If you look at my review of “A Theory of Drowning”, you will see that I adored it. As in, I purchased the hardcover, even though I had the eARC. Loved, loved, loved it.

I liked this sequel. Ava Reid has a beautiful way with words, and there’s poetry everywhere in here. It’s enchanting to read.

Preston and Effy are back to regular life at school, and neither of them have it easy. They’ve become infamous, due to their assertions about a certain beloved Sleeper. The aggression against Preston has ramped up at the university, due to extreme tension between Llyr and Argant.

It’s an understatement to say that Effy is not coping well, and Preston is becoming increasingly anxious about harm befalling her—to an unhealthy degree.

Remember those bells that Preston heard in the last novel? Yeah, they come more into play here.


As I mentioned, I like this book. However, it isn’t the masterpiece that “A Theory of Drowning” is. The plot is all over the place, and the wrap-up only answered a few questions and left many, many more unanswered. The climax and echoing waves afterward felt a little “because I said so”, instead of everything coming together in a way that made sense. I was intrigued enough, and yet this felt much longer than 416 pages, whereas I flew through the previous book.

Ultimately, I’m torn and giving it a 3.75.

I’m sad that we won’t have any more stories of Llyr and Argant, genuinely. I think there’s still many more stories to be told.

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one is for the dreamers, seriously. Very whimsical, which confused me a bit but the writing is beautiful. I wouldn't place this at the top of my list of her favorite reads, but I think it is a solid follow-up. Felt a bit like I picked up someone else's dream journal and didn't understand the full context, but that may have just been a me thing.

The sequel to a study in drowning did not disappoint loved getting more from Preston and Effy. The themes of trauma and depression in this definitely do get a little dark. But I still felt like it made perfect sense for the characters to go there. But loved that Preston did not waiver in his feelings for Effy and how protective of her he was. Some parts absolutely broke my heart. This is by far my favorite world of Ava Reid’s. The amount of time and effort that is taken to show the difficulties a woman has trying to break through in a male dominated field is well done here. Thank you @Netgalley and @HarperCollins for the chance to review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of A Theory of Dreaming by Ava Reid.

If you know me, you know that A Study in Drowning is one of my soul books. I absolutely love that book with every inch of my heart. However, A Theory of Dreaming retcons Effy’s growth for literally no good reason.

Everything I loved about Effy and Preston in ASiD has been stripped away and while the prose remains lush and atmospheric, pretty words do not make up for a lackluster plot based on entirely on willful miscommunication and once again a man deciding what’s best for his partner so she doesn’t have to worry her pretty little head about it. Puke.

ASiD was initially conceived and published as a standalone and it should have remained that way.

The writing? Atmospheric, lovely as always with this author
The rest? I'll pass. This was a very slow read, and felt boring and repetitive at times and just generally very sad. It addresses depression but in a way that didn't really go anywhere or say anything new

Not sure this sequel was needed. I feel like the first book is more successful as a standalone with an open-ended conclusion

I'll admit I'm having a difficult time deciding on a final rating for this one. I'm another one of those people who probably falls in the category of "A Study in Drowning should have been a stand alone," sadly, which means that most of this book felt superfluous and... mostly just depressing. Ava Reid has a beautiful way with words that turns anything she writes into an atmospheric, dream-like story, and "A Theory of Dreaming" is no exception, but the problem is the book itself just felt largely unnecessary.

Set following the events of "A Study in Drowning," Effy has defeated the Fairy King and freed herself from the nightmares that have haunted her for her entire life. More, with the help of Preston, she uncovered the truth of her country's beloved fairy tale Angharad and written a thesis that is bound to turn not just the academic world, but the entire nation, on its head. And she's earned her spot as the first woman in the university's literature program, even as the entire country seems intent on waiting for her to fail... When she no longer has her stories to fall into in her dreams. Meanwhile, Preston seems bound to watch Effy struggle while he can do little to help, and has his own struggles to contend with. Not only is he a foreigner in a country at war with his home nation, but he's a lifelong skeptic who is suddenly hearing bells and having visions of a palace under the sea.

Again, I just really struggle with how to talk about this book. Parts of it were so magical and very well-handled. I adored the sections that handled Effy as the first woman in the literature college and what that meant, and how she was treated - but it felt like it was "solved" (if we can call it that) too quickly to be satisfactory. Or, there was Preston coping with being from Argant while Llyr is at war with his home country, and the prejudice he faced since we really didn't see as much of that in the first book. It was nice to see Preston experience more emotion in this book, including genuine anger over how he was being treated! I also truly enjoyed following the fallout from Effy and Preston's research breakthrough in book one, even though that too kind of felt like it fell to the wayside pretty quickly. And their relationship as a couple and its conclusion was lovely.
The parts I struggled with were, well, everything else. Effy backslides so drastically in this book and it is tragic to see. Preston's magic arc was... underwhelming and I didn't find myself wowed by the conclusion. Together, the both of them spent a lot of the book keeping secrets from each other and just being avoidant, which was disappointing. And maybe I just have a super short memory, but we're spend a lot of time with Effy and Preston's friends who... played little to no part in the first book? It was nice to see them have friends after how separated they were from everyone else last book, but it also felt very out of left field.

So, I guess I'd say "A Theory of Dreaming" is a bit of a mixed bag. It's got Reid's usual lovely atmospheric prose that we've come to expect and it's nice to see more of Effy and Preston, but it also just wasn't all that necessary of a sequel.

Thank you Nertgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I am one of those who thinks that maybe a Study in Drowning should remain as a stand-alone novel without a sequel.
This was a very slow, albeit atmospheric tale, but I just feel that the open-endedness of the first left a much more nuanced feeling than having this second book.

It's very bleak, and in terms of Ava's other books, there doesn't seem to be any hope at all. So, all in all not my favorite.

Ava Reid does a wonderful job of combining fantasy with psychological drama. She has a way of using her style of lyrical prose to develop a world with a gothic atmosphere and characers with emotional depth. I really enjoyed how she made the charachers feel real when we saw their struggle. I enjoyed getting to know more about the world that the story is set in. Those who enjoyed the first novel, will enjoy its sequel.

Ava Reid has done an absolute wonderful job building upon the world in A Study in Drowning. The world is lush and mythical, Effie is still hands down one of my favorite FMCs. She is still soft yet we get to see her grow. I am so excited to continue to read more from Ava as they quickly have become one of my favorite authors.

Loved this just as much as I loved the first one. Ava Reid’s writing is a delight to read. For me this is a slower pace book but it was fun to read every step of the way!

"It's not exactly a matter of life and death...but it matters. All the little things do, in the end".

This is the sequel to Ava Reid's A Study in Drowning (which I gave 4/5 stars as well) so you should go read that if you haven't already! Otherwise, read on!

I was happy that Ava Reid decided to return to this world as the first book left us with some unanswered questions. What happened to Preston and Effy when they returned home from the university?? I am very happy that I know now. 😅

I will say this book does dive a bit deeper into the darker facets of this world. Effy and Preston deal with a lot of societal injustices that seriously start to affect their mental health and well being. I think the quote at the start of this review is very poignant for me and it stuck out because all of the little things do matter if things build and build with no relief.

I'm happy that Ava Reid decided to continue this story with this book. Anyone who enjoyed the first book will like this one as well in my opinion. Thanks @netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

2.5/5 Stars

Not a lot to say about this, which is really a shame. I loved A Study in Drowning (gave it 5 stars), and I was excited to read the continuation of Effy and Preston's story, but after struggling for weeks to get through this book, I have to ask -- why did this book need to exist? Next to nothing happened for nearly the entire book, and then what I'm assuming is supposed to be the climax happens, and it's, well, painfully anticlimactic. I struggle to even say the story could have easily been a supplemental novella, because again, pretty much nothing happens. I think A Study in Drowning is perfect as a standalone; we didn't need a sequel. I didn't dislike anything, but nothing really stood out to me, either. It's a very "go girl, give us nothing" book, which is such a shame because I usually love Ava Reid's writing and stories. Hopefully Ava's next book hits for me like they usually do.

While once again impressed by the authors ability to craft such lyrical prose, I found the book to have almost a lullaby quality to it. I had to take frequent breaks from the book because I found my eyes feeling heavy and my brain quieting. I think Effy's sinking into a depressive state was portrayed hauntingly beautiful, but in a way that made the seriousness of her depression cheapened. Preston's story was interesting but I didn't love how his journey was so similar to Effy's in the last book. Overall, I wasn't super impressed.

3.5 stars round up to 4 stars

I always forget how much I love Ava Reid’s writing until I’m completely pulled back into her world! it feels like I’ve been dragged into the story.

In the sequel, we are diving into Effy and Preston’s struggles against the injustices of academia, war, school politics, and societal prejudices. Ava's writing and world building kept me turning to the next page. I love how deeply Preston is in love with Effy however, what frustrated me was how many secrets they kept from each other. It felt like two stories were happening at once because neither of them knew what the other was doing, and I just wanted them to sit down and talk and we never know if they do. A Theory of Dreaming was a good ending to the duology.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for my ebook arc!

4.5 stars

A Theory of Dreaming by Ava Reid picks up where A Study in Drowning leaves off and allows us to explore Preston's POV along with dear Effy. Reuniting with the two of these characters was so much fun, and I may even admit that this novel was even more captivating than the first since we had already established a relationship with our main characters and are invested in solving these mysteries together.

If you read the first book you may not have expected a sequel - like me - but I am so grateful that we got to spend more time with Preston and Effy.

I highly recommend this book to folks who enjoy "literary fantasy" like Divine Rivals and gothic romances with twists and turns.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review - I always appreciate the opportunity to read Ava's books and can't wait to devour more from her ◡̈

Series Info/Source: This is the 2nd book in the A Study in Drowning series. I got a copy of this on ebook from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: I loved the other worldly setting and darkly lyrical writing of the first book in this series "A Study in Drowning". Unfortunately, this book I didn't like at all. "A Theory in Dreaming" has the same beautiful dark lyrical writing style as the first book but lacked everything else I loved about the first book. I ended up setting this aside at 50% of the way in because I found it boring and depressing. Prior to read this, I had also read "Juniper & Thorn" (liked it), and "A Theory in Dreaming" (liked it).

This is supposed to be Preston's book. Effy and Preston are back at school. Effy is struggling to keep her head down and fit in while Preston is back to being a student aide and struggling to deal with his professor. The story alternates between the two. Preston starts to enter a dream world and hear bells again and is trying to figure out what that all means.

I found this book depressing. After making progress and gains in her self esteem and self respect, Effy really backslides in this book. Effy spends most of the book trying to hide from her problems and keeping them secret from Preston. She does this either through her use of sleeping pills or by actually hiding. It was sad and depressing to see, especially when she is supposed to be living the life she's dreamed of for so long. Preston is super concerned about Effy's safety, almost oppressively so. Preston is constantly lying by omission to her about what is happening in his life. It ends up being a very toxic relationship that I found sad to read about.

Additionally, nothing is happening. Effy is trying to go to class but keeps her head down after being humiliated the first day. Effy is trying to dodge reports and Preston's worry. It is tedious to read about. Preston keeps accidentally entering a dream world where he hears bells, but he wanders about it multiple times without many revelations. He is also trying to placate his professor with these jaunts and dodge reporters as well. It got very repetitive, and in the end I just found myself wishing I had left these characters where they were at the end of the last book. I couldn't read about the sad situations they had gotten themselves into anymore.

"A Theory in Dreaming" should have stayed a stand alone novel, and this sequel should have never happened. I should also mention Reid's incredibly negative opinion of nearly all men...most of her male characters are downright despicable, and it makes the story feel unbalanced. This is a two-way street; the female characters (Effy in particular) need to demand some respect. I also find it hard to believe that all the female characters are willing to put up with this behavior and that the majority of male characters are this sleazy. Definitely not a world I would want to be forced into and not one I really love reading about either.

My Summary (2/5): Overall I did not enjoy this... in fact I quite disliked it and stopped reading the book about half way through. The directions our characters went is very depressing, and the story is repetitive and boring. This is written in Reid's very beautiful and darkly lyrical writing style, but aside from that there wasn't anything I liked here. In general, I love Reid's lyrical writing style but have struggled some with some of her themes and the pacing of her stories. I don't think she is an author I will seek out in the future.

First off thank you so much for the chance to read this! I absolutely loved the first book so I was concerned when I saw there was a sequel. I honestly liked the ending of the first book and was concerned this wouldn’t live up to it. I was wrong though. This book was amazing and honestly I may like it even more than the first. This book really spoke to me and I’m sure many readers will be able to relate to the themes in the book. Definitely 5 stars

While Ava Reid’s prose remains as lovely and lyrical as ever, A Theory of Dreaming feels like stepping out of a fairytale and into a thesis. The first novel was steeped in myth and magic, with gothic atmosphere and rich symbolic undercurrents, but this sequel—rooted in politics, academic unrest, and personal unraveling—feels like a different creature entirely.

The dream sequences were perhaps where Reid tried to recapture the mythic tone of book one, and while they held value, they didn’t quite measure up to the haunting power of the original. Then again, maybe that’s the point. Sometimes, after the villain is vanquished, life on the other side isn’t as magical as one hoped it would be.

I’ll admit, the first two-thirds dragged for me, and I had to push myself to stay engaged. But by the end, I could see the quiet intention behind it all. While the magic may dim, there’s a subtle kind of heroism in what comes after—in surviving the story and choosing to face what’s left behind. Healing, enduring, and rebuilding in the wake of ruin may not feel as grand as myth, but without it, what was the fight for?

After a shocking discovery that will rewrite literary history, Effy and Preston return to their university and are met with hostility toward their work. And beyond that, Effy is now a literary student, the first woman admitted to the college, which holds challenges of its own. With rising suspicion due to the ongoing war, Preston’s nationality puts a target on his very existence. Effy struggles with her mental health and the fear that she’s burdening the ones she loves the most. And Preston gets a peek beyond the veil into the world of dreams that leaves him questioning everything he’s ever believed or held dear. Can they hold onto their convictions to fight for the truth and themselves? Or is there too much stacked against them in the guise of tradition and national pride.

Ava Reid yet again goes behind the veil of another sort, the one that shields the human heart and mind. Her stories never shy away from the dark spaces within human existence all the while holding onto hope with both hands as she guides us toward the light. This story is of individuals fighting for themselves and each other. Grasping for hands amid the flood of thoughts that seek to pull them down into the depths. Fiction is a solace when paired with love and connection, but alone it can be a place to be forgotten, even in your own mind.

Beyond the deep personal impact, we get to see a land divided by fear and lies. The power of hinging rhetoric and national identity on twisted truths to portray division when strength is in unity and understanding. To say that this book is poignant is an understatement. When we are living in a time of rampant personal crises and widespread cultural upheaval, a search for truth no matter the cost can be the most dangerous of all.

Ava Reid never fails to spin an evocative and sparkling tale and while A Theory of Dreaming certainly fit that bill...I personally found it an unnecessary addition to it's predecessor.

Preston and Effy return to academia with a whole lot to write about after the events in A Study In Drowning but in just a short time politics and magic meet to turn their world upside down once again.

Is this a hauntingly beautiful world to step into...without a doubt! Does it tap into the magic and mystery in the same way the first installment did? I personally dont think so. I think my biggest problem with this story is how thoroughly unnecessary it was. Readers get a smidge more growth from the characters but the plot seemed to fizzle out and struggled to be fully realized.

I wanted this to be a win...but it just wasn't

E-ARC generously provided by HarperCollins Children’s Books in exchange for an honest review!