If A Study in Drowning was mainly Effy's book then this is Preston's book. A Theory of Dreaming picks up pretty much right after A Study in Drowning ends and recaps it enough to understand what's going on immediately. We follow more of Preston & his life at the university. He's having these dreams of an underwater palace and his advisor is essentially coercing him to try to go back to those dreams and bring him with, so they can uncover what Preston is seeing. I didn't love his advisor and his role in how this ends but he wasn't the worst. Preston is also dealing with this newfound fear of losing Effy that he didnt know he had until now, along with missing his family and how being from both Argant & Llyr affects his life at the university. We also get to learn so much more about him— how he handles grief, his childhood and more of his father too.

Effy is struggling with not having what she didn't realize was a comfort with the Fairy King, and how she feels like a burden to Preston with all that she is going through from their thesis and her feeling alone now. All she wanted was to come to the literature college, but after seeing how their thesis is being received, along with the way courses are conducted, she's feeling a bit ostracized and trying to figure out how to fit into this new normal. This book mainly deals with her mental health and how she is doing after the events of A Study in Drowning.

The plot did drag on a little bit in the middle but it managed to pick back up fast enough that it didnt affect the experience too much. There was some stuff that didn't really feel necessary, but I think in the end it allowed Lotto, Preston's roommate, to shine as a character and to learn more about how much he also means to Preston as a friend. I ended up really liking him and their friendship a lot.

Although, it did feel like what was happening in Preston's dreams and the part with his professor and the Sleepers didn't really connect with what was going on between him and Effy. It felt like a different storyline all together, and like they were just going through so much on all sides that it was hard to get fully invested in that.

Overall, the romance between Effy and Preston was so sweet. Even though they were both figuring this out for the first time, seeing them navigate these feelings was really cute. I really loved seeing how in love Preston was and how he overcame his fears of losing that. Effy also learns that its ok to lean on someone and not shoulder her burdens on her own which, was really heartwarming to see. I have so many tabs from these two that its gonna be fun to put into my physical copy when it arrives!

I really enjoyed seeing characters from ASID in this book! It made me unexpectedly emotional to see them together and to see how this duology wrapped up. I will definitely be coming back and rereading these books in the future. This book was written so descriptively—it felt like I was actually underwater in that palace and in the university with Preston and Effy. I'm going to miss these characters so much and will definitely be picking up other books by this author now!

Thank you so so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this E-arc!

3.5 ⭐️

Ava Reid and me go like 🤞🏻

Her writing is so magical. I love the storyline and how she brings her worlds to life. However, this sequel just didn’t hit for me like the first book did. The plot fell flat. I did have to force myself to get through this one. However, I always recommend to pick the book up for yourself and give it a chance!

This poetic and deeply introspective sequel to "The Study In Drowning" brings Effy and Preston's journey to a close. Following the fall of the Fairy King, Effy becomes the first woman to enroll in the elite literature college, which is a symbolic and hard-won victory. But rather than immediate empowerment, what awaits her is isolation, scrutiny, and the weight of expectation.

This time around, the book leans into a feminist narrative that doesn't shy away from the emotional cost of breaking barriers. Effy's internal journey of trying to exist in a world that doesn't want her feels both timely and timeless. She's bright, raw, and honest. She is exposed more than ever before. Preston, now that we have taken on his perspective, brings another layer to the story. The visions of a realm beneath the sea fractured his mind. The decline of his mental state is suffering in addition to the burden of an unwanted legacy. The dual perspective adds emotional depth and tension, allowing readers to sit with each character's struggle without rushing to resolve it.

The writing is undeniably beautiful and atmospheric. It's the kind of prose that asks to be savored line by line in a slow dance. The plot meanders, sometimes aimlessly, but echoes the confusion and inertia of depression itself. It's not always easy to follow, and there are moments where momentum lags. That may be the point. This novel is not a story about action but about survival and what it means to live when the dream ends and reality begins.

Effy and Preston's relationship is one of the book's most powerful elements. It's built not on grand gestures but on quiet understanding, shared pain, and the hard-earned trust between two people who are trying to heal. The only fundamental flaw is the ending. After such a delicate, drawn-out journey, the conclusion felt abrupt, causing a desire for more space to breathe in the final moments. Still, this duology is a triumph: emotionally intelligent, fiercely feminist, and unafraid to confront anxiety, grief, and the slow work of becoming. It's not always an easy read, but it's a deeply rewarding one.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the opportunity to review and provide my honest feedback.

This one hit me very differently than the first book, but there are so many things I absolutely loved.
I have to admit, I was a bit worried at first that everything had already been said in <i>A Study in Drowning</i>, but I trusted Reid with her world and her characters. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Effy’s fight is much different this time. Her enemy is not a Fairy King or a predatory adviser, but her own mind. I adore her to pieces and seeing her struggle to find herself again was so hard. This was such an accurate depiction of depression and trauma, I felt it in my bones.
This book made me think back on all the stories I read where the main character overcomes her trials and then has to move on at the end. This is what happens after those other books are over. This is the true journey to finding who you are now that the main arc is over.

Effy’s dedication, always, to make sure that the women behind the stories are acknowledged and seen was everything to me. And Preston was no less moving. His struggles were different from Effy’s but overcoming is own traumas was not as easy as he thought it would. His emotional journey was incredible.

Effy and Preston’s relationship is deeply tender and I was rooting for them so much, I only regret that their paths diverged so much in this book. It sometimes felt like they were fighting alone, using their relationship as an anchor, but never really sharing their struggles.
To some extent, it makes perfect sense, because no one can fight those kinds of battles for you, and this is an inner journey you have to take on your own. But I would have liked to see them sharing some parts of it. I was a bit disappointed at the like of communication, I think.

And to finish… Lotto. Oh my god, this character needs to be protected at all cost, he was so unbelievably precious. I wish we could have a whole book about his own story because he deserves all the happiness in the world.

The discourse went much further beyond the feminist one of the first book and I quite liked seeing the criticism of national heroes go hand in hand with the criticism of blind nationalism and traditions. I had felt this was lacking a bit in the first book, but I was glad to see it in this final one.

This duology is a love letter to literature, which is one of the things I enjoy the most about it! This book, to me at least, didn't have as strong a plot as the first. Preston and Effy went to their classes and dealt with the fallout of the first book's events, but none of it was as compelling as the first book. I enjoyed the writing, the dive into the history and authors in this world, and the character development (which can be dark: Effy in particular deals with depression) but I was very underwhelmed by the plot, and because of that, disappointed by the climax - or rather lack thereof? I'd recommend it because it does wrap up the series nicely, but it wasn't as good as the first:)

I loved ASID and I adored AToD.
The ethereal feel to this whole book feels like dreaming, I dont know any other way to describe. but what especially made my heart feel seen was Effy's battle with depression. I won't spoil anything but it just made me feel so seen, and I'll have quotes from this book in my head forever.

I absolutely loved A Study in Drowning and was thrilled to have the opportunity to see where Effy and Preston would go next. We find them back at university and dealing with a myriad of issues related to their shocking discoveries and the ensuing fallout from their thesis. Effy is once again facing ridicule and misogyny as the first female student of the literature college. She and Preston are both being harassed by academic advisors and reporters about the truths they uncovered at Hireath Manor.
Ava Reid has such amazing talent for writing intrigue and dark themes, but halfway through this sequel I found myself becoming bored. I know this book wasn’t originally planned, and unfortunately maybe it should not have been written. While I do enjoy these characters and it was nice to be back in this world, I don’t think there was enough plot left to carry into a second book. It was actually pretty depressing and problems seemed to crop up out of nowhere in an effort to keep the story going.
I really love book one and will continue to sing its praises. If you also love Ava Reid’s storytelling, dark academia, and want to be back in Llyr with Preston and Effy, you will likely enjoy this sequel. But if your TBR list is a long as mine and you’re satisfied with how book one ended, maybe you don’t need to pick up this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars! Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the digital ARC! Release date 7/29/25

A Theory of Dreaming is the highly anticipated sequel to dark academia and gothic fantasy A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid. The first installment brought a distinctly haunting coastal atmosphere, and I was not sure how Reid would top that, but she exceeded my expectations! Preston and Effy encounter new challenges as a pair, but I was most impressed with the way their individual struggles were portrayed. With intense fear of burdening one another, their character development soars as they tackle problems on their own. Reid does a great job of tying their plots together with a jaw-dropping and heartfelt ending.

I was hooked from page 1, and I fell even more in love with Effy and Preston! I loved acquiring information alongside Effy as she continued on in her education, and watching Preston's dreams unfold was both heartbreaking and fulfilling. The dark academic atmosphere was even stronger in this book, and I was impressed with the social commentary weaved throughout. Definitely a new favorite as far as dark academia goes!

Such a good sequel! I liked how it got deep into the idea of healing being nonlinear and the way stories can sometimes hurt and sometimes help in that healing process. It moved pretty slowly, but the language and atmosphere were gorgeous.

I loved the continued atmospheric description in this book, but unfortunately it did not live up to the hype I had for it after the first book. I was happy to dive back into the tale and learn more about the gods, war, and relationship of our characters, but it still fell flat. I wish there had been even more understanding of the history of how we ended up here. I did not enjoy the university setting as much as the setting of the first book. I also struggle with how over the top the anti-woman speak and attitude was in this book. I understand it is realistic, but it over-shadowed a lot of other issues in the book. I do like how the author portrayed depression and anxiety in the main character and the feeling of needing people but not wanting them to be there for her.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for this ARC.

Ava Reid is one of my favorite authors to follow in the realm of fantasy, and I was super excited to read A Theory of Dreaming and follow Effy and Preston once more. However, I did come in with some hesitations as my last book by Reid was Lady MacBeth which felt like Reid was forced against their will to complete the story. Reid begins this book talking about how the second novel mostly came through popular demands, which did not seem to bode well. The good news is, A Theory of Dreaming is a fantastic follow up to A Study in Drowning, with Reid's enthusiasm and love for the world coming through to shine on each and every page.

Like most sequels, I do have a tendency to struggle for a little bit to find the narrative again. Thankfully, Reid has a remarkably grasp on returning information to the reader without seeming heavy handed. Brief remarks are dropped that hint at the ending of the previous novel, and the repercussions of the finale. Which I gladly enjoyed. When one publishes a work that discredits a beloved culturally important piece of work, there are bound to be ripples, as seen in this novel.

Whilst reading, I found myself primarily immersed in the contents and not really thinking so much on how I was feeling. Instead, it was more on the anxiety of our two characters and how they reacted to the world refusing to leave them alone. It had been previously established that Effy's anxiety controlled her, to the point that she turned to sleeping pills in order to sleep and drive away the bad thoughts. I know reviews for the prior novel remarked on how every man seemed to have fallen for Effy as a negative. However, to me that had always felt like she was magically charmed to do so in a commentary on how women are treated as objects of passion rather than human beings. Effy was not magically cured when the Fairy King relinquished his hold on her, but rather the same attention was still drawn. This continued to feed Effy's anxiety and lead to her degrading mental state. There were not so quiet remarks on her body that left the reader and Effy uncomfortable, while other characters proceeded to attack her character just for being a woman.

I also really appreciated how Reid focused on how men just dismissed Effy's opinions on the literature for compounding reasons. Other students would snicker, and the professor would attack her intelligence and inability to focus on the formal interpretation of the text. Effy was undeterred in her pursuit of understanding the material through alternative lenses of introspection, which led her to discover the true author of a particular integral cultural piece of literature.

Towards the end of the novel, this line of reasoning led me to reflect more so on how men would write the histories, and remove any and all remarkable women from the occasion. It was also heavily implied that the co-author of one text was enduring sexual abuse and other ethically challenging provocations. The primary theme of A Theory of Dreaming reflected that the understanding that those in power had of controlling the art: whoever controls the art, controls the people. So not only did revisionism remove the minority class from the histories, it completely changed the narrative to reflect what cultural values the ruling authorities wanted to focus on.

A Theory of Dreaming has a lot to say on the implications of revisionism in our histories, which I really appreciated. Reid beautifully balanced this ethical discussion whilst allowing our main characters to focus on their own problems. I especially enjoyed the effects anxiety had on both Preston and Effy, and how their anxiety infected all parts of their lives. My only minor gripe would be the lack of communication between our leads. I am willing to forgive this, however, due to their mental states throughout the story.

If you loved A Study in Drowning, you will also love A Study of Dreaming -- that I can guarantee.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me an ARC!

Writing a second book for something that is supposed to be a standalone can be very challenging, but Ava Reid did it beautifully with A Theory of Dreaming. The consistent writing and atmospherics between the two books make this a 5 star read alone. Reid has truly perfected the gothic and ethereal writing style. The overall themes and topics in this novel provide a great base for the characters to grow and establish more connection to the world. Reid does an excellent job at discussing shifting politics, misinformation and xenophobia, which I find to be particularly timely. Overall, Reid has done an amazing job continuing the story in a meaningful way.

I adored a Theory of Drowning and wasn't disappointed in the follow-up. Ava Reid has a way of pulling you into her world(s) and making you feel as though you're living and breathing in them. It's a perfect study of an ethereal Dark Academia where the stakes are high, but the world still moves on normally around the characters.

Even though it took a little bit to get into the story for this book, I was hooked at about 10%. Highly recommend this series to anyone looking for an easy read where they're transfixed through the whole journey.

3.5/5 stars

despite the mixed feelings I had after finishing the previous book, I was still extremely excited to read a theory of dreaming. I really liked the world that was presented and this love for literature and mythology, and the writing in the previous book was simply beautiful. however, I think, once again, much like how I felt at the end of a study in drowning, I have some mixed feelings about a theory of dreaming.

what I appreciated the most about this story were all the different ways that the questions of authorship are tackled beyond the erasure of female authors and the contributions of women to literature (which are key ideas in the previous book, expanded upon further in this one) and moves to a much broader picture. what happens when the narrative is controlled the state, when folk myths and legends are twisted to become part of an ingrained identity for a country's people and serves the agenda of the state? how the agenda of the state that wishes to control the narrative will do everything in its power to preserve the convenient narrative to the point of deification and worship. the power that stories that are so baked into our culture have over what we hold our beliefs in, put our faiths in, and how destabilizing a revelation of truth can be, but the search for truth is how we reclaim the voices that have been lost.

unfortunately, many of these big themes and questions are divorced from the actual story that is taking place with the two protagonists, effy and preston. this leaves the overall story feeling... disjointed by the end. a study in drowning did a much better job in marrying effy's internal struggles with the external ones that she faces and overcomes. the narrative threads are so tightly linked together that lends itself to a much more satisfying conclusion, which sadly a theory of dreaming does not quite nail down as well.

a disjointed list of other problems I had with this book:

- the plot of a theory of dreaming meanders a lot in the beginning. as a direct sequel to the previous book, it picks up right where it left off, and we're introduced to the new academic lives effy and preston are faced with in the aftermath of the events of the previous book. there's no shortage of struggles and pressures that effy and preston now have to balance, but none of it seems to... exactly have a clear direction of where it's headed towards? so the plot trudges along until about the 50-60% part of the book, where it becomes a bit clearer how the different plot threads are going to woven into an actual cohesive story as opposed to a disconnected jumble of yarn. the previous book also had a bit of a similar problem to me, where the beginning was a bit slow, but at least there was a clear direction for the trajectory of the story. I felt a bit bored with the first half of a theory of dreaming for this reason.

- I just couldn't buy into effy and preston's romantic relationship. in the first book I enjoyed them enough as independent characters on their own, and the same holds true for this book as well. on their own, I am invested in their personal struggles and who they are as characters, but I still think the romance between them is a bit forced. unfortunately buying into their relationship and their devotion towards each other is what is needed for the climax of the story to resonate properly, and so everything that related to preston and effy's relationship itself (which is, again, much of the book) just did not work for me. I don't know... maybe it needed more pining? yearning? more silly moments? am I just not built for YA romance???

- the climax of the story comes too quickly and ends too quickly. like blink and you miss it - it's over and I'm just left here blinking cluelessly like "oh that's really it????" and then it almost actually feels a bit unrealistic with how easily some of the biggest problems in the story get resolved

- oh how I miss how the actual setting in a study in drowning blended in SO well with the themes of the story that perfectly set the tone for a gothic story, and the way that the wet and damp and water and drowning were all recurring motifs in the story. it's fits, and as a reader we constantly feel the way that effy is drowning and so is the world around her. a theory of dreaming doesn't really pull this same trick, which would have really worked well if somehow preston's pov offered more with the blurring of dreaming and reality, more disjointed detachment. more on his desire to dream and stay dreaming, on the control of a dream over the lack of control present in reality. the pieces are there but aren't nearly as fully fleshed out in this one.

I feel a bit bad to be so negative about this one because I really did want to enjoy it more, but a theory of dreaming is missing a bit of the ~ magic ~ of the previous one, and sorely needs, as the overall story suffers a bit from it as a whole. and the thing is, I know it can be done!!! I've seen it happen before so I know the author can do it again!!!!

Effy and Preston have returned to college and are no longer plagued by the ghost of the Fairy King. Effy has been permitted into the literature college as the first and only female student, while Preston continues his studies as the only Argantian in the college.
While Effy struggles with this new challenge, she begins to study the diary of one of the Sleepers and Preston is dreaming of the underwater kingdom. The weave in and out of their love and dedication to each other, each wondering if they can make it through the real world together.

It was so nice to visit these characters again, but I feel like a lot of what made the first book so beautiful was missing in this one. I will always read anything Ava Reid writes, but this one wasn’t my favorite.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC!

I was really looking forward to A Theory of Dreaming—Ava Reid’s writing is always so lyrical and emotionally charged, and this one promised a deep dive into dreams, memory, and identity. There’s definitely a lot to admire here, but overall, it ended up being a mixed experience for me.

The prose is gorgeous, no surprise there—it’s poetic and atmospheric, and there are lines I reread just to soak them in. But sometimes the writing felt a bit too heavy, like it was more focused on sounding beautiful than moving the story forward. That dreamy, surreal tone fits the theme, but it also made the plot feel a bit murky at times, and I found it hard to stay grounded in what was actually happening.

There are some really powerful ideas and emotional moments, especially around trauma and how we try to make sense of ourselves through our inner worlds. But the pacing dragged in places, and a few of the characters felt more like symbols than fully fleshed-out people, which made it harder to connect with them.

I think readers who love introspective, mood-heavy stories that lean into the surreal will get a lot more out of this than I did. It just wasn’t quite the right fit for me, but I still appreciate what Reid was trying to do.

4.75 ⭐️

As the long-awaited sequel we never thought we would get, A Theory of Dreaming was the perfect continuation to A Study in Drowning. Effy and Preston’s story left off on somewhat of an open-ending after their trip to the Hiraeth Manor; A Theory of Dreaming mainly follows the repercussions of their findings regarding Myrddin as they reintegrate themselves at the University of Llyr.

The narrative switches between both Effy and Preston’s points of view as they go through their own respective difficulties at school. Much like the prior novel, this one focuses on mental illness, grief, and trauma, while also exploring the politics of Llyr and Argant. Effy still battles against the influence the Fairy King had over her, and her mental health takes a turn for the worse as she tries to adapt to the all-male Literature College. Preston tries his best to support Effy through this, while he also has to deal with the xenophobia of being Argantian and his kooky advisor who insists on Preston’s involvement in his newest research project. The personal journeys the two of them go on are imperfect, but the rawest interpretation of how their lives would unfold after the events of A Study in Drowning.

I thought this novel was well-crafted and the best sequel I could ever ask for. As a fan of Ava Reid, I thoroughly enjoy her style of storytelling and wordsmithing, so reading this was a treat. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Theory of Dreaming by Ava Reid
Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
3 stars

Ava Reid undeniably writes flawless prose and that reason alone is why I’ve rated this a generous (in my opinion,) 3 stars. When interviewed in regards to this novel Reid stated she never planned to write a sequel to ASiD and this book absolutely shows that to be true.

This is dual POV but focuses more on Preston, picking up where ASiD left off with the dark academia theme/vibe. The pacing was slow and I oftentimes felt confused by what I was reading, unable to really identify the actual plot. The miscommunication issues that Preston and Effy suffered from in ASiD carried right into this novel and a great portion of the book is spent reading about how both of the main characters felt they were burdensome and not worthy of each other. Thus, no real character development from the first book as they had the same exact issue then. This became so repetitive it was frustrating.

I feel like a lot of things were touched on but never really explored to depths that would make the novel more interesting such as the War on Argant and the Llyrian-Argantian conflict. Reid did do an amazing job with mental health representation which I feel is delicate subject matter and difficult to write with grace and accuracy.

Overall this novel just wasn’t it for me. This book took me a MONTH to read (unheard of for me,) and each time I set it down I really wasn’t inspired to pick it up again. I feel like it was unnecessary and ASiD should have been left a standalone novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collin’s for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I wanted to love this story more than I did. I enjoyed it, but in some parts it felt repetitive. I did enjoy Preston's story and the background of the Sleepers. I rated this 3.75 stars. I enjoyed the dark academia, gothic feel to the story as well.

Absolutely stunning follow-up to A Study in Drowning. Ava writes with such magical, lyrical prose. Genuinely, she has such an incredible ability to transport the reader to entirely different worlds that somehow feel like they could be our own. There are echoes of current events woven throughout so seamlessly they feel utterly natural to the world she's built.