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A review by angelune
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
3.0
i don't know what it is with me and books lately, i swear i just cannot find one that is not lacking in something.
they just don't make fantasy books like they used to in the 2014-2018 era. IDC I'll be that person; bring old school fantasy back! (if you'd even consider that period old school......)
it started really interesting! I love the premise of a mystery/haunted house with a mix of rivals to lovers in it. also a main female character who dealt with people abusing their position of power and suffering from sexual trauma, to some degree. as those themes really interest me, when they are written correctly.
and it was okay for the most part, I liked the writing and the setting. both created a magical and mystical environment for our characters and us, as readers, to get lost in. but so many elements to me felt just off. and it makes me really, really sad.
because I really wanted to love it. especially as someone who is suffering from readers block SEVERLY.
1) effy was just simply not likeable in the slightest. Of course I felt empathy for her situation, but to some degree I also just felt so extremely frustrated at her own way of handling things. she is so incredibly passive and meek. AND SHE HAS MAYBE ONE SENTENCE AT THE VERY END OF THE BOOK THAT SHE STANDS UP FOR HERSELF. and even then, it's with the help of preston.
2) speaking of preston, he was slightly more interesting, but not by much. and unfortunately, i did not feel their chemistry in the slightest. or why he even liked effy??? like, realistically, we should have seen them fall for each other, but it just wasnt the case. it definitely felt like insta-love, or insta-obsession for preston's sake. and THEN it was so rushed, at the end. i swear i felt like the book took most of the time, like 80%, to set up the environment, and then everything else happened in the last 20%. including plot, revelations that came out of nowhere, the romance. yeah.... yeah...
3) the hidden context of the animosity between llyr and argant, especially in the current political climate, was NOT GOOD. effy's inner dialogue about preston who is mixed, was???? it made me extremely uncomfortable. and she was not redeemed in my eyes by the end just because she fell in love with him. :/
boo me because i really wanted to like this.. the one thing i will give ava reid is that her writing is truly wonderful and immersive. i just wish i could've gotten attached to the characters, and felt anything else besides being immersed...
they just don't make fantasy books like they used to in the 2014-2018 era. IDC I'll be that person; bring old school fantasy back! (if you'd even consider that period old school......)
it started really interesting! I love the premise of a mystery/haunted house with a mix of rivals to lovers in it. also a main female character who dealt with people abusing their position of power and suffering from sexual trauma, to some degree. as those themes really interest me, when they are written correctly.
and it was okay for the most part, I liked the writing and the setting. both created a magical and mystical environment for our characters and us, as readers, to get lost in. but so many elements to me felt just off. and it makes me really, really sad.
because I really wanted to love it. especially as someone who is suffering from readers block SEVERLY.
1) effy was just simply not likeable in the slightest. Of course I felt empathy for her situation, but to some degree I also just felt so extremely frustrated at her own way of handling things. she is so incredibly passive and meek. AND SHE HAS MAYBE ONE SENTENCE AT THE VERY END OF THE BOOK THAT SHE STANDS UP FOR HERSELF. and even then, it's with the help of preston.
2) speaking of preston, he was slightly more interesting, but not by much. and unfortunately, i did not feel their chemistry in the slightest. or why he even liked effy??? like, realistically, we should have seen them fall for each other, but it just wasnt the case. it definitely felt like insta-love, or insta-obsession for preston's sake. and THEN it was so rushed, at the end. i swear i felt like the book took most of the time, like 80%, to set up the environment, and then everything else happened in the last 20%. including plot, revelations that came out of nowhere, the romance. yeah.... yeah...
3) the hidden context of the animosity between llyr and argant, especially in the current political climate, was NOT GOOD. effy's inner dialogue about preston who is mixed, was???? it made me extremely uncomfortable. and she was not redeemed in my eyes by the end just because she fell in love with him. :/
boo me because i really wanted to like this.. the one thing i will give ava reid is that her writing is truly wonderful and immersive. i just wish i could've gotten attached to the characters, and felt anything else besides being immersed...