Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

27 reviews

fraxica's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Confinement

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Car accident

The main character immediately shows distress over the micro actions her classmates, revealing slowly over the course of the story that they heard rumors of her having a sexual relationship with a school advisor. Eventually, she admits to herself that she didn't want the relationship to begin with and he exerted his power and control over her. There are flash-backs that show the relationship and abuse. At the end of the book, a newly revealed character has a very similar story and that is described as well. Although both characters take back a sense of agency in the finale, the entire book sits with the weight of their abuse, showing how powerful men use younger women. HEAVY SPOILER: the fictional fae book that drives the story is actually written by a young woman whose abuser bartered her father for the rights to her and her story. He claimed both for his own and succumbed to the Faerie King, which led to her abuse and captivity.

jaydeecepticon's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcohol and Violence

missgnomers's review

dark emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

I really enjoyed this! Some reviews say the themes are heavy handed and that the setting feels awkwardly placed in time. While I believe it to be a thematic choice, it didn’t feel cohesive. 

I  think the themes are well handled in this lite thriller

I just adored the romance in this book. Also, I liked that the writer had only Effy and Anghadad see the Fairy King. Allies like Preston can hear and know, but they can’t experience it for themselves. The mystery itself was an easy guess but felt earned.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Grief, and Mental illness

Minor: Animal death

themorrigan43's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

This book is marketed as YA but there are a lot of adult, dark topics mentioned and referenced. It's more new adult in my opinion. 

I was reading part of this in the middle of the night and I actually had to stop reading because I was so freaked out. This is a surprisingly tense and freaky book. It's a little bit of a thriller and a fantasy with a healthy dash of romance.

If you ever read The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova, this book is very reminiscent of that, with more fantasy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Excrement, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content

Minor: War

monicaabarrett's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Emotional abuse

kirbylover16's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

2.75

I find the story concepts to be quite intriguing. For example, I am interested in exploring various religious and regional interpretations of a flooded world. Additionally, the idea of Celebrity Sleepers acting as protectors is unique, although it is unfortunately not utilized enough.

the Cold War, the start of the second drowning, her mother; all plotlines dropped

There was a missed opportunity not to add a Lemony Snicket twist to the title, which should have featured Augharad, or even just the Fairy King would be a better title. I wish the book spent more time with Effy while she attends school. (the dark academia?) This change would not only help us better understand Effy but also enable us to get to know other characters.

The story was supposed to be a romance with rivals-turned-lovers, but it failed to deliver. The main love interest is introduced too late, and we learn little about him, except that he's foreign and Effy is jealous/racist towards him. Effy never stops being racist or unfairly mean to him. I like him more than Effy because he's less whiney and stupid. They don't fight each other in the competition or know each other in school. They're not even staying in the same house. Where is this rivalry? The romance is rushed and not spicy. 

TL;DR
I am eager to learn more about the world, but there are still too many gaps and squandered ideas. I made zero connections to any of the characters. The pacing is all over the place. This book is falsely advised and disappointing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Classism

Minor: Genocide, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, and Gaslighting

The car accident isn't an accident but not attempted murder either. not very violent.

Mc is pushed out of a moving car. The guy was trying to keep mc from coming back to the house but couldn't tell her

There is one bar date? where mc tries alcohol for the first time to fit in. She doesn't get drunk or even finish the glass. The child abuse is only hinted at till halfway thru the book where mc tells the so her mom tried to leave her to die but chickened out. Kinda comes out of nowhere.

jordanreads24'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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, and Mental illness

Minor: Xenophobia, Sexual content, and War

ghostlyprince's review

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Death of parent, Rape, Car accident, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Addiction, Body shaming, Racism, Death, Physical abuse, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, and Child abuse

Minor: Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, and War

lizzye33's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Blood, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Classism, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Minor: Torture, Sexual assault, Gore, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Cursing, Child death, Car accident, Body shaming, Animal death, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, War, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Rape, and Domestic abuse

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
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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 

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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