A review by mcrespo
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

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

2.0

while i really enjoyed Reid's ability to world build with a passage or quote at the beginning of each chapter, i found that overall this novel lacked something remarkable to set it apart from any standard fantasy (with a dash of romance) novel. it felt truly that this novel relied on some of the most predictable tropes from both fantasy novels and romance novels (enemies to lovers .... yawn). early on in the novel, the sea and water metaphors seemed overstated and repetitive. in addition to this, all of the points that Reid was making regarding sexism and misogyny in academia were stated forthright rather than implied. it seems that this is a novel that lays out very plainly the plot and main themes, and because of this, it became predictable. i also think that Effy, as a "strong female lead," really does center her male counterpart and love interest far too much. at some points, it seems that Effy only makes it through to be with Preston, and at some points, Effy does seemingly have a lot of grace and empathy for men like Ianto who was violently misogynistic. considering this is a YA novel, it does make sense why the messages and themes of this novel are so blatantly obvious, and at the end of the day, this is such an easy read for anyone just needing a quick fantasy fix. unfortunately, i'm not the target audience for this one (´• ᴗ •̥`✿)
Expand filter menu Content Warnings