A review by shreek
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really interesting read! I zoomed through this one. I really liked the writing and how the author created the sense of atmosphere. I could truly see some scenes playing out like a movie in my head which helped me to get immersed in the story. The main characters were great too and I enjoyed their relationship. The themes explored such as mental health, trauma, and the significance of storytelling
and of course finding out your hero’s not what you thought they’d be
definitely added more depth to the story. For sure recommend checking any content warnings before reading this. 

I did find the main reveal(s),
that Ianto was the fairy king and Angharad was written by Myrridin’s wife
to be kind of predictable. I guessed them very early on so it was a bit odd at times that the characters weren’t putting it together yet, though considering their context I guess it made sense. I also felt that not enough was done with the whole Llyr-Argant dynamic. The war and some geopolitics were introduced, but weren’t really delved into much, which was a little disappointing since that could have involved a discussion into some very important and relevant themes about colonialism, land/borders, and cultural/historical erasure.  Maybe that would have been a lot to get into in a shorter book like this, especially since I think it’s a standalone, but it felt kind of odd that this aspect wasn’t addressed. Like I could be forgetting something, but I almost feel like the war could have just not been mentioned and the book would have stayed the same. I’m also not sure how I felt about the ending of the story, like it was fine, but I think I was expecting something more.
I honestly felt that they would leave the question of whether or not the fairy king is real a bit ambiguous at the end, so we’re not sure if what Effy has been seeing is real or not. I also thought that would help with the whole usage of the fairy king as a metaphor for abusers/predators. I do understand though that in the context of the story it was very important for women, like Effy and Angharad to be believed about their experiences. That’s why my feelings remain mixed. I also can’t decide if I would have wanted Angharad to be a ghost or real, it’s kind of odd that she’s been there all along and there was minimal interaction. It is nice that she got freedom at the end though, so there’s that.
I also saw a reviewer mention that for a book with heavy feminist themes there are very few women, and I kind of agree, but I think the story also made sense the way it was. 

Wow that got long. Honestly probably because I enjoyed the story and the world building and would have loved a little more oomph. Great read overall!,


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