“You don’t have to take up a sword. Survival is bravery, too.”

This line perfectly sums up our main character Effy. She has been through a lot in her short time in this world but has persevered. Ava Reid does an amazing job of bringing together a book inspired by Welsh-folklore that explores feminine rage in a character that is both vulnerable and quietly powerful.

There is also a romance at the core. I loved the evolution of Effy and Preston’s relationship over the course of the story. From academic rivals to lovers, with such a down to earth, believable metamorphosis of their feelings for one another.

The gothic setting of this book was beautifully atmospheric and written in such a way that you could feel the continued collapse of the house’s facade as the main characters searched for answers.

Overall this was one of my most anticipated books and quickly cemented itself as one of my favorite books of 2023. The narration was so well done, I was completely drawn into the story hanging on every word.

This Ava Reid’s debut YA and is a dark academia gothic fantasy with a romantic subplot that will sweep you out to sea on an eerily, magical adventure.

Overall 5/5.

Thank you to Ava Reid, HarperTeen, and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I'm glad I went in blind because WOW! This dark academia had me SUPER invested in the characters from the start. So much so that all the questions surrounding what is real or not, the world, the characters on the outside - all become extra bonus drama for our characters to experience. Absolutely would recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for approving my request for the A Study in Drowning audiobook! I have been a huge fan of Ava Reid since The Wolf and the Woodsman, and as she publishes, her books get better from last to next–not to downplay how much I love TWATW or Juniper and Thorn, because those are two of my favorite books, but ASID’s dark academia vibes and academic rivals to lovers trope literally checked every box for me!

This book is about recovering from SA, never meeting your heroes, and suppressing women as intellectuals and artists, with allusions to Anti Stratfordian theory. What’s amazing is, after having read the book and discovering these themes, I read some notes from Reid on her ideas for the book, and she confirmed all of my impressions, which tells me that Reid is a master at weaving motifs into the matter of her fiction–which I did honestly already know from reading her other books and then learning her thoughts behind those. She is truly a machine of thought-provoking talent.

Despite ASID’s heavier themes, this book ultimately left me with such good feelings, from the dark academia tone to the romance, and finally with the female connection and empowerment in the end. Being aware of the SA TW, I do recommend this book to anyone who enjoys these tropes and is looking for the perfect fall read, or seaside read, or dmn good book in general!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this! Which was a bit of a surprise for me, as I didn’t really click with Ava Reid’s Juniper & Thorn.

I loved the depiction of womanhood and being believed, how Effy is traumatized and trying and knows she is at the mercy of powerful men. Even other women, such as her mother, are tired of her and it’s painfully clear that everyone finds her insipid and sensitive and a bother when all she is doing is existing.

I liked Effy’s relationship with Preston, even if it did feel a smidge rushed, and I liked how he did try to take her seriously but is still skeptical of the Fairy King (without making her feel ridiculous). The plot was engaging and I was invested the whole way through, even if it was a tad predictable.

I will say I didn’t completely understand why Angharad waited until the end to reveal everything. Maybe I missed it, but if she was trying to protect them, why not just tell them the truth? Overall, this is a very solid read and I’m glad that Reid seems to be improving with each book.

I wanted to love this one. The premise sounded great and the themes it touches upon were done very well but boy oh boy was it a let down. World building and gothic vibes were on point but the characters are so one dimensional, I was annoyed with them. I think the narrator tried their best but the story just wasn’t up to par, the writing is well done but the story is so repetitive and flat that I felt even the narrator was bored with it. I had to listen to it at 2.5x to feel like something was happening.

I received this book from NetGalley, Harper Teens & Harper Audio as an advanced listener’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

P.S. I know it’s an ALC but I found it very annoying to randomly listen to a guy saying Harper Audio throughout the narration.

A gothic-fairytale-mystery that takes readers to a spooky mansion on the edge of a sea cliff. Effy, the only girl in the architecture school, and who often finds it difficult to discern truth from reality finds herself isolated in the barren lands of the "lower 100" to redesign the late author Myrddin's estate. A difficult task, made even more difficult by the literature student Preston, who is there to learn uncover truths.

A spooky house... yes! A gothic vibe...yes! A twist... yes and yes!

Although I was expecting more of an academia setting I wasn't disappointed by the spooky setting of Myrddin's estate--a dilapidated mansion set on the ragged rocks above the sea, in fact I loved it. My biggest critique is the cliche romance story of bickering rivals turned lovers-- it seemed way too predictable and secondary and didn't give me the feels. I would have preferred more spook over the romance scenes, which is why I gave it three stars over four.

I would recommend this book to a teen reader who loves: gothic settings, romance, fairytales, mystery, bookish stories, female lead, stormy vibes, the color green.

My only complaint is that I wish I had saved it reading in the fall, it is so atmospheric and spooky it would be the perfect October read. From the start it reminded me of the way I felt reading Mexican Gothic, Rebecca, and a little bit Divine Rivals - which is a winning combination if you're me! This is a dark, moody story with some definite supernatural elements, a little bit of rivals to lovers, and a mystery to unravel. This was a voice galley so I cannot speak to the narration, but I did feel that Ava Reid's writing flowed exquisitely. I am tempted to pick it up in print for a reread in a month or two. Highly recommend!

“That was the cruelest irony, the more you did to save yourself, the less you became a person worth saving."

------------------

Effy is a young girl with an obsession for literature, but the college she applies to forces her into the architecture program. There she is chosen for a special project which brings her to the crumbling home of her favorite author. There she and a literature student, Preston, team up to discover the truth about this fabled author.

Ok, this one revolves around a Fairy King, so you know mayhem is ahead. The vibes and visuals Reid builds in this story are overwhelmingly immersive. I definitely felt swept away into this world.

I think I would have liked this one better without the Effy / Preston love story. That’s the only part that didn’t work for me, I would have been happy if they were just young scholars searching the truth. I did love Effy’s evolution to empowerment and how Preston supported her in the end.

Read this one if you enjoy T Kingfisher.

Thanks to Harper Audio for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

Ava Reid can write her lil tail off, lots of foreboding but not in the sense of atmosphere - it was in this sense of dread that you get when you're the only woman surrounded by men that you can't trust and that was a maniacal way to open this one.

Thank you Harper Audio, HarperTeen, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio review copy of this book. This was an interesting read, haunting and mythical, a bit dark for me at times, with a beautiful setting and good writing. I love mythology and this story masterfully combined Celtic mythology and great storytelling into a seamlessly flowing, enveloping whole. So glad I read this and would be looking for more Ava Reed’s books.

I liked the gothic vibes of the book-- it was very well written, which isn't surprising because I have yet to dislike anything that Ava Reid writes. Your reader's heart will go out to Effy, having to struggle the way she does, but Preston gives her the hope she needs. An atmospheric tale of rivals to lovers, this is a must read for anyone!

I personally couldn't get behind the narrator-- I decided to switch to reading the book the traditional way and the story flowed better from there.

What a stunning first foray into Young Adult fiction for this author! I very much enjoyed this charming book. Reid manages to perfectly combine fantasy with dark academia in this captivating tale of trauma, overcoming prejudice, and finding one's inner strength. Effy was a delightful and relatable protagonist that I was cheering for all throughout the story. I think this story contains an important message for all young women and is perfect for YA readers 14+. I would happily recommend this book to anyone looking for a fantasy romance with a dark-academia twist.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperTeen for the eARC. This is an honest review.

Ava Reid immerses readers in a haunting tale that blurs the lines between reality and myth. Effy's life has been intertwined with the legends of the Fairy King, a haunting presence in her nightmares and her refuge in the pages of a novel by deceased author Myrddin. She dreams of being a student of literature but is accepted into the architecture college instead. When the opportunity arises to compete in a contest to design Myrddin's dilapidated estate, Hiraeth Manor, Effy believes it's her chance to fulfill her destiny.

The atmosphere of this is drenched in gothic vibes, with Hiraeth Manor playing a central role as a decaying mansion perched precariously on the edge of the sea. Effy's journey intertwines with that of Preston Héloury, a young scholar seeking to unravel the truth behind Myrddin's legacy and expose potential fraud. As Effy and Preston delve into the reclusive author's letters and diaries, they discover not only the secrets of Hiraeth Manor's foundation but also the presence of dark and dangerous forces.

Reid's narrative deftly weaves elements of mystery, fantasy, and gothic romance, creating an immersive and unsettling reading experience. Effy's connection to the Fairy King and her exploration of the blurred boundaries between reality and fantasy lend an air of eerie enchantment.

While the narrative was intriguing, it's important to note that the pacing of the story may be perceived as slow and meandering. I was bored and not emotionally invested through most of this. However, it's important to note that the synthetic voice narration used for this ALC of the book absolutely affected my overall reading experience and certainly negatively impacted the emotional depth of the story.

There were also themes of sexism and predatory behavior of older men and the challenges faced by young women in male spaces. While my discomfort with these themes was likely the point, it was unsettling. "A Study in Drowning" offers a unique blend of gothic fantasy and dark academia, creating an atmosphere that kept me somewhat intrigued but uncomfortable. I think I'll avoid synthesized ALCs in the future.

This was my most anticipated release for the second half of 2023 and somehow it EXCEEDED my expectations, so this will be more gush than review. First of all, I am utterly entranced by the way Ava Reid writes. I don't think I ever went a single chapter without highlighting at least one line. I also loved getting snippets from Angharad, an in-world text that is crucial to the plot and which I know would love it read (if only!).

Honestly, the narrator didn't really do justice to Ava's gorgeous prose. The narration was fine but seemed to lack emotion and the tone didn't change during dialogue, which I disliked. My rating reflects the book itself and not the narration.

Effy is struggling to fit in as the only girl studying architecture at her university. She wishes she could study literature instead, especially the works of her favorite author, Emrys Myrddin, but girls are not allowed to study literature. Through what seems a stroke of luck, she wins a contest to redesign the late Myrddin's house for his son. When she arrives to find it crumbling into the sea and realizes she's stuck in a very remote and eerie location, she begins to have second thoughts. And then there's Preston, a snobbish literature student intent on some investigations that make her very uncomfortable.

This book encompasses so much in relatively few pages . It is both an atmospheric gothic fantasy and a critique of misogyny in academia, while also being a spooky mystery and a bit of a romance. I cannot recommend it highly enough and now I have no idea what to do with my life because it was over too soon and I'm lost without it.

This book is breathtaking. There’s not a woman I know who won’t relate to some part of Effy’s story. The repeating imagery of houses and mirrors and the sea were so effective. Ava Reid just became an auto buy author for me

Now this is the kind of dark academia that I like! Ava Reid did it again in creating a haunting story with flawed (though likeable) characters. I'll definitely be recommending this book to my teen readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

'A Study In Drowning' is a portrayal of a young girl's life and struggles with myth, misogyny and mental health in a combination of dark academia and dark faerie tale.

Ava Reid's lyrical prose provides a strong foundation to the novel and easily draws one into Effy's story. Though set in a time in the last century when girls were not even allowed to enroll in particular college courses, her struggles with misogyny were relatable as some of the instances and the writing just ring true.

The writing, hand in hand with the story sets the dark faerie tone of the novel and the inclusion of Angharad, the story within the story and Effy's well-used book, adds to the whole tone. Angharad provides the only functional bridge to understanding for Effy between her world and the world that she sees but everyone else dismisses.

This is overlaid with a mystery in a Gothic mansion and the world-building on the whole supports the story. Effy's character development as an unreliable narrator as the story progresses is interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters; One star for the writing; Half a star for the story; Half a star for the world-building - Four stars in total.]

<i>Thank you so much to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of “A Study in Drowning” by Ava Reid in exchange for an honest review. All of the following opinions are formulated on my own. Any quotes in this review should be cross-referenced with the final copy for any possible edits. </i>

<b>Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars </b>

<b>Favorite quote(s): </b>
<i> “Fear and pain could be endured if you knew that eventually… they would end.” </i>

My review: A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, is a beautiful standalone thriller. This book an a stunning examination of a woman’s existence in a world created for men. This story is a beautiful dive into dark academia. Effy is an awkward young woman who has been given enrollment in an architecture college while her only dream is to study literature. She watches her dream slip through her fingers every day until she applies to remodel the crumbling foundation of a home formerly belonging to her favorite writer. When Effy arrives at the manor, her rival, or more likely someone who she envies, is there. Preston convinces Effy to help him unravel the truth behind her favorite author.

This book starts of quite slow though as the story goes on, the pieces slowly come together. We slowly see the devastation Effy experiences repeatedly as she walks through the world. In a way, Effy is a character similar to the manor she is supposed to repair. A home on a cliff about to fall into the water, unable to be saved. The story is rooted in Welsh mythology and crafted with beautiful words. I really hope a lot of people read this because there are some stunning quotes, especially towards the end. The message of this novel is stunning: keeping your head above the water is enough even if it doesn’t feel like it is.

<b> Triggers: </b> <i>Please note this is not an all inclusive list </i> violence, SA, misogyny, anxiety, self medicating, gaslighting, acoholism, sexism

<b> Notable Themes, Elements, and Tropes: </b>
-Welsh Mythology
-Gothic mansion
-Dark academia
-Women in a World Made for Men
-Psychological Thriller
-Fae and Changelings
-Academic Rivals

This book started out really slow for me and it was difficult to hold interest. Once I got into the meat of the story around 1/3 of the way in, I started to reeeeally enjoy this book. The world building was incredibly interesting and the atmosphere was dark and foreboding. The main character is a determined young woman and the novel has strong feminist themes woven throughout. The characters grew on me over time and I loved them at the end!

Solid read for fans of dark academia. Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy. 4/5 stars.