Book Review: A Theory in Dreaming by Ava Reid
Rating: 5/5

A Theory in Dreaming is Ava Reid at her most haunting, lyrical, and emotionally resonant. Known for weaving folklore and feminist themes into lush, dark narratives, Reid takes a bold step into more psychological, dreamy territory with this novel—and the result is spellbinding.

This story reads like a fever dream: intimate, surreal, and full of aching vulnerability. Reid explores the blurred lines between reality and imagination, sanity and longing, with prose that feels like poetry. The characters are complex and deeply human, each carrying their own secrets, trauma, and desires. Every page invites introspection, asking not just what is real, but what is true.

Despite its ethereal tone, the book tackles heavy themes—grief, identity, mental health—with grace and nuance. The romance is quiet but piercing, and the emotional undercurrents will linger with you long after the final chapter. It’s a novel that feels less like reading and more like dreaming with your eyes open.

Perfect for fans of: literary fantasy, psychological depth, dreamlike narratives, and stories that challenge perception
Spice Level: Low, but rich in emotional intimacy and tension
Content Warnings: Mental health themes, grief, and emotional trauma (handled thoughtfully)

While "A Study in Drowning" focuses mainly on Effy's background story, this sequel is full on focused on Preston's and I enjoyed that but I wish we had a little more time with Effy. She's one of my favorite female main characters ever and it might be just a me thing but I just love reading about her. Aside from that, I adored how Preston and Effy's romantic moments were full of so much yearning and devotion.

The pacing of this book was perfect (practically impossible to put down, just like the first one.) The writing was just as beautiful and immersive and I always appreciate how the meaning behind the story has so much power and similitudes with today's current events, specially the patriarchal spectrum, the imbalance in power dynamics and oppression.

I think the reason behind why I couldn't rated this 5 stars is because in some way this was lacking that "gothic asmospheric" vibe that I loved from ASID. This is also in some ways a little bit more triggering than the first book and it deals with heavy topics. I personally wouldn't recommend this duology for young adult readers, even though is marketed as such. It does feels so much more mature. Nonetheless, I think Reid's wrote a wonderful continuation of this story and I am very pleased with how it ended. If you loved the first one, you shouldn't be worried about not enjoying this one. It was great!

A Theory of Dreaming by Ava Reid is a perfect sequel for A study in drowning. its pacing , tone , prose continue to be an absolute delight and I will certainly be grabbing a physical copy as soon as they are available in my area.

As much as I wanted to love this sequel it unfortunately fell flat for me :( I found that some of the topics discussed were not appropriate for YA (in my opinion) The writing however, was as expected great. no complaints there. I just did not enjoy the majority of this read and felt it dragged

Ava Reid's prose and mastering of the English language is always a dream. This is the perfect follow up to a Study in Drowning, and it actually made me love and appreciate its predecessor even more. I will always always yearn for Ava Reid ARCs. Having Preston as our main character in this book did have my missing Effy a teeny bit, but it added so much to this world and story, I can see this read being perfect for the beach or when you're craving something spookier and academic in the fall. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Welcome back to the “real” world, Effy and Preston. We are rarely gifted what happens next to the heroes and I think ATOD does an incredible job of executing and showcasing those unseen struggles, while keeping mystical elements from ASID. ATID doesn't have the same feel as ASID but this doesn’t subtract from it and works perfectly as a sequel. A simple idea from ASID (the bells still tolling underwater) helped spawn this beautifully tragic story that felt so real and raw. I found myself connecting with both Preston and Effy many times and the end had me bawling. I was absolutely enthralled from start to finish and highly recommend if you were a fan of the first.

I will preface that I went into this read hoping there would be clarity from some unresolved tension I felt ending out book one. While I appreciated a better and more involved take on Preston, I found this to carry much the same concern as its predecessor.

I have no doubt the masses will adore this read for its classic Ava, dreamy, gothic academia, poetic prose, and heavy female forward narratives. Perhaps a second read could unpack my thoughts more, but I think overall it's a pass for me as once again I left not truly understanding what point we are working to achieve was amongst all the points available, as worthy as some might be. It wasn't hitting home for me.

In the most honest way I can be, this has all the pieces, but is demanding more growth. We haven't left the privilege at the door, and I still left triggered and lightly offended. I wish all the best to Ava and I hope she is able to find a way to reconcile her clearly admirable values about the plight of women, with the communication of those same ideas.

This one might resonate with you more than I, and that's okay sometimes too.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!

In the sequel to A Study in Drowning, we get to see more of Effy and Preston when they return to the university after revealing a beloved author's dark secret. With war still raging, traditionalism and nationalism are making their appearance which causes problems for Effy as the first woman admitted to the literature college and Preston who is from across the war torn border.

I liked a lot about this book, particularly the role that nationalism plays in how the country approaches academics and literature. However the beginning was slow for me to get invested. The fantasy element seemed out of place and a bit disconnected for me with the research part. There were so many pieces that didn't really seem to go together.

I was overall a little disappointed in the plot, but still loved the writing style. I think had the focus been more on Effy's research and discovery. It felt like that was kind of brushed over and a lot of focus was on the magic dreaming stuff that didn't ever really seem to mean anything or have a reason behind it??

4.5 stars!

A Study in Drowning was one of my favorite reads last year, so imagine my joy that not only (1) we got a sequel, but (2) I somehow managed to get an arc of it?!

Overall, I really enjoyed this! Ava Reid is a master of atmosphere and I think she did a great job capturing the dark academia and gothic vibes and aesthetic in this sequel. I also enjoyed the greater exploration of the themes of the first book -- especially the often hidden role of women in historical literature and academia.

I also liked how Reid showed the aftermath and effects of the events of the first book on Effy and Preston, and how their individual and collective struggles to cope with the horrors they experienced fueled them and their actions on this book. I feel like a lot of fantasy-esque sequels rarely touch on the (often traumatizing and insane) experiences of their main characters, so this was an intriguing change from that.

I also really enjoyed the introduction/fleshing out of more characters -- especially Rhia and Lotto!

In all, I really enjoyed this duology and would highly recommend for anyone looking for an atmospheric dark academia/fantasy story!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the arc!

Thank you so much for this ARC! I enjoyed this duology, but the second book was lacking slightly. I love Ava Reid's writing so much; it is like poetry and music and all beautiful things in this world. It didn't feel as balanced as the first book. To me it felt like the first half was slower and the book skimmed over plot points rather than going deeper. I did prefer book one but was honored to read this one. Anything Ava writes, I will read! Thank you, HarperCollins and NetGalley!

What a truly beautiful novel. I loved A Study in Drowning so much, and I was not disappointed in A Theory of Dreaming.

What I loved so much were two themes that I noticed throughout this novel.

The first was how beautiful and terrifying love can be. But how it's worth all that we can spend on it, all that we can give up for it. Love is difficult and painful but it's worth everything.

The second was the importance of dreams. Not just while we sleep, but any dreams that get us through our lives. Sometimes we fall back on these things to keep us going. And while she explains how this can be beneficial, Reid also helped us see that we cannot always stay in this dreams. (In the words of a famous wizard: "One cannot dwell in dreams and forget to live.") Even though it would be nice to fall into our dreams and never come out, they can't compare to the real life, no matter how difficult and painful real life can be.

Overall this story is very hopeful and poignant. I loved every minute of it. I'm' excited for it to come out so I can share specific quotes, Reid writes some BRILLIANT lines.

Where do I even begin? This book was such a poetic masterclass in grief and propaganda and the magic of belief and the lesson that even when the heroes change the world, there is still so much learning and growing and catching up for the rest of the world.

Preston and Effy are so delightfully, heart-achingly real. Their different struggles and the battles they have to fight in the wake of the events of A Study in Drowning and mounting war tensions are tragic and gritty and undeniable.

Ava has once again penned an astonishing story that provides a harrowing reflection of the world we live in. I hope that when her books are read in future, the readers know to eschew formalism and dive deep into the context of our time to truly understand why Ava Reid’s stories are so gut wrenching and poignant. That fact that this is coming out the same year as Fable for the End of the World is so appropriate.

I couldn’t recommend this duology more strongly. I cried through the last fifth of the book. This book will continue to resonate with me as I wake and in my dreams.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins and Ava Reid for this advanced copy of ATOD. It ripped my heart out and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Solid 3.5⭐️

I am not sure what I was expecting going into this duology, but I was wonderfully surprised either way. The writing in this is beautiful. The underlying themes in this are pretty dark (depression, attempt suicide), but I think the way it explores mental health and depression is amazing. The symbolism in here is an interesting take on those darker themes.

I was excited to explore Preston's side of things more in this book. I was a little disappointed that it was not more focused on him though (it was about 50/50). I do appreciate his point of view and his growth as a character. Angharad is every woman's hero and foundation of strength, no matter what form your strength comes in.

I did prefer book one to this one, but I would still suggest to read this one. The story tends to drag a little in the first half, but that is very on brand with the way that Effy is feeling as you are reading it. Beautiful writing, and I will absolutely be buying a book trophy of these. The covers are as gorgeous as the words inside. I am excited to see what else this author has in store!

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC and offer a review.

I quickly scooped up a copy of "A Study in Drowning" and devoured it so that I could read this advanced copy right after. That being said, I felt like this sequel really fell short. It felt like we skimmed the surface of many plot points. If there was just more to everything - or maybe more to just a few things - then maybe there would be more substance to this book. My appreciation for the mental health struggle and Preston's discrimination struggle can't seem to overcome the slow pacing and superficiality of the plot to make me love it more.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I enjoyed this book, but I did have some unanswered questions at the end. It has been a while since I read the first book, so it's likely that I've forgotten certain details. However, I didn't feel like I understood the dreaming and its purpose, or why Preston could control it when nobody else could. The social commentary was cutting and felt very close to home, addressing the ideas of discrimination, immigration, and war. As far as fantasy books go, this was on the darker side of dark academia, but I did enjoy revisiting the characters in a new setting. This book made me feel so protective of Effy and Preston.

I crawled through "A Study in Drowning" and what got me through that book was Preston. His character intrigued me from the start, so when I saw that there would be a sequel dedicated to his journey after the demise of the Fairy King, I was convinced to give this saga another shot. I felt that it took way too long to get to the actual story, and that the first 60% of the book was just a perpetual cycle of repeated actions. Preston's strength and storyline was barely touched upon, but the fact that he was the target of nonstop bullying was at the forefront of nearly every interaction people had with him. There was one redeeming part to his and Effy's relationship at the end of the book, but that's it. I feel that the author really did Preston a disservice to his character in this book and that there was too much time focused on Effy's mish-moshed journey. If there is a third book in this saga I will not be reading it.

Rating this was a very hard decision because while Ava Reid has weaved yet another beautiful story, I couldn’t find its purpose. This was in a way much darker and at times more frustrating. We got closure from the first book but to me it feels a bit unnecessary. The ending of A Study in Drowning left you wondering but hopeful. The magic was real and the mystery of the bells only added to that. I love Effy and Preston but part of me wishes it had left off there.

Honestly, while I’m still in awe of Ava Reid’s gorgeous, atmospheric writing, the sequel just doesn’t hit the same. It feels like a filler, with both main characters mostly stuck dealing with their past traumas on separate tracks—while Preston’s deeper story gave me some cool moments, I really missed Effy’s spark and that signature gothic vibe. The pacing and romantic tension were on point, but overall the book felt heavier and less balanced than the first, making for an experience that’s just not as magical as I hoped.

This is one of those books that I can’t stop thinking about and it becomes my whole personality. I loved it! I didn’t expect a sequel from the first book,and I really enjoyed the sequel. I thought it was interesting that the sequel was focused on their return to school and the continuing world building. Although I didn’t feel like it was really resolved, I did really enjoy the storyline and the concept. I enjoyed the “theory” behind dreams and the continual snuggle of our main character. I just wished I had re-read the first book before I read the sequel because there were some confusing names and things I had forgotten about.

I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it!

As much as I enjoyed “A Study in Drowning”, I believe “A Theory of Dreaming” is immensely superior in plot, character development, and overall atmosphere. While “A Study in Drowning” focused on Effy, I’m glad “A Theory of Dreaming” places Preston at the forefront. He is more than just a love interest in this sequel, and the depth of his character is brought to life throughout the story. He is the scholar we all know and wish to be, and personally I couldn’t help but feel happy at the outcome of his character arc. With the ongoing tension between Llyr and Argant, the rising academic hostilities, and the blurring between fantasy and reality, “A Theory of Dreaming” is never boring. I highly recommend it!