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.

Juniper and Thorn & The wolf and the woodsman were 2 of my favorite books I’ve encountered over the last 6 months and I was ecstatic to learn Ava was writing Drowning. I was lucky to win an ARC at the WhatNot virtual event hosted by Zoranne. I have nothing but absolute outstanding things to say about this book from the literary commentary to the way Ava writes about the female experience but also the journey to overcome.

The depth in which I relate to Effy was scary at multiple points during the book and just made me enjoy it more.

4.5 stars

This book has everything you could want in a gothic, dark academia romance:

-a dark, haunted mansion that sits precariously close to the ocean
-a protagonist haunted by her path
-a love interest who is an ENGLISH MAJOR who writes her name in the margins of his thesis notes (this is the plot point I used to convince several people to read this book, you're welcome Ms. Reid)
-threads of fairy tale vibes woven in

A Study in Drowning is Ava Reid's young adult debut, and it is SO GOOD. Effy and Preston have great chemistry, and their romance comes alive on the page. Reid also tackles the subject of consent, assault, and authorship in conjunction with ownership with tact and grace. You will be enchanted by her writing.

My only issue is with the one romantic scene. Truly, I understand the purpose of it, it juxtaposes a lot of violence and replaces it with consent and love, but it felt too mature for a young adult novel. I wish she would have kept it a bit more fade-to-black, or aged up the novel to make it for new adults.

As always, thank you to HarperTeen and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to fixate on Effy and Preston for the foreseeable future.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review

A STUDY IN DROWNING by Ava Reid was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I'm so grateful to be one of its early readers. The story follows Effy, a young architecture student who finds solace in books and is allowed to redesign the house of the author of her favourite novel, Angharad. However, upon arrival at the estate, she slowly learns that what she once believed was the truth may have a hidden mystery and things aren't what they seem. She teams up with a literature student who happens also to be doing research at the state and slowly uncover the truth behind the publication of Anghard.

This is one of those books for the upper-YA audience. Similar to their previous works, I adore Reid’s writing style so much. They have such a beautiful way with words and no sentence is wasted. It also creates such an atmospheric tone to the story I truly felt a part of the world she created.

I very much appreciated the conversation it raised about women in academia and how their efforts are being taken advantage of and felt very pleased with Effy’s character development across the story.

While this book is a mystery first, it's one of those mystery books where it's not the reveal that makes it enjoyable, but the journey the characters take to uncover the mystery and how they develop as characters that I appreciated.

I also adored the relationship between Effy and Preston. Their banter and chemistry were phenomenal I had such a good time seeing their relationship grow.

I may need to reread this bit to fully delve deeper into this point, but this book is filled with so many motifs that add such a richer layer to the story that i very much loved

A STUDY IN DROWNING comes out this September and its perfect for readers who love the dark academia (as a thematic concept, not just aesthetics), magical realism and rich writing with a strong plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this title. What a fantastic tale of power and mystery. I stayed up way too late just to find out how the story ended, I could not put it down.

I have always had a fascination with stories of the Fae and was pleasantly surprised to read such a unique take on magic, female power, and taking on the patriarchy. The descriptive detail of the various locations within the story really helped to immerse myself in the story and I felt immediately connected to our heroine Effy. I loved following along on her journey as she slowly finds her power and solves the mystery. I highly recommend this story, and the author Ava Reid (I cannot wait to read more of her work.). Wow.

What a magical gothic novel, I loved every moment of this! There were so many twists and turns, I couldn’t stop reading. Efforts is a strong and powerful, yet compassionate .

This was my first foray into dark academia! This book is part mystery and part academic rivals to lovers romance.

There are dark themes in this book: childhood trauma, sexual assault, sexism in academia. The entire setting feels foreboding, decrepit, and damp. I think the author did an incredible job conveying anxiety, PTSD, and trauma. The FMC, Effy, is someone who sees herself as transient and stuck in a role of surviving rather than thriving, her goals and dreams just out of her grasp.

I had a hard time getting through this book occasionally, just because I am a sensitive reader and the subject matter was really heavy.

I liked seeing the growth and empowerment of Effy. Most of the book I felt outrage for the female characters but the ending brought the plot together in a satisfying way and there was justice for Effy.

I loved this book. If you like gothic horror or loved Grimms fairytales as a child you'll probably love this. Our main character is both mildly irritating and someone you really root for. You wanna shake her but uts because you care for her. This books handles the things that happen to her so well. And I love the way it uses villains in this. This was a fun read that I zoomed through because there wasn't really any point where it was boring.

I was obsessed with the premise of the book. That said, 3% in, the only thing our MC has done is ... walked to the library, and asked about a book. It didn't hold my interest. This is so exposition heavy, and I don't see this doing well in our libraries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for an eARC of A Study in Drowning!

TW: Mentions of Sexual Assault

Dark Academia meets Faerie magic and trickery meets Feminine Rage. Beautifully crafted, A Study in Drowning will take you on a psychologically thrilling and utterly romantic adventure. To find the truth about an author that is well loved and adored by Llyrians, Effy must team up with Preston, a half-Argantian who couldn’t possibly understand the devotion to the myths and lore of the Llyrians.

Honestly, one of the most incredible books I’ve read in a long time. I was sobbing by the end and I will most definitely be reading over and over again.

Tropes I love: Academic Rivals(ish) to Lovers, One Bed, Close Proximity