Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the arc! I’m in emotional distress!!! Holy shit this book had me weeping. What an emotional, brutal, and beautiful conclusion to the Study in Drowning duology. This was truly the book the series needed and deserved. Let me jot some other thoughts before tears start to clog my eyes again:

As mentioned, I feel like this book was needed;
It fits perfectly. This is a natural continuation with themes and character studies in line with the material from the first book. Both Effy and Preston are going through character metamorphosis after a traumatic event, and this book explores that, and beautifully.

This book was, like its predecessor, incredibly atmospheric. I could almost taste the brine and feel the statues myself. I hallucinated VIVIDLY to this one, with dripping, indulgent descriptions and Ava Reid’s signature poetic prose.

Very happy to receive more sleepers lore in this one. There’s also more worldbuiskijg in general, mainly through academic and literary channels. Of course, there are added epigraphs at the beginning of every chapter, which is fantastic. Argantian myths, mysterious poems, Aneurin the Bard, etc. I’m eating it all up with a dainty little spoon

People are correct when saying this is Preston’s book. I truly got to know him as a person here, and what a precious man he is. He, and every other character here felt real. His cahatrcyee study in particular was intense, as we get such a detailed and extensive look at his psyche, traumas, fears, motivations, passions, reactions. He truly came into his own as one hell of a literary character. He’s memorable, real, raw, and wonderfully written. If only he was real

The characters were fantastic in general. I, once again, related way too much to Effy. Her character arc here was EMOTIONAL but necessary, and wonderfully crafted with care and hope; you can tell Reid knows mental illness and trauma personally. Losing major parts of your identity is not for the weak, neither is a burdening sense of guilt. This shit hit way too close to home! This book truly is for those who love character-driven stories, who love beautiful writing, and character studies over plot. We get such an intimate and realistic look at recovery and healing. At picking up the building blocks. The side characters were fantastic too. I loved who I was supposed to, and wanted to smash to bits who was supposed to. Rhia is my bffl, Lotto gets a pass, Angharad can adopt me, and every other male character should be pushed off a bridge <3

More complicated than the first, there are multiple running themes in the sequel. Losing a major part of your identity, mental health, weaponizing faith, the draws of escapism, a continuation of feminist themes from the first novel, the link between culture, nationalism, and fascism. There’s so much here, and Reid balances it all so well. Despite there being little plot, there is just so much here.

The ending nearly fucking killed me. Fucking phenomenal; I was gasping for air

In conclusion: I’ve been shot. I’m in pain, my chest hurts, and there’s some weird liquid in my eye. This book is to blame. If you loved the first book in this series, you will adore its conclusion. I LOVED this (more than its predecessor too)! I DEVOURED this! This was such a slay. Anyways, I’m calling 911. -5 stars

A Theory in Dreaming returns to the characters, world and easy to read style of A Study in Drowning. This time there is more concentration on Preston, touching on his family and dreams. The story returns them to college and academic life, introduces their close friends and even nemesis, shows the progression of their romantic relationship and the persistence of some of their demons that were introduced in the prior book. There even seemed to be some attempts at social commentary on contemporarily relevant issues like misogyny, mental heath concerns, and extremist nationalism especially by the rich and powerful, but nothing was explored too deeply and quickly swept under the proverbial rug for fear of becoming too political, perhaps. The book is very much in the same vein as A Study in Drowning and readers who enjoyed the prior book should be content with this continuation. Would I recommend this to YA readers looking for a romance with dark gothic fantasy elements and characters carrying quite a bit of their own emotional baggage? Sure, this book and its predecessor work well in that light; is this my top read of the year that I will be extolling every chance I get? not exactly. (3.5/5)
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, HarperCollins Children's Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

I am seized by such love, I vow / that I must come to ruin now.

if they don't love me like preston loves effy, i don't want them!!!!

rating: 4.25★

this was the sequel we needed: what happens to effy and preston when they return to university from hiraeth manor with their controversial thesis? they must face their colleagues, superiors, and the whole of llyr; effy, as the only woman in the literature college, preston as an argantian on the precipice of a full-out argantian-llyrian war.

preston fans rejoice, bc we get a whole lot more of him in this one! dual (3rd person) POV yayayayay!

while i missed some of ASID's etherealness, this one felt more raw and real. there is still much room for magic, but it deals it more as a method of escapism. we also learn more about llyr and argantia both and the fables of the sleepers. nationalism/xenophobia is a large theme in this one and feels quite on par w current times.

there were a few things that i wanted more precisely wrapped up, but overall this felt like the right conclusion to effy and preston's story 💙

“My mind is never empty of you. Not in waking; not even in dreaming.”

Very thankful/ grateful to have received this ARC 💌

As someone who has read a study in downing ( duh bc this is the sequel lololol ) and enjoyed it but was not IN LOVE with it , I have to say this completely changed my perspective on the first story .

This follows what happens after Effy + Preston uncover the truth about Myrddin’s work .
Not only now is Effy navigating being the only female to earn a spot at the literature college now , but she has to deal with the gossip / entire nation waiting on her to fail bc of her exposing the truth.
Now that she defeated the fairy king , she can no longer escape in her dreams , and she has a hard time excepting that !!!

While Effy has lost her dreams , we follow more of Preston , and see that he is starts to loose himself in his , and things start to completely change for him .

Preston loves Effy so deeply, and my heart was hurting bc of how tender and compassionate he is with her . I loved that we got to read from his POV , and learn more about him and his family .

My favorite quote he tells Effy is ,

“ Whatever faults I might have - and I have plenty- just know I think of you , always . My mind is never empty of you.Not in waking ; not even in dreaming .” 😭💖

Ava’s writing as always is so poetic , and beautiful. She has a way of writing so deeply and intense , that the story stays with you forever . She truly is one of my favorite authors .
I truly did not know what to expect for this sequel , but I am so happy we got one . The ending ended in such a perfect way . I’m truly sad it’s over !
I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy .

Thank you Netgalley + The Publishers for this early access . This was one of my most anticipated reading 2025 , and I am so happy I got early access.

After what was written to be a stand-alone, does the sequel to A Study in Drowning hold up? By how many stars I’ve given it, you bet Reid has mastered it.

Upon hearing the announcement that a book I had loved dearly was receiving a follow-up, I was excited but also nervous for how it would turn out. The first volume ended with the upmost satisfaction to my favor, however, when reading the opening author letter to A Theory of Dreaming, Reid shows us that there was plenty more to tell.

Preston became such a captivatingly deep, complex character full of emotion while sticking true to how he was developed in the first book. Since the adventure against the Fairy King was tied up, the loose strand of the bells in Preston’s ears set off this story along with the after effects of dealing with the first volumes conflict. I would consider Reid brilliant to realize it would be useless to develop another problem that needn’t be which was already taken care of, and instead, use the psychological traumas and personal growth from overcoming those trials as the result of writing a sequel instead.

When people go through anything life-jeopardizing, our characters should be the same way. Too often in storytelling, we see the hero save the day but then what? They act as though the death-defying actions didn’t affect them one bit or at least haunt them later on. Where’s the gravity of the conflict even when it’s over? Reid showcases this throughout A Theory of Dreaming in such heartbreaking yet realistic and enthralling way of storytelling which I love. It’s no longer so much about saving the day for everyone else or the world, but how do we save ourselves when it’s so easy to forget to do so with heroic heart?

Seeing Preston struggle with his past yet his love for Effy grow and be his strength—their relationship altogether settling in deeper roots—was all very beautiful. Even in the midst of tragedy that crashed upon their shores, it is together that no wave can knock them down forever. There were plenty of other things I enjoyed about this book such as the concept of intertwining dreams and reality, to the progression of gender equality in education. Seeing new and old characters come together to create a brighter future. Even the little excerpts in the beginning of each chapter provoke the reader to critically think and connect the dots within the main story. It’s a testament to Reid’s craft within this world she’s created.

A Theory of Dreaming is a powerful sequel that will bring fans of A Study in Drowning into a deeper and complex character-driven story that they won’t want to miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy). This review is based off of an uncorrected proof.

I was so happy when this book was announced as I knew there was so much more story for Ava Reid to tell with these characters.

We delve a lot into trauma in this book - both Preston’s and Effy’s (and others) and I thought all the topics were dealt with eloquently.

It’s a lot slower paced than the first book and again deals with some very heavy topics so check CW.

I really enjoy the main characters relationship with each other and how it’s portrayed to not be perfect, like a lot of fictional relationships are. It feels rawer and more true to life.

I did find some plot points kind of unnecessary to the book as a whole but overall I liked this one.

🌊 Release Date: August 5 2025
🌊 Vibes / Themes:
• Moody & Atmospheric
• Academia
• Reality & Dreams
• Mental Health ⚠️

𝘈 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 follows Effy and Preston after the events of (the originally standalone) 𝘈 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. Effy struggles with her mental health in a world no longer plagued by Fairy Kings and magic, but still full of men happy to treat her as less than for daring to be a woman in a male dominated field. Preston is weathered by his constant worries for Effy and if he will be enough for her, while also struggling with the endless attacks at him for his ancestry.

🌊 The Good

Ava Reid always does a fantastic job of creating atmosphere that drips from the pages.

🌊 The Less Good

If you are going to use unique similes that stand out a bit, maybe don't use the same one multiple times. The first time it reads as interesting, then every other time it's just "oh goodie, that simile again" and takes you out of the moment. The one in particular I am referring to is "like the tick/beat of blood behind a bruise". The second time really didn't make sense to me anyway since it was already talking about a heart beat, so why make it a simile about blood? 🤷🏼‍♀️

I also just can't be convinced that while Effy was doing nothing but sleeping and reading ONE book over the course of weeks that she didn't even finish that book. Like she was so engrossed by this book but was reading like a page a day??

🌊 Did We Need A Sequel?

𝘈 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 was, for all intents and purposes, a standalone novel. It left us on an open-ended conclusion, with us wanting more. But does wanting more mean we should get more?

A lot of the focus is on the Sleepers and their magic, with continuous references to the war and morale dropping due to the investigation into Myrddin. We also see parallels between Preston & Effy with both the Neiriad and Ardor. I thought having their relationship parallel with these old stories was really special since you can already see how it ends while Preston and Effy are blind to where their story goes.

I am torn between enjoying the world and its dreamlike haze (primarily Ava Reid's style) and wondering if history repeating itself was worthy of a sequel. A̶ m̶a̶n̶ g̶e̶t̶s̶ a̶l̶l̶ t̶h̶e̶ c̶r̶e̶d̶i̶t̶ w̶h̶e̶n̶ i̶t̶ w̶a̶s̶ a̶ w̶o̶m̶a̶n̶'s̶ w̶o̶r̶k̶ (̶g̶a̶s̶p̶)̶, w̶h̶o̶ w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ h̶a̶v̶e̶ e̶v̶e̶r̶ s̶e̶e̶n̶ t̶h̶a̶t̶ c̶o̶m̶i̶n̶g̶!̶ Yes, we see more of character relationships that we didn't get to fully explore in the first book, so that's at least a plus.

I would have loved for this story to end after 𝘈 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, for the bells to continue to ring in Preston's mind and that little bit of magic to live on. Just like with Effy having to face a colder, bleaker reality, it feels like we have also been left with a less magical view of their world.

i want to echo like others are doing that reid is one of my favorite fantasy/dystopian writers. however, i would've been fine with a study in drowning remaining a stand alone as here it felt a bit like fanservice with the mental health of effy not having enough time to breathe. the author letter at the beginning with the preface that a theory of dreaming focuses more on preston (and his relationship to dreaming) helped curb that but i just wanted more nuance.

I adored A Study in Drowning and unfortunately was more mixed on A Theory of Dreaming. It is very character-driven, much more so than ASID which some may love but it wasn’t for me. I also felt like, as someone who has had struggles with mental health, Effy’s arc was wrapped up too quickly from a certain incident to the end and I didn’t follow along with the speed.

A Study in Drowning was one of my top reads of last year and is still one of the most relatable and memorable books I’ve ever read. I read through my highlights and tabs before starting the sequel to refresh my memory and got hit with the same emotions and feelings as when I first read it. Ava Reid’s poetic and lyrical prose coupled with gothic, dark academia themes and a mysterious, atmospheric world created one of the best reading experiences I’ve ever had. And the sequel exceeded the expectations that the first book set. With A Study in Drowning originally being a standalone, I was the most excited I’ve ever been to find out it was getting sequel. I’m someone who always wants more from my favorite characters and worlds so I had no fears the sequel would live up to the high standards set by the first book. I was already so intrigued by the open-ended question at the end of book one and the second I stepped back into this world, I knew it would be just as amazing.

When I’m reviewing books, I often use a certain set of authors which have made a space in my brain as their own genre in a way. These authors include Allison Saft, Rebecca Ross, Kelly Andrew, Margaret Rogerson, and of course, Ava Reid. Some qualities I’ve come to love from their books are poetic writing and storytelling, meaningful and thought provoking themes, unique and original worlds, light fantasy with whimsical magic systems, and the most romantic couples I’ve ever read. Just so you know just how much I love Ava Reid’s writing style before I continue this review.

While the first book is set mainly at Hiraeth, this one is focused mainly at the university, and I think it benefited from having even more dark academia vibes. Where the first book has more of a mystery in terms of the fantasy elements, making the reader and characters question what’s real and what’s not, this one delves deeper into those fantasy aspects making even the biggest skeptics believe. There was a sense of impending doom in the air and a desperate need to protect the ones you love even if you don’t know what’s coming.

I loved the way this one was focused more on Preston, who quickly became one of my favorite book boyfriends of all time in the first book and made me cry multiple times from his insanely poetic (and tortured) dialogue. A protective, walking green flag love interest is always so refreshing and I loved that we got more of his thoughts in this one. No matter what, I know Ava Reid will knock it out of the park in the romance department and this one was no exception. We have an established couple, living through the aftermath of book one, and yet there’s still miles and miles of chemistry. I’m so pleased with how this ended and I’m so glad we got another story in this world.

So I have a slight confession. I didn't absolutely love a Study in Drowning. I knew so many people who had loved Effie and I just wasn't quite connecting. In my head I overhyped her and the story and when it didn't meet these arbitrary expectations I was a little let down. I loved the writing style, the story was interesting but something just didn't quite hit. It was good but not great. I only say this so it's understood where I'm coming from with this review.
That being said A Theory in Dreaming is completely undoubtedly great and gave me such a better appreciation to its predecessor. It built upon it so perfectly it left me at a loss for words. Ava Reid's prose are so beautiful and haunting. I wish I was eloquent enough to tell you all the themes that were covered and how poignant it felt to read this story. Especially with what is going on in the world today. Moving forward Effie and Preston will hold a special place in my heart and I can't wait to not only reread A Study in Drowning but get my hands on a physical copy of this book once this releases.
Of course this review is only thanks to receiving a Arc from Netgalley.

Ava Reid’s latest book, A Theory of Dreaming, was exactly what I wished A Study in Drowning could have been; I was invested from the very beginning and fell in love with the characters we got to revisit. The romance was less tropey and more developed than in A Study in Drowning, the setting of the novel was in true Dark Academia form, and the concept of mental illness was not only discussed, but heavily leaned into throughout the book. The characters, especially Effy, went through a journey of self-discovery to learn that our flaws are not weaknesses, but instead are proof that we are human; we are not broken for feeling pain, but instead are more alive for the experience.

I also really enjoyed some of the more complex themes… A Theory of Dreaming reminded me a lot of Babel, especially in how closely tied language and literature were to concepts of nationalism and patriotism.

I really loved this book. But as a heads up, there are some scenes that could be triggering for those who (like me) suffer depression, PTSD, insomnia, or for those who have dealt with suicidal ideation.

I wish this were going to be a trilogy instead of a duology, but overall I’m satisfied with how things ended.

A huge thank you goes to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book broke me. I’m a puddle of tears right now. I loved coming back to this world and read about this characters. Effy and Preston deserve the world and they go through so much here. This book explores so many different themes and it’s just so beautiful. I cannot recommend A study in drowning enough and this is a worthy sequel to it. Love it 😍

A Theory of Dreaming by Ava Reid.

Effy and Preston are on a final adventure which brings their haunting love story to its end. Effy is now free of her nightmares but she can no longer escape into fantasy. Preston beings to dream of a palace under the sea and his vision begin to follow him, even when he’s awake. Effy is losing her dreams and Preston is losing himself in his. Are dreams ever just truly dreams?

I couldn’t put this book down. I enjoyed it just as much as the first one! I love Effy and Preston together. Even through their struggles, they still cared so much about each other. I loved how the book ended.

I did enjoy how Ava wrote about Anxiety. It was very real and very relatable. As someone who struggles with that, I think Ava did a great job. I enjoyed learning more about the characters and about their mental health. I think it’s important that we normalize that.

I love Ava’s writing! I was so excited when I received an ARC! I also love the cover of the book! I’ve already ordered my physical copy! Thank you so much Ava, HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC!

Publication Date: August 5th 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


If you haven’t already, check out A Study in Drowning! I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC!
I should preface this by saying I do not think this is a five-star book for everyone - for those who it is five stars for, I hope you’re doing okay. I’m going to try to sum up my thoughts in three main points so I don’t ramble too much.
1. Dark Academia: While ASID was advertised as dark academia, I found it to be more of a gothic fairy tale. ATOD is truly dark academia; the entire story is set in college for the entirety of the novel. You could be fooled by the first couple of chapters into thinking this is a ‘cozy winter academia’ book. It is not.
2. Mental Illness: Ava Reid has always managed to make me believe that she is writing for me specifically in her portrayal of depression and anxiety. I know the experience is different for everyone, but Effy’s depression in this book so closely mirrored mine that I had to put down the book several times to just cry. It was extremely cathartic.
3. Romance/Grief: The romance in ATOD is far less tropey and far deeper than the romance in ASID, which is exactly what I want in a sequel book. (This is, in my opinion, where Ruthless Vows failed) I was afraid ATOD would be a publisher money-grab, but I was very wrong. The story balances deep love and deep grief at the same time.

Juniper and Thorn, ASID, Lady Macbeth, and ATOD were all timely books for me; I don't know how Ava Reid manages to predict what the exact type of fiction I need at different points in my life, but I hope she never stops.

Thanks to Net Galley for this ARC!

Considering my enthusiastic love for A Study In Drowning, I was a bit nervous to start this book.


I shouldn’t have been nervous.


I loved it so much.


I don’t think I’ve ever had this many feelings about bells in my entire life. Literally spent the last 36 hours straight thinking about them.


Ava Reid has broken me and I am now a shell of what I used to be. The way she writes about anxiety and obsessive thoughts has never felt better represent to me as a reader who struggles with these things. I loved hearing more of Preston as a character and his inner struggles with identity and reality. I obviously love Effy and continued to love her in this book.

In conclusion I love Ava Reid and will forever read anything she ever writes. I can’t wait until this book physically comes out so I can buy a million copies.

READ THIS BOOK

I need to preface this review with this: Ava Reid is one of my all-time favorite authors, and I absolutely LOVED A Study in Drowning. That being said, I have to Speak my Truth: I really did not enjoy this. The saving grace of this book is it still includes Reid’s gorgeous prose and she can create a world that oozes atmosphere, which adds so much to her stories. However. the plot was very muddled and lacked a feeling of magic. My biggest issue was it seemed like she stripped the characters of everything I loved previously and made them shells of their former selves. I understand this was about how they dealt with the trauma from ASID, but they felt like very watered down versions of themselves, especially Effy, which was very disappointing.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children for the ARC!

To say I was surprised to be approved is an understatement. Some that's even more of an understatement is this book. A Theory of Dreaming is a complex sequel to A Study in Drowning. If A Study in Drowning was Effy's book, this is definitely Preston's book. The dark academia in this book is more evident and sets a gothic and lush backdrop in the misty setting. The character development and realisation that Effy and Preston go through is incredible! The way that Preston deals with racism and aftermath of the revelation of the fraud Emrys was beautiful shown. Effy's problems were delved deeper and definitely made me cry so much as they dealt with the aftermath together. When Ava Reid told that A Theory of Dreaming and Fable for the End of the World would make everyone cry, she was spot on about it. I sobbed so much reading both of them and am thankful to recieve ARCs for both.

5⭐

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing an eARC!

A Theory of Drowning is the sequel to Ava Reid's A Study in Drowning, a feminist literary thriller and romantic fantasy.

If ASID was Effy's book, ATOD would be Preston's book. This book delves more into the dark academia side of the story, more focus of the literature college and the mysteries that come with the cost of revealing Myrddin's plagiarism.

It felt more darker than the first book in terms of both atmosphere and setting. There's a deeper delve on the mental health of both Preston and Effy, how the newfound revelations and the war between Argant and Llyr impacted both their lives while not trying to drown in their dreams.

Both Preston and Effy go through so much n this book that my heart break for them. Both of them literally deserve so much more togather with all they have and go through.

As usual, Ava Reid's writing style was whimsical and lyrical that it had me hooked almost immediately. The literature pieces penned for the book were beautiful and whimsical, emotional to the point of sobbing.

As the romance was blooming in book one, there was less tension in the romance aspect but there are so many sweet and tender moments between them and the final chapters were amazing with the amount of support Preston had for Effy.

This book emotionally drained me. The themes were a lot darker and impacted with more force. The perfect blend of character and plot focus made this book more enjoyable.

The sequel ended the omnious ending left by the previous installment which made the ending more enjoyable. The way that the main plot was resolved and characters who deserved so much received their praise was very well shown.

Overall, A Theory of Dreaming focuses on various themes that make a bigger impact for A Study in Drowning like mental health, deep rooted cultures, identity crisis, war and mayhem, political intrigue and acceptance to the truth.

Unlike A Study in Drowning, A Theory of Dreaming is not plot focused and is instead very character focused. I think after loving ASID, I was expecting a bit more plot rather than just the characters learning to live with their trauma. That aside, I did very much enjoy being back with Effy and Preston especially as they worked to overcome the barriers between them and build a stronger relationship. I think this could've been a more successful novella - as it stands it's a bit longer than it needed to be. Ava Reid's writing remains wonderful - even though this book didn't live up to my admittedly sky high expectations, she's still one of my favorites to read.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.