Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

A Theory in Dreaming by Ava Reid
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just. WOW!

A Theory in Dreaming brought back the haunting literary prose from ASID and delivered a whole new type of atmosphere!! Although, if you go into this expecting an ASID sequel, that won’t be exactly what you find.

The plot of ATOD centers around Preston, and brings the last line of ASID far more clarity. This is a book about Preston growing into a man, and his journey walking the thin line between truth and the unbelievable.

Effy, on the other hand, gets a lot of character based storyline, without much plot moving her along. We see her suffer more with her mental illness and her sudden loss of the Fairy King. I have seen a lot of people say they disliked the way Effy’s part of the story was handled, but I disagree. As someone who has been unable to get out of bed for days at a time, I See Effy. I love her and I See her and I get it. For her to walk hand in hand with a world of magic for her entire life and have that suddenly ripped away is DEVASTATING! I think it was really cool for Reid to explore that fallout. Do I wish I got to see her more involved in Preston’s story? Absolutely.

One thing I also wish we got more of is the work of Angharad and the newest addition to the literature of the Sleepers: Antonia.

At this point, all I can hope hope HOPE for is for Ava to release a full edition of Angharad and the Neiriad! Their journals and stories are my favorite part of possibly both books in this duology!! Maybe one day 🫠

The big question that I’m left with, that warranted the removal of a ⭐️ on my rating is this: Did ASID need a sequel? 🧐 My answer, I think is that it did not. Am I happy to have it anyway? YES! But I do think that the vague ending of ASID is so so SOOO powerful on its own! The line of Preston hearing the bells, to me, meant that one day he would believe the Fairy King existed; that magic was real. That was the thread of hope I was left with. ATOD really dispels the mystery which is both a good and bad thing. Less powerful in hindsight, but I got a whole book of Effy and Preston! Well worth it, I think.

Again, don’t walk into this one expecting a continuation of the story in ASID. Expect a whole new story with our new fave characters :)

SPOILERS IN THE FORM OF TRIGGER WARNINGS BELOW!! 🚨🚨 Read ahead at your own risk!

🚨suicide/suicide attempt
🚨abuse of prescription drugs
🚨vivid and possibly triggering descriptions of mental illness

4.5/5
Overall I just have to say I was not expecting to get this ARC. I was sure a lot of people would be requesting it and I wouldn’t get it. But somehow I did! It felt illegal to me how early I got to read this! But anyway I really loved it. The almost chilling atmosphere as I was reading felt like there was this dark figure looming in the backround. God I love dark acadmeia. Reid did a fantastic job once again of tackling heavy subjects, especially certain traumas. I felt like I was right next to the characters, experiencing everything with them. The third person prose didn’t feel disconnected as it sometimes does. As a writer myself, I understand that third person can be used to get a different angle on the story.
And it was expertly done! Preston and Effy’s story both now interwoven together (as this book primarily follows Preston and his struggles) is one of the best I’ve read in a long time! I love a good story when two broken people try everything they possibly can to learn to love and love each other despite their pasts. And it’s absolutely beautiful! I don’t want to say too much about the plot to avoid spoilers since with ARC’s especially I’d hate to be the one to spoil it.
In conclusion, I’d like to thank whoever designed the cover for “A Study in Drowning” because I saw it at the library and I had to take it home with me. (I now own two copies of it!)

A Theory of Dreaming by Ava Reid

"Return to the immersive, lush, and dreamlike world of the instantly bestselling dark academia fantasy A Study in Drowning as the aftermath of their first discovery pulls Effy and Preston on a final adventure and brings their haunting love story to its end in this stunning sequel and final book in the duology."

You have to be a big fan of the first book, to enjoy this one. It's fantasy and just vibes, which is nice but she doesn't really answer any questions.

4.5/5 I loved this!

This was such a good follow-up to the first book, picking up right after the first book. Preston and Effy have to deal with the consequences and impact of what they did and discovered in A Study in Drowning.

There is drama at their university, strange dreams, a legacy destroyed, and the nation is still a mess and at war.

I just love the whimsical dark academia world that is this story is set in, I love Preston and Effy's rivals to lovers dynamic, and I love atmospheric this story is. I can picture it all so well in my head. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time reading this and absolutely gobbles it up. I'm pretty sure I read it in two sittings.

I highly recommend this series! And the covers are scrumptious!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Many authors suffer from second book syndrome, but Ava Reid definitely does not in the conclusion of the A Study in Drowning duology.

Ava writes such a compelling gothic love story with so many rich and dark prose that just wraps you in misty rain and sucks you in to the story.

This book is filled with fighting for what you believe in, the "after" of fighting a big fight, the struggles of being the "hero" in one story but the villain to others. And a love so strong that I will not settle for anything less than Preston and Effy.

A Study in Drowning was one of my favorite reads in 2024, being granted this eARC was an absolute gift!
This duology is one that transports a reader and changes them, A Theory in Dreaming is an absolute 10/10.

My favorite thing has got to be how beautifully balanced this story is with the continued love story between Preston and Effy as they face the constraints of their world and finding their place in it.

A Theory of Dreaming proves that while there is so much we must overcome that love is the reason to push through that at times we must be the ones to save ourselves.

Ava Reid will from this point forward be an auto read for me, I've loved every moment turning these pages and consuming her work.

If you have extensive and expansive childhood trauma, I would skip this book.

At its core, this book is Preston's story. Effy's contribution to the central plot is small but focused around misogyny, trauma, and manipulation. Honestly, by and large it felt like she was being pushed around by the plot as a character. Preston though experiences some character assassination. Ultimately, this book encapsulates his journey towards becoming a more powerful man but whose character is unrecognizable and abhorrent. At the book's peak, Preston must choose whether to continue down that path or walk away from it entirely.

Not much happens in the book until the last fourth of the storyline. Preston's descent is carefully and slowly described and Effy is going to class, depressed, navigating reporters, and reading.

And then. There are the letters Effy is using for her research. This book is marketed as a young adult book. But the content of the letters is very much not young adult. As the letters unfold, the gross depravity of the situation of their author is described as we learn how she was mistreated by her father in a shocking yet purely Ava Reid sort of way (see content warning). Could she have shown how utterly terrible he was without resorting to the extreme? Of course. It's her book after all. And yet here we are.

This book is dark. It's really not a good time nor is its content YA. This is a firmly New Adult novel that should be kept far away from the YA section, and yet that is how it is being marketed.

The ending was great.
The beginning was just okay.
The middle was confusing.

It was tonally a little different from what I was expecting in that I kept waiting for him to bring Effy into the central plot vein, making this a "them" problem, instead it remains firmly a Preston issue. In contrast, Effy's main character arc was hitting rock bottom and learning that the people who really love her won't leave her. Preston's arc was kind of, learning what's more important, living in a world of supposed power and influence because it's easy or living a more difficult reality and choosing to live and love even when the deck is stacked against you.

Content: inc*stual father/daughter relationship, attempted su*cide via overd*se, language, lightly explicit, misogynistic, racist, coma

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

I am consistently blown away with how beautiful Ava Reid's writing is, and over time continues to get even better and better and better.

This story is so eerie, and atmospheric, and an exploration of grief, memory, and the blurred boundaries between reality and fantasy. The dreamlike prose and gothic sensibilities really keep you wrapped up in the story, just like book one! Noemi has to navigate the haunting landscapes of both her past and an unsettling dream world that may hold the key to understanding her trauma. This world is so immersive.

Fans of dark, introspective narratives will find this just as amazing as book one.

3.5 stars, rounded up

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the e-arc!

A Study in Drowning was one of my top books of 2024. I read it via audiobook and fell in love with the magic and the darkness and the ‘real or not real’ of it all.

I was so excited when I heard there was a sequel, and I was ecstatic when I was approved for an arc. Unfortunately, I can’t help but feel a little bit let down by this.

A Theory of Dreaming picks up soon after where we left off. This time we also have Preston‘s point of view, and he has his own dealings with magic, while Effy is forced to leave it behind and deal with the real world, which has its own consequences.

The writing is still gorgeous. The discussion of writing, and the authors and people that create and influence these works of art were my favorite parts of it. I had a good time reading this, but I found a lack of desire to pick it back up once I put it down. Despite there being magic and wonderment in this book, despite the war between the two countries closing in, I felt none of the dread, anticipation, or stakes that I did in the first book. There was never a moment that I felt our characters were in real danger, versus in the first book, I was biting my nails towards the end.

Despite preferring magic, I related more with Effy’s part of the story than Preston’s. I have been in her exact position, where every look feels like a dagger, and the world feels like too much and you start to drown in your anxieties. While I liked where her story was going, I don’t feel like we came full circle by the end. There is a few comments between characters that she will forever struggle with her mental health, which I again relate to, but how the end of her story was handled brought me out of the book.

As for Preston, he is having to contend with magic that he never believed in, and this should have been very exciting as he unravels the truth of all the histories and stories he has been told. But it wasn’t. I felt like Preston’s story went around in circles, almost becoming repetitive, but we never really reach the end. At the beginning, it’s very much implied that the magic is changing him for the worse, and that this is something dangerous that he is dealing with. We have a story of a sunken castle that is to one day rise again, but we never quite get there. I feel like the foundations for an amazing and epic conclusion were here, but they crumbled before we reached the end of our journey.

As for Preston and Effy’s relationship, this story felt like they were existing alongside each other, but rarely with each other. They do not tell each other of their struggles throughout this entire book. And there is a decision made at the end which infuriated me. They have lacked communication in their relationship, which is been very short and tumultuous thus far and I feel like this was all pushed aside for a happy ending.

I can’t help but wonder that if I listened to the audiobook version of this, that I would feel the same magic that I did with the first one. The narrator was just amazing. I think I am going to come back to this book in a few years and see if reading that version changes my mind. But for now, when I come back to this world, I think I’ll stick with the first book.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

I loved A Study in Drowning when I read it in 2023 and loved it even more when I read it again in 2024. I absolutely screamed when I heard it was getting a sequel.

I absolutely loved A Theory of Dreaming. I felt like it was a good continuation of a story I didn't think would get a sequel. As always, Reid's writing is gorgeous and I ate up every single word. Effy will always be my favorite, but I liked the deeper look into Preston that we got in this sequel. I also really enjoyed the friendships that were portrayed here, the love between Preston and Lotto as well as between Effy and Rhia. These interpersonal relationships added to the story and gave it a more well rounded feel.

Ava Reid is an auto-buy author for me and I can't wait for what is next!

Netgalley ARC

I loved A Study in Drowning SO much as a standalone. So, I was a bit worried the sequel could not compare. However, I may have loved A Theory of Dreaming even more!

Effy and Preston are such REAL and relatable characters. Their struggle is familiar to many readers: why face reality when you can live in your dreams?

The writing style is lyrical and atmospheric. This book is for the readers that don’t require constant action and can live on vibes, emotion, and character development.

I’ve preordered the Deluxe Limited Edition hardcover to match my copy of A Study in Drowning. I can’t wait to see them together on my bookshelf!

Okay I really struggled with this one. A Study in Drowning is one of my favorite books, and so I was highly anticipating its sequel. However I was disappointed. While the writing was just as magical as ever I truly did struggle with this plot. The characters seem to have severely regressed in development back to where they were at the beginning of the book. Plot lines such as the anger over their expose on the author from the last book were randomly dropped. The magic here seemed to have no real rules. And most importantly the main couple acted the same as the beginning of the first books with miscommunication and secrets leading to fights. I was particularly baffled by the suicide attempt depicted - especially because of the lack of character development afterwards on Effy who seemed to want to die then wake up full of determination to live. Frankly I feel a little betrayed as a huge fan of book one. I still adore Ava Reid but this felt really unneeded.

i am a shell of a human. after reading this, it has only confirmed that love did not exist before ava reid put it to paper. whatever other people thought they were talking about did not understand the full depth of what you can do with a fictional novel quite the way she has so cleverly mastered. i need a lobotomy. i need a drink. i need to experience this duology again for the very first time.

I loved being back in the world with Effy and Preston. I loved Preston's point of view in this one and his overall journey battling being in the real world vs his dreams. Although there was a certain element missing in this story that I found in A study in Drowning, I still very much enjoyed being in their headspace again, however heartbreaking it was. This story was raw and real, and dealt a lot with Effy and Preston's mental space. I still loved it. I love these characters and how Ava knows them so completely they feel so real. The writing was incredible again, and Ava is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. At times incredibly frustrating, but mostly incredibly captivating, the story wrapped up nicely for me. I will always be thinking about these characters.

Effy and Preston my loves !!! I loved spending more time with my favorite literature students and getting more insight into how they dealt with the aftermath of the last book. Although I wished we delved more into their other relationships (I really loved Lotto and Rhia!!) it was great exploring their dynamic and how they both deal with the repercussions of taking down Myrddin and the prejudices the each endure in this academic world. Both their struggles resonated with me and I just wanted to hug them both. Overall I loved being back in this world and will never say no to reading Ava Reids beautiful words. Big thank you to Harper Collins and Net Galley for the advance reader copy!

My expectations were high, as A Study in Drowning has been one of my favorite books in recent years. And my expectations were met. The writing is lush as ever, with the depictions of mental illness being woven into fairytales so expertly as to be seamless. Somehow, even though this book takes place far from the ocean, it still managed to saturate the pages. (Both books should come pre-waterlogged, in my opinion.) And I love the conclusion that still left enough questions as to be satisfying and not tidy enough as to be stifling.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advanced copy in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

A quick, easy read with gorgeous writing, full of tenderness.
However, it was missing many of the elements I enjoyed from the first book; I found this one a bit lacking in comparison-the side characters felt shallow, the literary mystery fragmented, the stakes half-baked. But I enjoyed it nonetheless, and I'll read anything Ava Reid writes!

4.75/5
If you know me, I am a believer of "the right book will find you at the right time" and this duology truly did. Didn't think I'd cry reading this book, but here I am, crying. From now on, this duology will have a special place in my heart and will definitely be one of my comfort read

My heart hurts reading this book seeing how out of place Effy feels now that Angharad is "tainted", add to that the harrassment she now receives as an aftermath from ASID's ending.

Effy and Preston's dynamic in this book reminds me so much of the quote: "I'll take care of you"/ "It's rotten work"/ "Not to me. Not if it's you."

Throughout this book you can see how much Preston wants to help Effy, but if she doesn't want that help, he wouldn't be able to. In this book, we see Preston's struggle just like Effy did in the first book to make sense his "new ability". I wished we get a chapter or two before the epilogue for them to talk about their respective experiences though, because they really really need it.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I very much appreciate the closure that this brought to me and it picks up almost right where we left off. I loved getting to see the after effects of the first book as well as witness these two stubborn idiots fall even harder for each other. While dealing with some expected and some unexpected consequences of their previous adventure Effy and Preston look to navigate this new reality both together and separate and it was both heartbreaking and endearing to hear from both of their perspectives. I feel like we got to learn so much more about Preston and a brand new side to Effy that made me love them even more. I can’t wait for more people to get to experience this story!!

I had such a great time with this book! The atmosphere was so rich and immersive, pulling me even deeper into the world first introduced in A Study in Drowning. This time around, the story expands on the university setting and dives even further into its literary history, which I absolutely loved.
One of the highlights for me was the character development. We get to see more of their inner workings, their ambitions, and the conflicts that drive them. It made the story feel even more layered and compelling. The writing itself had a dreamy, almost haunting quality that perfectly matched the book’s themes.
Overall, this was a fantastic follow-up that built beautifully on its predecessor. If you loved A Study in Drowning, this one is definitely worth picking up!