Unfortunately this one was a DNF for me. As this was one of my highly anticipated books for the year, I just could not get into the writing style. This doesn’t mean that the book was bad, it just wasn’t for me. I hope everyone else enjoys

Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the eARC.

4.5/5

This book felt deeply personal in the best way. I remember seeing Ava Reid’s marketing for it on their insta account, and I knew I had to read it. It did not disappoint.

Effy is so refreshing from so many FMCs of today that seem to never have moments of weakness or self doubt. The beauty in her character is that she struggled and persevered despite it. Effy is an architecture student, who desperately wants to be a literature student, but that college does not admit women. She takes on the task of creating blueprints for an update to the house of her favorite author Emyrs Myrrdin. Also working on a project on Myrrdin is Preston, a literature student from the neighboring country that Effy’s is at war with.

Effy and Preston’s adventure is so magical and atmospheric as they battle a mysterious host, Myrrdin’s son, southern superstition and folklore, and even the sea itself as they try to uncover more out Myrrdin’s legacy and why his son is so attached to his old house that is rotting into the sea.

Very atmospheric, almost more of a gothic horror with a dark academica-slant, this book was extremely fast paced and I completely devoured it. Genuinely the imagery was so vivid, I needed extra blankets because the frigid sea wind in the story seemed to be manifesting in real life. I will admit that I guessed the reveal/twist and conclusion of the story fairly early on, so the surprise factor was lost. However, even knowing what was coming was it still so cathartic. It’s almost like this story was begging to be told.

DNF 80 pgs (30%)

I wanted to love this book so much. I had really high expectations! I kept seeing this book everywhere on Instagram, and everyone seemed really excited and people loved it, so I wanted to read it.

However, I was a little disappointed by the book. I'm very confused and honestly don't really know what's going on... because basically nothing has happened. I don't understand the world's history and the stories within the book that are being told by Effy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this! Which was a bit of a surprise for me, as I didn’t really click with Ava Reid’s Juniper & Thorn.

I loved the depiction of womanhood and being believed, how Effy is traumatized and trying and knows she is at the mercy of powerful men. Even other women, such as her mother, are tired of her and it’s painfully clear that everyone finds her insipid and sensitive and a bother when all she is doing is existing.

I liked Effy’s relationship with Preston, even if it did feel a smidge rushed, and I liked how he did try to take her seriously but is still skeptical of the Fairy King (without making her feel ridiculous). The plot was engaging and I was invested the whole way through, even if it was a tad predictable.

I will say I didn’t completely understand why Angharad waited until the end to reveal everything. Maybe I missed it, but if she was trying to protect them, why not just tell them the truth?

Overall, this is a very solid read and I’m glad that Reid seems to be improving with each book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

This is my first Ava Reid book and I absolutely love how lovely her writing is and how she can portray so many feelings and sentiments with her words. Although there are many aspects of it that I loved, I felt like I wanted just a bit more from the story.

The gothic atmosphere of this book was amazingly described and probably my favorite part of it all. Hiraeth Manor was an interesting place; quite literally a home deteriorating and on the edge of crumbling into the sea. The descriptions of the manor from the paintings, the arch with the saints, the water dripping through the cracks, and so on made it very easy for me to picture it all. The eerie feeling of being in such a precarious place where someone was trying to mend it even though it was beyond repair gave it so much weight.

The initial world-building captivated me with the Sleeper Museum, the Bottom Hundred, Llyr and Argant, etc. Once we reached Hiraeth Manor though, I thought much of the world was lost. I wanted to know a bit more about why Llyr and Argant were at war. I wanted to know more about the Sleepers and how much of a hold they had on Northerners.

I loved that we always returned to water and how water is the enemy as water has so deeply affected some of these characters in one way or another. I feel like aside from our main characters, Effy, Preston, and Ianto, we don't get much from the other characters who exist in this world.

Effy's female rage and growth throughout the story were wonderful to see. In this society where women are not valued as much and they do not get much of a say in how their lives play out, Effy was the perfect one to break the cycle and yet, not lose the imaginative part of her that always loved stories. Her trauma is very complex, and I think Reid did an amazing job at presenting these topics.

Preston was a breath of fresh air in a world like this, but at times, I did feel like he was there kind of there to be the one man in the story who was likable. I did love the way that he and Effy clashed with one another yet they blended together so well. Their relationship development and how patient and understanding he was with her was what she definitely deserved. However, to me, their relationship did not feel like rivals to lovers.

I also wish the story overall was longer. I think that the deal with the Faerie King was resolved too quickly. Effy had been haunted by visions of him and so on, yet how it all came to in the end was fairly simple. There were many things that had the potential to be more, so I was left slightly unsatisfied.

Overall, I will be checking out Ava Reid's other books since I am in love with her writing style and how she crafts her stories.

“I will love you to ruination,” the Fairy King said, brushing a strand of golden hair from my cheek. “Yours or mine?” I asked. The Fairy King did not answer.

This book is a captivating reflection on the struggles of women in academia and elsewhere, with touches of a gothic haunted house novel and what turns out to be a very sweet romance. The main character is deeply traumatized and flawed, and so very relatable for myself and I’m sure many others. I was honored to go on this journey with Effy, and comforted by her resilience and determination to survive.
It’s difficult to put into words just how much I loved this book. I’ll be recommending it to everyone.
One note--please do find a comprehensive list of content warnings before reading. I have an advanced copy, so I’m not sure if there will be one in the final book.

3.5 stars

A Study in Drowning is a haunting gothic tale of strength and perseverance that blurs the lines between fairytale and reality. I enjoyed many aspects of this book and I respect what it contributes to the genre, but, unfortunately, I was left wanting more from the story.

The gothic atmosphere is easily the strongest element of the book. Hiraeth Manor is a fascinating setting and I was obsessed with the idea of a house that is, quite literally, falling into the sea.

“Everything ancient must decay”

The crumbling estate and its many dark mysteries create a pervasive sense of wrongness and unease. This feeling is heightened by Effy’s self-reported status as an unreliable narrator. Ava Reid’s writing and repeated references to the metaphor of drowning further enhanced the gothic atmosphere making A Study in Drowning a quick and intriguing read.

Ava Reid specializes in crafting powerful stories of female trauma and rage. A Study in Drowning captures the many conflicting ways that women are treated by society and the tendency for their voices to be lost. Effy proves that there is strength in softness and perseverance. Her experience was so raw and emotional and I know that it will resonate with many readers. I was really impressed by how Ava Reid presented these complex topics for a YA audience.

“You don't have to take up a sword. Survival is bravery, too.”

The gothic atmosphere and Effy’s trauma are both the book's main focus and its strengths. However, many other parts of the story felt underdeveloped in comparison. The untapped potential of the world-building and character development left me wanting more.

Outside of Hiraeth Manor, the world-building is incredibly sparse. As this is a character-focused, gothic story I normally wouldn't have cared about the minimal world-building. However, Ava Reid presents so many intriguing concepts that go completely unexplained. The war only serves as a justification for Effy’s horrible behavior towards Preston when they first meet (side note: I was quite disappointed that Effy never had to confront her prejudice). I never understood the two countries’ history and relationship. There was some discussion of religious differences but I would have loved a bit more context. The Sleepers were criminally underexplored. The concept of authors who are believed to provide magical protection for an entire country is absolutely fascinating. Given the focus on the late author Emrys Myrddin and the importance of stories to both main characters, I expected this concept to be more fleshed out. But other than the occasional discussion of how Effy and Preston’s investigation would be viewed by the Sleeper Museum, the concept is never developed. Between the gothic atmosphere, Preston and Effy, and the mysteries of Hiraeth Manor, A Study in Drowning had plenty of interesting concepts. But these false starts in the world-building left the story feeling incomplete and drew my attention away from the main focus.



Effy is a really interesting main character and her soft strength makes her stand out from other characters in the genre. But I wanted a bit more from her character development and from the other characters. I did not expect Effy to overcome all of her trauma in such a short book. The way she slowly built trust with Preston was really beautiful. But then she had a very sudden character shift at the very, very end of the story that felt really random. Preston is a cardboard cutout of a character whose only personality trait was being the one not shitty man in this entire story. I love his type of character so the fact that I thought he was boring says a lot.

The dedication to this book reads: “This is a love story” and, respectfully, no it's not. I am not one to complain about a fantasy book having too little romance, but this dedication really sets the wrong expectations for the book. Effy and Preston’s romance is incredibly underdeveloped and is certainly not “rivals to lovers.” The entire conflict between them is Effy’s one-sided anger over something kind of stupid. Then she gets over it, they have a few scenes that were probably supposed to have romantic tension, and suddenly they're together.

My final critique is that the ending felt a bit awkward. The issue of the Faerie King is resolved way too easily, especially given everything he represents and what a significant figure he was in Effy’s life. The mystery was glaringly obvious from the second it was introduced. Which is fine. This is a YA novel and I can accept some level of in-world explanation for Effy and Preston’s ignorance. But it was really strange how the story walked the reader through each individual element of the reveal in one sit-down conversation. That amount of hand-holding for the reader was completely unnecessary as the mystery was extremely simple and it made the ending feel stilted and unnatural.

Amidst an excellent gothic atmosphere, A Study in Drowning gave me glimpses of untapped potential that left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. Unfortunately, I think this is my least favorite Ava Reid so far. I will probably stay away from any of their future YA releases but I would happily read more books along the lines of Juniper and Thorn.

𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺? 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴: 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦—𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘢𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘥.

If you loved Emily Wilde, you'll love this standalone academia-based fantasy. Set in a world not unlike our own, Effy is a modern girl trying to fit into an archaic magic-based world where women have no voice. In her quest to find her purpose and meaning, we slowly learn the many stories of her past that make up who she is now.

Effy is an architecture student who sets out to restore a crumbling house of her beloved favourite author, along with Preston, another student from her college who has a secret of his own. It turns out they're not the only ones with secrets to keep as they discover the thin veil between their world and the world of the Fae holds more secrets than they were expecting to find.

This book was perfectly paced with little hints and reveals throughout the book. At some point I had figured out the plot, maybe it was because Effy and Preston kept trying to see things from their singular perspective that made everything more obvious for what it was. Or maybe it is something for the reader to figure out.

Angharad, the book within this book, adds another beautiful layer to the mythology and world building of Llyr and Argant. And while I'm sad that Effy's story has come to an end, I hope that we get to see and hear more stories of Llyr and Argant in future because there is so much more to uncover there.

In an old rotting house on a cliff, academic rivals Effy and Preston must band together to battle institutionalized sexism and solve an age-old mystery. Effy proves over and over that “survival takes bravery” as she bravely trudges through mental health issues stemming from childhood trauma and visions of the Fairy King haunting her every waking (and sleeping) moment. These characters will haunt my dreams “to ruination” in the best way possible.

This was a wonderfully designed Gothic thriller with a sprinkle of eldrich fae thrown in the mix. I loved seeing Effy uncover the secrets of Hiraeth and the legacy that Myrdden left behind. A Study of Drowning also really examines the way women are portrayed both in literature and society but digs deeper into how folklore, history, and academia influence our standing. Preston is a dream - supportive, caring, and willing to let go of his own rigidity to let an alternative thought in so he can better support another person. He is kind and aware of what Effy has been through mentally and physically. Effy grows into the strong woman she's idolized throughout her childhood, slaying the evil that's plagued her mind since childhood through sheer determination.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a gothic fairytale about an architecture and literature student who find themselves in a decrepit manor of the country’s most famous author who is recently deceased. Both the house, and the reclusive man whose life was a mystery to most, is not everything that it seems, and when the authenticity of his authorship comes into question, Effy and Preston must uncover the truth.

This book is perfect for people looking for stories featuring college students who aren’t in STEM,

The mystery is a big part of this book, but the information they uncovered, and the way they were able to just ask people for answers- and those people just gave up those answers- felt too easy. Also, the ongoing war with the neighbouring country in the background as a bit of world building didn’t really add to the main story and I’m not sure how it fit in, especially since there was a already a divide between the North and the South, This aspect should’ve been developed as I can’t tell you why they were fighting in the first place.

Overall, the writing style was great though, and I look forward to trying something else from this author.

The first word I think of when I consider A Study in Drowning is atmospheric. From the beginning, I got a sense of wetness from Ava Reid's descriptions; water stains, ink running, and eyes watering, and from there, it only becomes more prevalent. All the way until the climax of the book when water is everywhere. And a feeling of Effy becoming more and more submerged. It was a great book. In fact, I think it is the very best YA book I've ever read. To me, this was a perfect book.

Effy is fighting so much, the misogyny in her culture, particularly at her university was turned on its head from what used to be applied to women in higher education. Remember when women weren't considered smart enough for Computer Science, Engineering, Architecture, Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry? In this case, women weren't considered smart enough for Literature but were smart enough for Architecture. I found this very interesting especially when Effy could outdo the boys with her knowledge of the great Emrys Myrddin. Loved it! She could out-nerd the nerds!

There were mystery and fantasy elements, which were only enhanced by the dark and dampness the book evoked. It, in many ways, reminded me of the gothic darkness of stories I read when I was young like Jane Eyre (I know the stories are nothing alike, I'm talking about the darkness that pervades everything for the majority of the book).

Preston is her enemy in the beginning and how they come to sort that out and grudgingly become friends the more is a wonderful bright thread to weave through all the darkness and mist. Preston has the added intrigue of being from the country Effy's country is at war with and their different perceptions on the mystical aspects of Effy's country's legends and authors are explored with both characters defending their beliefs. In other words, a couple of super nerds discussing their favorite book! It's divine.

This book is for all lovers of those books, fantasy or sci-fi, you have to keep rereading. (I see you; fans of Brandon Sanderson, Sarah J Maas, LOTR, Star Wars, & Pierce Brown.) Effy is all of you, and she's smart, strong, not perfect, but she's learning to be more. Once again, great book AVA REID!

4.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Ava Reid once again crafts another masterpiece with their YA debut, A Study in Drowning. Once again pulling from folklore/mythology, they weave a beautiful Gothic-infused dark academic romantic fantasy. It not only lured me in, but it appealed to my love for literature. However, I also appreciate that it takes a complex approach, not only showing love for the setting and subject, but describing the complex dynamics of academia, including the sexism and sexual harassment that young women deal with.
Effy is a compelling protagonist, a talented and intelligent student who is made an outcast due to rumors of her involvement with a professor. The nuance with which her experience is portrayed, including her being close to failing out of the program, and her struggling to navigate all this pressure, along with other issues, like grief over the death of her favorite author and her mother’s alcoholism, are well-rendered, and made me root for her as she tackled her numerous problems.
The story from there takes some interesting turns, with her being accepted for a redesign project for the estate of the aforementioned late author, Myrddin’s estate. There’s a lot of intrigue there, from her increasingly intense dreams about the Fairy King to the questions that linger around Myrddin’s widow and son, not to mention the secrets that lurk in the creepy manor itself. Once the story was focused purely on the manor setting, I was not just intrigued, but I was hooked, and could not stop reading.
The romance is quite sweet, and compared to some of the darker toned romantic arcs of Ava Reid’s adult books, this one felt lighter by comparison, even amid the dark setting. Apparently, Ava Reid considers this book a “true” romance, and while that is somewhat debatable, I liked Preston as a love interest and enjoyed how he and Effy worked together.
Ava Reid has written another winner, and while it’s a little different from their other work, I’d still recommend their readers check it out. And if you’re interested in trying a book of theirs, I think this is a great one to start with.

While I didn't get to enjoy this during fall, I can't recommend this enough. Please try A Study in Drowning! It is so magical and rich - also inspired by Welsh folklore. This book really resonated with me and I found the writing to be ideal for a reader like me.

A confession: I haven't read JUNIPER & THORN. I know! Shameful of me. But I've heard so many glowing reviews that I knew I needed to dig into A STUDY IN DROWNING as quickly as possible, and I wasn't at all disappointed. Reid certainly weaves a magical spell in her novels, which simultaneously transport the reader to a brand new world full of enchantment and excitement while also bringing along a keen eye for some familiar problems--in this novel, she tackles rape culture, consent, and the everyday threat of sexual violence. I love and respect that Reid doesn't allow her fantasy to be a complete escape from reality--she forces the reader to consider power structures and biases while also indulging in a fantastical land with myths and customs and legends that'll keep you up at night. An absolute delight of a gothic fantasy!

Oh man, I loved this one. I'm having a hard time deciding if this is my favorite Ava Reid book or second favorite. I loved the writing, and she definitely nailed the atmosphere. I loved Effy and Preston.

A Fairy King, a rising sea, and predatory men make up the fetid water in A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid. It’s not something you would want to swim in, but it is a story you will want to read. Reid blends real life with a foreboding fairytale to showcase the difficulties women face when navigating the world of men.

Effy’s in-depth knowledge and incredibly high scores were not enough to sway the literature college into admitting its first female student. Instead, she settled for architecture, and she is less than pleased. Effy keeps her head down during the day to evade her classmates’ stares and takes sleeping pills at night to keep visions of the Fairy King at bay. She treads water and barely stays afloat in school until she discovers the estate of her favorite author, Emrys Myrddin, is hosting a competition to design a home for the late author’s family. Finally, she can put these meaningless classes to use, and Effy’s design easily catches the Myrddin family’s attention. But when Effy travels to Emry’s rural hometown, she is disappointed to find a decrypt, damp home being reclaimed by the sea. The inhabitants of the manor are even stranger, and Effy finds herself trapped by the strange magic of Myrddin and his famous story, Angharad. The longer Effy stays, the more the sea rises, and it uncovers more horrible truths with it.

The title, A Study in Drowning, is both a play on words and an accurate description of the book’s primary setting. Effy arrives at Hiraeth Manor to find it slowly falling into the sea, and while Myrddin’s study has yet to succumb to its watery grave, it is only a matter of time. The title also describes the state of Effy’s life which is as scary and foreboding as being on a boat slowly sinking into dark water. Effy is quite literally drowning in the patriarchal society that constantly belittles and uses her. She is stifled by sexism and treated like an object, and it’s all she can do to keep her head above water and survive. The title is clever, but Reid also does an incredible job using water imagery throughout the book. Metaphorically, Effy is constantly treading water and weathering each wave that laps over her head, while she is also physically soaked to the bone from the decrepit manor that is home to both people and the sea.

It is a compliment when I say that I was uncomfortable reading this book because Reid so accurately captures many horrors that women are subjected to by men. While not explicitly described, Reid alludes to instances of sexual harassment and assault, but what was more prevalent were microaggressions and awkward situations. My skin would crawl when a man’s heavy hand landed on Effy’s shoulder or when someone made an inappropriate and subtly sexual comment. What really broke my heart was watching Effy awkwardly try to diffuse these situations. More often than not, Effy reverted to being polite in an attempt to evade incurring their wrath, but her tendency to be nice was also because she had been made to believe it was her fault that men acted this way. This was a result of all the times Effy had raised concerns, whether it be her advisor or the Fairy King, and she was told it was all in her head or that she interpreted the situation wrong. A major theme in this book revolves around how little women are believed and how easily our experiences are discounted or played down by the people around us or by our own internal monologue. This occurs throughout the book as Effy believes herself to be “crazy” and constantly blames herself. She never trusts what’s happening around her and softens bad and predatory behavior to placate the people around her.

The worldbuilding is the shallowest part of the book, which doesn’t do much to take away from the story but it could have benefitted from a little more depth. There is a lot of geographical animosity and wariness happening in the background that serves to create distrust among the characters. Effy’s country, Llyr, is in an ongoing war with Argant. There are also regional biases in Llyr between its northern cities and the rural, Bottom Hundred region in the south. It’s a little unclear, but literature is practically worshipped in Llyr, and the country appoints beloved authors as “Sleepers.” The Sleepers are revered as important historical figures, and the inhabitants of the Bottom Hundred believe the Sleepers have magic that keeps the sea levels from rising and destroying their region. I don’t understand why the Sleepers have magic or how it has anything to do with the Bottom Hundred when we’re told repeatedly that it is an uneducated region incapable of producing intellectual authors. It also appears some of the hatred between Llyr and Argant has something to do with the countries trying to claim authors or literature as their own. The vague worldbuilding provides a shaky foundation of distrust between characters because it’s not clear why or where the animosity stems from. Overall it doesn’t detract from the story, but it does produce awkward interactions when characters come at each other with long-held beliefs we don’t understand.

I was uncomfortable while wading through Effy’s life and Myrffin’s terrible house of secrets in A Study in Drowning. Ava Reid did an incredible job pulling you down into the story so you could feel the panic and water rise with each page. The fantastical elements are understated and the worldbuilding is murky, but I enjoyed this tale of a young woman finding her voice.

Rating: A Study in Drowning - 7.0/10

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Let’s get to it!

Effy has nightmares that haunt her even in her waking hours. Taking her little pink pills, she tries to fight the visions that everyone else believes are a form of psychosis rather than a real creature lurking in the shadows, waiting. Meanwhile, she goes to college and studies architecture, though she would rather be taking the literature courses that are for men only. Determined to make something of herself, as well as get the chance to visit her favorite author’s home, Effy applies to work on an architecture project for the late author’s son. When she is accepted, she sets off without realizing just what darkness she is about to tumble into.

Wow, so, everyone knows I love books with fairies, but it was interesting to read a fantasy novel in which the only fairy character is the bad guy. This fact kind of disappointed me at first, yet it showed the side of myths that say the Folk are dangerous, bloodthirsty and that humans are anything but safe in their presence. I liked the gothic vibes this book gave off, the threat of rising water, the dual personalities of the author’s son, the reluctant romance between Effy and a rival college student on his own academic quest.

Really fun and engrossing read, I definitely recommend it!

This is one of the best books I've read this year. The characters were likable and memorable, the setting was captivating and atmospheric, and the academia plotline was so well done. I would love to read more books set in this world.

A Study in Drowning swept me away to the cliffs of Hiraeth Manor, no pun intended, and gave me a gothic fantasy I didn't even know that I was missing. Reid creates the perfect atmosphere and makes you wish you could feel the chill of the ocean breeze on your face while being wrapped in your favorite sweater as you escape into the world plagued by the Drowning (or, that's how I felt anyway!). This dark academic fantasy features romance, history, friendship, storytelling, folklore, and more. I can't wait for this to hit the shelf at our library this month! Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books - HarperTeen for this ARC!