This dark academia was just what I was looking for to get back into school. I loved the darkness and themes of the folklore. This one will draw you into the story from the first few pages and you won't want to do anything else until you are done. The characters leap off the page and drag you into a spell binding tale that you will not want to miss.

This book was not what I was expecting based on the synopsis, but it surprised me in a good way. It had dark with dreary vibes with an intriguing mystery to solve. The author carefully places little breadcrumbs throughout the story that build up to a shocking ending that left me feeling all sorts of things by the end.

The story starts off very slowly with a lot of world building and getting to know our main character and the struggles she has. I think our main character will be very relatable to female readers as she is full of anxiety and unrealized dreams. She faces sexism each day at her university and has traumas she is working through - I would check to see if there are trigger warnings for this book as some parts of it could be dark. I did end up liking the main character and enjoyed the character growth we got to see from her.

Although the synopsis hints at an enemies to lovers romance, I felt like the romance wasn’t as passionate or heated as an enemies to lovers and felt more like a cute friends to lovers romance. Luckily, the romance takes a backseat to the eerie mystery.

This book felt like a mix between psychological thriller, gothic fairytales and historical fiction. Effy reminded me of Silvia from The Jasad Heir while the darker fairytales reminded me of the faerie stories in Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia and the decrepit creepy house reminded me of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride but this book had prose that was much easier to read for me. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a more psychological thriller like fantasy-lite read. I would also want to warn potential readers not to expect heavy romance or magic in this book.

4.5/5

"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."

Effy, the sole female architect student at her university, has always seen the Fairy King - waiting, in the shadows. The one thing that has helped her through the moments where she felt like she was drowning was Angharad, a book of romance and fairy tales. When she learns about a contest to design a house for the remaining family of Angharad's author, Effy immediately applies. She is chosen for the project, but when she arrives, she finds an academic rival also there to uncover the dark secrets of this reclusive family. And she finds what she hopes isn't really there, the Fairy King.

The world that Ava creates is thoroughly thought out, especially the works of different authors and the history. It felt so realistic and complete, that I had to check that no author by the name of Emrys Myrddin ever existed when I first started reading. The mentions of how the event the "Drowning" affected people 200 years after showed that Ava paid attention to detail in the history of the story.

While overall I enjoyed this novel, sometimes I felt like it was a slow moving story with not a lot of things happening. However, the part that would have moved me from a 4.5 to a 5 star review though would have been for the final confrontation to have more substance. It felt like it was over too quickly, even after so many parts of the story were slower.

This story unpacks many topics such as sexism, people in authority misusing their position, and consent, but in a way that felt natural to the story. I also felt like the panic attacks and anxiety shown in the main character mirrored my own experiences in a way that not many books I've read have done. Effy often talks of drowning or being underwater to express her anxiety and panic, which I can relate to. In my opinion, I thought all these topics were handled well and we get to see the main character grow to be someone who can push back against stereotypes and expectations.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC of A Study in Drowning.

I would love to interview Ava on A Study in Drowning. for my podcast, Raise Your Words. It's a dark academia book. I've been seeing this all over BookTok so I had to read it and I'm so glad I did!! This was so much fun.

I read an eARC of a Study in Drowning. Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Everything in this book should be something I adore. A creepy, sea landscape in a world with a light magical system that is questioned even by its people which makes everything that is happening in the text all the more unsure. We have Effy, a young woman in her first year of Architecture college, though her true love is in literacy. Unfortunately, here literacy is seen as the highest form of intellectual prowess, and women are seen as too weak-minded to even get a chance to enter that college.

Effy has no real interest in architecture, but she feels going will help get her a job and is better than nothing. Still, when a poster goes up with a competition to win a chance to help restore her favorite author’s home six months after his death. She is chosen, and is excited, but knows she has to be careful. She sees things, so she has pills she has to take, and since she’s a first-year student, she has to be careful she doesn’t fall behind.

Still, the author’s son drives her to his seaside home, and immediately there’s contention and strange things happening. Effy thinks she sees someone who could be a mythical person run near the car, and then she meets the student who was asked to collect the letters and notes of her favorite author, who turns out to be a person from a nation that Effy’s people are currently at war.

From there it’s an enemies-to-lovers story, looking for answers about her favorite author, and a whole run of creepy men.

The story for some reason just didn’t hold my attention. There are a lot of things going on. The themes are front and center, and there’s lots to dig your teeth into whether you want a creepy horror setting, or to look deeper into the text.

It just failed to catch my attention.

So, I can see people liking this book, and if the plot interests you, then I suggest reading the first two chapters if you can to see if you like the structure of the story, because I can see this book having an adoring readership that returns to this book again and again. That’s just not me.

“Survival is bravery, too”

A Study in Drowning is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. I haven’t read any YA Fantasy in quite a while, and I have to say that this one just completely swept me off my feet. I am OBSESSED. I find it really hard to write plot summaries for fantasy novels because there’s always SO much going on, but I will attempt it below lol:

This story follows our protagonist, Effy Sayre, as she navigates a dream opportunity that soon becomes a nightmare. Effy had dreams of attending her country’s literary college, but was forced to settle for the architecture college due to a rule excluding women from enrollment in the Literary department. Even at the architecture college, Effy is the only female student. She struggles with her classes, as well as the lingering PTSD of a traumatic experience that took place with her older, male advisor. On top of that, she’s suffered from (what I interpreted as) anxiety/panic disorder since she was a child, after having repeated, vivid hallucinations of The Fairy King.

The Fairy King is old lore, a fairytale, nonsense if you ask any Northerner. But if you ask a Southerner, they would tell you that The Fairy King is as real as anything else, and a worthy source of fear. He is written to be a beautiful, ancient entity that snatches little girls away from their homes. He is also the main subject of Angharad, a beloved book by the late Emrys Myrddin, one of the country’s most famous storytellers. While many myths speak of how to avoid The Fairy King and keep him at bay, Angharad is a story in which a mortal girl falls in love with him, and in the end destroys him. This book in particular is so near and dear to Effy; she has it memorized, cover to cover, and admires Myrddin immensely.

When a call for proposals is posted by Myrddin’s family, for the revitalization design of Hiraeth Manor, the late author’s home, Effy immediately latches onto this opportunity. Her proposal is chosen, and she travels down to the Bottom Hundred, the southernmost territories of the country, to Hiraeth Manor. Upon her arrival, she is greeted by Ianto, Myrddin’s surviving son, and Preston Héloury, a student at the literature college. Preston is at Hiraeth Manor gathering letters and documentation on Myrddin, for the college, and Effy immediately despises him. But feelings change, as a surprising chain of events leads to Preston and Effy joining together with the common goal of unearthing the truth about Myrddin and his legacy. The line between fairytale and reality soon becomes blurred, as they encounter increasingly terrifying and dangerous secrets within the walls of the decrepit and crumbling Hiraeth Manor.

I know that this is a YA Fantasy, and I’m about to be 27 years old, but let me tell you, I was SCARED!!! Like genuinely terrified, afraid to sleep at night. It reminded me of the feeling I had while reading Down Comes The Night by Allison Saft, another gothic YA Fantasy, and an all-time fave of mine. Reid was masterful in their creation of such an eerie and unsettling atmosphere within the walls of Hiraeth manor. The lore and history was so fascinating, the mystery was so enthralling, and I continued to grow more and more disturbed as further truths became revealed. One of my favorite parts of this book, though, was Effy’s journey. The depiction of her anxiety/panic disorder was so realistic, I felt like I was reading a description of my own experiences with anxiety disorder. Her growth was so beautiful, and I was just absolutely cheering for her all the way through. I loved the emphasis and validation on the fact that bravery does not always mean getting up to fight, but can also mean doing what you must to survive. This was a perfect blend of magical and nostalgic fairytale, thrilling gothic mystery, and dark academia. I’m a FAN.

I'm the problem at this point. Despite how much I love Ava Reid's writing, I can't seem to connect to her books.

Effy has always been an odd girl, seeing things from her fairytales. She escapes the haunting visions as a child in her favorite book, Angharad. Myrddin’s enchanting stories are what she clings to throughout her childhood, and into college. At architecture school, Effy seizes her chance to escape the toxic environment of her college, when Myrddin’s family has a contest to repair the family house. Upon arrival at Myrddin’s estate, Effy’s fanciful imaginations come crashing down when she sees the state of disrepair the house is in. Forced into the proximity of Preston, who is trying to ruin Myrddin’s reputation, Effy is drawn deeper into the aloof author’s life and discovers secrets that might save her, or drown her once and for all.

Ava Reid’s writing style is lyrical and enthralling. She is one of the most skilled writers I’ve read with her ability to build haunting atmospheres and worlds that leap off the page. My favorite aspect of this book was the stories within the stories. There are numerous passages from Myrddin’s books, which were beautiful. I was amazed at how Reid made these stories so distinct from the actual novel; it was like there were two different writers. Reid also carries the theme of water throughout her writing in a natural flow. At times, she might have gone overboard with the metaphors, but overall, I was impressed with how she wove it into the book.

While the book’s atmosphere was flawless, instantly transporting me to a stormy and gloomy island, this didn’t translate into world-building. There is a war going on between Llyr and Argant, but it didn’t make much sense. It’s never fully explained why the two countries are fighting, and it doesn’t have an important place in the plot. It would pop up in the book randomly, only to disappear and not do anything for whatever scene it barged into. As for famous authors being Sleepers, it’s never fully explained why Llyr places an emphasis on literary heroes being magical. I was fascinated with the idea of authors being protectors of countries, but this concept never goes anywhere.

Effy was not your average heroine. The book gave a sense of her being in a hazy state, a survival mechanism for her trauma. It was a refreshing change of pace from the strong, witty female heroes that are so often seen in fantasy, even if it broke my heart. Her energy is spent just trying to survive, which the book makes clear is okay. You don’t have to be loud and bold to be worthy of respect. Anxious, broken characters are shown as growing hard and sharp to the world, but Effy retreats into the world she’s created with her beloved books. I felt very protective of her. While her trauma is mentioned, it wasn’t explored. We hear of the exploitative things men have done to her and the parental abandonment she’s experienced, but nothing comes of it. I’m not saying I expected her to confront and heal in less than four hundred pages, but from beginning to end, there wasn’t growth. She was stuck in a loop until 95% of the way through when she broke through her fears, and her anxiety was just gone. As someone who relates a lot to Effy’s feelings, I was hoping for a quieter resolution for her character arc.

A Study in Drowning had an emphasis on the credibility of women. Effy is often disregarded and not taken seriously simply because of her sex. In the matters of men and fairytales, Effy has been taught to push down her truth, to make everyone else a little bit more comfortable. This broke my heart because it’s something women still face to this day. Ava Reid does not shy away from the trauma this has caused for Effy. Effy trusts no men, having grown up without a father, and at every turn, a man is trying to use her. I wish there had been some examples of good men outside of a romantic nature. I understand all of Effy’s justified fear and hesitation around men, but aside from Preston, all of the men are misogynistic and creepy. Not all men are like that, and it would have been wonderful to see Effy start the healing process and see that not everyone will use her.

The romance was stilted for me. While I enjoyed Effy and Preston’s interactions when they worked together, I didn’t understand the rivals-to-lovers part. For one, they aren’t in the same school, so academically they aren’t competing. They also have two completely separate projects when it comes to Myrddin’s house. The “enemy” part was so short, I can’t recall what made them enemies in the first place. Effy didn’t like him because he is half Aragantian, and resented the fact that he was in literary school. She is very critical of him because of where he comes from, which was not a good look for Effy. I didn’t understand her intense hatred for Argant, because the tension between Llyr and Argant was never explained. Effy is very fearful of men throughout the book, but that didn’t translate to Preston. From the beginning, she is sharp and snappy with him. At the end of the book, when their feelings finally come to a head, the bond they formed was sweet and made sense for their characters; it just lacked all of the important build-up between them.

Despite my problems with the book, I think this will appeal to a lot of readers. While it didn’t work for me, many people will be touched by the quiet strength of Effy, and women will relate to her hurt and pain, just from being a woman in a world where men aren’t fond of girls they can’t use. This book is for the girls who live in their heads and feel safe in the company of books.

A big thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Wow.

This has secured it's spot in my top 10 of 2023.

A Study in Drowning is a wonderful dark academia book involving heavy themes of the sea/drowning and literature. I enjoyed the chemistry between Effy and Preston, and I thought the way that the story ended was fantastic.

As someone with anxiety, I felt so seen and related to Effy so much. I wish I could go back in time and reread this for the first time. I will 100% recommend this to anyone that loves dark academia with a touch of spookiness.

Effy is the only female student in the architecture college of Caer-Isel. Due to her lifelong love of the novel Angharad, by recently deceased author, Emyrs Myrddin, she would rather be in the Literature college, but women and not allowed. When the opportunity to submit a design for the upcoming redesign of the Myrddin estate presents itself, Effy has no choice but to submit a proposal. But when her design is actually chosen, she must reconcile the facts and fictions of her life to find a future she’s happy with.

I absolutely adored this book. It mixed together so many things I love: Dark Academia, old world fairy tales, and Gothic horror. This book hit all those marks beautifully and painted a world that was equal parts beautiful and terrible. If you are looking for a good Dark Academia, spooky season book, this one is perfect. It’s dark and atmospheric with much of the novel taking place in a crumbling palatial estate near the sea. What more could you ask for?

A huge theme of this book is the examination of power dynamics. And it is illustrated throughout all of Effy’s relationships: her mother, her professors, her classmates, and Myrddin’s estate. Each and every one of these is handled with care, but honesty. It was wonderful and heartbreaking to watch Effy navigate them all and grow to find her place in a world that has so many hidden rules that must be followed by “polite” society.

For reasons I cannot fully explain, this book gave me Labyrinth (1986) vibes both through the main character’s love of a work of fiction that helped her through a difficult time and through the relationship dynamics between Angharad and the Fairy King within Myrddin’s novel itself (again power dynamics). I have always loved stories of a woman exploring the world through fiction, which is why I find books like this so special. It was beautifully and heartbreakingly written and I cannot wait until it comes out, so I can add it to my shelf.

In A Study In Drowning, Effy Sayre is an architecture student struggling with the after effects of a traumatic event. An opportunity to work on the home of her favorite author seems like a life boat in the storm. However, Myrrdin’s house is nothing like Effy expected, especially with literature student Preston Heloury lurking around the place. Preston is trying to uncover Myrrdin’s secrets and it’s up to Effy to decide if her life boat will save her or sink her

I think A Study in Drowning may be my fav book by Ava Reid. I loved the dark academia vibes with the lightest touches of horror. This isn’t an easy read as it focuses on misogyny and abuses of power, but I enjoyed Effy’s character arc ie seeing her learn to accept herself and find a way to take back the power that was stolen from her. On a lighter note, Effy and Preston were adorable together. I loved their slow burn, slightly awkward, nerdy romance. And last, but not least I enjoyed the literary mystery at the heart of this book.

I absolutely recommend this book, which releases on September 19, 2023.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Collins, for the e-arc!
I was really excited to see Ava Reid's new story, and I'm glad to see it did not disappoint. The recommendations for similar books are spot on, and I can see why so many people love the story. It delivers on the gothic vibes with a nice amount of romance. The dark fae and fantasy elements are creative and spooky. Overall I enjoyed this story immensely.

What do I say? How do I say it? This is a gothic romance/dark academia book, and it delivers in every aspect. But it also takes the notion of gothic and includes some very important moments about consent. It was like one large allegory, but done well. I think this is Reid's best work to date -- and I think it will absolutely resonate with so many people. I simply don't have the words for this book.

A Study in Drowning is everything you could want from a gothic tale, a lone woman (or man) going to an old house or mansion, and stirring up the mysteries and the ghosts of the past. Add into that The Fairy King and magical symbolism and you'll have an excellent story.

Reid's writing weaves such an atmosphere around you, you could almost imagine the ocean waves lapping at the edges of the manor, of it crumbling into the sea...of Effy. The mystery was woven into the atmosphere, and it was a layered mystery. It was complicated and wonderful, and I loved every moment of this book. I wanted to continue to savor it, I didn't want it to end. (Of course, it had to).

This is one of those books that I want to reread because I feel that the first read you'll miss things, things that you'll only understand on a second or third read through.

Effy -- I loved her. She was such a great heroine for this book, because she was strong in a different way. Her anxiety from the first page made me go, "oh, I understand this" and I felt for her. I felt that I was her throughout this book. I loved to see her struggles and her successes, and Reid did a brilliant job depicting them.

I loved the combination of different elements, because it really made this book standout. Honestly, this book is haunting and beautiful. I loved this book.

I cannot wait to reread it when I have a physical copy in my hands (maybe two).

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this on ebook through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: I ended up really enjoying this. It is a bit of an odd book that deals with dark fae and has a strangely Lovecaftian feel to it as well. I also enjoyed Reid's book "Juniper & Thorn" when I read it.

Effy is the only female architecture student (she wanted to go into literature but they don't let women do that because women are too flighty). She has had some trouble with her professor abusing her and would love nothing more than to leave the college. She ends up winning a contest to redesign the house of a famous author named Myrddin; an author she really admires. However, when she journeys to the desolate Hiraeth Manor she realizes she's been given an impossible task. The house is literally falling into the sea and the new lord of the manor (Myrddin's son) is strange and seems to want to use Effy in the same way her professor wanted to use her.

The only saving grace is that there is another student there, Preston Héloury, working on his thesis. He draws Effy into a mystery around Myrddin that will upend everything she thinks she knows about the fae and her favorite author.

I ended up enjoying this. The story deals some with dark fae but has more of a Lovecraftian vibe to it at points. You have the sea pounding on the town that Hiraeth Manor is located in and the way it is infusing the walls of the house. The master of the house is slowly descending into madness as well. There are also heavy themes about women being taken advantage of and learning to stand up for themselves. Many of the men in here seek to abuse and take advantage of the women in their lives.

This is beautifully written and easy to read. You can smell and taste the moldy walls of Hiraeth Manor. While I got frustrated with Effy at times, I did sympathize for her. I thought the relationship between Effy and Preston was decently done. Although, the fact that Effy went from an abusive relationship with her professor directly into a relationship with another man who says he will protect her was not ideal. It would have been nice if Effy had learned to stand on her own two feet first.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. The dark damp depths of Hiraeth Manor were strangely enticing and I enjoyed uncovering Myrddin's secrets. The characters weren't my absolutely favorite but I did enjoy the dark fae and Lovecraftian vibes to this story. This was a good read and I will keep an eye out for future books by Reid. I enjoy the darker tone that her books have.

What a stunning surprise. In some ways this book made me feel the way Seanan McGuire’s Every Heart a Doorway did—there is danger lurking around every corner, magic that is a threat, and the absolute overwhelming feeling of being seen.

Ava Reid’s prose is stunning, and the Eddy’s struggles in her intensely misogynistic world don’t feel so far out of reach. But there are books to save us, even if we have to save ourselves too.

This is a gem.

Ava Reid's prose is incredible. I loved every minute I spent reading this book, and I can't wait for more people to experience it.

This is by the author of Juniper and Thorn and The Wolf and the Woodsman but here we have a dark academia YA fantasy that follows Effy, the first and only female student in this prestigious college, she enters and wins a competition to design an estate for her favorite author who is very famous but has recently passed away. As she’s trying to design this estate, she teams up with a former rival and they reveal some gritty truths about this authors famous work. A very different kind of story, it's really unique, I don’t know why but it reminds me of like Edgar Allan Poe for some reason. It was a really good read.

A masterfully done genre bending story with mystery, horror, romance, dark academia, psychological thriller and paranormal elements- set against the backdrop of a gothic haunted house. This is a deeply thought provoking novel with a strong voice for women and the sexism and struggles they endure in academia. Truly an unforgettable read.

Actual Rating 1.5

Effy leads an odd life – she’s had visions since she was a child, visions of fairies and danger, and is also the only female architectural student at a prestigious college. She has sought solace in the pages of Myrddin’s epic novel since she was young, so when she receives an opportunity to visit and design Myrddin’s family estate, she leaps at the chance. While there, she meets a literature student who was invited to study the author’s papers for his thesis. But as they grow closer, Effy realizes that the student isn’t being straightforward with his reasons for being there, and that something dark and unsettling lurks within the walls of the manor.

I wanted to love this book based on its description. What I did enjoy was that the atmosphere was relatively solid. The use of the setting and storms was interesting, and I liked the idea of the threat of a Second Drowning and how that added anxiety to the characters. Each chapter began with a short excerpt from a work of (fictional) literature by or about Myrddin, which helped add to the academic aspect of the read. But these were really the only things I liked.

One of the things I disliked was that there was no meaningful setting description at the beginning. It starts off reading like a traditional fantasy, and then based on some context clues I started wondering if it was more pseudo-early/mid-nineteenth century, but then there are elevators, cars, televisions, guns, etc. But these weren’t included until well into the read, which was frustrating.

This work ended up being too much in some places, and not enough in others. It went too far on the “every man is lewd, corrupt, and sexist except for the hot, young male protagonist” for me to really enjoy the characters/characterization. They weren’t developed well aside from their one or two traits that turned into their entire personalities. It also went too far with the metaphors. I didn’t make a note of every time it came up or any of the exact wording, but we were constantly receiving metaphors about Effy “drowning” and the different ways she was drowning, floundering for air, etc. The first time it came up I thought it was clever. By the fifth time I was ready to move on. The author didn’t go far enough with the Fairy King. There should have been so much more suspense, tension, and danger incorporated with this aspect of the read, but it was barely utilized. And the final confrontation relating to this? Laughable and painfully brief/absurd. The author also didn’t go far enough with developing the relationship between Effy and Preston (insta-love, and no, this isn’t a spoiler, it’s obvious from her arrival that they’re going to be a thing).

Many other reviewers loved this YA read, so if the premise is interesting to you, check out some of their thoughts. This one just did not work for me. My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing for allowing me to read this work, which will be published September 19th, 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Actual Rating - 4.5]

Ava Reid’s young adult debut is an eclectic mix of a gothic and atmospheric fantasy!

“Everything ancient must decay, a wise man once said thus to me. But a sailor was I–and on my head no fleck of gray–so with all the boldness of my youth, I said: The only enemy is the sea.”

A Study in Drowning tells the story of a young woman trapped within the ruins of a decrepit and sea-sodden house. Effy is forced to live within these unseemly borders and the secrets it harbors. Paired with the infuriating Preston–a scholar from the literature academia, the two of them must uncover the mystery of Hiraeth Manor, before it condemns them both to ruination.

Reid illustrates a tale steeped in folklore and mystery. A Study in Drowning is written in an immersive prose, with description bleeding into reality. The world of a devouring sea and the ringing of bells from long-submerged churches evoke an otherworldly, gothic dreamscape.

All in all, A Study in Drowning told a tale I was all but acquiescent to submerge into.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC. I found this novel haunting in many, many ways. Atmospheric, with a lingering sense of dread.