flesh out other parts of the story instead. I think it would have been more interesting to root the story a bit more in reality and lean into Effy's delusion/mental instability. For me, there just wasn't enough of the fantasy element going on to justify the presence of it at all.
I wish there had been more of a conclusion with her abusive mother and sexual abuser mentor. One felt too neatly tied up, the other not mentioned at all after the fact. It's another aspect that made me feel like too much was trying to happen here, and so it wasn't handled the best.
I still enjoyed this enough to finish it, and like I said, it had lovely writing from an aesthetic perspective, I just wish it had more substance for me to sink my teeth into. I'm aware it's a YA book, so maybe that's on me 🤷🏽♀️
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
deetabz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Confinement, Death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, and Sexual content
aksmith92's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
When Effy arrives, she realizes she will not be completing coursework alone - Preston Helrouy (sorry if that spelling is wrong - I returned my book) is also there but on behalf of the Literature College. He is apparently investigating the great works of Effy's favorite poet - what Effy wanted to do forever. There was obviously built tension, including the fact that Preston is apparently from another country (well, his father is) that Effy's country hates. Therefore, we have this odd clash between two people from different countries.
Here is what I liked: I enjoyed the atmospheric nature of the writing; the prose was lovely. It was readable and interesting. This brings me to the next thing I liked, which was the major plot point of Effy and Preston working together in this cold, dark, and rainy place. They teamed up to find the truth, and that was an interesting and fun ride. For about 80-90% of the book, even though it was young adult which I struggle to read sometimes, it felt a little bit more mature.
I must say, in general, I shy away from the very soft, docile female main character in fantasy-like novels such as this because I like a strong-willed and determined main character. Effy was NOT that. She had mental health problems and traumatic experiences and was generally anxious 90% of the time. Honestly, this felt very realistic. I believe that people didn't feel Effy as much in this book because it felt too real for the reader. She was so similar to someone we know (or ourselves), and I think sometimes that sentiment is hard to read. But I appreciated Effy. Sure, her childish behavior (and then her acknowledging it) was a bit annoying, to say the least, but she felt real to me.
Honestly, I didn't mind the romance at all. I've noted some reviews that said there was zero build-up and that Preston and Effy's relationship was boring. I disagree! While I think that Preston could likely have been a bit more layered or developed more, I thought there were cute moments between the two and thought the romance aspect was decently done.
Here is what didn't cut it for me and is why I am rating it 3 stars: I rated a whole star down because, in the end, Effy said: "She would simply DIE without Preston." Cue young adult dramatics and nonsense. It's a huge pet peeve for me. A book can read young adult but not contain corny stuff like that. Additionally, this is not rivals-to-lovers. There is a romantic component between two people with fundamentally different ways of thinking after growing up as "other." Effy is trying to make it in one of the misogynistic worlds, and Preston has genes from a place at war with their current location. There are belief systems and values tugged on here between the two, which make them different but not rivals. They aren't competing for the same thing, really, and if anything, they find a partnership sooner in the novel than I anticipated.
But here comes my biggest qualm: we don't really get the intricate world-building needed. Apparently, there is a war going on between Effy and Preston's countries. Never knew why or how. It seemed to be used as a tension plot point SOLELY for the romantic plot point. Additionally, we obviously have a world with some magical elements to it, but that wasn't explored nearly enough, especially for a standalone book. This book seemed to be about women's empowerment and a woman (barely, more like a girl) getting through really challenging times in a world that was not too dissimilar from our own. I would have been ok with the book like this, but adding in some other random elements, like war and magic, without really explaining it just a bit, made the whole thing seem disorganized.
Regardless, it was a decent read!
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Sexism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Sexual content
chezler24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Via melding dark academia with eerie fantasy elements, Ava Reid has created a fairly successful mystery surrounding one of the fictional country's premier authors. Reid critiqued the country's social structure of placing women at the bottom both in daily life and more pointedly in academia. Many women, myself included, can relate to Effy Sayre in her struggle to be taken seriously by people for things that were outside of her control. I loved the atmosphere and world Reid created and wanted to learn more about Llyr and Argant. Preston and Effy served as nice foils for each other and bridged their respective realms of logic and fantasy.
While I did enjoy this read, there were some things that felt a bit rushed or I wished had been more integral to the overall plot threads. Effy wins the contest without any real struggle (yes I realize that the reason was explained later but I wish we could have seen some insight into drafting/sketching or something), her fight with the Fairy King felt like a blip, the war conflict between Argant and Llyr seemed unimportant, and the Sleeper Museum and the magic these figures possessed seemed glossed over.
The ending was nice. We see growth from Effy as well as justice for individuals wronged by those in positions of power over them.
The OwlCrate exclusive content was great! I almost wished I had a book focused solely on Angharad - the "real" one and not the book character within the book.
Probably a 3.5/5 for me. I'd place this for readers just getting into the Young Adult section with touching on more intense themes. (~16+)
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Blood, Abandonment, and Sexual content
kenzaett's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Did I expect a wonderfully written novel thats engaging, has dark academia, found family, enemies to lovers, grumpy x grumpy, mystery, academic rivals tropes, dark urban fantasy, fae legend proving true, great world building, feminism, mental health awareness, and is trickled with beautiful poetry, in a gloomy, misty island setting??
Did I LOVE IT and read half of it within one day? Yes!!!
And the romance was JUST the right amount, not overly annoying or taking away from the protagonist's innner conflict, or the mystery in the plot.
THE FMC is called Effy, btw. What other Effies do we know? Trinket, the one from skims... She's another one in a line of amazing, uniquely flawed and intriguing characters!
The "plot twist" was a bit expectable, but I don't mind figuring it out earlier than the protagonists. It was just too obvious
You'll love this if you liked books like Divine Rivals or , cold oceans and cliff sides, LOADS of references to water, a slow burn academic rivals romance, elements of fairy tales, female empowerment, discussions of mental health... And beautiful, poetic writing!
Here are my favorite, most memorable wuotes;
(TBA)
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Drug use, Chronic illness, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Moderate: Murder, Addiction, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Abandonment, Torture, Xenophobia, and Mental illness
Minor: Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Violence
jos_haunted_library's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Sexism, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Classism
Moderate: Death of parent, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Violence, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Blood, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
azrah786's review against another edition
4.25
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
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
reallyrosalie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent