After finishing A Study In Drowning, I was super excited for A Theory of Dreaming, especially after that cliff hanger in book #1! However, at about 44% of the way through I was beginning to feel myself detach from Effy and Preston and was contemplating this as a DNF. I decided to stick it out, as I wanted to see how the story ended. The beginning of both books are true to the definition of slow burn and the wait pays off. However, A Theory of Dreaming needed to be a little bit more “action packed” how do we go from the cliffhanger in book #1 and the characters are just back to normal life? I needed Effy and Preston to be louder and get into more sleuthing situations. Half of the time Preston and Effy barely interacted with each other, and the wrap of their relationship felt rushed.

Thank you Ava Reid and Harper Collins for a NetGalley ARC copy of A Theory in Dreaming!

Rating 4/5 ⭐

As someone who absolutely adored A Study in Drowning, I was beyond excited it was turned into a duology. Though when I started reading I was surprised by how different it was than I expected.

The second book leaned heavy into mental health struggles, self harm (mental/medication), and the utter feeling of being alone. Effy and Preston are met with unrelenting hostility, sexism and racism due to their findings in ASID leading to them coping in vastly different ways. This wasn’t necessarily a book I ‘enjoyed’ due to how dark and bleak the subject matter consisted of and personal history, but this is definitely one I will think of for a long time. 💕

An interesting read but I didn’t like it as much as the first book.

After the events of the first book, Effy and Preston return to school. Effy is admitted as the first female in the literature college but she is certainly not welcome. Preston starts to investigate the bells he heard in the last book and finds himself in a new dream world.

This book had some very heavy topics and felt really slow to me. Both Effy and Preston go through their own journey and struggles in this book and they don’t communicate or lean on each other, which I found very frustrating. They love each other so much and don’t want to burden the other but I know they could’ve gotten to their happy ending much faster if they had only confided in one another to begin with. That being said, Preston’s storyline was eerie and captivating and I still found this enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Ava Reid for an eARC of this book.

I liked this better than the first one, but I have to admit: I was a bit confused at times. I really enjoyed the world expansion along with the more fleshed out side characters, but this still did not hit the mark for me. I loved Ava Reid's writing though!!

Preston and Effy are forever going to be etched on my mind. I enjoyed the dark academia aspect of both these books so much.

I was more invested in A Study in Drowning and it took me some time to get into A Theory in Dreaming. But it felt deeper and darker somehow. I highly recommend A Theory in Dreaming to all fans of YA dark academia.

A Theory of Dreaming is the sequel I didn’t know I needed, the one Ava Reid nearly didn’t write! Effy and Preston, Preston and Effy. These two hurt and love and carry each other literally and metaphorically and I love them. They are the fictional power couple. They are powerful in their weakness as well as their strength, they are powerful in loving each other when seen at their lowest.

A Theory of Dreaming could stand on its own; its plot deals with the unreal world in a similar way to ASID, and yet has higher stakes in the very real world of Llyr and Argant. There is also a broader lens to the world and characters of ATOD. Instead of the claustrophobic feel of Hiraeth, the university and city expand the action. Instead of the ghosts of Myrddin and his family, Rhia, Maisie, and Lotto join in to support Effy and Preston.

The parallels of Llyr’s government with our own at this time were also quite striking. A Theory of Dreaming is a study on nationalism and patriotic mythology. Reid’s writing satisfies an itch for both a fiction and a thought-provoking allegory, and honestly it makes her fiction that much more enjoyable for me.

A Theory of Dreaming is an absolute success, and I’m so glad it’s Reid’s first sequel. Please read this duology!

Ava, I am so sorry and I will continue to support everything you do. Unfortunately this just didn’t do it for me. It was so unnecessary for A Study in Drowning and just had no plot. It took me 15 days to get through 45% of the book and that never happens to me. I would have quit sooner but I love Ava so much that I needed to really try. I wish this was a stronger follow up to ASID.

3.5
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. In this sequel to A study in deleon we follow our main characters as they face the consequences of the first novel. To be honest A study in drowning did not feel like it needed a sequel the first time I read it. Although this book was interesting I really don’t think that it needed to be written. It does semi explore the lore of the world that the first book took place in but I wasn’t super interested in the main plotline. I think it had some interesting commentary on propoganda and the role education has during wartimes but when it came to the actual main story I was bored. If you really loved the first book i’m sure you’ll like this because you get to spend more time with our main characters but for someone who felt kind of lukewarm about the characters in the original novel to begin with this book just wasn’t for me unfortunately.

"All his life he had believed himself loyal to the truth. Yet now here he was, rejecting what he could not bear, armoring himself in imagination and lies"

"The real world was breaking apart under his feet, and his fantasy, his dream, was surging up in its place."

"A king can reign a thousand years from a castle built on clouds"

We get to experience different sides to Effie and Preston than in book one. Atmosphere is clearly Reid's strong suit. The A Study in Drowning series leaves you feeling achingly nostalgic for a world you've never actually stepped foot in. Because of the literature we experience within the book (we love a book about books) the world feels very flushed out. This is a society riddled with prejudice and misogyny that our characters are constantly fighting against. Through their research into literature engrained in the culture, they seek to reveal the truth, even though it could ruin their academic careers and reputations. The push and pull between what is reality vs. fantastical leaves us constantly guessing. Reid's writing is so beautiful I will always pick up her books!

Thank you Netgally for the ARK.

This was a fantastic sequel to A Study in Drowning. I loved Effy and Preston even more than in the first book and their always developing relationship with outside challenges. I could not put this book down.

Spoilers:

In ATOD we pick up soon after the ending of ASID with promises being broken and Angharad being picked apart by scholars doubting the truth uncovered by Effy and Preston.

Throughout the book we see Effy struggle with her inner turmoil even more so than before because she can't fall back on her previous coping mechanism of The Fairy King for her anxiety anymore. She instead turns to her pills and keeping her emotions bottled up, especially from Preston, until she cracks.

Preston is now face to face with the myths and stories he doesn't see as truth. Preston is now seeing this palace under the water with his own eyes and hearing the bells more than he hears his own thoughts, he is now fighting with his own beliefs. We also see him struggle with wanting to keep Effy safe in a bubble from harm, physical and emotional, that it instead puts emotional distance between them.


If we thought Ava Reid was a masterful writer with ASID, A Theory of Dreaming truly showcases their writing capabilities and talent. We are shown the struggles of one character challenging their own beliefs and the other with their own inner doubts.

A huge thank you to HarperCollins for this ARC, i cherished every moment of it and NetGalley as well.

Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 10 hours 44 minutes
🎤: Saskia Maarlevelo/Gary Furlong
Publisher: Harper Collins
Format: Multi POV/Singular Timeline

Themes:
💧: The fear love brings
💧: Standing tall in the face of prejudices
💧: The dangers of unchecked power

Representation:
📚: Coping Mechanisms
📚: Mental Health/Medication talks

Tropes:
💗: Found Family
💗: Forehead kisses

🥵: Spice: 🚫
Potential Triggers: domestic violence **check authors page/socials for full list.

Short Synopsis:
Upon returning to the literary college, Effy and Preston face scrutiny for their revelations about Myriad and his works. Effy facing gender discrimination and Preston experiencing prejudice for his country of origin. The war between the two sides is ramping up, and Preston has a magnifying glass on his actions. Preston starts to have visions of an underwater castle and is struggling to decipher what it means.

General Thoughts:
The book starts with Ava Reid's signature lyrical prose and Gothic style vibes and setting. This really leans into the dark academia setting because they are back at school and the story is fully set in the literary college. You get a sense of stress and mystery from the writing, as well as the characters in their motivations.

Ava Reid continues to lean into water as a metaphor. I really like that continuation from the first book. It makes everything feel very cohesive, even though it is now two different settings and two different plot lines. Adding Preston's POV gives me mixed feelings. While it's important for us to hear his thoughts in the second installment, it doesn't really feel like the Preston from the first book. We are no longer able to put our own spin on what he is "likely" feeling, since we now know his thoughts.

Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the change in character tone. Effy was so strong at the end of this first book and in the second book her anxiety and mental health has markedly declined. Whereas Preston seems much more anxious and worrisome than he did in Drowning. It was a stark difference to me from the first book and hard to adjust to. A big part of this book was Preston and the dreaming world. I still don't understand the world very well. It felt a little too underwhelming and the world building was lacking for me.

Overall this book had a few disappointing elements that stopped me from fully enjoying it. I did love the underlying theme of love and chosen family. But the character tone and quick ending that felt unsatisfying made it hard to truly love.

Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC through NetGalley and Harper Collins. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I can’t believe Ava Reid wasn’t originally planning to write this sequel—because wow, it’s phenomenal. I’m so glad she did.

In this installment, Effy and Preston return to school, grappling with the emotional and societal fallout from the events of the first book. Preston is forced to confront uncomfortable truths—about magic, xenophobia, and the lies perpetuated through literature and history. Effy, meanwhile, is reeling from the absence of the Fairy King. Her reliance on sleeping pills deepens, and she begins to spiral into depression. She’s also navigating the isolating experience of being the only woman in the literature college, all while facing public backlash over the thesis she and Preston crafted at the end of book one.

This sequel is slightly darker and tackles heavier themes than its predecessor, but the atmosphere remains absolutely enchanting. The love between Preston and Effy—and the loyalty they share with their friends—shines through in a way that’s deeply wholesome and heartwarming. Despite the world’s many flaws, I adored being immersed in it again.

The world-building, the characters, the plot—everything about this book felt pitch-perfect. I don’t know if Ava Reid plans to revisit this universe, but if she does, I’ll be first in line. It’s just that good.

This book has a dark magic but it will not be for everyone. You definitely have to push thru to capture that elusive magical feeling.
**I think if I read book one closer to the sequel some of my difficulties in figuring out my characters would have been easier.

I felt like Effy should feel more victorious - for getting out of the Fairy King Clutches. For publishing a paper and well not drowning. But while she physically did not drown in the first book she is definitely underwater in the second book.
She has a Sylvia plath vibe for sure.

Preston gets to feel like a real person. He is also still drowning in a way. He has found love but is still the outsider in a deeply nationalistic(?) country that may have based it's faith in the lies of men. He has strong allies and support but he also is realizing how twisted the world is that he can't be who he sees himself to be and that some of the people he admires may not be who he thinks they are ..so growing up.

Some of the time loops in the pov switches were slightly confusing.

While the last book had some family darkness and a house that was literally in a war against the vast ocean. This book felt heavier in atmosphere at the college...maybe because even though there was still magic - it was obviously tainted just as thoroughly as the ideals of men.

I loved being able to delve into Preston's mind more for this book, as that was something I felt lacked in book 1. This is the perfect dark academia book, and a fantastic follow up to A Study in Drowning. I think Ava Reid has such beautiful prose, and an ability to really paint a picture and build an atmosphere that immerses you. Effy and Preston have such an interesting dynamic, I feel like they compliment each others personalities so well and are a great pair to read about. I also enjoyed Ava leaning more into unreliability -- this is something that I felt was slightly touched upon in book 1, but here I feel we really see and experience that, which is one of my favorite things in books.

Highly recommend, a great follow up to book 1, and an auto-read author for me!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. This review is honest and voluntary.

I loved the world that Ava Reid created in A Study in Drowning, and that world is just as dreamy in A Theory of Dreaming. If the first book was about Effy, this one was about Preston. They have returned to school, but the magic returns with Preston. Not only are they navigating everything uncovered in Drowning, but now Preston is dealing with his own illusions.

Ava Reid does an amazing job writing an unreliable narrator. The magic in this world is such a fascinating concept. Is it truly there? Or is this how these characters are coping with their trauma? I love Effy and Preston, and their love was so perfect in this book. I would definitely recommend both A Study in Drowning and A Theory of Dreaming.

Ava Reid your writing style continues to be one of my favorites. A Study of Drowning did leave me wanting more so when I had the oppurtunity to read this advanced copy, I was so excited.

Like Reid’s other works, you are gifted with beautiful descriptions that immerse you in the dark acedemia setting. The prose gives the ambiance of gloom in tangent with the themes of this story following two lonely lovers haunted and weighted down by their pasts and current situations in life. Living with blunders to the heart makes it a feat to want to see the next minute, hour, day. The characters desire to escape or slip away by dreams and magic instead of dealing with the weight of life’s struggles and tragedies is something I found such a connection with.

“But . . . in the underwater world, he was none of those things. There were no passports, no border walls, no sneering students. No such burdens, no such turmoil. He was just a boy—a man?”

“Why had this happened to him? Why did he hear the bells when no one else did? Or, perhaps better—perhaps worse—this had not happened to him, and he had done it to himself, simply because he could not bear the world as it was, and wanted to exist in a better one.”

Another prominent theme was the making of stories and histories - whose stories get to be told and passed and why. In a dark academia novel, I find this question so fitting to try and flush out. And I think Reid did this really well.

“The storyteller is a liar, but the story he tells is true.”

“Was there any way to protect books, poems, paintings from the ugly, banal reality in which they were composed? She had discovered the truth, about Ardor, about Myrddin, but at what cost? It was not just the soul of the nation she had wounded. It was her own heart, her own mind, all of it going to ruin now, because there was nothing left that she could love without a footnote or an asterisk.”

“When the government wants its citizens to rally behind the cause, then it behooves them to paint a certain picture of the island’s history. A certain picture of its enemy. It can’t come as such a terrible shock to you, really.”

On our characters: getting so much of Preston’s POV is something I appreciated and enjoyed. That said, I felt as though our heroine, Effy, was left a bit by the wayside. Her character seems a ghost throughout the novel which in relation to the themes makes sense but in ways it also loses some of the agency she gained in the first novel.

I read A Study in Drowning earlier this year, and I enjoyed walking the line of reality and fantasy with Effy. Ava Reid brings back that sort of hazy reality in A Theory of Dreaming, now focused on Preston as he struggles to maintain his grip on what he has known to be truth his whole life.

Effy is forced to cope differently in this book, and it’s interesting getting to see her thoughts laid out clearer. It makes it easier to connect with her, and her struggles in this book are a lot more impactful. Preston’s character development I think is what drives this book for me.

I think the climax of this book was a lot better than ASID. It was more eventful and satisfying to put together as a reader.

ATOD touches on some heavy topics, so be sure to look up the trigger warnings before reading!

I was thrilled and surprised to discover that Ava Reid decided to write a sequel to A Study in Drowning, gifting fans like me a perfect fantasy treasure that made me scream with delight and dance on my couch! This continuation of Preston and Effy’s story is a joy to read, especially as it explores how their lives unfold after publishing their groundbreaking article exposing Angharad Myrddin as the true author of the celebrated novel Angharad, reclaiming her legacy from her husband who falsely claimed her work.

Returning to the academy to complete their education, Effy and Preston face fresh challenges, particularly when their findings about the infamous Sleepers spark conflicts. Effy, one of the first female students, has already stirred controversy by tarnishing a respected professor’s reputation with assault accusations, while Preston, an Argentinian student, faces suspicion and hostility from the Lyrans, who label him a saboteur, spy, and traitor.

Neither of them expects a warm welcome, but the hostility is overwhelming. Gossip columnists circle the school, eager for interviews, and while Preston is rewarded with an assistantship under Professor Gosse, aristocratic students constantly remind him of his humble origins, making his academic experience a battleground.

Effy, struggling to adjust after years under the control of the fairy king, finds herself increasingly reliant on sleeping pills, seeking solace in her dreams as her literature program challenges her stability. Meanwhile, Preston becomes entangled in a secret project with Professor Gosse that blurs the boundaries between reality and dreams, leading him to reconnect with a lost loved one. This transformation turns his rational, stoic nature into that of a romantic dreamer, forcing him to question his grasp on reality while grappling with his growing fear of losing Effy forever.

As war erupts between the Argants and Llyr, Preston must find a way to survive the harsh realities of the world and resist the pull of his dreamscapes. Simultaneously, he faces a race against time to save Effy from surrendering herself entirely to her dream world as a means of escaping her suffering.

Overall: This sequel is even darker than the first book, delving into Effy and Preston’s struggles against the injustices of academia, unethical school politics, and harsh societal prejudices. These challenges make you squirm in your seat and ignite a fierce desire to shield this beloved duo from the wolves in sheep’s clothing surrounding them. I adored the dream world and the breathtaking twist revealed in the diary. Spending more time with my favorite characters from A Study in Drowning was an absolute pleasure, and I loved the book’s dark, mystical tone, its rich mythology, and its critique of falsified legends and myths turned into unquestioned beliefs.

This is a phenomenal sequel and a must-read! However, I strongly recommend reading the first book to fully appreciate the intricate complexities of the characters and their world.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for providing me with a digital review copy of one of my most anticipated fantasy reads in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A Theory of Dreaming delivers Ava Reid’s signature gothic atmosphere and setting along with great writing, but the story itself felt lacking. I wished for more and felt that moments grew slow. Though I think I preferred book one, this was still a fine read!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for this ARC!