I find Ava Reid is an author that I seem to feel subpar about. I thought her debut through the YA section might change that, but it still hasn't. I enjoyed her first book the Wolf and the Woodsman but also found something lacking. I didn't get enough emotional turmoil over it, and didn't feel anything over the characters. Reid has the tendency it seems to push her reader away from her characters and you are only watching and not feeling the emotions that the characters are going through.

Sadly this is a flop for me.

A Study In Drowning - Ava Reid

This is a tricky one to review for me.

On one hand, the beginning was rough to get into. The world building and character development were full of open ended questions and big holes. I kept looking back to see if I'd missed something because I really felt like I had. There was a point around 30% that I debated making this one a DNF. On the other hand, once the story got rolling and things fell into place, it ended up being richly atmospheric, loaded with lore and actually really mature in its story line. I'm glad the first 30% or so didn't turn me off.

Read if you like:
*Dark academic themes
*women rising up over men abusing power (Effy at the end was fire)
*spooky, gothic architecture
*rivals to lovers romance
*a bit of mystery added in for fun

So, I just finished "A Study in Drowning" and it’s not your typical dark academia or rivals-to-lovers story. If you're diving in expecting a school-centered drama or an intense love rivalry, you might be thrown off track.

This book? It’s deep. It’s more about the bond between a writer and their readers and how historically, women and their genius have often been overshadowed by men in positions of power. The magic is there, but it’s subtle and not the star of the show.

Our main character, Effy, embodies the spirit of survival, proving that one can possess both bravery and softness. She shows a very different strength than the characters you would normally find in a fantasy novel.

And the writing? Chef's kiss! So beautifully crafted. It felt like a slow burn in the best way possible, making me savor every page.

It's not a book for everyone, but for me? A solid 5-star read. If you're into layered tales that explore deeper themes beyond the superficial, this one's a gem. Just make sure to adjust your expectations and dive into its depths.

I wanted to like this book. I wanted to LOVE this book. Sadly, I did neither, and it felt a bit distanced and cold. Like many, I saw the 'twists' coming pretty far off, and that caused a huge rift between me and the MC.

I really enjoyed submerging myself in this wonderful fall read, and though I can't promise this review will be free of corny drowning-related puns, I can promise that if you're looking for an atmospheric read in an unsettling, seaswept manor with an academic rivalry that threatens the crumbling foundations of the perceived truth, look no further. A Study in Drowning follows Effy Sayre, an unwilling student of the architecture college in a university that bans women from enrolling to study literature, the most prized subject of her home country of Llyr.

So prized is literature that famous authors are interred in a museum as "Sleepers" that protect the land from the threat of Argant, their enemy country, and Emrys Myrddin, the author of her most beloved book, Angharad, has recently joined their number. What's more, a competition has opened to redesign the late author's manor in Southern Llyr, one she wins— but the task is even more daunting than expected, and between the dissolving cliffs, Emrys's overbearing and mysterious son Ianto, and the surprise addition of a stuffy student from the literature college there to prove Emrys Myrddin is a fraud, it's everything Effy can do to stay afloat.

This novel's strengths lie in its prose and atmosphere by far. I had a few things holding me back from a full 5-star, which I'll get to, but the magic of the Bottom Hundred seemed ingrained into the writing in a palpable shift from the university town of Caer-Isel to the sprawling, waterlogged Hiraeth manor. Even when I felt let down by some aspects, or was annoyed by certain characters, I still could not put the book down— and I think that's a bewitching in and of itself. I loved Angharad just as much as Effy at the end, and I find myself wondering if we'll ever be graced with the full story. The writing weaves into the atmosphere perfectly, and there is nothing quite as unsettling to me as water damage, a living rot that served the themes of the novel with regard to assault, power, and control well. In lighter aspects, I adored Preston and I thought his bond with Effy was very cute in a platonic sense. I sometimes felt Effy's affection for him was very "tell not show" and his own attraction seemed strangely progressive (more on that later), but overall, several scenes got me and I was not disappointed to see them together. Preston was also just my type, so he's got that going for him.

As for my disappointments with the book, I felt the worldbuilding was stretched thin insofar as the arbitrary relevance of certain details, namely the Llyrian-Argantian conflict that fuels much of Effy's initial animosity toward Preston. Listen, I also would hold a senseless animosity toward someone who checked out every single library book I wanted at once, but I felt her hating him for having a spot in the college she coveted would have been more believable than her xenophobia toward Argantians since it dropped so suddenly. I didn't feel a proper conclusion or acknowledgment of it, and on the whole, it seemed unnecessary. I also had an incredibly hard time placing the intended time period with the details & technology and ended up having to hear from other readers that it was meant to take place in the 1950s. That might be a purely me pet peeve, but it kept me from fully dipping into the beginning and I was only truly pulled under when Effy left for Hiraeth, since the countryside felt much more familiar to me.

I can see other aspects that might hold back others from loving this book, and while there are some others I agree with, overall I did enjoy this read and I'm looking forward to tackling Ava Reid's backlog as well as seeing what else she has in store for us as her talent grows. My final remark is that if like me, you're a fan of the overall vibe of A House of Salt and Sorrows, I would definitely recommend this.

This was a really fabulous novel full of dark academia vibes, a haunted house, and unpredictable moors. I was a bit confused by the set up of the plot but overall I think it worked in it's unreliability. Adding a literature component was compelling and Ava Reid's writing is so atmospheric and, at times, raw.

This is Ava Reid’s best work yet. I’m glad to see her branching into YA. Touching, heartbreaking, and deeply moving. An absolute treasure in the dark academia genre.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book!
This book was a slow burn for me. Took me a while to get into it but once I did, I was hooked. The two main characters were engaging and I loved their development. The twist at the end was well done. A perfect fall read!

Ava Reid does such an amazing job creating such magical worlds with such amazing characters. A Study in Drowning was such an immersive read with such amazing vibes!

Content warning: sexual assault

I got a little hung up on modern technologies like phones, cars, and mentions of watching TV yet the rest of this world feels like it should be pre-technology. Other than that, Hiraeth Manor is an interesting setting and I liked the dynamic between Effy and Preston.

Some details of the history of the drowning, the Fairy King, and Emrys Myrddin’s Angharad could have been explained further - I was a little lost at times within the plot. But overall this was an enjoyable read.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, and HarperTeen in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

If you like gothic/dark academia vibes, this book may be for you! I loved the writing style and descriptiveness, there is a romance plot which I was also a fan of, and I flew through this book to try to understand everything that was going on as fast as possible.

As usual with Reid, this is beautifully written. Many aspects of the book are right up my alley. Perhaps I wish the leads had a little more chemistry but I still appreciate what we got.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of this spooky faerie story!

I loved Effy, she’s a good mix of strong and broken, willing to go for what she wants in some aspects but afraid of so much. The plot was interesting, as well as her interactions with other characters.

A smart, enchanting, and deep young/new adult fantasy novel featuring a young female protagonist struggling with the realities of patriarchal world in which men can be both kind and cruel. In her search for the truth Effy finds that she is more strong then she knows. Absolutely stunning!

I would give A Study in Drowning 3.5 stars, but am rounding up to 4. I did really enjoy reading this story. The atmospheric elements were well written and drew me into the world. I could feel the cliff crumbling into the sea. I also enjoyed Effy's character development and Preston's presence as a tool to exemplify that. I will echo some reviews that suggest the ending fell a bit flat. At the start of the end, so to speak, I was on the edge of my seat. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. But then it felt as though it all ended rather abruptly and the resolution was too simple, too easy. All in all I did enjoy it, and I would recommend it to readers looking for a moody, stormy, tale with a shifting reality.

A solid novel for fantasy lovers, or those who love books featuring the lives of authors and their loved ones. Sometimes was a little hard for me to follow. Overall a solid read.

Ooh this was a very unique read. I don’t think I’ve read anything like it. Maybe the House of Salt & Sorrows mixed with Divine Rivals. I loved the dark academic vibes and the atmospheric setting of a decrepit house on a cliff succumbing to the rough sea. I loved the romance in here and the story was a page turner.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I enjoyed the story being based on the love of a story. I feel like the story needed just a little more. . .excitement, romantic tension, mystery, just a little more over all. It does try to tackle some heavy topics. I think it really picked up at the very end of the story.

I will be purchasing it for our library. I think students will like it.
3,5 stars, but rounded up to 4 on GoodReads

*4.25⭐️
Warning: this review doesn’t feature any spoilers, but it’s also really hard to talk about this book without spoilers, so I didn’t go into much detail.

This poor girl. As someone who deeply related to multiple of Effy’s experiences, Ava Reid perfectly encapsulated both how to be a survivor and how it feels to survive. As a female history major, I think that Ava Reid also perfectly encapsulated how it feels to academically survive in a world where it’s assumed that “scholarly” articles are more valid coming from a man. Watching Effy survive and learn to thrive by the end of the book was really special.
This was one of the most complex YA books I’ve ever read and I really enjoyed that. I hope that more English teachers add this to their reading lists. The world building was very complex and I would love to read more books set in this world! I also can’t wait to read more from Ava Reid!

Also, I absolutely adored Preston. The world needs more Prestons.

CONTENT WARNING: sexual assault, misogyny, xenophobia, blood, violence, unhealthy relationship dynamics

This was one of the books that I was really looking forward to reading, and it wound up being one of the biggest disappointments of this year for me. I had a lot of issues with this book, but let me start by discussing the things that I liked first.

Reid’s writing is absolutely gorgeous. She has a way with words and this book is clearly a love letter to those books that readers fall in love with and derive comfort from. I think we can all identify with comfort reads, and having that one book that we can always turn to that makes us feel better, no matter what is going on. Even better if it’s a book that we can see ourselves in, and that’s exactly what Reid centers this story on—a book that the MC sees herself in and has fallen in love with, reading it so many times that she has it memorized forwards and backwards.

However, these positives weren’t enough to save the book for me. There’s an issue I found that wasn’t addressed and made me feel uncomfortable while reading, and that’s Effy’s xenophobia and prejudice towards Preston, simply because he is Argantian. She’s constantly putting him down because of it, and decides that he doesn’t deserve to be in the literature college simply because of where he comes from before she’s even spoken to him. It’s never brought up in the book, and the way she acts towards him isn’t challenged at any point. Just like someone acting like that in real life would make me feel uncomfortable to the point that I’d say something, reading about this made me feel unsettled when it wasn’t addressed.

I struggled with Preston a lot, because his character was flat. There wasn’t much to him that made him feel like a unique person, rather than a place filler. While there’s a romance that is supposed to develop between Effy and Preston during the story, it never felt genuine to me. There wasn’t really any development of emotions, and it never felt like they connected on a level outside of discussing literature—I didn’t understand where the romance came into the picture.

It’s made clear throughout the course of the story that Effy has experienced sexual assault at the hands of a professor, and has a lot of trauma to work through. She perseverates a lot on her mental health, her school issues, and the research they are doing into her favorite book, but I still found her to be a relatively flat character. Even more concerning, the consensual sex that Effy does have in the book is still referred to as a ‘tender assault,’ making it sound like it’s harmful anyway.

Throughout the story, there were times when it felt like Reid hadn’t done any research into the subject matter. Effy is a first semester architecture student who is struggling in her classes, yet she somehow knows all she needs to know to design a new house for the estate of her favorite author? And when she gets there and realizes that it’s nothing like what she expected, she can still manage to handle it all? In addition, one of the characters is referred to as a changeling, but the explanation is absolutely nothing like what a changeling actually is.

Even worse, this book was boring. Large portions of the read were slow-moving and didn’t do anything to advance the plot, and I found myself often putting the book down and having a tough time picking it up again. It took me an excessively long time to read this book, and I was disappointed to see that it’s being promoted as dark academia when the story is only set in a school for the very beginning, and then she’s off to a crumbling mansion in the middle of nowhere. This book focused more on vibes and beating the reader over the head with her heavy themes of trauma, sexual assault by powerful, older men, and misogyny, instead of relying on character development and a strong plot that isn’t predictable from the start. Overall, this wasn’t a great read for me, and I’m probably going to skip her other books.