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deetabz's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
Content Warnings
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
kenzaett's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
5.0
I went into this knowing nothing but the title, and that it was a runner up for book of the year..
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 with there only being one name unmentioned and then turning out to be exactly her, lol.
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)
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)
Content Warnings
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
hailslynn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
This is the book I will reference whenever I talk about dark academia from now on. Poignant with beautiful prose and tough conversations. This book is heartbreaking and healing, leaving me feel seen and heard and giving me hope. Effy is strong and brave and brilliant and also fragile and scared. Preston is thoughtful and kind and the perfectly flawed male love interest to the perfectly flawed main character. This book is as real as it is fiction, and I loved getting to escape into it. Here’s to Effy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Drug use, Violence, Sexism, Rape, Mental illness, Death, Bullying, Alcohol, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: War
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
5.0
Ava Reid is one of a small group of authors who I trust when reading a new story that deals with abuse and the precarity of survival. A STUDY IN DROWNING deals with institutional misogyny, sexual abuse, and societal dismissal of complaints about the same, all while telling a gripping story that delves into perception, unreality, and the difficulty of knowing what’s real or imagined when you’re dismissed out of hand as hysterical or crazy. Any summary or specific explanation that I could provide pales in comparison to just how fucking good this book is. It has a specific focus on abuse by men in power on young women who are technically women, and that they're legally adults but are in that strange zone where any signs of maturity are taken as indications that they knew exactly what they were getting into, but they can still be conveniently dismissed as children in an instant when it's convenient for their abusees. Even this thought is an inadequate paraphrasing of the way that this position is described in the text.
A STUDY IN DROWNING is a story of uncertainty and a shaky sense of reality, figuring out how to name and shame abusers who use their power, position, and (often) gender to obscure and diminish their abuse, and to cultivate uncertainty as to whether they did what they did, and if they did it, if it even was wrong. The fantastical setting allows for a recursive reinforcement of themes of decay, drowning, and rot as the specter of the Fairy King is invoked, threatened, and manifested in turn to build a story where the water is certain, death is inevitable, but drowning is slow. In that gap is room for denial and obfuscation as the water rises.
Effy is obsessed with the works of a particular author, and of his novel, Angharad, in particular. It tells the story of the Fairy King seducing his human bride from the perspective of that girl. Effy has the text largely memorized, and many lines in it are deeply meaningful to her, whispered as talismans against the sexism of her daily life. In a country where she has to go to the architecture college because no women are allowed in the literature college, the idea that one of the most famous writers in her country would have written this book with such a careful and nuanced understanding of a female perspective is deeply meaningful and inspiring to her. The college bars women because of misogynist nonsense about their minds being unable to handle understanding or producing great works of literature. Though she is admitted at the architecture college, Effy is the only female student there. The few girls in her dorm who are studying at the music college where they are admitted in greater numbers.
At first, Effy has a xenophobic reaction to learning that a boy from an enemy nation was admitted to study at the literature college at the same time she was denied because of her gender. She ends up meeting him, and it turns into a rivals to lovers scenario where they work together to get around the sexist institution and call abusers to account. Gradually it becomes clear as Effy is able to think and process more specifically that one of the professors abused her. She feels unable to go to anyone for help, or even necessarily to be certain in herself, that it was wrong. The other students assume she used her body to get where she is, that somehow she doesn't deserve to be in the same halls as them.
A STUDY IN DROWNING has cemented Ava Reid on my must-read list for her consistently nuanced handling of themes of abuse and coercion in ways that leverage the strengths of fantasy to help deal with traumatic realities surrounding sexism and abuses of power.
A STUDY IN DROWNING is a story of uncertainty and a shaky sense of reality, figuring out how to name and shame abusers who use their power, position, and (often) gender to obscure and diminish their abuse, and to cultivate uncertainty as to whether they did what they did, and if they did it, if it even was wrong. The fantastical setting allows for a recursive reinforcement of themes of decay, drowning, and rot as the specter of the Fairy King is invoked, threatened, and manifested in turn to build a story where the water is certain, death is inevitable, but drowning is slow. In that gap is room for denial and obfuscation as the water rises.
Effy is obsessed with the works of a particular author, and of his novel, Angharad, in particular. It tells the story of the Fairy King seducing his human bride from the perspective of that girl. Effy has the text largely memorized, and many lines in it are deeply meaningful to her, whispered as talismans against the sexism of her daily life. In a country where she has to go to the architecture college because no women are allowed in the literature college, the idea that one of the most famous writers in her country would have written this book with such a careful and nuanced understanding of a female perspective is deeply meaningful and inspiring to her. The college bars women because of misogynist nonsense about their minds being unable to handle understanding or producing great works of literature. Though she is admitted at the architecture college, Effy is the only female student there. The few girls in her dorm who are studying at the music college where they are admitted in greater numbers.
At first, Effy has a xenophobic reaction to learning that a boy from an enemy nation was admitted to study at the literature college at the same time she was denied because of her gender. She ends up meeting him, and it turns into a rivals to lovers scenario where they work together to get around the sexist institution and call abusers to account. Gradually it becomes clear as Effy is able to think and process more specifically that one of the professors abused her. She feels unable to go to anyone for help, or even necessarily to be certain in herself, that it was wrong. The other students assume she used her body to get where she is, that somehow she doesn't deserve to be in the same halls as them.
A STUDY IN DROWNING has cemented Ava Reid on my must-read list for her consistently nuanced handling of themes of abuse and coercion in ways that leverage the strengths of fantasy to help deal with traumatic realities surrounding sexism and abuses of power.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Child abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Pedophilia, Drug use, Mental illness, Cursing, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Murder, and War
katyakat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Alcoholism, Blood, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, and War
mythicsage's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying, Blood, Sexual assault, Confinement, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Classism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Xenophobia
Minor: Grief, Dementia, Drug use, War, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Animal death
tinybluepixel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.5
3.5 stars. And once again, the need to categorize everything as either YA or Adult strikes.
Man, I really wished I could give this book five stars, but this being called a YA book really makes me cringe. Because this is not for teenagers. This is not for young adults. This is a book that could be severely triggering for some people, and it also carries with it a message that can be extremely harmful to young people with mental illness.
But let's start with some positives, and really, there are a lot! I personally love Ava Reid and her writing style to death. She just has a way of creating an athmosphere that is unparalleled in modern literature. Her characterization - top notch. I would kill for Preston, and I would die for Effy.
I loved the whole storyline of you-should-never-meet-your-heroes. It felt like watching Effy grow up the more she learned about her hero, and keeping her company as she slowly begins to combine the image of the glowing, shiny author with the disgusting old man he really was. It feels a lot like growing up, myself, and I think it's so, so necessary, especially in today's era of celebrity worship.
I see a weakness in worldbuilding, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing all the time - sometimes you just wish things were expanded upon. Why is literature, out of all things, the thing that women aren't allowed to study? How do you get from literature to architecture being the second most prestigeous thing to study? Who makes those rules, who decides them? How does a society who values literature like that differ from our own, which mainly focuses on STEM?
I loved the idea of the Sleeper Museum. See, that's what gets me going - something specific, something cultural. But who came up with that idea? Why does a building full of dead Southerners end up in a Northern city? Ava, I need more. I need more worldbuilding.
Furthermore, I'm really confused as to what time this book takes place in. Because we have cars and cigarettes, but no TV or radio. We're in a time that allows women to go to universities and work, but they're clearly seen as secondary citizens.
I just have so many questions.
Okay. Trigger Warnings for sexual assault, rape, severe mental illness, and drug use below.
Here's what's really bothering me about this book. And maybe I should just say that I am also severely mentally ill and are currently being treated for an addiction to sleeping pills.
Effy is also seen as severely mentally ill. She takes sleeping pills every night (even swallows them dry a lot, which is something you should never do!) and cannot sleep without them. (I relate.) She takes what she calls "pink pills" to get rid of what the doctors call hallucinations, which, spoiler alert, turn out to be real!!! Wow, what a stunning plot twist! And then, when all is over and the big bad evil guy is defeated, she just cold turkey stops taking all of her medication and all is well. Because of course that's how it works. And when she forgets her sleeping pills on a trip, being next to her love interest calms her down so much that she is able to sleep! Hurray!
That is dangerous. If you are on medications like Effy's, I assume some kind of anti-psychotic in addition to sleeping pills, you cannot stop cold turkey without severe side effects. Out of my own experience, if you forget your sleeping pills after taking them every night for that long, you don't just nod off to your lover's silky voice, you WILL be crawling across the floor and ripping apart everything you own to find one. You WILL be looking into every pocket of every article of clothing you brought along in case you ever put a pill in there, even if you know you won't find anything, because you're desparate. And in the end, you probably will end up spending your night on the bathroom floor, hugging the toilet bowl.
So, inaccurate portrayal of sleeping pill addiction. Okay, I could live with that. It's not glamorous and it's not romantic. I understand that.
But this message of the-doctors-don't-understand-you and giving you antipsychotics even though what you're saying is actually real - that's dangerous. Just imagine a teen reading this. A young girl, like Effy. She's being treated for mental illness. She takes antidepressants and antipsychotics. She reads this book. She might come to the conclusion that her doctors are talking bullshit. She might not! But teenagers are easy to influence, and might already be inclined to believe that no one understands them. I'm just so worried. Maybe I'm worrying too much. Maybe I'm not giving teens today enough credit.
But even if this wasn't in the book, even if Effy wasn't taking enormous amounts of pills throughout the entire story, I still wouldn't call this book YA. Nothing about this is YA. There is graphic sexual assault scenes and rape scenes that while they do not occur on page, have an enormous amount of influence on Effy. Almost every male she comes in contact with (and those are quite a lot) uses sexually charged language towards her. I'm actually not even sure if this book passes the Bechdel test, because if two women talk, they always talk about men. But it's honestly tiring for man after man to appear on page and immediately start talking about disgusting things about Effy. She's so pretty. She's so girlish. She would look so pretty on my lap. (Ugh).
I wish so badly this book was categorized as a normal novel and not "Ava Reid's big YA debut!!!". It just feels like so much bad marketing. And ultimately, I think that this will lead to a lot of disappointed and confused readers.
Man, I really wished I could give this book five stars, but this being called a YA book really makes me cringe. Because this is not for teenagers. This is not for young adults. This is a book that could be severely triggering for some people, and it also carries with it a message that can be extremely harmful to young people with mental illness.
But let's start with some positives, and really, there are a lot! I personally love Ava Reid and her writing style to death. She just has a way of creating an athmosphere that is unparalleled in modern literature. Her characterization - top notch. I would kill for Preston, and I would die for Effy.
I loved the whole storyline of you-should-never-meet-your-heroes. It felt like watching Effy grow up the more she learned about her hero, and keeping her company as she slowly begins to combine the image of the glowing, shiny author with the disgusting old man he really was. It feels a lot like growing up, myself, and I think it's so, so necessary, especially in today's era of celebrity worship.
I see a weakness in worldbuilding, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing all the time - sometimes you just wish things were expanded upon. Why is literature, out of all things, the thing that women aren't allowed to study? How do you get from literature to architecture being the second most prestigeous thing to study? Who makes those rules, who decides them? How does a society who values literature like that differ from our own, which mainly focuses on STEM?
I loved the idea of the Sleeper Museum. See, that's what gets me going - something specific, something cultural. But who came up with that idea? Why does a building full of dead Southerners end up in a Northern city? Ava, I need more. I need more worldbuilding.
Furthermore, I'm really confused as to what time this book takes place in. Because we have cars and cigarettes, but no TV or radio. We're in a time that allows women to go to universities and work, but they're clearly seen as secondary citizens.
I just have so many questions.
Okay. Trigger Warnings for sexual assault, rape, severe mental illness, and drug use below.
Here's what's really bothering me about this book. And maybe I should just say that I am also severely mentally ill and are currently being treated for an addiction to sleeping pills.
Effy is also seen as severely mentally ill. She takes sleeping pills every night (even swallows them dry a lot, which is something you should never do!) and cannot sleep without them. (I relate.) She takes what she calls "pink pills" to get rid of what the doctors call hallucinations, which, spoiler alert, turn out to be real!!! Wow, what a stunning plot twist! And then, when all is over and the big bad evil guy is defeated, she just cold turkey stops taking all of her medication and all is well. Because of course that's how it works. And when she forgets her sleeping pills on a trip, being next to her love interest calms her down so much that she is able to sleep! Hurray!
That is dangerous. If you are on medications like Effy's, I assume some kind of anti-psychotic in addition to sleeping pills, you cannot stop cold turkey without severe side effects. Out of my own experience, if you forget your sleeping pills after taking them every night for that long, you don't just nod off to your lover's silky voice, you WILL be crawling across the floor and ripping apart everything you own to find one. You WILL be looking into every pocket of every article of clothing you brought along in case you ever put a pill in there, even if you know you won't find anything, because you're desparate. And in the end, you probably will end up spending your night on the bathroom floor, hugging the toilet bowl.
So, inaccurate portrayal of sleeping pill addiction. Okay, I could live with that. It's not glamorous and it's not romantic. I understand that.
But this message of the-doctors-don't-understand-you and giving you antipsychotics even though what you're saying is actually real - that's dangerous. Just imagine a teen reading this. A young girl, like Effy. She's being treated for mental illness. She takes antidepressants and antipsychotics. She reads this book. She might come to the conclusion that her doctors are talking bullshit. She might not! But teenagers are easy to influence, and might already be inclined to believe that no one understands them. I'm just so worried. Maybe I'm worrying too much. Maybe I'm not giving teens today enough credit.
But even if this wasn't in the book, even if Effy wasn't taking enormous amounts of pills throughout the entire story, I still wouldn't call this book YA. Nothing about this is YA. There is graphic sexual assault scenes and rape scenes that while they do not occur on page, have an enormous amount of influence on Effy. Almost every male she comes in contact with (and those are quite a lot) uses sexually charged language towards her. I'm actually not even sure if this book passes the Bechdel test, because if two women talk, they always talk about men. But it's honestly tiring for man after man to appear on page and immediately start talking about disgusting things about Effy. She's so pretty. She's so girlish. She would look so pretty on my lap. (Ugh).
I wish so badly this book was categorized as a normal novel and not "Ava Reid's big YA debut!!!". It just feels like so much bad marketing. And ultimately, I think that this will lead to a lot of disappointed and confused readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Mental illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Drug use, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Gaslighting
aidareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
what the fuck
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Drug use, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual assault
soniajoy98's review
adventurous
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Xenophobia, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual content, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, and Death
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Colonisation, Stalking, Domestic abuse, Classism, Abandonment, Animal death, and Gun violence
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