Ava Reid’s A Study in Drowning is a richly atmospheric gothic fantasy that blends dark academia, folklore, and feminist themes into a haunting coming-of-age tale. Set against the backdrop of a crumbling seaside estate, the novel explores the power of stories and the voices often silenced in their telling.

A Study in Drowning is a book that feels like a rainy day—moody, slow, and a little haunting. A blend of The Cruel Prince's eerie fairy lore, Divine Rivals' literary obsession, and the psychological unease of Girl, Interrupted, this novel sets up an enticingly atmospheric premise but struggles under the weight of its own ambition.

Effy Sayre is a compelling protagonist, teetering between fantasy and madness, clinging to the myth of a Fairy King and the text that shaped her fragile reality. The crumbling Hiraeth Manor is dark academia perfection, and the mystery surrounding Emrys Myrddin’s legacy creates a satisfying gothic backdrop. The final stretch of the book delivers—twists unravel, secrets surface, and the conclusion offers a payoff that almost makes the slow pacing worth it.

But that pacing is a problem. The first two-thirds of the book drag, and while the psychological themes and feminist undertones are important, they’re often buried beneath overly flowery prose or a plot that circles itself. Readers drawn in by the promise of fairytale romance or a fierce academic rivalry may feel a bit misled.

If you love dark academia, female rage narratives, and don’t mind a slow-burn story soaked in symbolism, this might work for you—especially with a stormy sky outside and a hot drink in hand. Just go in knowing that it’s more of a murky character study than a sweeping fantasy.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4 stars

Plot: 3.75/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Writing: 4/5

Thank you to HarperTeen and NetGalley for an eARC!

I finished this up a couple months ago but now I have time to sit down a review it fully as I wanted to do this book justice. A Study in Drowning is a haunting, lyrical exploration of trauma, obsession, and the dangerous myths we build around powerful men.

Plot –
Effy Sayre has always been obsessed with Angharad, a tragic fairy tale written by the beloved (and mysterious) Emrys Myrddin. So when she's chosen to design the renovation of his cliffside estate, she takes it as fate—only to arrive and discover the decaying house is full of secrets. Also there is Preston, a stubborn literature student who believes Myrddin was a fraud.

The plot starts as a gothic mystery, turns into academic rivalry, and then shifts again into a psychological unravelling. The pacing is uneven—some scenes felt razor-sharp and tense, others dragged a bit too long. But the mystery keeps pulling you in, even when it’s buried beneath layers of metaphor.

Characters & Writing –
Effy is a fascinating and unreliable narrator. She’s fragile, angry, brilliant, and deeply traumatized. Her connection to the text of Angharad becomes increasingly unhinged, and you’re never quite sure what’s real. Preston is a nice contrast—grounded, skeptical, and quietly supportive—but he never fully breaks out of the “academic rival turned love interest” mold.

The romance is soft and slow-burn, but sometimes takes a backseat to the broader themes of power, patriarchy, and survival in male-dominated spaces.

Reid’s writing is poetic and drenched in atmosphere. Fog, salt, and rot drip from every page. The symbolism is rich, though occasionally heavy-handed. This is a book that knows it’s about big ideas—and sometimes that gets in the way of momentum. But when it hits, it hits.

Quotes that feel like drowning and defiance:

“They called it madness. I called it seeing clearly.”

“Why must a woman be a muse, when she could be the author?”

If you love books that are as much about books as they are about people, that leave you unsettled rather than neatly satisfied, A Study in Drowning is worth sinking into—just know that it’s more fever dream than page-turner.

As always, Ava Reid is an incredibly talented writer. She has a talent for weaving words to create an atmospheric experience. However, that is where the positives for me end.

Though well written, the pacing, plot, and characters fell flat. Both Effy and Preston seemed bland and I cared little for them. I didn’t care how the story ended or the romance because they didn’t hold my attention. Similarly the world had so much potential but I didn’t feel it ever reached it. I also found the pacing was off. It had a lot of slow points that made it drag, then suddenly picked up right at the climax and then it was over.

As someone who exists in academia, I did appreciate the conversation around how women who are targeted by those in power often receive much harsher consequences and reputations , both from peers and from higher ups. It’s an important conversation to have, but it seemed at odds with the prejudice shown to Argantians. If that had been flushed out, it could have been a very poignant discussion on how those who are victimized in one way, can also do similar to others. Instead, Effys hatred is put aside once she falls for Preston. It made me very confused on what the point of including it at all was.

Overall, Ava Reid could write herself out of a paper bag but the downfall here was the bland pacing, plot, and characters

SO I am now Ava Reid's biggest fan! And she is my number one auto-read author now.

I went into ASID like many of her other books - unknowing. And I could NOT. put this one down. The world, while mostly confined to the moor, is super fascinating, and I think we get to see more of it in book 2.

But Effy.... my sweet precious Effy..... I want to wrap her and Preston in bubble wrap and let no harm befall them.

This was good! The vibes are IMMACULATE, and the characters are so loveable. The second half of the book was MUCH stronger than the first in my opinion, and the climax was EXACTLY like the movie Tangled!

I loved this! I can't wait for the sequel. The world building is so complete and interesting. I felt as though I were there. It absolutely lives up to the hype!

Full review and links to social will be posted as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank the publisher HarperCollins and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Initially, I had a hard time getting into the book because of the main character. She seemed very whimsy. However, the more I read, the more I started to understand her. I did like the world-building! I also loved the slow enemies to lovers romance! I recommend this for fans of Margery Rogerson!

I finished A Study in Drowning recently and it's such a powerful book. It's a story about stories and truth, about power and women reclaiming theirs after it's been taken from them. The beginning and ending are so strong, so unforgettable. I really enjoyed this one, though I felt the middle loses itself a little with pacing and plot.

There's a romance, but it strengthens the story and the main character, Effy. It was beautiful to see her find a man who supported her without question, who insisted on advocating for her when no one else would. This book will both enrage and engage you, because of the way Effy and other women are treated. But the message is so beautiful.

I urge you to look up content warnings prior to picking this up.

This book took a much different turn than I was expecting, but WOW! Once I got past the first few chapters of setup, I couldn't put it down. I will say that this is one to read closely, as the small details might be missed if you're not paying attention--but it's worth the extra care and time to understand how and why Effy and Preson's story unfolds as it does.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

I think I'll be trying to refind the high I got from reading this book for awhile. There are some questions I have about it that begs for a sequel, but I know this will be a great read for YA or adults alike.

I have loved Reid's previously published adult books and found this first foray into young adult books to also be excellent. I look forward to recommending it to readers.

I’m not a huge fan of why, but I love Ava‘s writing and this book was so fun! It was very whimsical and just a great adventure. I’m excited for the sequel.

A stunning YA debut! A Study in Drowning is a haunting narrative about the power of art in our lives. The prose is lush and atmospheric. The story is gothic with elements such as the isolated manor, mystery and suspense, and a girl who is haunted in different ways. Effy as a character was compelling and I resonated with her experiences. She has suffered at the hands of the institution she attends and her family isn’t that great either. Preston is a great love interest and I loved his character. The trajectory of the story was great and well paced. This is a great dark academia that tackles devotion to art and how stories bring comfort when no one else can. Beyond that this is a narrative that asks us to critically engage with the art we consume even if it brings joy, solace, and comfort. Even though this book doesn’t take place in the college which might deter lovers of the school setting the elements of dark academia are present like the gothic elements, obsession, mystery, and the ugliness of academia along with how it affects or even traumatizes a person.
As the author asks to engage with literature in a critical manner, I want to detail a few aspects of the story that fell short for me. I do think that there needed to be more moments in which Effy unpacked a lot of her opinions about Preston’s heritage. It is my hope that this will be explored more in the sequel. Also, I wish Effy would have been in the Literature college from the beginning. It would have felt more like they were academic rivals because the dynamic was presented that way but it was more of a fan versus a scholar.

All of this being said, I highly enjoyed this novel and am excited for its sequel!

This fantasy book was so good! I loved the Fairy King storyline. And the house was just like another character in the book! What a chilling portrayal. So good!

this book really did feel like it had potential but the world building was just too confusing for me to follow and the fantastical aspect just complicated it for me. would i have liked it better if the book focused more on developing the characters and the central plot? perhaps.

i will say, i was intrigued by how the author portrayed the more deeper themes of this book, primarily the effects of trauma on mental health and the struggle of women in male dominated fields. it was definitely heavier than i anticipated it to be in terms of the topics discussed.

however, it was difficult to be in the mind of our main protagonist Effy, because of the lack of connection i felt to her character as a whole. she felt very passive and constantly let things happen to her over and over again (in reference to some minuscule incidents where she’d let people walk all over her) and it’s difficult to root for a character like that when it happens repeatedly.

the book is also very slow paced, more than i’m particularly used to and pushed the boundaries of what i usually enjoy reading.

overall, i don’t entirely think it will one i come back to but i would love to try out another one of this author’s books.

Really this review is the result of a gap between the material and my expectations. I was expecting a more adult book, as her others have been, and this is closer to YA. While I love a lot of the material, characters, and plot, I wish they were more developed. I wanted a depth I didn't get there. This is a conflict between one who believes in fairy tales, and one determined to debunk them. A rivals to romance Gothic mystery, this ventures into Dark Academia.

I thought this was really cute and devastatingly sad. It a tale as old as time of women being manipulated and taken advantage of. While the tangible antagonist is the faerie king, most of the men in this story are no better -- trying to overwrite or squeeze everything they can from the women of this society which many women can relate to.

It's not too terribly complex, but the poetry in it is beautiful and quotable.

Quick read. Easy to get through.

I enjoyed this well enough, but thought the writing could have been better. Will still purchase for my teen readers, as I think they'd enjoy the concept and atmosphere.