Ava Reid

A dark, evocative and unforgettable fantasy debut steeped in Hungarian history and Jewish mythology, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden. /// Stories don't have to be true to be real. . . . In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power. Outcasted and betrayed by her fellow villagers, Évike is surrendered as sacrifice to the Holy Order of Woodsmen. . . . But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman—he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it’s like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother from seizing the throne. . . . As their mission takes them from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, their mutual loathing slowly turns to affection, bound by a shared history of alienation and oppression. But trust can easily turn to betrayal, and Évike and Gáspár need to decide whose side they're on, and what they're willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all.

The Wolf and the Woodsman

Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny. . . . 
Part historical fantasy, part rivals-to-lovers romance, part Gothic mystery, and all haunting, dreamlike atmosphere, Ava Reid's powerful YA debut will lure in readers who loved The Atlas Six, House of Salt and Sorrows, or Girl, Serpent, Thorn.

A Study in Drowning

From highly acclaimed bestselling author Ava Reid comes a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place within the world of The Wolf and the Woodsman, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her abusive wizard father, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Catherynne M. Valente. A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites. Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya's last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city's amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theater, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart. As Marlinchen's late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father's rage and magic. And while Oblya flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.

Juniper & Thorn

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid comes a reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her. The Lady knows the stories: how her eyes induce madness in men. The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed. The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of survival, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive. But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armor. She does not know that her magic is greater and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world. She does not know this yet. But she will.

A Novel

Lady Macbeth

Return to the immersive, lush, and dreamlike world of the instantly bestselling dark academia fantasy A Study in Drowning as the aftermath of their first discovery pulls Effy and Preston on a final adventure and brings their haunting love story to its end in this stunning sequel and final book in the duology.

All stories come to an end.

Effy learned that when she defeated the Fairy King. Even though she may never know exactly what happened at Hiraeth, she is free of her nightmares and is able to pen a thesis with Preston on the beloved national fairy tale Angharad. She has finally earned a spot at the literature college, making her the first woman in history to enroll.

But some dreams are dangerous, especially when they come true. The entire university—and soon the entire nation—is waiting for her to fail. With the Fairy King defeated and Myrddin’s legacy exposed, Effy can no longer escape into fantasy. Who is she without her stories?

With Effy under threat, Preston is surprised to discover a rage simmering inside him, ringing in his ears like bells. He begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he is king—visions that start to follow him even in waking.

As the war between Llyr and Argant explodes, Effy and Preston find themselves caught in the crossfire: Effy losing her dreams and Preston losing himself in his.

Are dreams ever truly just dreams?

A Theory of Dreaming

Fable for the End of the World

In post-atomic New York, one girl is selected to pay off her mother's debt by dying--or killing--in a televised Gauntlet but instead falls in love with the assassin, in this sapphic stand-alone postapocalyptic romance with a Hunger Games twist, perfect for fans of Wilder Girls and The Last of Us. Inesa has spent her whole life feeling like a land animal in a drowning world. She's grown up in a city that's sinking, after an Atomic Age claimed much of the country and left New Amsterdam amongst rising waters, buoyed only by Caerus, a company that sells everything from food to electricity, all on credit. And Inesa knows the price of going into the red, so she refuses to take on any debt. Melinoë works for Caerus, but not in their warehouse. Her job is to give the citizens of New Amsterdam hope and spectacle as a so-called Angel, by hunting and killing those who fall too deeply into debt in the televised Gauntlet. After nearly failing to complete her last mission, she has to prove her worth or she'll have her memory wiped and live the rest of her life as an empty shell, unwilling wife to some executive twice her age. When Inesa's mom secretly incurs over 500,000 credits of debt and nominates Inesa as a Lamb for the next Gauntlet, her only hope is to run--into Drowned County, the irradiated land between New Amsterdam and the Dominion of New England. With Melinoë tracking her, and mutated animals--and humans--attacking, Inesa will have to adapt or die. If she survives, Melinoë's life is over. That is, until they both end up stranded, injured, and isolated, and their only hope for survival is each other. When the cameras are off, can they become more than just an Angel and a Lamb? And what happens when they both want to do more than just survive? From Ava Reid, author of A Study in Drowning, comes a vital look at the cost of living, the many debts we incur, and the love we must fight for, all set in an eerily dark mirror of our own world.

An archive of romance 

A theory of dreaming 

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid comes a reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her.

The Lady knows the stories: how her eyes induce madness in men.

The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed.

The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of strategy, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive.

But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armor. She does not know that her magic is greater and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world.

She does not know this yet. But she will.

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN AND JUNIPER AND THORN 'A love letter to stories - and to everyone silenced or forgotten in their retelling.' Allison Saft, author of A Far Wilder Magic. Effy has always believed in fairy tales. She's had no choice. Since childhood, she's been haunted by visions of the Fairy King. She's found solace only in the pages of Angharad - a beloved epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, and then destroys him. Effy's tattered copy is all that's keeping her afloat through her stifling first term at her prestigious architecture college. So when the late author's family announces a contest to design his house, Effy feels certain this is her destiny. But Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task: a musty, decrepit estate on the brink of crumbling into a hungry sea. And when Effy arrives, she finds she isn't the only one who's made a temporary home there. Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar, is studying Myrddin's papers and is determined to prove her favourite author is a fraud. As the two rival students investigate the reclusive author's legacy, piecing together clues through his letters, books, and diaries, they discover that the house's foundation isn't the only thing that can't be trusted. There are dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspiring against them - and the truth may bring them both to ruin.

Lady Makbeth

Integrity Constraints

Nesta fantasia de estética dark academia, Effy Sayre tem como missão restaurar uma mansão prestes a desmoronar. Mas, ao chegar lá, encontra um rival acadêmico e descobre segredos muito mais perigosos do que uma construção em ruínas. Atmosférico, viciante e delicado, Lições sobre afogamentos é a estreia de Ava Reid na literatura jovem adulta e best-seller instantâneo do New York Times. Effy Sayre sempre acreditou em contos de fadas, não que tivesse muita escolha: desde pequena, foi assombrada por visões do Rei das Fadas. Sua única escapatória foi mergulhar na célebre história de Angharad, escrita por Emrys Myrddin, sobre uma garota humana que se apaixona pelo Rei das Fadas, e então causa sua destruição. O seu exemplar antigo e surrado do livro é o que mantém Effy seguindo em frente durante seu primeiro ano do curso de arquitetura na prestigiosa universidade Llyrian. Então, quando a família de Myrddin anuncia um concurso para escolher alguém para remodelar a mansão do autor, ela não tem a menor dúvida de que nasceu para isso. Mas a Mansão Hiraeth não é para amadores: antiquada e em ruínas, está a dois passos de desmoronar no tempestuoso mar que a rodeia. Mas, assim que Effy chega ao local, descobre que alguém já vive lá: Preston Héloury, um jovem e rabugento acadêmico de literatura, que está decidido a provar que o autor favorito dela não passa de uma fraude. Os dois estudantes rivais começam a investigar o legado do recluso autor, encontrando pistas deixadas em cartas, livros e diários, e descobrem que não é só a estrutura da casa que tem sérios problemas. Forças sombrias, tanto humanas quanto mágicas, estão conspirando contra eles — e a verdade desenterrada pode significar o fim do caminho para ambos.

Lições Sobre Afogamentos

Study in Drowning

Return to the immersive, lush, and dreamlike world of the instantly bestselling dark academia fantasy A Study in Drowning as the aftermath of their first discovery pulls Effy and Preston on a final adventure and brings their haunting love story to its end in this stunning sequel and final book in the duology. All stories come to an end. Effy learned that when she defeated the Fairy King. Even though she may never know exactly what happened at Hiraeth, she is free of her nightmares and is able to pen a thesis with Preston on the beloved national fairy tale Angharad. She has finally earned a spot at the literature college, making her the first woman in history to enroll. But some dreams are dangerous, especially when they come true. The entire university—and soon the entire nation—is waiting for her to fail. With the Fairy King defeated and Myrddin’s legacy exposed, Effy can no longer escape into fantasy. Who is she without her stories? With Effy under threat, Preston is surprised to discover a rage simmering inside him, ringing in his ears like bells. He begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he is king—visions that start to follow him even in waking. As the war between Llyr and Argant explodes, Effy and Preston find themselves caught in the crossfire: Effy losing her dreams and Preston losing himself in his. Are dreams ever truly just dreams?

Sequel to A Study in Drowning

The enchanting world of A Study in Drowning comes to life through letters, poems, art, and more in this novella from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid. This full-color illustrated collector’s edition is a jaw-dropping addition to the beloved dark academia series with stunning painterly endpapers, romantic rose gold foil flourishes, over 40 illustrations, and expanding and new text. “I will love you to ruination,” the Fairy King said, brushing a strand of golden hair from my cheek. “Yours or mine?” I asked. The Fairy King did not answer. Effy and Preston have been torn apart by the wars of men, the power of words, and the specter of magic—but it was through stories that they found each other. Relive Effy and Preston’s love story through their own pens in this immersive collection of mementos, illustrations, maps, blueprints, diary entries, and more. Read Angharad with Effy's annotations; sneak excerpts of Preston's diary; see the architectural sketches that brought Effy to Hiraeth; get your own ticket to Saltney; and experience, for the first time, the epilogue to Effy and Preston’s romance. This deluxe package includes: Full color throughout with painterly endpapers Over 40 illustrations Romantic rose gold foil Expanded and new text from the world of A Study of Drowning An enchanting never-before-seen epilogue A perfect gift for fans of A Study in Drowning and A Theory of Dreaming and anyone who wants to embark on their own dark academia journey, this gorgeously illustrated novella collects ephemera from Effy and Preston as they remember the romance and prepare for a new chapter in their lives—together.

A Study in Drowning Novella

An Archive of Romance Deluxe Illustrated Edition

As the aftermath of their first discovery pulls Effy and Preston on a final adventure and brings their haunting love story to its end in this stunning sequel and final book in the duology. RETURN TO THE DREAMLIKE WORLD OF THE INSTANTLY BESTSELLING DARK ACADEMIA FANTASY A STUDY IN DROWNING _________ All stories come to an end. Effy learned that when she defeated the Fairy King. Even though she may never know exactly what happened at Hiraeth, she is free of her nightmares and is able to pen a thesis with Preston on the beloved national fairytale Angharad. She has finally earned a spot at the literature college, making her the first woman in history to enroll. But some dreams are dangerous, especially when they come true. The entire university - and soon the entire nation - is waiting for her to fail. With the Fairy King defeated and Myrddin's legacy exposed, Effy can no longer escape into fantasy. Who is she without her stories? With Effy under threat, Preston is surprised to discover a rage simmering inside him, ringing in his ears like bells. He begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he is king - visions that start to follow him even in waking. As the war between Llyr and Argant explodes, Effy and Preston find themselves caught in the crossfire: Effy losing her dreams and Preston losing himself in his. Are dreams ever truly just dreams? __________ PRAISE FOR A STUDY IN DROWNING 'A love letter to stories - and to everyone silenced of forgotten in their retelling.' ALLISON SAFT 'As merciless as a rising tide and as beguiling as a fairy's bargain.' MELISSA ALBERT 'A spell-binding mix of magic, myth and mystery.' RORY POWER 'Darkly romantic and unsettlingly eerie' ERIN. A CRAIG 'Lyrical, incisive, and tragically beautiful, this book will haunt your dreams.' VAISHNAVI PATEL 'Reid is a singular, extraordinary talent.' SASHA PEYTON-SMITH 'I could read this book again and again - absolute perfection.' COURTNEY GOULD 'Incandescent, tender, and fierce. This is a story that lingers, long after the last word.' REBECCA ROSS READERS ABSOLUTELY ADORE A STUDY IN DROWNING... ***** ‘I was enraptured from the first few chapters’ ***** ‘haunting and atmospheric’ ***** ‘Ava Reid has a magical way with words’ ***** ‘There is something about the way Reid creates an atmosphere that I find completely immersive’ ***** ‘This book is truly mesmerising’ ***** ‘Beautifully written’ ***** ‘I will read ANYTHING that Ava Reid writes’ ***** ‘Ava Reid’s writing is extraordinary and beautiful’ 5* ***** ‘Prepare to be drawn into the most thrilling, dark, subversive world imaginable.’ ***** ‘My mind is blown away and my heart is full to the brim’

The new dark academia masterpiece and sequel to the Sunday Times bestselling A Study in Drowning

An instant Indie and #1 New York Times bestseller! “Achingly atmospheric and beautifully sharp, A Study in Drowning will draw you in from the first page.” —Rory Power, New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls Bestselling author Ava Reid makes her YA debut in this dark academic fantasy perfect for fans of Melissa Albert and Elana K. Arnold. Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny. But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin. Part historical fantasy, part rivals-to-lovers romance, part Gothic mystery, and all haunting, dreamlike atmosphere, Ava Reid's powerful YA debut will lure in readers who loved The Atlas Six, House of Salt and Sorrows, or Girl, Serpent, Thorn.

"Entering a contest to redesign late author Emrys Myrddin's estate, aspiring architect Effy Sayre arrives at Hiraeth Manor where she meets a stodgy young literature scholar who draws her into a battle against dark forces--both mortal and magical--that threatens to consume them both"--BTCat.

Ava Reid

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