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A review by louisepea
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
3.0
'The only reason anything matters is because it ends.'
Effy, the only female architecture student at a prestigious university, wins a contest to redesign the home of her favourite late author.
Troubled by visions of the fairy king her whole life, as well as dealing with sexual abuse from her professor, and an uncaring mother, Effy hopes it will be an opportunity to escape her demons, and finally prove herself. But when she arrives at the dilapidated estate which is threatening to crumble into the sea, Effy discovers another student is secretly attempting to prove that her favourite author is a fraud and the book she finds solace in was penned by another writer.
Effy is furious, but Preston wants her help, and putting her name on his thesis could open doors in the literary college she longs to enter but can't because she's a woman.
With her role to redesign the house proving to be more complicated than she thought, and her host a creepy lech, Effy secretly teams up with the insufferable Preston to uncover the truth about the author and the origin of her favourite book.
Their quest takes them on a dangerous journey which sees them facing two men willing to do anything to hide the truth. a predatory fairy king attempting to claim what he believes is his, the unforgiving forces of nature, and perhaps most perilously of all, their growing feelings for each other. *Gasp*.
Can Effy and Preston uncover the truth and alert the world or will their curiosity see them paying the ultimate price to someone determined to keep it a secret?
*
I was so excited to read this book, but considering the hype online, it wasn't what I was expecting at all, and while I enjoyed it, I guess I'd anticipated so much more.
It was a weird but atmospheric little read about two rival students who team up to secretly uncover the truth about their favourite late author and his most famous book while staying in his creepy, dilapidated old house on other assignments. To be honest, this was a pretty boring storyline I had little interest in, but the threats from their lecherous host, a creepy fairy king, the eerie house, and the elements themselves made it a great, moderately-paced read, and kept me turning the pages. (Although, I felt the addition of a fairy king was a really odd choice for this YA academia / mystery, and made little sense to the story. I think it would've been better without this fantasy aspect).
I really liked the two main characters, Effy and Preston, and their slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance was adorable in a way only young love is. Preston sweetly vowing to look after Effy, a vulnerable young woman who'd known nothing but neglect, fear, and sexual abuse her whole life, might have melted my cold, dead heart. I loved how he always had her back, even when they had different views, and the way she made him blush was too cute.
I was on the edge of my seat during the scenes in the flooded basement, when it seemed like all hope was lost for a happy ending for the two of them, and it added a much stronger climax to the story than the truth that unravelled about the author and Angharad. To them, I say 'meh.'
Overall, I thought it was a suspenseful three star read with an interesting setting, likeable main characters, and some good lessons to be learnt. But did it wow me? No, not as much as I'd hoped.
Effy, the only female architecture student at a prestigious university, wins a contest to redesign the home of her favourite late author.
Troubled by visions of the fairy king her whole life, as well as dealing with sexual abuse from her professor, and an uncaring mother, Effy hopes it will be an opportunity to escape her demons, and finally prove herself. But when she arrives at the dilapidated estate which is threatening to crumble into the sea, Effy discovers another student is secretly attempting to prove that her favourite author is a fraud and the book she finds solace in was penned by another writer.
Effy is furious, but Preston wants her help, and putting her name on his thesis could open doors in the literary college she longs to enter but can't because she's a woman.
With her role to redesign the house proving to be more complicated than she thought, and her host a creepy lech, Effy secretly teams up with the insufferable Preston to uncover the truth about the author and the origin of her favourite book.
Their quest takes them on a dangerous journey which sees them facing two men willing to do anything to hide the truth. a predatory fairy king attempting to claim what he believes is his, the unforgiving forces of nature, and perhaps most perilously of all, their growing feelings for each other. *Gasp*.
Can Effy and Preston uncover the truth and alert the world or will their curiosity see them paying the ultimate price to someone determined to keep it a secret?
*
I was so excited to read this book, but considering the hype online, it wasn't what I was expecting at all, and while I enjoyed it, I guess I'd anticipated so much more.
It was a weird but atmospheric little read about two rival students who team up to secretly uncover the truth about their favourite late author and his most famous book while staying in his creepy, dilapidated old house on other assignments. To be honest, this was a pretty boring storyline I had little interest in, but the threats from their lecherous host, a creepy fairy king, the eerie house, and the elements themselves made it a great, moderately-paced read, and kept me turning the pages. (Although, I felt the addition of a fairy king was a really odd choice for this YA academia / mystery, and made little sense to the story. I think it would've been better without this fantasy aspect).
I really liked the two main characters, Effy and Preston, and their slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance was adorable in a way only young love is. Preston sweetly vowing to look after Effy, a vulnerable young woman who'd known nothing but neglect, fear, and sexual abuse her whole life, might have melted my cold, dead heart. I loved how he always had her back, even when they had different views, and the way she made him blush was too cute.
I was on the edge of my seat during the scenes in the flooded basement, when it seemed like all hope was lost for a happy ending for the two of them, and it added a much stronger climax to the story than the truth that unravelled about the author and Angharad. To them, I say 'meh.'
Overall, I thought it was a suspenseful three star read with an interesting setting, likeable main characters, and some good lessons to be learnt. But did it wow me? No, not as much as I'd hoped.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Minor: Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail