Ava Reid

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

The truth was very costly at times. How terrible, to navigate the world without a story to comfort you.

"...it’s not fair. Men just say whatever they want and everyone believes them.”

That was the cruelest irony: the more you did to save yourself, the less you became a person worth saving.

Why was it always girls whose forms could not be trusted? Everything could be taken away from them in an instant.

A friendly gesture, a bracing pat on the shoulder. But didn’t all drownings begin with a harmless dribble of water?

“It’s terrifying,” Effy confessed. “Most beautiful things are,” Ianto said.

“Everything ancient must decay,” he said, and it had the cadence of a song. “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.”

We must discuss, then, the relationship between women and water. When men fall into the sea, they drown. When women meet the water, they transform. It becomes vital to ask: is this a metamorphosis, or a homecoming?

What is a mermaid but a woman half-drowned,

What a tale but a sea-net, snatching up both

There was an intimacy to all violence, she supposed. The better you knew someone, the more terribly you could hurt them.

It was an eternal feeling, this sense of being unwelcome. No matter where she was, Effy was always afraid she was not wanted.

“Because then it feels more satisfying to squish them.”

She was tired, tired of trying so hard for something she didn’t even want.

“You’re so pretty. You really are. You’re the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen. Do you know that?” If she said yes, I do, she was a conceited harpy. If she shook her head and rebuffed the compliment, she was falsely modest, playing coy. It was fae-like trickery. There was no answer that wouldn’t damn her.

It began as all things did: a girl on the shore, terrified and desirous.

annaaa

Some things are constant,' Effy said. 'They must be. I think that's why so many poets write about the sea.'

'Maybe the idea of constancy is what's actually terrifying. Fear of the sea is fear of the eternal- because how can you win against something so enduring. So vast and so deep.‘

Ralie Sutton

I say, it is because a romance is a belief in the impossible: that anything ends happily. For the only true end is death-and in this way, is romance not a rebuke of mortality?

Jillian Roberts

Well— I was a woman when it was convenient to blame me, and a girl when they wanted to use me. 

Emily McMeans

“"I was eighteen, said Angharad again. "That meant I was a woman, in some peoples eyes. Well—I was a woman when it was convenient to blame me, and a girl when they wanted to use me. Everyone thought that I wanted it. I convinced myself that I wanted it, too. Emrys was always kind to me. At least, before the Fairy King took him over entirely. I suppose it was a bit of youthful rebellion on my part, too. I hated my father and wanted to spite him."”

“She wanted someone to know how lanto had touched her—even if she was still trying to convince herself it had been nothing at all. A friendly gesture, a bracing pat on the shoulder. But didn't all drownings begin with a harmless dribble of water?”

This was it. The line that fully broke me.

Camille Osborn-Clark

"I was a woman when it was convenient to blame me, and a girl when they wanted to use me." 

If the monsters are real, so are the women who defeat them. 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 her prestigious architecture college. So when the late author's family announces a contest to design his house, Effy fells 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.

Julia Rutgers

" [ . . . ] Even the past isn't guaranteed. You can lose that, too, slowly, like water eating away at stone."

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."

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.

Enjoyable, well -written mix of dark academia, the gothic, romance and fantasy . Compelling and eerie in places.

Laura Dobie

“And, well, I suppose that’s partly why I don’t have much faith in the notion of permanence. Anything can be taken from you, at any moment. Even the past isn’t guaranteed. You can loose that, too, slowly, like water eating away at stone.”

Lauren Jones

the fmc was insufferable at first but she managed to redeem herself. i am glad i decided to push through and finished the book. 

I'm not sure how to feel about this book. This first 150 pages felt promising; we were building up the idea of Effy and her abuse from her teacher and her peers, due to being a woman in au niversity environement and just being a woman in itself. Also, Preston just seemed so real at this point, although their relationshop becomes extremely 2 dimensional at this point. I like the idea of the fairy kind and all of that, but past the 200 page mark, I was giving up, the story was starting to stretch out, being dragged along and it felt useless. The same stuff was going over and over. They'd look around, oh look a locked box let's open it oh look weird stuff is inside of it how can we link this to Myridian or whatever his name was. Also, was was Effy so racist to Preston...? As a woman who's already been so prejudiced against, it makes no sense at all why as a woman who's under persecution, why would you judge and be so stereotypical. It was also very obvious from the start was Ianto was... And this book was just boring. I really cannot see the hype at all. 

surtified™

great euphemisms just poor execution. i understand the fairy king was supposed to represent predators that prey on young women, but idk if it was written very well like that. i pretty much guessed emrys’ wife to be the author immediately, i thought the fairy king’s death was very uncreative and boring, the whole mystery ordeal didn’t blend well with the magical folkoric thing they were going for. and this is coming from someone who just finished piranesi and loved the mystery and intrigue in that book. i hate how there were so many names for the bottom hundred, and again i DID like the metaphors for misogyny and the theme is great just poor execution. at first i couldn’t understand how a book like angharad was so critically acclaimed in that country, it screamed adult fantasy that’s almost an erotica abt a guy called the fairy king. it was just confusing to me…

violet nguyen

i had goosebumps the entire time i was reading! love love loved this blend of fantasy and real life strife

I absolutely loved this one. Incredible imagery, writing, characters, and storyline. I will be thinking about this story forever.

I liked how well crafted these characters were. I loved how there was life and lore breathed into the book. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read.

I’m definitely looking into Welsh mythology after this.

Jawahir M

I did not want to leave this world. 

I liked how well crafted these characters were. I loved how there was life and lore breathed into the book. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read.

I’m definitely looking into Welsh mythology after this.

if i could give this 10 stars i would….. PRESTON AND EFFY YOU ARE EVERYTHING TO ME

yaya

i love this so much oh my god. read this book for seven days (i've been busy) and normally if this is like some other books, i'd definitely lose interest on the third day. but this, whenever i get the chance to read this, it sucks me. i have all my attention on this book everytime i read it. the atmosphere is also top tier. it does get cringey sometimes and the sex was so unecessary to me ngl

I thought that the beginning was a bit confusing, but once I got through a few pages and went back, it made sense. Effy is studying architecture because she (as a woman) wasn’t allowed to study literature. However, she sees that there’s an opportunity to design her favourite author’s house and so when she wins the contest, she goes to live at the current house. There, she meets the author’s son and another student who is writing a thesis on the author because he’s studying literature.

I liked Preston, but the story was mainly about Effy because she had a stronger connection to what was going on. For this reason, I’m not sure that I actually liked her as a character because I didn’t like the plot and how vague it was.

You don’t really know what’s happening until the very end when it comes to the plot. The magic and the things that are happening are very vague and there are no answers anywhere, just more confusing things. It was kind of annoying at times because Effy and Preston could have done some simple things to get some answers, and yet they did the hardest things and didn’t really get anywhere, for example why not try to see Myrddin’s widow? Effy has always been able to see the Fairy King and she often feels like she’s underwater. She’s been told that she’s crazy, but at the end it turns out that the Fairy King is not just a myth, but a real being that is malicious. Preston doesn’t believe in myths, but he wants to find out the truth about the author of Angharad, which tells a story about the Fairy King.

The imagery in this book was really good, however without the plot or characters, it wasn’t for me.

This book wasn’t for me.

I thought that the beginning was a bit confusing, but once I got through a few pages and went back, it made sense. Effy is studying architecture because she (as a woman) wasn’t allowed to study literature. However, she sees that there’s an opportunity to design her favourite author’s house and so when she wins the contest, she goes to live at the current house. There, she meets the author’s son and another student who is writing a thesis on the author because he’s studying literature.

I liked Preston, but the story was mainly about Effy because she had a stronger connection to what was going on. For this reason, I’m not sure that I actually liked her as a character because I didn’t like the plot and how vague it was.

You don’t really know what’s happening until the very end when it comes to the plot. The magic and the things that are happening are very vague and there are no answers anywhere, just more confusing things. It was kind of annoying at times because Effy and Preston could have done some simple things to get some answers, and yet they did the hardest things and didn’t really get anywhere, for example why not try to see Myrddin’s widow? Effy has always been able to see the Fairy King and she often feels like she’s underwater. She’s been told that she’s crazy, but at the end it turns out that the Fairy King is not just a myth, but a real being that is malicious. Preston doesn’t believe in myths, but he wants to find out the truth about the author of Angharad, which tells a story about the Fairy King.

The imagery in this book was really good, however without the plot or characters, it wasn’t for me.

i have very mixed feelings about this book

Stella 💫

millena

this was endless boring but the writing isn’t bad, i’m sure this book will be the complete opposite for other people but for me was terribly

Idk this was clumsy and convoluted, and I really didn’t enjoy how the MC was painted as such a victim. Also it’s a pet peeve of mine when authors build a whole fantasy world (and make me learn its nuances) then they still rely on cars and phone booths and vinyl and anxiety meds and cigarettes.

Amelia Hruby

this was very good! the atmosphere was super well done, like for much of the book I wasn’t sure whether it actually was magical or imagined, and I thought it was very effective for the story she was telling. the romance was sweet, I love nerdy cuties. the whole thing made me want to actually read this epic poem of angharad. I will say I wish we maybe got a bit more on the literary analysis and writing the thesis, and also maybe more sections of the angharad, I could’ve done with more academia. but overall it was really engaging and I liked it a lot!

fris🐝

Overall enjoyable. The themes and symbolism are good and the plot is decent, but I felt like Angharad itself— the fictional book— was far more interesting than this book. 

Ian de Villava

big ab

um.. ok. i can see what the book is TRYING to do with themes of bigotry, misogyny, and sexual harassment/assault. but i do feel like it’s taking on these extremely big topics, making it the central theme of the book, and handling them all so haphazardly that it’s so disappointing and leaves me kinda icked out.

A unique story, I liked reading it but I fail to see the wow factor many others do. It may just be my taste as I don't gravitate towards books with fae folk, however, I still found the concept of this book interesting. The commitment to water imagery was well done, it really makes you evaluate the sea as a symbol. I also liked how each chapter opened with an extract of some sort, it gave it that dark academic feel. I didn't completely like Effy's character I found her a little insufferable and childish at times, I understand she apologises and grows but her earlier behaviour towards Prestion left a bad impression on me that did not go away. Nonetheless, its worth the read, especially if you enjoy water imagery and reading about evil fae. 

Marz 

Jennifer Gosnell

4.75 ⭐️

Ohhhh this one is for the feminine rage. Loved it. It was so infuriating, relatable, and fascinating. I loved how atmospheric and immersive the setting felt. The characters were great too… loved that the main protagonist is layered and confusing at times. The writing was beautiful and haunting. The only thing holding it back from being a 5 star book for me was that I saw almost all of the reveals coming very early on. Still loved the storytelling and themes though!

While Ava Reid's atmospheric prose shines, especially in her descriptions, I found that most of the book's plot felt lost in all of her writing and world-building. And when the world-building was being done, it was to establish just one person (Myrrdin) and not to establish this historical fantasy-like setting that Reid drops us into. I would have liked getting to know more about the two countries as well, especially considering one of her main characters is established early on as being Argantian. Plotwise, it felt like not much was happening for a good portion of the book aside from trying to hand us clues that didn't quite fit without the progression of the actual plot. The core of this narrative deals with larger issues of academic/institutional elitism and misogyny, mental health, and the power dynamics not only between men and women, but between teacher and student. Reid handles these masterfully, weaving them into Effy's personal narrative and into the plot, which is where it does shine. Overall, I did enjoy this, and I'm glad to see it will be getting a sequel, as I think that will help unravel more of the things I discussed here.

Side note: The Shakespeare scholar in me was really digging the authorship plot, and it made me think about Katie Bender's play, "Judith," which I just saw performed a few months ago... highly recommend checking that out. 

While Ava Reid's atmospheric prose shines, especially in her descriptions, I found that most of the book's plot felt lost in all of her writing and world-building. And when the world-building was being done, it was to establish just one person (Myrrdin) and not to establish this historical fantasy-like setting that Reid drops us into. I would have liked getting to know more about the two countries as well, especially considering one of her main characters is established early on as being Argantian. Plotwise, it felt like not much was happening for a good portion of the book aside from trying to hand us clues that didn't quite fit without the progression of the actual plot. The core of this narrative deals with larger issues of academic/institutional elitism and misogyny, mental health, and the power dynamics not only between men and women, but between teacher and student. Reid handles these masterfully, weaving them into Effy's personal narrative and into the plot, which is where it does shine. Overall, I did enjoy this, and I'm glad to see it will be getting a sequel, as I think that will help unravel more of the things I discussed here.

Side note: The Shakespeare scholar in me was really digging the authorship plot, and it made me think about Katie Bender's play, "Judith," which I just saw performed a few months ago... highly recommend checking that out. 

issa

I love this book. So whimsical and romantic. I wish Angharad was a real book. Ava Reid is a new favourite author.

Ellen Ivey

This was an interesting mystery story with a little bit of fantasy sprinkled in!

Hannah Williams

she should’ve been a selkie / mermaid but that’s it ..  

A Study in Drowning

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