3.5 stars
I enjoyed the characters and the story idea. Reading this was harder than I would have thought. It dragged more that I think it needed to. By the end though everything got wrapped up nicely.

Gave dark and eerie vibes. I was questioning reality the whole time. The visual this drew was astounding. I can’t wait for the character/setting art.

Overall message is darker than what I assumed. Check content warnings.

Romance was a fairly big part of this, but there is decent driving plot behind it.

Special thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books, HarperTeen for this digital ARC.

𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘
𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘺.
I had the immense pleasure of reading the ARC for Ava Reid’s new novel, 𝘼 𝙎𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝘿𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜, out September 19. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the opportunity.
Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. After a troubled childhood being haunted by the Fairy King, she is now a first-year university student, and the only woman in the architecture school. After taking a chance and entering a contest to redesign the manor of her favorite author at the behest of his son and widow, she travels to Saltney and discovers that the fairy tales she was always told were make believe may actually be more real than anyone could ever have imagined.
Ava Reid gives us a heroine who uses literature to escape and survive, a love interest who is skeptical but adoring, a proper villain, and an ending that, while wrapping things up pretty neatly, left me a bit wanting. I also have a bit of annoyance in calling this an “academic rivals-to-lovers” book, but maybe I’m just being picky?
Ava writes so beautifully, but I feel like the character growth took just a bit too long for Effy. It’s not BAD. I just wish it had happened a bit sooner.
Hireath Manor, where 95% of the story takes place, deserves to be called a character all on its own. The detail Ava put into it made me feel like I was there. Everything felt the grey-green of water damage and rough seas, and I loved it.
I will say, I wish that there was a bit more backstory into the mythology and folklore of Llyr, specifically the different Saints (but that’s just the enthusiast in me). Please don’t take these issues as me hating on this book. I loved it! I think that’s why I’m being so critical. Ava Reid is quickly rising on my favorite authors list; I haven’t disliked a single thing they’ve written. So yes, I have critiques but that’s because I thought 𝘼𝙎𝙞𝘿 was so good. I would throw hands for Effy.
Trigger warning for SA on and off page, violence, depictions of mental illness, and multiple mentions of drowning. 4★

A Study in Drowning is Ava Reid’s newest novel, and it follows Effy Sayre, an architecture student, after she wins the chance to plan the rebuilding of her favorite author’s home, the late Emrys Myrddin, famous for his book, Angharad. But Effy’s not the only student who finds themself at Myrddin’s home; upon arriving, she meets Preston Héloury, who’s researching into the validity of Angharad’s authorship, and who drives Effy mad while she discovers who the man behind her favorite story is—and learns that sometimes, our heroes aren’t always who we thought they were.

Set on a crumbling cliff beside the sea, A Study in Drowning is an atmospheric masterpiece that had me peeking around the corners as I was reading, afraid that the monsters and ghouls hiding in Effy’s story might be lurking around my home, too. It reminded me of the seaside home that Erin A. Craig writes in House of Salt and Sorrow, tips me over the edge in the same way and has me wondering what’s happening with our less than reliable narrators and the life that’s crumbling around them. The drowning metaphor in A Study in Drowning worked so well, and Reid used it in different ways, with the Drowning, a flood that washed away part of Llyr and is said to be coming again, the country the story takes place in; with Effy’s own emotional state; with the fates that some characters face, and with items Effy needs to become the hero of the story.

I also loved Preston. I pictured him as this lovable nerd who doesn’t trust easily, and Effy really didn’t give him a reason to like her at the beginning, but they grew together and I loved that, especially considering Effy’s history in the story and how women are treated in the story by men, because the society is very patriarchal. I loved all the feminist bits as well, and when the ending came along, I wasn’t wholly surprised that the women were the winners in the end. The politics of it all was simple and sort of in the backdrop, but just the right amount of breadcrumbs were left for it to tie up nicely together in the end.

If you’re looking for an eerie book with a creeping spookiness and a dash of dark academia this fall, A Study in Drowning is the perfect story to pick up with a cup of coffee (or scotch) and curl up with on the couch—but I suggest reading it during the daytime and away from the sea, or anywhere else you may feel the lingering lurking of magic and madness.

A Study in Drowning, is a novel that blends a gothic mood and dark academia, with a fairytale like and romantic tone. I absolutely loved how these two contrasting moods merged to create such an immersive atmosphere.

I tend to favour the male leads in books over the female lead, especially in YA, since they're usually annoying, insufferable, and have absolutely no backbone, but I loved the main character, Effy. She had a mind of her own, that was caught up in dreams, fantasy, and of course she loved reading, Because of her, the book felt kind of like a book within a book or a story within a story,

The romance in this book was so sweet, I loved the how respectful the male lead was towards the main character, he was never pushy, or aggressive, he was simply there for her,.

While I wouldn't say that this book had the most unexpected plot twists, it was predictable in the sense that even though you knew what was going to happen, the story was so endearing that it kept you wanting to read more, Despite this, I found the ending so satisfying because it connected all the loose strings together so well, in ways that I hadn't expected, and had the bonus of a wonderful full circle moment!

Thank you so much to Harper Collins Children's Publishing for sending me the e-galley of "A Study in Drowning" I absolutely loved it!

4.5 ⭐️

This is a YA Fantasy that reads like a classic. The female main character is disregarred whenever she tells anyone about the mysterious entity that has visited her since childhood. As a teenager, she reads a book that finally makes her full seen and same. When the authorship of the book is called into question, Effy begins a journey where the lines between reality & fair tale become blurred. This book gives off the vibes of the Spiderwick Chronicles, Wuthering Heights, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. It's deep, mysterious, and entertaining! The perfect book to get ready for spooky season!

A Study in Drowning is simply one of the best books of the year! While this is Ava Reid's Young Adult debut, the intensity and depth of this book makes it easily enjoyable for adults.

Effy is a main character after my own heart. She is smart, academic and feisty, but also disregarded and unsure of herself. Fearing she has been haunted for much of her life, she struggles with what is real and what is imagined. She finds solace in the literary works of the recently deceased Emrys Myrddin and see's herself in his famous main character. Now, with an opportunity to visit his dilapidated home as an architecture student in a prestigious college, she has to confront what is real and what is imagined about the writer she has idolized, as well as her own past trauma.

This book is eloquently written, tying water to themes of life and death, rebirth and decay, truth and falsehood, in a suspenseful mysterious haunted house read. I was on the edge of my seat through so much of the novel! It is scary but without the gore of Reid's adult novels. It kept me questioning what was real and what wasn't. It grapples with how we experience and process trauma without explicit on page descriptions. It does have romance, but Effy's journey is central. At its core it is is a story about our need to tell stories and the roll they play in how we experience the world.

A fantastic read from start to finish! I highly recommend !

Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for providing access to an eACR of this work in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great darker New Adult fairytale-isc academia book that had me in a Fall mood. It's got a spooky mansion that is falling apart (but not too spooky) and a good mystery with a super sweet slow burn romance between rival students. Though I didn't find their rivalry to really be a big part of the story. It was more "dislike at first" meeting turned friendship turned more.

I will admit this is a little slow at points and took me a bit to get into. The writing is very romantic but also it lulled me to sleep a couple times which isn't a bad thing but I had to make sure I was reading this with no distractions and could focus. Some of the fantasy elements were a little confusing, like I'm still trying to understand some of what went down at the end.

It's one of those stories where you know something traumatic happened to her but you learn in pieces along the way. I don't know where I got the impression this was a YA book but I would say it's not. Or I hope it's not because it has some darker mature experiences that surprised me. The main girl is the only girl at college and is constantly leered at by men which I felt any woman could relate to. There is one experience especially that just makes you so sadden and hurt for her.

Once, I got a little ways into the story, I was definitely hooked and curious for more. I loved the mystery element and the main characters working together. The darker fairytale vibes were great too. But the slow burn romance was just so sweet and natural. I loved how it came about.

The ending was a little fast, especially the grand moment where I had to reread it and be like "wait what happened." But overall, this was a great Fall darker fantasy book, especially if you're looking for something slower that you can absorb and soak in. There was one line at the end that I'm still trying to figure out what it meant and need someone to explain it to me because I think I missed something. It kind of gave me Allison Shaft vibes but darker and more NA.

Unfortunately this one was a DNF for me. As this was one of my highly anticipated books for the year, I just could not get into the writing style. This doesn’t mean that the book was bad, it just wasn’t for me. I hope everyone else enjoys

Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the eARC.

4.5/5

This book felt deeply personal in the best way. I remember seeing Ava Reid’s marketing for it on their insta account, and I knew I had to read it. It did not disappoint.

Effy is so refreshing from so many FMCs of today that seem to never have moments of weakness or self doubt. The beauty in her character is that she struggled and persevered despite it. Effy is an architecture student, who desperately wants to be a literature student, but that college does not admit women. She takes on the task of creating blueprints for an update to the house of her favorite author Emyrs Myrrdin. Also working on a project on Myrrdin is Preston, a literature student from the neighboring country that Effy’s is at war with.

Effy and Preston’s adventure is so magical and atmospheric as they battle a mysterious host, Myrrdin’s son, southern superstition and folklore, and even the sea itself as they try to uncover more out Myrrdin’s legacy and why his son is so attached to his old house that is rotting into the sea.

Very atmospheric, almost more of a gothic horror with a dark academica-slant, this book was extremely fast paced and I completely devoured it. Genuinely the imagery was so vivid, I needed extra blankets because the frigid sea wind in the story seemed to be manifesting in real life. I will admit that I guessed the reveal/twist and conclusion of the story fairly early on, so the surprise factor was lost. However, even knowing what was coming was it still so cathartic. It’s almost like this story was begging to be told.

DNF 80 pgs (30%)

I wanted to love this book so much. I had really high expectations! I kept seeing this book everywhere on Instagram, and everyone seemed really excited and people loved it, so I wanted to read it.

However, I was a little disappointed by the book. I'm very confused and honestly don't really know what's going on... because basically nothing has happened. I don't understand the world's history and the stories within the book that are being told by Effy.

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.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

This is my first Ava Reid book and I absolutely love how lovely her writing is and how she can portray so many feelings and sentiments with her words. Although there are many aspects of it that I loved, I felt like I wanted just a bit more from the story.

The gothic atmosphere of this book was amazingly described and probably my favorite part of it all. Hiraeth Manor was an interesting place; quite literally a home deteriorating and on the edge of crumbling into the sea. The descriptions of the manor from the paintings, the arch with the saints, the water dripping through the cracks, and so on made it very easy for me to picture it all. The eerie feeling of being in such a precarious place where someone was trying to mend it even though it was beyond repair gave it so much weight.

The initial world-building captivated me with the Sleeper Museum, the Bottom Hundred, Llyr and Argant, etc. Once we reached Hiraeth Manor though, I thought much of the world was lost. I wanted to know a bit more about why Llyr and Argant were at war. I wanted to know more about the Sleepers and how much of a hold they had on Northerners.

I loved that we always returned to water and how water is the enemy as water has so deeply affected some of these characters in one way or another. I feel like aside from our main characters, Effy, Preston, and Ianto, we don't get much from the other characters who exist in this world.

Effy's female rage and growth throughout the story were wonderful to see. In this society where women are not valued as much and they do not get much of a say in how their lives play out, Effy was the perfect one to break the cycle and yet, not lose the imaginative part of her that always loved stories. Her trauma is very complex, and I think Reid did an amazing job at presenting these topics.

Preston was a breath of fresh air in a world like this, but at times, I did feel like he was there kind of there to be the one man in the story who was likable. I did love the way that he and Effy clashed with one another yet they blended together so well. Their relationship development and how patient and understanding he was with her was what she definitely deserved. However, to me, their relationship did not feel like rivals to lovers.

I also wish the story overall was longer. I think that the deal with the Faerie King was resolved too quickly. Effy had been haunted by visions of him and so on, yet how it all came to in the end was fairly simple. There were many things that had the potential to be more, so I was left slightly unsatisfied.

Overall, I will be checking out Ava Reid's other books since I am in love with her writing style and how she crafts her stories.

“I will love you to ruination,” the Fairy King said, brushing a strand of golden hair from my cheek. “Yours or mine?” I asked. The Fairy King did not answer.

This book is a captivating reflection on the struggles of women in academia and elsewhere, with touches of a gothic haunted house novel and what turns out to be a very sweet romance. The main character is deeply traumatized and flawed, and so very relatable for myself and I’m sure many others. I was honored to go on this journey with Effy, and comforted by her resilience and determination to survive.
It’s difficult to put into words just how much I loved this book. I’ll be recommending it to everyone.
One note--please do find a comprehensive list of content warnings before reading. I have an advanced copy, so I’m not sure if there will be one in the final book.

3.5 stars

A Study in Drowning is a haunting gothic tale of strength and perseverance that blurs the lines between fairytale and reality. I enjoyed many aspects of this book and I respect what it contributes to the genre, but, unfortunately, I was left wanting more from the story.

The gothic atmosphere is easily the strongest element of the book. Hiraeth Manor is a fascinating setting and I was obsessed with the idea of a house that is, quite literally, falling into the sea.

“Everything ancient must decay”

The crumbling estate and its many dark mysteries create a pervasive sense of wrongness and unease. This feeling is heightened by Effy’s self-reported status as an unreliable narrator. Ava Reid’s writing and repeated references to the metaphor of drowning further enhanced the gothic atmosphere making A Study in Drowning a quick and intriguing read.

Ava Reid specializes in crafting powerful stories of female trauma and rage. A Study in Drowning captures the many conflicting ways that women are treated by society and the tendency for their voices to be lost. Effy proves that there is strength in softness and perseverance. Her experience was so raw and emotional and I know that it will resonate with many readers. I was really impressed by how Ava Reid presented these complex topics for a YA audience.

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

The gothic atmosphere and Effy’s trauma are both the book's main focus and its strengths. However, many other parts of the story felt underdeveloped in comparison. The untapped potential of the world-building and character development left me wanting more.

Outside of Hiraeth Manor, the world-building is incredibly sparse. As this is a character-focused, gothic story I normally wouldn't have cared about the minimal world-building. However, Ava Reid presents so many intriguing concepts that go completely unexplained. The war only serves as a justification for Effy’s horrible behavior towards Preston when they first meet (side note: I was quite disappointed that Effy never had to confront her prejudice). I never understood the two countries’ history and relationship. There was some discussion of religious differences but I would have loved a bit more context. The Sleepers were criminally underexplored. The concept of authors who are believed to provide magical protection for an entire country is absolutely fascinating. Given the focus on the late author Emrys Myrddin and the importance of stories to both main characters, I expected this concept to be more fleshed out. But other than the occasional discussion of how Effy and Preston’s investigation would be viewed by the Sleeper Museum, the concept is never developed. Between the gothic atmosphere, Preston and Effy, and the mysteries of Hiraeth Manor, A Study in Drowning had plenty of interesting concepts. But these false starts in the world-building left the story feeling incomplete and drew my attention away from the main focus.



Effy is a really interesting main character and her soft strength makes her stand out from other characters in the genre. But I wanted a bit more from her character development and from the other characters. I did not expect Effy to overcome all of her trauma in such a short book. The way she slowly built trust with Preston was really beautiful. But then she had a very sudden character shift at the very, very end of the story that felt really random. Preston is a cardboard cutout of a character whose only personality trait was being the one not shitty man in this entire story. I love his type of character so the fact that I thought he was boring says a lot.

The dedication to this book reads: “This is a love story” and, respectfully, no it's not. I am not one to complain about a fantasy book having too little romance, but this dedication really sets the wrong expectations for the book. Effy and Preston’s romance is incredibly underdeveloped and is certainly not “rivals to lovers.” The entire conflict between them is Effy’s one-sided anger over something kind of stupid. Then she gets over it, they have a few scenes that were probably supposed to have romantic tension, and suddenly they're together.

My final critique is that the ending felt a bit awkward. The issue of the Faerie King is resolved way too easily, especially given everything he represents and what a significant figure he was in Effy’s life. The mystery was glaringly obvious from the second it was introduced. Which is fine. This is a YA novel and I can accept some level of in-world explanation for Effy and Preston’s ignorance. But it was really strange how the story walked the reader through each individual element of the reveal in one sit-down conversation. That amount of hand-holding for the reader was completely unnecessary as the mystery was extremely simple and it made the ending feel stilted and unnatural.

Amidst an excellent gothic atmosphere, A Study in Drowning gave me glimpses of untapped potential that left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. Unfortunately, I think this is my least favorite Ava Reid so far. I will probably stay away from any of their future YA releases but I would happily read more books along the lines of Juniper and Thorn.

𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺? 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴: 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦—𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘢𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘥.

If you loved Emily Wilde, you'll love this standalone academia-based fantasy. Set in a world not unlike our own, Effy is a modern girl trying to fit into an archaic magic-based world where women have no voice. In her quest to find her purpose and meaning, we slowly learn the many stories of her past that make up who she is now.

Effy is an architecture student who sets out to restore a crumbling house of her beloved favourite author, along with Preston, another student from her college who has a secret of his own. It turns out they're not the only ones with secrets to keep as they discover the thin veil between their world and the world of the Fae holds more secrets than they were expecting to find.

This book was perfectly paced with little hints and reveals throughout the book. At some point I had figured out the plot, maybe it was because Effy and Preston kept trying to see things from their singular perspective that made everything more obvious for what it was. Or maybe it is something for the reader to figure out.

Angharad, the book within this book, adds another beautiful layer to the mythology and world building of Llyr and Argant. And while I'm sad that Effy's story has come to an end, I hope that we get to see and hear more stories of Llyr and Argant in future because there is so much more to uncover there.

In an old rotting house on a cliff, academic rivals Effy and Preston must band together to battle institutionalized sexism and solve an age-old mystery. Effy proves over and over that “survival takes bravery” as she bravely trudges through mental health issues stemming from childhood trauma and visions of the Fairy King haunting her every waking (and sleeping) moment. These characters will haunt my dreams “to ruination” in the best way possible.

This was a wonderfully designed Gothic thriller with a sprinkle of eldrich fae thrown in the mix. I loved seeing Effy uncover the secrets of Hiraeth and the legacy that Myrdden left behind. A Study of Drowning also really examines the way women are portrayed both in literature and society but digs deeper into how folklore, history, and academia influence our standing. Preston is a dream - supportive, caring, and willing to let go of his own rigidity to let an alternative thought in so he can better support another person. He is kind and aware of what Effy has been through mentally and physically. Effy grows into the strong woman she's idolized throughout her childhood, slaying the evil that's plagued her mind since childhood through sheer determination.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a gothic fairytale about an architecture and literature student who find themselves in a decrepit manor of the country’s most famous author who is recently deceased. Both the house, and the reclusive man whose life was a mystery to most, is not everything that it seems, and when the authenticity of his authorship comes into question, Effy and Preston must uncover the truth.

This book is perfect for people looking for stories featuring college students who aren’t in STEM,

The mystery is a big part of this book, but the information they uncovered, and the way they were able to just ask people for answers- and those people just gave up those answers- felt too easy. Also, the ongoing war with the neighbouring country in the background as a bit of world building didn’t really add to the main story and I’m not sure how it fit in, especially since there was a already a divide between the North and the South, This aspect should’ve been developed as I can’t tell you why they were fighting in the first place.

Overall, the writing style was great though, and I look forward to trying something else from this author.

The first word I think of when I consider A Study in Drowning is atmospheric. From the beginning, I got a sense of wetness from Ava Reid's descriptions; water stains, ink running, and eyes watering, and from there, it only becomes more prevalent. All the way until the climax of the book when water is everywhere. And a feeling of Effy becoming more and more submerged. It was a great book. In fact, I think it is the very best YA book I've ever read. To me, this was a perfect book.

Effy is fighting so much, the misogyny in her culture, particularly at her university was turned on its head from what used to be applied to women in higher education. Remember when women weren't considered smart enough for Computer Science, Engineering, Architecture, Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry? In this case, women weren't considered smart enough for Literature but were smart enough for Architecture. I found this very interesting especially when Effy could outdo the boys with her knowledge of the great Emrys Myrddin. Loved it! She could out-nerd the nerds!

There were mystery and fantasy elements, which were only enhanced by the dark and dampness the book evoked. It, in many ways, reminded me of the gothic darkness of stories I read when I was young like Jane Eyre (I know the stories are nothing alike, I'm talking about the darkness that pervades everything for the majority of the book).

Preston is her enemy in the beginning and how they come to sort that out and grudgingly become friends the more is a wonderful bright thread to weave through all the darkness and mist. Preston has the added intrigue of being from the country Effy's country is at war with and their different perceptions on the mystical aspects of Effy's country's legends and authors are explored with both characters defending their beliefs. In other words, a couple of super nerds discussing their favorite book! It's divine.

This book is for all lovers of those books, fantasy or sci-fi, you have to keep rereading. (I see you; fans of Brandon Sanderson, Sarah J Maas, LOTR, Star Wars, & Pierce Brown.) Effy is all of you, and she's smart, strong, not perfect, but she's learning to be more. Once again, great book AVA REID!

4.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Ava Reid once again crafts another masterpiece with their YA debut, A Study in Drowning. Once again pulling from folklore/mythology, they weave a beautiful Gothic-infused dark academic romantic fantasy. It not only lured me in, but it appealed to my love for literature. However, I also appreciate that it takes a complex approach, not only showing love for the setting and subject, but describing the complex dynamics of academia, including the sexism and sexual harassment that young women deal with.
Effy is a compelling protagonist, a talented and intelligent student who is made an outcast due to rumors of her involvement with a professor. The nuance with which her experience is portrayed, including her being close to failing out of the program, and her struggling to navigate all this pressure, along with other issues, like grief over the death of her favorite author and her mother’s alcoholism, are well-rendered, and made me root for her as she tackled her numerous problems.
The story from there takes some interesting turns, with her being accepted for a redesign project for the estate of the aforementioned late author, Myrddin’s estate. There’s a lot of intrigue there, from her increasingly intense dreams about the Fairy King to the questions that linger around Myrddin’s widow and son, not to mention the secrets that lurk in the creepy manor itself. Once the story was focused purely on the manor setting, I was not just intrigued, but I was hooked, and could not stop reading.
The romance is quite sweet, and compared to some of the darker toned romantic arcs of Ava Reid’s adult books, this one felt lighter by comparison, even amid the dark setting. Apparently, Ava Reid considers this book a “true” romance, and while that is somewhat debatable, I liked Preston as a love interest and enjoyed how he and Effy worked together.
Ava Reid has written another winner, and while it’s a little different from their other work, I’d still recommend their readers check it out. And if you’re interested in trying a book of theirs, I think this is a great one to start with.