3.5⭐️
Overall A Theory of Dreaming was an enjoyable read! It picks up right after the end of A Study in Drowning and we start with Preston and Effy back at school, Effy is starting her journey in the literature college. As with A Study in Drowning, Ava Reid’s writing is still lyrical and beautiful if not more. This one is definitely more politics heavy and while I always love politics in fantasy books, I found that some parts were not fully fleshed out. I enjoyed that this one focused more on Preston’s personal journey however, the scenes of him in his dream world were a bit boring and often took me out of the story.

What I absolutely loved about this book were all the characters, but mainly the progression of Effy and Preston’s relationship! The love they have for each other knows no bounds and I enjoyed reading them lean on each other during the conflicts in the book. The ending provided me with that complete feeling and was a great conclusion to this duology. If you loved A Study in Drowning, I would definitely recommend picking this up to see what Preston and Effy get up to and where their journey ends!

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my review🩵

A Theory of Dreaming is a hard one for me to review. There were a lot of things that I enjoyed, but the things I didn't definitely affected my feelings toward the novel. I love Reid as an author and a person and this definitely won't put me off from picking up their future work.

My favorite part of this book was Preston and all of his chapters. I really enjoyed getting to explore his character more and getting to explore more of the mysterious bells from the first book. I thought his relationship with Effy was just as great as it was in the first book, and I enjoyed getting to see his dynamic with Lotto. I also found the extensive literary world that Reid created to be fascinating and really well done. Reid also shines once again when it comes to prose. They are a master at their craft in creating a lush and vivid world that I feel instantly transported to.

My biggest issue with A Theory of Dreaming was Effy's character. It felt that she did a 180 from where we left her at the end of A Study in Drowning. And don't get me wrong, I understand Effy was dealing with a lot of mental health issues. I don't want to discount those feelings within her. However, it felt like she was pushed aside in this novel and almost made a side character. I wanted to explore more of her time with the literature college and for her to dive deeper into the mysterious woman author (that won't be named for spoiler reasons).

Despite my feelings for this book, I still recommend giving it a try for yourself! There are clearly a lot of people who loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 Stars
Reid is back with prose as lyrical as ever and a frosty new atmospheric dark academia for the follow-up of A Study in Drowning.

Following the events of A Study in Drowning, this second installment features the perspectives of both Preston and Effy as the navigate the new lives they’ve set up with their discoveries from book #1. Effy learns what it really looks like to be the first female student admitted to the literature college while Preston explores what it means to have heard the bells and struggles to wrangle in his flighty professor. Steeped in magic and lore Preston and Effy make new discoveries and uncover old lies.

While I really enjoyed reading this, it hurts to acknowledge that this book had no reason to be written. The first book was wrapped in a very satisfying way for me so the addition of a second installment felt like a very dragged out conclusion.

I liked the addition of their friends Rhia and Lotto as they added levity to a very bleak theme. However, I felt as if Effy and Preston were taking part in completely separate novels that just ran parallel to each other. They were barely together and when they were they hardly talked. The effect making it so that it felt like the whole book was one long sad miscommunication trope.

What I believe saved the book were the dream-like magical elements in Preston’s story and the study of depression and substance dependency in Effy’s story. The dream magic drew me in and held me tight, and while I do wish we learned more about how it worked the mystery of it added to the erie feeling surrounding the book. Of course when reading Reid’s prose in a mystical dreamy setting I can feel the magic bleeding off the page and I can’t get enough.

Overall though I think this book lacked the cohesiveness and intent Drowning had. The conclusion illustrates the lack of direction of the story in how abrupt and “perfect” it was. I’m not convinced we needed a follow-up to the first book, but I’m happy having spent time in the world Reid dreamt up again.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

No one does melancholy as achingly as Ava Reid. I was surprised that Reid wrote a sequel to A Study in Drowning. The first book ended on a hopeful note for Effy Sayre. But this book pulls the curtain back on Effy's partner, the steadfast academically minded Preston. Despite his impressive academic resume, Preston has always been an outsider, as a student with a foreign last name. When it seems like his two countries, Lyr and Angar, might go to war, Preston finds himself escaping into the magical kingdom below the sea.

Reid is fascinated by the institutions that systematically make women feel small and ignored, and I was excited that this book included Preston's POV. I enjoyed that the book didn't feel a need to to really play for melodrama with Preston and Effy's relationship - the two may be dealing with their individual problems, but they remain deeply in love and most importantly, are kind to each other despite the traumas and mental illness they both face. The book is also incredibly resonant in a time where there is so much suffering in the world - it asks how much responsibility we have to other people, versus the ability to escape into our own, better world (which, as an avid reader, is something I have thought about constantly).

This book was a beautiful read, although I would recommend reading A Study in Drowning first. No one makes you cry and opens your heart like Reid. Thanks to Harper Collins for the early copy.

It has been a really long time since I read an entire book in one day, but I could not stop reading this book. A Theory of Deaming is even better than A Study in Drowning.

The book starts by pick up after Preston and Effy published their thesis on Myrddian showing the disbelief they are receiving despite having proof. We quickly learn Effy has been given a spot in the Literature college. Preston has earned the position of legate, which is the student head of the college.

I love that we get a dual third-person point of view from both Effy and Preston. This book takes place in the college setting, and we get more side characters who enrich the story without stealing the show. I love academia setting books.

At the beginning, I was really confused by Master Gosse's obsession with the Sleepers until we start to see Effy not taking Preofessor Tinmew's answer to a question on Laurance Ardor, one of the seven Sleepers of Lyra. Things quickly tie in together but left me with lots of questions until the last few chapters, where it wraps up nicely.

I was hoping that once Effy had something to focus her time on that she was passionate about, her mental health would improve. I really felt myself rooting for her only for her to feel as if "she was a body without a girl inside it." As someone who struggled with mental health myself, that was really hard to read, knowing I had been there before. It really got worse for her before it got better, but we do end the book on a happy note.

There absolutely should be trigger warnings for those who might need them. This story continues the same misogyny and prejudice as the first book but is also heaped with Effy's mental illness and a described suicide attempt, even if unconsciously done.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC**

This book starts out as a direct sequel to A Study in Drowning, and I'm so glad we got a sequel. It focuses on the aftermath of Effy and Preston publishing their thesis on Myrddin and his writing and how it changes the world around them. We get to see Effy and Preston really grow into themselves and solidify their relationship. While the first book was focused on Effy, we get to see things from Preston's point of view too. It really brings the book to life with how our main couple is dealing with similar issues between the first book and this one. I will say, this book was a lot slower to get started and parts felt pointless. Despite that, Ava Reid did such a good job with the writing and the overall plot, I'm so glad to have gotten the opportunity to read the ARC.

Return to the immersive, lush, and dreamlike world continues the haunting beauty and gothic atmosphere that made A Study in Drowning so compelling, but the sequel's deeper dive into dream theory, especially as Preston begins to unravel in visions of a submerged palace, sometimes feels more atmospheric than meaningful. While the idea that dreams reflect internal truths or offer alternate realities is intriguing, it lacks a clear theoretical foundation, making the dream sequences feel more like poetic symbolism than a fully fleshed-out concept. Effy and Preston’s emotional arcs remain strong, but the blurred line between dream and reality could have been explored with more intellectual rigor. A beautiful, if slightly muddled, end to a mesmerizing duology.

A Theory of Dreaming is an intriguing sequel to A Study in Drowning that picks up on some of the questions left unanswered by the first novel. Effy and Preston have returned to the university in the aftermath of their thesis about Myrddin, where Effy finally begins classes in the literature college, Preston gets caught up in his adviser's latest project, and the war between Llyr and Argant heats up and sweeps over the university. Ava Reid's writing was atmospheric as always, even with a less dramatic setting.

This book also gives us Preston's perspective, and I really enjoyed seeing him process the things he and Effy had gone through and the way his beliefs - in academia, in magic, in truth - have been challenged, and continue to be in this book. I also enjoyed seeing more of the side characters now that Preston and Effy were back on campus.

A Theory of Dreaming is more character-driven than the first book, with less plot and fewer twists and turns, and Effy's study of another writer and his daughter was a continuation of the themes of authorship and misogyny, but did unfortunately feel a bit repetitive from the first book. Instead, Reid was able to deepen her examination of mental health, grief, and xenophobia and in different ways, split between Effy and Preston's different experiences over this book. Ultimately it was really interesting to see the aftermath of the first book and to pick up on their journey upon returning.

Ava Reid captivated me with her lush and lyrical writing in A Study in Drowning, and the unexpected follow-up of A Theory in Dreaming was similarly gorgeous. It's not so wet, but it is icy cold in the Llyrian capital of Caer-Isel, where Preston and Effy are navigating their newfound infamy at the literature college. This is another dark story; Reid does not shy away from putting her characters through mental torment. And the misogynistic a$$holes! Poor Effy barely gets a break, though Preston's roommate Lotto and Lotto's father add to the previous count of one dude (Preston) who doesn't treat her like absolute trash. Our intrepid heroes are young, and often struggling with mental health, so it isn't so surprising that they often feel inadequate for each other. But ultimately, Reid's story is one of hope -- we may lose our childhood fantasies, but we can still persevere for love and truth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advanced copy of this book.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚. 𝑩𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒚. 𝑰𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆𝒏. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒌. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑰 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒖𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔? 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎.“

This book… This book follows both Effy and Preston with a slight emphasis on Preston and his journey, though we do get a good chunk of Effy’s life and her pov. The themes and messages behind this book and the way they are represented throughout different characters and situations throughout the book is so powerful. I truthfully am in awe in how so many different messages were put across in such a way that was easy to understand and also impactful to the reader. There are political themes that can very well reflect our current times and history. There are themes of grief; So many types of grief. Grieving our selves, our loved ones, the truth we know or thought we knew, grieving what we once had and what we could have had. We see the characters constantly battle themselves in these moral dilemmas (at at times battle others), knowing that both sides has a losing end and someone will pay the price regardless.

Reading through not just Effy and Preston’s story, but also the stories of all of the other authors and characters that them two studied and diving into their world was rough too. There were things that were just so easy to connect to and also things that pulled at every heartstring the way they impacted others as well. Honestly, at times it felt a bit like a mind fuck to just get all these stories and read painful after painful quote in the best possible way.

This book made me cry and it makes me want to sit down and fully study it once I get my physical copy. This book definitely gets intense and is more fast paced than the previous one. I’m still obsessed with the characters and the growth, the strength, and their resilience. I don’t know, but I just wish I could meet them and give them the biggest hug fr.

"𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒔 𝑰 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆—𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚—𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔. 𝑴𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈; 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈”

Overall a less satisfying offering than its predecessor, but Reid does a good job of taking what was originally supposed to be a standalone novel (2023's A Study in Drowning) to new places that build interestingly on the foundations already laid. I personally found the atmosphere less spooky and magical than in the previous book—which makes sense, given that this book takes place completely on the characters' university campus, as opposed to a creepy old manor sinking into the sea—but Reid's prose is as lovely as always, and she spins a story that feels unique. A big theme of this book is the way national myths can be used for political gains and manipulating people, and the commentary there was not only thoughtful and nuanced but timely, given our current political climate. Some loose plot threads left hanging did leave me slightly frustrated.

I am very happy to have read the sequel. It filled in the plot holes I noticed in the first book but this isn't a happy, action packed book. It covers deep topics and the mental load of Effie and Preston. The dual POV between the two was a nice touch to find out more about the college and the world they live in. The plot itself is a little jumbled to me and harder for me to decipher than in the first book. This book is very, very character driven whereas book one had somewhat of a moving plot. The relationship between Effie, Preston and their friends is amazing and to have the reprieve of the more outgoing, "fun" friends from the two of them was a wonderful inclusion to the book. And their romance is super cute. I would absolutely check for triggers in this book because again darker themes than book 1 to me.

A Study in Drowning tied for my favorite book of 2023. I was not expecting a sequel and when I heard one had been announced, I’m not going to lie, I was a little skeptical. I debated requesting an ARC because I simply wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it. But I trust Ava Reid and I went and put in my request.

I’m so glad I did.

I loved this book. It is very different from Drowning, but still fits perfectly in the world that Reid has constructed. Dreaming takes place almost entirely in the city of Caer-Isle and at the university and gives the reader a chance to see exactly how the school works in ways we didn’t get a chance to see in the first book.

Where Drowning really focused on Effy and young womanhood in male dominated spaces, A Theory of Dreaming puts a lot more focus on Preston and his connection, or lack thereof, to the unknown, unreal parts of the world. The resident skeptic has to now grapple with this own brush with the fantastic and decide what he really believes in.

I was really pleased to get more time to spend with our main characters’ roommates, Rhia and Lotto. Rhia was a gem in the first book, but since most of the book took place at Myrddin’s manor, we didn’t get a lot of time to really get to know her. I don’t remember much of Lotto, but he was a lovely addition to the crew.

While I don’t personally connect with the themes of this book like I did in A Study of Drowning, it is still incredibly beautifully written and adds depth to a story I already loved. If you liked Drowning, I highly recommend A Theory of Dreaming.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

Sadly i have to admit i did not like this book as much as the first one. This one just felt full of filler and the characters i had learned to like were off on their own breaking down in different ways. It just didnt feel like the same wild ride as last time. Some what felt like both having a mental break down while trying to make sure the other didnt know but also trying to juggle school.

It just didnt hit the same and left me forcing myself to keep reading in hopes it got better.

Was the plot/storyline clear? Yes.
Was I interested where things would go? Also yes
Was I happy with how things played out? a bit of yes and no. I liked the ending wrapping things up but it also felt like the problems were fixed a bit too easy and fast for how long it tried building up to it.

Over all i feel "Meh". Would recommend to people who loved the first book and are fine with contemporary writing style and pacing.

I really enjoyed A Study in Drowning and was excited to read the sequel and reconnect with these characters. Unfortunately, I was a bit let down by this sequel. I did enjoy it but not nearly as much as I enjoyed the first book. I appreciate Ava Reid’s writing and always find her writing to be very atmospheric and gothic, which I love, but the plots of her books are where I feel let down a lot of the time. A Theory of Dreaming lacked the intriguing plot line that A Study in Drowning did so well. In this book, there are several important topics that are discussed such as xenophobia, misogyny, and mental health which is great. But, other than well said commentary, not much else happens throughout this book. In this book, we get both Effy and Preston’s perspectives and each of their perspectives felt very separate from one another. It felt like two separate stories in one book at times. I can still appreciate this book and these characters but I wish that A Study in Drowning would have left as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for gifting me an ARC of this book!

This one is complicated for me. A Study In Drowning is one of my alltime faves so I was very hyped for the sequel. Reid's prose is so beautiful and intelligent, I love the way she paints a picture with words and I found myself highlighting heartwrenching lines left and right. But this one dragged a little for me at times, not enough for me to consider it bad but enough that it is ranked lower than the first book for me.

I enjoyed the dual POV and the murky dream scenes were very interesting. You could really feel Effy's fear and uncertainty being in this new and fraught situation and the aftermath of the first book. I also enjoyed their romance going deeper, weird girls with abandonment issues rise up. I wish we could have gotten to know the side characters a bit more, although from what I saw of them, I did love.

I'm really interested if this one will grow on me if I reread it sometime in colder weather. The first one was a 4 star initially and upon a reread I bumped it to 5 so it could be the case here. Just a teensy bit disappointed, but that is not indicative of the author's skill and passion.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

TW: xenophobia, sexism, sexual harrassment, allusions to sexual assault, suicide attempt, abuse of medication, allusions to incest.

2.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this eARC.

This one unfortunately fell flat for me. It had the same atmospheric writing that the first book did…but the characters became insufferable to me. Effy’s self deprecation and Preston’s cynicism were a hard combination for me. I also just had no idea where the plot was going and that didn’t feel resolved for me in the end.

Beautiful, Beautiful continuation of A Study in Drowning. This was one of my most anticipated releases this year and it did not disappoint! I was so happy to be back with Effie and Preston, even if their school and other scholars were unbearable. (I literally wanted to smack everyone student and teacher)

4⭐️

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the e-ARC

When I first read A Study in Drowning, it was slow getting into it, but once I finished it I was missing it for weeks. It was cozy, dark, and in a beautiful secluded setting. Real life problems acknowledged with wonderful writing and characters I came to care about so much. I thought it was going to stay a standalone, but we got to see Effy and Preston’s story continue in A Theory in Dreaming.

I loved this book, I really did, even if it took me a little too long to finish. It wasn’t in the same secluded cliffside setting I loved, but a college during winter is okay too.

Effy and Preston are dealing with the outcome of their choices in ASID, and I was so happy they were able to go through everything in this book with the support of the other. My one complaint on that is that they handled their big plot problems on their own instead of being fully honest and doing more of it together. Instead, they went through their bad days, and comforted each other in the evening. I wanted more of the partnership we saw from the first book.

The characters we were introduced to in this book were so great, I especially loved both Effy and Preston’s roommates.

As for the magical, fictional part of this book, I wasn’t interested in it as much as the Fairy King in the first book.

Reid has done it again, this time in a sequel. This book is just as enchanting as the first. While reading, I felt like I was in the rain before class, next to Preston’s cigarette smoke. Beautiful and heartbreaking like the first.