By all accounts this should have been a 5 star read. Dark academia, gothic fantasy, my love for A Study In Drowning,

In reality this book missed the mark. To start, I had an issue with the gothic aesthetic, which is beautiful when done right, but in this case felt too forced. It felt like Ava Reid was trying too hard to force the atmosphere, and would describe things that felt out of place or unnecessary. If I have to read one more sentence describing Effy's hair ribbon I'm going to scream!

My other issue was Preston and Effy as characters. In A Study in Drowning, both had undergone a lot of growth as a result of the challenges they had to overcome. However, in A Theory of Dreaming, they both regressed to the worst versions of themselves to carry the plot, and I did not like that. They also both needed to grow a backbone. Effy was too self-destructive and Preston was too whiny. Both were unbearable and frustrating as characters and too in their heads the entire book. All of that was to the detriment of their relationship and mental health.

A few things that I did liked about the book:
- We got more info on the sleepers, which felt like a plot hole in the first book
- Got a more detailed look into the war between Llyr and Argant and the state of each country, which was very briefly touched on in book 1

I really enjoyed the change in vibes of this book. The story leans a little more gothic, while the school itself is featured more heavily much of the plot actually revolves around Effy and Preston dealing with the aftermath of the events of the first book and the pressures of an ever escalating war. This is certainly still a Dark Academia book and I really loved seeing more of the world building through the school but leaning a little more into the gothic elements really drove the danger of the dreamworld. I also loved seeing more of Effy and Prestons's friends and a bit of the lighter side of things when much of the book was heavier in tone. Once again a surreal book with great world building.

3.5⭐️
Overall I enjoyed A Theory in Dreaming! This is a great sequel that picks up right where the first leaves off. Preston and Effy are back at school but now have to deal with the fall out of revealing the truth of Emrys Myrrdin. While dealing with this fall out the war has escalated even more between the Argantians and Llyrians causing huge problems for Preston and Effy. Preston, who’s already an outcast as the only Argantian at school, is now being called a saboteur and is hearing the mysterious bells mentioned at the end of the first book. Effy, now the first and only woman in the literature college, is struggling to find her place in the male dominated college while also struggling to recover from everything that happened in the first book. While both are very happy together, they decide to fight their battles on their own and not tell the other in order to protect them. This ultimately leads to Preston and Effy both having some major problems and struggling with a lot of inner turmoil. This was a dark time for them both and the author wasn’t afraid to show anxiety, self loathing, and some very very dark thoughts.

Now I have mixed feelings on how Preston and Effie pretty much had separate storylines. I loved Preston’s point of view since we finally learn more about Argantians, his past, and the war. But I feel like we never got enough information about the entire war and history. Following along with the first book another story/poem slowly begins to unravel the truth behind the war but I feel like it didn’t have the same impact as the reveal in the first book. Preston’s role in this seemed a bit disjointed and I wanted just a bit more. While I did enjoy seeing more at college and Preston’s & Effy’s friends this story did not have the same impact on me as the first book. I was missing more of the mystery we see in the first. That being said I still enjoyed A Theory in Dreaming and highly recommend to those who enjoyed A Study in Drowning!

Such a beautiful end to this duology! I loved the mystery and getting to not only see things from Effy's perspective but Preston's as well! Absolutely heart wrenching and beautiful!!

I loved being back in this world with Effy and Preston. I just absolutely loved ASID and because of that I think I went into this with really high expectations. That being said, this sequel didn’t quite give me the same feeling as the first book did. The mystery and gothic vibes are still there but the plot was lacking. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric as I’ve come to love in Ava Reid’s books and that’s what kept me reading.

A Study In Drowning is one of my absolute favorite books. This one, while still a wonderful addition, doesn't hold onto the same magic.

Things to prepare for:
• A HUGE focus on sexism and xenophobia within academia (and in general, really).
• Major depression coupled with prescription drug abuse.

What I Liked:
• The expansion on the lore and culture was fascinating. I actually could have used more of it.
• The way both characters were chasing escapism in their own way felt really personal, and HOW DARE YOU CALL ME OUT LIKE THAT.
• The love Preston has for Effy is so PURE.
• Lotto and Preston. BFFs4Evaaaa.

What I Didn't:
• Some chapters felt so mundane, they didn't seem to fit with the subtle magic of the rest of the story.
• I really wanted more time with Effy and Preston actually together. Their stories were very separate and they continuously didn't tell one another what they were doing.
• The ending felt rather sudden. There needed to be some sort of healing arc after what happened, and there just wasn't one.

Overall, this was still beautiful, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if this was a "Preston & Effy" story instead of "Preston" and "Effy" stories.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing me with this ARC.

I liked this a lot better than the first. I had a hard time following the first book. I do wish I could remember more of the first book
Mental illness is pretty heavy in this book

ughhhhh my poor babies do not deserve the trials and tribulations they must face!!!!!!!!!

Ava Reid is far and away one of my only auto read authors, and every time she delivers with character, atmosphere, and heart. This was a fantastic duology letting both of our MCs go on their personal journeys.

dreamy and stressful. I enjoyed getting to know Preston better and I found his perspective more interesting that Effy's. I did enjoy following their aftermath of the previous book. Effy was going through it, but I wanted her to be more active. I wanted more insight on the conflict between the two races. It's not a great dark academia because it doesn't really critique education. I found it annoying how Preston and Effy were the greatest students ever but they just seemed elitist and they didn't care about their studying. Overall, an interesting addition to this series.

～3.5 stars
A Study in Drowning was one of my top reads of 2023 and even though I thought it was perfect as a standalone, I was really intrigued when I saw it would be getting a sequel!
Ava Reid is such a talented writer, I love her lyrical writing style and she always makes me so immersed in her stories and the mesmerizing, atmospheric worlds she creates! I really appreciate the themes Ava Reid writes about like mental illness and trauma and you can tell she tries to handle those themes with a lot of care.
Compared to A Study in Drowning, A Theory of Dreaming is less plot driven and focuses much more on the characters. It was so nice getting to revisit this world and I really missed Effy and Preston. I liked reading Preston’s POV however I felt like he and Effy were very disconnected and like their characters took many steps back. I disliked their lack of communication and how they kept doubting themselves throughout the whole book. This left something for me to desire but I still think it was a nice addition to A Study in Drowning and I loved the happy ending we get.
If you’re someone that struggles with their mental health I would highly recommend reading the trigger warnings before reading this book!
～Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC!

A great follow up to the first book 'A Study in Drowning'. I found 'A Theory of Dreaming' just as atmospheric as the first book, but darker as there is less of a fairy tale twist to it. Ava Reid is a master of making you truly feel the emotions of the characters. Would recommend if you like gothic/dark academia type books.

This is a story about the ugliness of reality. How academia is not simply the pursuit of truth and knowledge but a jockeying mess of power plays, politics, abuses, and manipulations. How governments use religion and belief to fuel the flames of nationalism and invoke war. How exposing the truth can lead people to turn on you as their long held beliefs are proven to be false and they refuse to accept anything different because it’s too difficult to let go of the way one makes sense of the world.

While A Study in Drowning felt more like a dark fairytale, this book takes readers through the realities of waking up from the darkest dream and having to walk back into a world unchanged. After Effy and Preston publish their shocking, and subversive, findings from the first book they now face the backlash of what happens when you challenge the status quo. A Theory of Dreaming picks up with the pair returned to their university where no one wants to believe the truth of what they discovered and the war has caused nationalism to rise to a fever pitch putting Preston in even more danger.

What I love about this book is that it doesn’t shy away from depicting the harsh unfairness aimed at those who question and break boundaries. Both Effy and Preston face humiliations and injustice from their classmates and the institutions that are supposed to protect them due to them being outsiders, and this fictional injustice reflects the real world struggles of women breaking into male dominated spaces, or anyone who is deemed an outsider coming into spaces previously inhabited only by those of the privileged and elite.

Both in the book, and real life, do these people have to work twice as hard to get the same opportunities and then work even harder to be taken even the slightest bit seriously. The emotions conveyed in the story about this were raw and achingly real, and I felt the anger and despair along with these characters as I was reading. Every time something happened I was right there with the characters thinking ‘that’s not right, that’s not fair!’ but the great thing about fiction is that while it may reflect the darkness of our real world, the characters in these stories at least get to experience the catharsis of justice in the end.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advance copy in exchange for an host review.

TLTR: if Study in Drowning was a one off for you, don’t read this book. SID was a beautiful standalone and didn’t require any further exploration. If I typically like stories like SID then I would give Theory in Dreaming a shot.

Our story starts where the last book ended: Effy is starting in the Literature college (the first woman in its history) and the press/country has been in tizzy since Effy & Preston announced what they discovered in the last book (it’s hard not to write spoilers for book one)

Ava Reid, regardless how I feel about your stories you always make all your worlds feel so immersive. I loved revisiting these two characters, except I apparently blocked out Preston’s smoking habit🤢

I liked the dual POV. It was a fun parallel to explore: Effy no longer has fantasies/vision and has to deal with the monster of the real world; while Preston is dealing with grandiose dreams to help him work through the new angry he’s starting to feel as he’s let things festered.

This story felt choppy, and it didn’t feel like anything resolved well. If it did resolve it was because it had plot armor. (ex: Lotto’s dad just happened to be in town during Preston’s review and he was able to say him from suspension)

Why did there have to be a marriage proposal? I understand part of Effy’s insecurity about not being able to “traditionally” wear a wedding ring since she’s missing that finger but it doesn’t feel like enough of a cause. Effy herself says “Are you sure?” It just felt very forced.

And per all my Ava Reid reviews, she is the Queen of Quotes:
- Let no one say that I am weak. I am fearful, and therefore brave. I am wounded, yet all the stronger for it.
- Our belief in a world that is just and perfect gives us strength to survive in a world that is anything but.
- 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.
- If the soul of a nation requires an enemy, then it has no right to exist at all.
- “They don't want their heroes to lose their shine…. It's hard," Effy said. "Letting go of what you believe in. The way you make sense of the world."

Small trigger/spoiler: suicide attempt (attempt off page but after results happen on page)

This sequel immediately picks up from the ending of “A Study in Drowning.” The atmosphere vibe is nearly identical but the themes are quite a bit darker. It took me longer to read and I found myself having to re-read portions because the storyline was convoluted. I did enjoy getting to know some of the side characters on a deeper level and being introduced to some new ones as well.

"The real magic was never the men themselves. It was their stories."

One of my reading fears is when a beloved book initially meant to be a standalone ends up turning into a series. I should have known Ava would completely assuage that fear, because this continuation of the story set up in ASID felt perfect and so beautiful.

I would say this was very much Preston’s book. Where we leave him in ASID, he’s still on the cusp of believing in magic but not quite. This book explores the journey he takes and his growth was incredible to see. That’s not to say Effy isn’t an important part of the story too - she’s very much prominent but she also has her own continued struggles here dealing with the aftermath of book 1. Beautiful writing, immaculate vibes as always! Also, there were some really fun side characters introduced here and I love them so much.

I’ll update this with more in depth thoughts later! To summarize, ASID is still one of my favourite books of all time, and while this wasn’t quite as lifechanging, it felt deeply important to fully wrap up the story and character arcs. So to me ASID is like a 6 star/infinity star read, this was more of a 4 to 4.5 stars but rounding up for my love of the characters and book 1!

Some additional quick thoughts
- Plot was much slower than book 1, much more character driven
- Understandably less tension in the romance since book 1 ends with them in love, but there were so many sweet tender moments! Now that Effy and Preston are out of imminent danger, they navigate the more mundane parts of their relationship as well as their individual insecurities about not feeling good enough for the other
- Atmosphere and vibes were dreamlike and trippy just as with book 1! Lots of exploration of having dreams (hence the title lol) while not losing sight of reality
- Very focused on inner turmoil and mental health, balancing between self-sufficiency and knowing when to ask for help
- Super emotional but also had a ton of hilarious moments too

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the eARC!

I loved the first book and this was a fantastic follow up! Bringing us back to the same misty, moody world with exciting new twists and adventures, this book will be a hit with fans of YA romance, fantasy, and gothic books. I think this duology will be a great addition to my bookstore and will be something I can recommend to YA/NA readers!

“What are we without our stories?” That question haunts A Theory of Dreaming, the quiet, often murky sequel to A Study in Drowning. While Ava Reid’s prose remains gorgeous and lyrical, this follow-up feels more like a prolonged epilogue than a fully realized second act.

We return to Effy and Preston as they attempt to resume normal life after their harrowing experiences at Hiraeth. Effy enters the literature college as its first female student, while Preston begins an assistantship—both under intense scrutiny. But instead of growth, much of the story feels like stasis. Effy spirals into depression and academic pressure, while Preston disappears (figuratively and sometimes literally) into dreams of an undersea kingdom.

There are powerful themes here—grief, legacy, nationalism, and trauma—but the plot often drifts, and the characters rarely confront anything head-on. For a book about dreams, it’s fittingly disjointed. Yet that also means moments that should hit emotionally often get lost in the fog.

Still, fans of A Study in Drowning may find solace in the atmosphere and emotional honesty. And if you loved Preston, you’ll get more of him here than ever before. Just don’t expect resolution so much as resonance.

Best for readers who enjoy melancholy mood pieces, subtle fantasy, and lingering goodbyes rather than sweeping finales.

I loved the first book in this duology and was excited to get to read the second. The story however, just feel flat. There didn't seem to be much going on, and Effy wasn't herself at all.

sadly, this was really a miss for me. as much as i loved A Study In Drowning and read it in one sitting, i really had to force myself through the first half of this one.

i recall Ava saying that she wasn’t planning on writing a sequel to ASID at first, and unfortunately i can see why. there’s truly just not a lot of plot happening here, and what plot did occur was ultimately resolved in a way that rendered much of what was interesting about this book in the first place to be null and void.

the drama felt unearned, i was unsatisfied with the conclusion, and the plot was lacking.

I'll be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of the first book, but A Theory of Dreaming was actually fantastic?