This was a really interesting dark academia YA fantasy novel!

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher

Effy Sayre reluctantly joined the architecture department of a prestigious college, since she is a woman and therefore could not join the literary department. So, when there is an application to become the architect of her favourite author's (Emrys Myrddin) estate she jumps at the chance (even if there is little hope of a first year student being chosen). To her delight, and then anxiety, she is chosen. But, upon arriving she is met with a crumbling manor which is close to falling off the cliffs into the sea. As well, a fellow student is there trying to do a piece on the recently deceased author (possibly scathing). Something is wrong at Hiraeth; Myrddin's son seems too eager to be near Effy, the author's wife if nowhere to be found, and the student Preston Héloury bothers her. What is Effy to do?

This might end up being my favourite read this year. The writing is so beautiful, it felt as though I fell into a poem. Into the world of Effy and Preston, into the world of the Faerie King and all the horror he represents. This book reminded me of a romance novel that has been placed inside a folk/fairytale of old (where there is blood and fear and death). It was lyrical, the atmosphere lifelike (Hiraeth Manor itself is a character), the world dripping from the page like the sea lapping at the shores near Hiraeth. I was enchanted, even as the story reflected such a bleak and terrible reality in Effy's story.

The story had so much depth too, with it's own language, with two warring countries (one subjugated and relegated by the affluent other). And wow, the words that Preston says to Effy, I would have been swooning too. Not to mention the story that lives within this story (Angharad) of a young girl who defeats the mighty Faerie King with her wit. I mean, I would love to read that novel in itself. As well as the poetry. There was so much thought and knowledge, so much poetry and prose, so much hidden meaning and overt meaning that this novel had everything I could hope for in a dark academia, gothic, horror, romance novel. I soaked it up in a day! And I recommend especially listening to the audiobook so you can hear the words, so they can seep into your mind and paint a vivid image of the world that Reid created.

Effy and Preston were written so well. Effy is not your strong heroin, she is fragile, fearful, meak, but she still fights for herself. After everything she has been through, she does not give up and she then pushes back. Preston is honest, he is also oblivious to the reality of what women go through and has prejudices of his own to work through (which he is honest with himself about near the end). However, he is a kind man, a thoughtful man, one who knows he has no right to take what is not willingly and explicitly given. I love a man who offers space as comfort, who asks permission, who knows when not to touch, and when not to stare. He is a prize!

This novel is also so enraging, but not the book itself, but the circumstances in the book and all the truths that come to light (which I figured out with all the hints, but was aghast at how easy it was). What men were (and are) able to get away with, how the Faerie King is able to take control. The lack of care for young women. I was so glad when Effy was finally able to find her voice and fight back. That instead of Preston standing up for her she stood up for herself, which I would say is sometimes the hardest thing to do.

This book is a hard read, as much as it is beautiful and imaginative, because of the very real subject matter. There are moments of utter disgust and dread for Effy. Moments of fear and panic and anxiety, which many who have been victimized by men have faced. Effy must face constant doubt about her own emotions, her own misgivings about people, wondering if it is her past abuse that has made her think this way or if yes she is once again being put in a situation that is dangerous for her. She also has very little support in her life, having a mother that cares little for her. Preston comes to her at a time when her own self worth is so minimal, that having someone else notice her and actually care for her is vital to her being able to rebuild herself and protect herself from the evils around her.

Honestly, I feel I could talk about this book for hours, days, years. It has embedded itself in my heart. I urge you to read this book if you love fairy tales, inventive world building, charming bookish nerds, and gothic dark academia.

Beautifully written and emotionally charged. Ava Reid has a gift for prose that pull you in and soak you to the bone. I made sure to buy this for my library, hoping our patrons will be drawn into such a beautiful and Gothic story

I really like this atmospheric read! Great for fall and as a good introduction into dark academia. I will be buying a physical copy!

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

This was a wonderfully atmospheric read. The gothic environment lent itself well to the intricate story that was told. I felt like there was a critical piece missing from the story but I couldn't put my finger on it.

A STUDY IN DROWNING had the potential for greatness. With its eery, atmospheric setting, unsettling yet whimsical tone, and the light yet fascinating worldbuilding, this book should have been a hit for me. So though Reid builds a story that quickly pulls you in, by the end, it drops off like a house perched on a crumbling cliff.

Effie is the only female architecture student at her university, though her dream is to be a literature student. The only problem: women are not allowed. So when a chance comes for her to redesign the crumbling mansion for her favorite author, she jumps on the chance to prove herself. However, upon arriving Effie finds the mansion in worse condition than she could have ever imagined. And she's forced to share her time there with Preston, a condescending literature student, who seems bent on proving that her favorite author is actually a fraud. The longer Effie stays there, the less things seem to make sense. As the environment becomes increasingly sinister, Effie finds that fact and fiction seem to be blending together, and she can no longer discern what is real and what is imagined. Hopefully, Effie will be able to leave with her mind, life, and heart intact.

As mentioned earlier, I was wanting this book to be more. Reid sets up a novel that is incredibly intriguing and I was expecting an epic conclusion to this story. However, I found that Reid sacrificed her plot for the central message. While I think her message was noble and important, I cannot help but feel there are ways to marry the two. She could have delved into the themes of sexual assault and women's bravery through that kind of adversity but I feel that the plot fell off by the end and just fizzled out. I also feel that the use of the Faerie King and his possession of many of these men undermined the message Reid was going for. Were these men truly evil? How many of their actions were them and how many were influenced by the Faerie King? Does this absolve them of anything? And Reid also, then, pigeon-holes the men in the story into one box. Outside of Preston, every man is evil and gross. It becomes a very black-and-white issue, leaving little room for true nuance. I wish Reid had worked on growing her characters, expanding the world and the plot, while also selling her message to the reader. She had all the elements of a fantastic novel, but unfortunately, the story fell flat. I think she is an excellent writer and I am eager to see what she produces going forward. I just hope she is able to stick the landing, next time.

I love Ava Reid's storytelling style and her world building. I felt so deeply entrenched in the world that Effy and Preston were living in. I give this book five stars not because it is a wholly perfect book, but because I loved and appreciated this story and couldn't put it down. I think romance readers would enjoy this book a lot, but ultimately, this was what I have been wanting from a dark academia fantasy for a while! Did the end feel rushed in a way? Yes. Did Preston feel a little 2-D as a character? Yes. But I cannot emphasize enough how lush the world building is, how magical and dark everything feels, the perfection of Effy's character growth. I also think that while a little simplistic, Reid handled Effy's trauma well and added to a conversation that is hard to have sensitively.

Brimming with dark academia vibes and fairy magic, this book was a triumph.

It reminded me a smidge of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde only because one of the characters would switch from being a reasonable human being to being a ominous presence that made you tense just reading about it.

The rivals-to-lovers storyline between Effy and Preston was beautifully written. I loved how the story was slowly descending into chaos.

Ava Reid's A Study in Drowning is a captivating blend of mystery, romance, and social commentary that immerses readers in a world of intrigue and empowerment.

At its heart, the story follows Effy Sayre, a resilient protagonist navigating the treacherous waters of academia's institutional sexism. As she confronts the shadows of institutional sexism, Effy's journey becomes a testament to the power of vulnerability and the courage found in softness.

Set against the backdrop of the atmospheric Hiraeth Manor, Effy's quest for truth alongside the enigmatic Preston Heloury unfolds with mesmerizing prose and compelling character development.

With each turn of the page, Reid invites readers to delve deeper, challenging them to question their own perceptions and embrace the journey of self-discovery. A Study in Drowning is more than a story; it's a symphony of emotions, a reminder that even in the darkest depths, there is beauty to be found.

I can't believe how perfect the moods are in this book! Reid does an excellent job of creating a dark and gloomy atmosphere that really throws the reader into the setting of her book. With a slightly predictable, but entirely enjoyable rivals to lovers, fans of dark academy will rejoice while reading this unique fantasy!

A Study in Drowning is a beautifully written YA fantasy set in world inspired by Welsh folklore with an eerie and dark atmosphere but also a surprisingly hopeful tone. Ava Reid somehow managed to tell a story that tackles themes like sexual assault, mental health and misogyny but at the same time feels very comforting. I absolutely loved Effy’s character development and while I desperately wanted to give her a big hug, I also admired her quiet strength. Effy’s and Preston’s banter was just as entertaining as I was hoping from an academic rivals dynamic but their love story was also unexpectedly sweet. I thought it was really interesting how A Study in Drowning explores the way authors are perceived and how readers find themselves within stories. There are excerpts from fictional works and scholarly critiques at the start of every chapter which added a lot to the story.
A Study in Drowning is a book that I’m still thinking about weeks after finishing it and I highly recommend checking it out!

As soon as I read the premise of this book, I knew I had to pick it up. I love novels that twine fairytales and reality such as The Kingdom of Back and Wintersong. Throw in a gothic atmosphere of Hiraeth Manor and its eerie surroundings, this was basically exactly the type of fantasy premise I love to read.

The world building was fantastic and really transported me into the setting. Add to that the knowledge that Effy often seems to have visions or see things that others can’t, making her an unreliable narrator, only enhances the atmosphere. All of this however, was limited to Hiraeth Manor and we didn’t get to see or learn much of the world outside it at all. There were references to some political tensions and religious differences both within the country and with its neighbor, but it wasn’t elaborated on – a pity, because it sounded quite fascinating.

I’m still trying to put my finger on exactly why I didn’t enjoy this as much as I expected to, but I think a large part of it is the pacing. It took way too long to get to the point. That and the overlong discussions of poetry and literature. While it all turned out to be relevant in the end, something about discussing fiction within fiction has never really worked for me. The romance wasn’t particularly believable either.

All in all, A Study in Drowning was a passable read for me, and most of my rating is because I enjoyed the setting, world building, and of course, the myth and folklore aspect of it all. I would recommend this book to fantasy fans.

A Study in Drowning fell a bit short for me. The storyline was difficult to follow at times. There were also some parts of the story that could have been described and explained in more detail while other parts were drawn out. I thoroughly enjoyed Effy's character. She was strong and determined and made the book more enjoyable to read.

Ava Reid has such a way with words! I could give this book five stars for the writing alone! Although, I did find myself not being able to connect with the characters very well, but that could just be a me problem! I will definitely be recommending this!

Thank you to HarperTeen and NetGalley for this ARC of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid. This is genuinely one of the best books I have ever read, and I am not exaggerating. I am new to the Ava Reid universe, and what a stunning introduction her YA debut was to her writing. Reid sets the scene so atmospherically, and they draw you in through Effy's clever voice and haunting prose. Their writing is simple but there is so much to be discussed through darker, more mature themes than you're used to diving into in YA, but it was perfect. I had reservations about the romance because it was a standalone, but the chemistry between Effy and Preston was palpable, charming, and adorable. I enjoyed every minute I spent reading this book and cannot wait to read more of Ava Reid's writing.

This was my first experience with Ava Reid, and it was GOOD. I loved the hazy feeling of a protagonist who’s uncertain she can trust her own mind. The dark, looming dread of a dark faerie king, of mental illness. Her writing is so atmospheric, so enticing, and it kept me on edge throughout. Few works these days really get proper faerie tales, but Ava Reid gets it. I look forward to reading more of her work and highly recommend this.

Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review!

“Effy hated that she couldn’t tell right from wrong, safe from unsafe. Her fear had transfigured the entire world. Looking at anything was like trying to glimpse a reflection in a broken mirror, all of it warped and shattered and strange.”

I would like to go back to APRIL 2023 and beat my past self up for not reading this ARC the second I received it. Literally, what is wrong with me?

Anyway…..

I have no doubt that A Study in Drowning will be in my top five books this year. Everything about it feels like it was pulled from my brain. It’s about the deep rooted sexism in academia; how women are dismissed as insipid and frivolous, while also somehow responsible for the acts of predatory men who want to inflict power on them. It is about the connection between author and reader, and how the context in which a book is created inevitably bleeds into the story itself. These themes are bound together by a dark academia tale of academic rivals to lovers investigating the mysteries and secrets that are embedded in the framework of a decaying manor.

This might sound like a lot for one novel, but I promise you, Ava Reid has created a seamless narrative with characters I adore, layers upon layers of mystery, and elements of fantasy that leave you questioning everything you know about this world. I love it.

Effy Sayre is not the main character we wanted to relate to growing up; she is the character we relate to as we move into adulthood and start to understand the systemic inequality that comes with being a woman. She reminds us that we are not alone. In her imperfections lies authenticity and the potential for real growth.

This book holds a very special place in my heart, and I am sharing this review in hopes that it will do the same for one of you.

This book just wasn’t for me. I felt like the pacing was a little too slow and I never found myself eager to pick the book back up. It wasn’t the writing that I didn’t care for but the development of the story.

I had really high hopes for this one, unfortunately it did not live up to them. It was slow, tedious, I failed to root for the characters... I just did not have a good time. I did like the setting, as it was perfect for the fall weather. The ending felt rambling and like it could have been all said in an epilogue instead of dragging it a couple of more chapters. Good idea, poor execution.