Review by starryfruits - A Study in Drowning

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starryfruits 's review for:

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

3.0

adventurous mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I did go into it expecting a bit more but I realize its going to be a duology. I liked what we were given I just wish there was more focus into the lore of the land then keep mentioning it and then brushing it off to focus on the plot. The lore of the land was almost set up so it could be talked about more in the second book I feel. This book as a standalone would just be alot of exposition that goes nowhere when you desperately want it to. I like the pacing until the 3/4ths into the book where jt started going very fast

the pacing of meeting the fairy king and defeating him felt so lackluster, like we hear about it and its hinted that hes there but all it takes is 2 seconds to defeat him??? Also I do not care for the fact its set up as she is this normal girl who's been through all these horrors, only to later reveal shes actually special because the fairy king specifically was looking for her bc her mom abandoned her briefly so in turn she is 'promised' to him and now he wants his bride. She didnt think about that at all in the time we know her because its supposed to be??? A surprising revelation but then it isnt that shes a normal girl who had a rough childhood, shes actually special girl with a predestined outcome shes fighting against. I know thats the point or shed be boring but idk it feels bad because she went from a relatable character who has a tumultuous and one sided toxic relationship with her mother, pstd, and mental health issues- grounded in an unfortunate reality many women could relate to, where she succeeds despite it the magical elements shes thrusted into, to a girl who although faces these things , to the Main Character, special because of her marked past and also has these horrible things happen to her for To Overcome. The MMC doesnt have these suprise revelations about his past either, hes just an academic scholar whos a skeptic, thrust into this odd land and magical world as it unveils. Which our FMC could have also been, and we were led to believe she was (just not a skeptic, she believes and we want to believe its true too for her and knowing the hints that she cant see herself until its too late)

Content Warnings