An enthralling architectural dark academia with gorgeous prose and a powerful story. Ava Reid weaves a tale of trauma, longing, deception, and hope

Thank you netgalley for the arc. I really enjoyed how everything tied up in the end. I predicted a few things in the story but over all really enjoyed it.

I enjoyed the book A Study In Drowning by Ava Reid. The characters were well developed and relatable. The plot was unique and suspenseful. I definitely found myself thinking about the story when I wasn't reading it.

Effy was very easy to get emotionally attached to. It was clear that she had flaws and her character development was very well done. Preston was also very easy to love. Even he was being "smug".

I did find some of the story line predictable and that made it hard to stay fully immersed in the story at times. But overall very solid story and I quite enjoyed it.

Thank you Netgalley & HarperCollins for an advance copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
"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.

I read The Wolf and the Woodsman semi-recently and I was intrigued by the story, but as a whole it was quite underwhelming. I actually had to double back and reread my review before writing this, because I remembered so little. But what I did remember is that I liked the lore and the mythical tribes in the book, which was enough to have me give the author a second chance.

And, man, was this book such an improvement. I love the lore that the author wrote about in this book, she did such an amazing job of providing a magical backstory that is slightly unsettling and has us questioning whether it is real or if the main character is just crazy. Throughout most of the book too I found myself questioning if the MC was an unreliable narrator or not, and I loved it. It really created a whole 'nother layer to the story.

The atmosphere for this book is also very top notch. I could easily see this book translated to the big screen, and I think it would translate well. The house itself was giving me slight Series of Unfortunate Events vibes: you have a rotting mansion on the precarious edge of a cliff, which slowly crumbles and eats the house alive. There is dark, moody weather where all you want is to sit in front of a fire, and I felt the need to nurse a nice cup of cocoa while reading (despite it being over 80*F where I am).

I think the characters are well written, and I enjoyed watching them come together to work toward a shared end goal. Even with the MC being hesitant to trust, especially trust someone she was raised to hate, they made a good pair and worked well together. The romance was well developed without completely overtaking the main story (except for one part near the end, ugh did not need a semi-spicy scene in there). The main character herself has some good character development too; it is almost like she is a different person near the end of the book.

My one issue with this story is that it definitely dragged in a few points throughout. I know that a story like this couldn't be action all the time, but the parts where there was action I was fully invested. But then some other parts were really slow and I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I also feel like I missed out on some of the description behind Sleepers and who they really are, and again missing out why the two different peoples hated each other. That could have been an overlook on my part, but I wondered about them throughout the whole story.

Overall, this was a good book and I am glad to have given the author a second chance. The atmosphere and lore are definitely my favorite aspect of this story, and I think it would translate well to the big screen. The story did drag in a few places, but the action sequences were really good and almost made up for it. All around a solid book, and worth the read.
Content warnings: adult/minor sexual assault, toxic relationships, child abuse, abandonment, sexism, misogyny, sexual harassment, body horror, bullying, child death

A Study in Drowning is a beautifully written dark academia fairy tale. If you enjoyed A Wolf and the Woodsman, and Juniper and Thorn you will love this book as well. Ava Reid does such a great job with character development along with creating a compelling atmosphere. I really enjoy her descriptions of the worlds that she builds.

I also really liked how this story was an ode to women everywhere who have been taken advantage of by men who hold power over them. This book cemented Ava Reid's place as an auto-read/auto-buy author for me!

This was a quick, imaginative read! I enjoyed world building in this book- it felt very unique! It was lovely to read Effy gain confidence at the end of the series. Overall, a lot of the plot felt predictable and it took a bit for the pacing of the book to find its footing. The plot seemed forced in some places, as well as the romance. I wish there had been moments of Effy finding her voice sooner than the final chapters of the book.

A dark academia novel inside a mystery novel all wrapped up in an academic rivals romance. And it just WORKS! I loved every minute of this book. It made me wonder what was real, who to trust, where all of the loose ends would tie up… and it just flowed so seamlessly. Ava Reid truly has a way with words that sucks you in to the middle of the worlds she creates. Truly a five star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing Inc. for giving me an ARC for this book.

TW: sexism, death, sexual assault, drowning (and details about drowning), dependency on pills

Rating is 4.5

To be honest when starting this i wasn't aware if the sexism was on purpose or accident which made me question if I should keep reading. I am glad i kept reading. This book really touched on the issues between the sexes in the past and the lack of belief males had in females in everything from academic to the truth of something happening to them. The author threw in fairy tales and myths to make the reader think and feel even more.

The easiest way to explain what this book made me think about was David Bowie's Labyrinth. It starts off with just a simple girl going through her daily life taking care of her little brother and deciding to quote her lines in the school play Labyrinth not knowing that the words she is saying are actually summoning the Goblin King like in the play itself. Our main character in A Study of Magic isn't summoning the Goblin King while talking to her sibling but in a way close since she has been seeing the Fairy King from a young age but no one believes her, not even doctors or her mother. This makes the lines blur between what is real and what is all in her mind. Does the reader trust what she is saying, or do we believe what we have been told all our own lives that fairy tales aren't real and can't hurt us?

Our main character Effy starts off having a horrible first year of college being stuck in the architect college instead of the literature college that she focused on when taking the entrance tests, she even wrote a big essay for the literature college scouts. Leading Effy to be the only girl in the Architect college (no females allowed at the Literature College) which only leads to trouble with her peers and the staff. Luckily for Effy she gets the opportunity of a lifetime to go design a new home for her favorite author's son and widow. Little does she know she isn't the only one to get invited to the manor. One is there to see the place and inspiration of their favorite childhood fairy tale the other is there to prove the author is a fraud and possibly who really wrote some of the authors best works. Along the way belief in not only the author gets tested but also reality itself. What would you do if your favorite fairy tale story was all real? What would you do if it was becoming your real life? What would you say if one of the characters asked you to join them for eternity? Could eternity even be guaranteed at this point?

I'm not going to say more about the plot but i will say i wasn't sure about everything and how things were going to play out until key things started to come to light and fall into place. I felt like i was doing a puzzle trying to gather pieces to get a full picture but each time i thought i had it there was another piece found under furniture.

Would recommend this to anyone hands down as long as they knew the trigger warnings first. Good book loved the authors writing style and story telling.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid is a beautifully atmospheric novel and my new favorite of Reid's books. Reid creates characters you quickly care about and builds a gothic world that will continue to haunt you long after you finish the book. With a quick pace and engaging storyline, I found this book to be a fast read that kept me invested until the end. This book will surely be a favorite for dark academia and YA literature fans.
As with all of Reid's books, she does not shy away from tackling heavy topics, so I always recommend checking on the trigger warnings.

4.5 stars

Reading this book was a little like drowning. Or at least like being swallowed up slowly by dark water, and I mean that in the best possible way. There was such a feeling to it, a heaviness, a wetness like mist and rain and fog. The prose managed to capture that and the oppressive dangerous feeling so incredibly well. I was enthralled, both with the setting and the character and the very real mysteries about here that are only slowly revealed with all the rest.

Effy was a little exasperating at first, and her experiences so confusing. The confusion and uncertainty of what was real and what was not was so expertly done. The reader is left to wallow in it with her, to be swallowed by her feelings and uncertainty, yet also to wonder about her reliability. There is trauma here too, but it is so interestingly written, the story drawn around it until finally the shape is made clear almost at the same time you'd figured it out by the empty space it left.

And then there is Preston. He is written in such a way as to allow you to get to know him just as Effy does, in the same slow way, and he was wonderful. There was a great deal to enjoy about him, his cleverness, his strange kindnesses, but mostly I think I liked his acceptance.

There was a lot to this story, layers of things unpacked at what mostly felt like just the right time, and if I had figured out one of the solutions a bit ahead of the intrepid pair it was a delight to read while waiting for them to finally reach the same conclusion.

I had wondered how it would all wrap up and I will not spoil it save to say that I could not have asked anything more of it. The ending was right, a clearing like the sun coming out and the storm receding. The entire story had left me a lot to think about, burrowing into my brain a bit. I had never read anything else by the author and there was so much here that I kept debating with myself how much I liked the way it was written. Once it all came to make sense however I can only appreciate how deftly it was done.

This is a brilliant book, full of mystery and grief and a whole lot of righteous anger underneath it. I have given the world building very little mention here but that too was really delightfully done. For the most part so subtly integrated that it simply feels as if it's there. I will definitely need to look into the author's other books.

"Challenging me isn't pestering. I'm not always right. Sometimes I deserve to be challenged. And changing your mind isn't foolish. It just means you've learned something new. Everyone changes their mind sometimes, as they should, or else they're just, I don't know, stubborn and ignorant. Moving water is healthy; stagnant water is sickly. Tainted."

I had a really hard time deciding how to rate this book after finishing. I am a huge fan of gothic novels and I love an eerie, dark vibe. This book definitely succeeded in setting that tone, however I was still left wanting more and am unsure why.

The first half of the book was hard for me to get in to. The first 15-20% was slow and I had to gloss over the world building a bit until I understood what was going on. I really enjoyed Effy and Preston as main characters and I was rooting for both. I loved the mystery, the fairytale style story and the atmospheric writing.

Around the halfway point, the book really picks up and I enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery. I thought the book was rather predictable, but I flew through the climax and the ending with excitement. I’m not sure where my disconnect was with this book. I think there was a lot of internal monologue in the first half and it was rather slow with a lot of details and pages that felt irrelevant and left me with questions. The first half of the book I would’ve given a 2 as I really had a hard time wanting to continue. And the second half I would’ve given a 4 because it was much more exciting and contained more dialogue.

Overall, if you like YA fantasy, gothic mansions, dark eerie vibes, atmospheric writing, enemies to lovers, and fairytale style setups, this would be the perfect book for you.

3 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books/HarperTeen for this ARC.

Two students in a drowning world and decaying mansion find themselves uncovering the secret truth of an immersive fairytale known to all.

This story was very atmospheric and mystery could be felt on every page.

I enjoyed how unknowingly strong and vulnerable Effy was and how her character developed throughout the story. I also admired the strength of her belief in the story of Angharad and her belief in who she is (re: her childhood).

Her interactions with Preston were well written in terms of rivals-to-friends-to-lovers, and I liked how the author still kept bits of their "opposites attract" dynamic at the end of the story; it enhances how they are a perfect fit for each other.

The fairytale/story of Angharad was so immersive throughout and was woven well with Effy and Preston's story. The backstory of the Drowning and the dynamic of the university also added to an even fuller world.

A Study in Drowning is a dark and mysterious yet vulnerable story of a girl who comes to find that fairytales can be adored and feared at the same time.

I almost DNFd this book several times. The writing style just wasn't it for me for most of the book. While it was very descriptive, the number of times something was described like something else had my eyes rolling. For example, "the shutter flapped in the wind like clothes drying on the line," or "her dress moved in the water like a jelly fish swimming in a current." It got to the point where if I saw the word "like" I groaned, it was at least once a page, so by the halfway point, I wasn't having the best time.

BUT I kind of wanted to find out if I was right about the plot, so I stuck with it and hoped it got better. It did, and it didn't. I liked our main character, Effys growth throughout the book was wonderful. She starts off in a place that is incredibly mentally unhealthy. She was told her entire life she wasn't good enough, she experienced trauma at a young age, and she tended to disassociate when stressed. Which is understandable in her case. But (spoiler) she slowly finds her voice, and stands up for herself, it was truly wonderful and I couldn't help cheering for her.

Overall, this book as a whole was a miss for me, but I did enjoy the characters, especially our MCs.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Collins, for the ARC!

So gothically beautiful! Ava Reid has such a talent for writing novels that are fairytales! The tougher topics were handled beautifully

This was incredible. I love Ava Reid’s past work, but as somebody that adores dark academia so incredibly much, I knew I had to read this one. Effy has easily become one of my all time favourite characters. I loved getting to know her and see her for who she is. And the romance - I adored it so incredibly much. It was everything I was looking for and surely climbed up to be on one of my favourite dark academia books ever. This is perfect for the fall and I cannot wait for people to begin reading it!!

Huge thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Initially, I was drawn in by the idea of this wonderful, ethereal, haunting element the synopsis of this book seemed to have. I stayed for the very same reason. This story was unique & wise, lending a voice to women who are steamrolled & walked on, women who never get to tell their truth, their story, & it shapes the future, allowing that breath, that voice to be heard, acknowledged, & learned from.

As a huge lover of fantasy from a young age, I loved that this story kept each foot in a different world: one in the harsh realities of daylight, & the other in the ever flowing, ever changing tides that the sea brings. At first, it was a hard read to get through, but it almost seemed to tie in with the theme of the book. Almost the entire time, I felt like Effy was drowning in one way or another. & that translated to the way I felt a little bogged down while reading. But eventually, it became a smooth read through to the very end as little pieces of its mystery began to reveal itself.

Reid is a phenomenal storyteller, the imagery & the choice detail in this story will take it far.

A fantastic YA debut, Reid whisks readers into the heart of a doomed house where two young rivals turned lovers must uncover the secret behind their favorite author and his timeless tale. It is a tale of love, those who survive the unimaginable, and the stories that are told.

I have always appreciated at how Reid handles their darker subject material, never shying away from the grim reality but ensuring that the characters are fully formed, nuanced and never blamed for circumstances beyond their control. As is the nature of the age range, readers will find A STUDY IN DROWNING less visceral than Reid's previous adult works but no less powerful.

5/5 Stars

I'm actually a little disappointed with my rating, I really wanted to rate the book higher, but the story just didn't resonate with me, and I think that has to do with the misogynistic theme.

The overall story was intriguing and mysterious, but the sexist and oppressive culture is so intertwined with the plot that it's challenging to ignore.

An absolutely gorgeous read. A Study in Drowning has all the charms of a fabulous YA dark academia without compromising the heft and staying power of Ava Reid’s adult fantasy novels. I was blown away by all that was accomplished in this. The lore of Llyr is complex, and the in-world academic, literary, and poetic epigraphs that started each chapter helped create an even richer image of the world as we moved along Effy’s journey. Reid’s ‘thesis’ reads clear without being too on-the-nose, and the many narrative threads are nicely woven together at the end.

*Some spoilers ahead*

One of my very favorite parts of this book is the way that water comes to feel like a character; our third protagonist. Water is both physically ubiquitous in this world, but also ever-present in Effy’s internal metaphors, which works really well to cement “The Drowning” and the looming threat of the Sea as part of the emotional lexicon of Llyr.

The other thing that absolutely charmed me about “A Study in Drowning” is the romance between Effy and Preston. The dialogue between the academic-rivals-turned-lovers feels like a master class in building chemistry between former enemies. It’s intellectually and emotionally charged, it often feels like a debate without necessarily being a fight, and they frequently take opposing stances that inform and are informed by their characterizations without sacrificing nuance on either side. The thing that makes it so enjoyable is that you can tell how much they actually like and respect each other, even when they disagree. When they finally fall in love, it feels earned.

The only things I would have loved to see a bit more of is a greater sense of what time we are in and a bit more transition from the initial setup to the start of Effy’s journey South. Time wise, I’d love a few more context clues to help me fill in the world building gaps, even if there isn’t an exact ‘real world’ equivalent (I thought that marking the year in reference to The Drowning in the book was brilliant). And pacing wise, it felt like there was maybe just a short chapter missing between Effy deciding to enter into the competition and her actually getting on the train.

Overall, I absolutely loved A Study in Drowning, and can’t wait to reread one it’s out and see how it’s changed!

This book had my heart at the start; lovely writing, realistic dark academia (even though second-world fantasy), and the hint of a contest with high emotional stakes. But as I kept reading, the set up quickly muddled and the wonderful writing wasn't enough to carry me forward with the same excitement I had at the start. Nonetheless, I will be recommending this book to my college students, especially because of how it discusses sexism in academia and academic works, and for its wonderful running commentary on literary analysis and how to be a conscientious student.

Personally, however, I had some major quibbles. First, the blurb felt like a bait-and-switch. The contest barely happens, and the academic setting is only at the start and end of the story, with the majority of the book centering on a gothic, ghostly, post-apocalyptic(?) manor mystery. This bit felt very similar to the "truth about the Fillory books and its author" plot from The Magicians show, and oddly enough, there is ALSO a Dean Fogg in both stories too. Hm.

Secondly, the fantasy setting is not fleshed out enough to justify the need for a fantasy setting at all in my opinion. In this way, this book is similar to Ninth House, with a focus on academic abuses highlighted by a speculative twist. But in both books, take away the speculative twist, and the abuses still exist (made worse, in fact, without the excuse of magic).

Another issue re: worldbuilding: language. A big deal is made that the North and South countries have different languages, or at least dialects with diverse spellings and accents. However, the fact that this book is written in English complicates and undermines this aspect of worldbuilding. For example, the meaning of Effy’s full name is VERY thematic (and said so on page), but only in English does the meaning make sense because of the ancient Greek roots the name comes from. So, is ancient Greek a language in this world? The author puts similar emphasis on the etymology of "rehabilitation" (which is exciting and also a lovely thematic moment), but this etymology only works if Latin is a language in this world too. Therefore, what this fantasy book was missing was a fantasy language of its own.

Finally … For at least the first ⅓ of the book, Effy has some strong views about who should be allowed to study "national" literature, views that echo real-world prejudicial sentiments, mainly, that people of non-Western or marginalized cultures don't have a claim to love or study the works of Western nations. Effy herself calls this way of thinking "small-minded and bigoted" when it comes from others, claiming she doesn’t want to be like “those people.” And yet … girl, you are those people. To his face, Effy challenges Preston's right to study her nation's literature and to dare question its credibility. And in the very first chapter, she is angry at (SPOILER) for taking out all the books about her fav author in the library, because she thinks they are (and calls them) “my books.”

At best, these sentiments come off extremely near-sighted because Effy is SPOT ON about other forms of prejudice, mainly sexism. She is discriminated against (as a woman) and yet does the same to someone else for their culture and nationality. Despite Preston trying to get her to question her beliefs (both literary and nationalistic), it's not until the real-world consequences of Effy’s way of thinking start to rattle her personal bubble that she expands her "small-minded" thinking. Which, to be fair, is a very true experience for many and a lesson we can all take away from Effy's story.