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

Aimee :)

"I love you." Effy pressed her forehead against his.

"I love you," Preston said, voice wavering. "'m so sorry it's ruined us both."

Behind his glasses, Preston's eyes fixed on her. "Love is a fire that cannot burn alone."

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

Everyone had said there was something off about the whole affair. Something strange. [ . . . ] And yet she had flung herself toward it like a sparrow against a windowpane, oblivious to the sheen of glass.

"No childless woman came for me," she whispered. "But he did."

Behind his glasses, Preston's eyes narrowed. "Who did?"

if I had to make a gamble...I would bet on us, Effy."

"I swear by Saint Una I'll help you," she said. "And I won't reveal you—us—to Ianto."

"I swear by Saint Una I won't betray you," said Preston. "And I'l fight for you. I promise your name will be there on the cover sheet, right next to mine."

Natalie Unsinn 

“The only reason anything matters is because it ends.

The ephemerality of things is what gives them meaning. That things are only beautiful because they don’t last. Full moons, flowers in bloom, you.”

“Some things are constant. 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.”

“You’re not just one thing. Survival is something you do, not something you are. You’re brave and brilliant. You’re the most real, full person I’ve ever met.”

She wanted to say I don’t believe you. She wanted to say thank you. She wanted to say tell me more about who I am because I don’t know anymore. 

Or maybe she had always been wrong. A wicked fae creature from the unreal world, stranded unfairly in the real one. 

akshita

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 reality? 

When love is here, I am not. When love is not, I am gone.

Luna

If you can learn to love that which terrifies you, you can dance on the shore and play in the waves again, like you did when you were young. Before the ocean is friend or foe, it simply is. And so are you.

Isabelle

The ocean is beautiful and free. Lovely and dangerous and vast beyond mortal comprehension, the sea makes dreamers of us all. 

this quote ate; the prose in this book is beautiful the main character made it unbearable 

Hans

Jeanne L Collier

Effy hated that she couldn't tell right from wrong, safe from unsafe.  Her fear had transfigured the entire world.  Looking at anything was like trying to glimpse a reflection in a broken mirror, all of it warped and shattered and strange.

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 it a metamorphosis, or a homecoming? 

When you leave, all I can think about is when you'll come back, and how I'll survive seeing something so beautiful I can't touch. 

ausra

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? 

That's a 101 guide to being a rapist🤢 They should just burn the whole house down

Sophia

. Effy slid it back into place with a shudder.

Everytime someone says this I'm feeling sick. They all need to be castrated.

Ianto watched her without blinking , his watery, colorless eyes unreadable. When she was mid-bite, he said, “You’re a very pretty girl.”

I did finish this quickly, and i never got bored which surprised me because i was hesitant in reading this. I feel like the whole fairy idea is a bit random, i really don’t get why it was even there. I don’t know, it kind of didn’t fit what i expected and i didn’t like it that much. I also felt like the plot twists were very predictable, other than the actual author - that was the only one i didn’t know about. I also felt like some things were just really rushed when i would’ve liked the pace to slow down. Though it is 3 stars because i did actually really enjoy reading this book.

envee

Hannah Bauer

Misogyny, abuse, and gaslighting in academia works really well in the dark gothic setting. My girl Effy has been trained her whole life to question her own mind, and seeing her unravel the forces behind her oppression was heartbreaking and powerful. Men are DOGS except my pookie bear Preston 🫶🏻

Isabella 

LOVED IT . the way ava has incorporated such important themes in a gothic fantasy is amazing

ash b

trying to dip my toe back into fantasy for the first time in over a decade and picked this up on a whim at a book fair. really atmospheric, the author definitely knows how to set a scene. the themes were not at all subtle but overall handled with impressive delicacy and respect. i really enjoyed the story, albeit a bit predictable, but i wish we had a little more reflection from effy (our protagonist) on her own prejudices, and a little more anything from preston (our mmc). he felt flat and underdeveloped; i couldn’t get a sense of real tension or yearning between the two of them. still a great page-turner with a lot of heart, a fantastic setting and ambience.

Dragged myself through it. The atmosphere is lush but Effy is afraid of most men and the narrative constantly proves her right to be. It was exhausting.

Whitley

ending was a little bit too drawn out imo but—wow. a riveting read nonetheless. never thought i would get that many metaphors about water and the sea like that. /lh

Gael Magno

Mel 

Forgot to mark when I started this on Goodreads.
This isn’t a perfect book but the writing is beautiful and I love the focus on misogyny in academia and beyond. I really felt for Effy as a character and was rooting for her. 
Definitely look up trigger warnings for this one.

esme villanueva

3.5 — “The danger was as ancient as the world. But if fairies and monsters were real, so were the women who defeated them.” 
•
sentí lentísima la primera mitad pero al final me gustó (•:

romi

I liked how she created that Gothic/haunting atmosphere throughout the book

this book reawakened my desire to study literature with how beautiful and thought-provoking ava reid had written this. a must and worthy read. 🌟

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.

This is definitely the Ava Reid novel I have enjoyed the most thus far. I continue to believe she has excellent ideas, it is just that I cannot always get on board with the execution. I think in this case the YA label helped the novel - the age group feels more suitable for her prose (which has always been my comment on her writing).

I liked the mystery plot in the novel; I also appreciated the concept of interweaving trauma with magical elements, though I found it a bit heavy-handed. I also - simultaneously - wish that the novel had either leaned into the magical elements more or had done away with them entirely, kept them metaphorical.

This is definitely the Ava Reid novel I have enjoyed the most thus far. I continue to believe she has excellent ideas, it is just that I cannot always get on board with the execution. I think in this case the YA label helped the novel - the age group feels more suitable for her prose (which has always been my comment on her writing).

I liked the mystery plot in the novel; I also appreciated the concept of interweaving trauma with magical elements, though I found it a bit heavy-handed. I also - simultaneously - wish that the novel had either leaned into the magical elements more or had done away with them entirely, kept them metaphorical.

Maddison 

“But if fairies and monsters were real, so were the women who defeated them”


i have not felt the love for a book this strongly since i read the invisible life of addie larue and im now stuck between never wanting to read another book again so i never have to compare the experience to anything else ever, but also wanting to read everything around me and never stop. god i love dark academia.

First absolute BANGER of the year. Who says you need a whole series. This book proves you can do it in a stand alone. First off, the writing with the spooky, gothic coastal town was just perfect. It was incredibly easy to put yourself there and get immersed in it. 

The FMC was also written perfectly. Her trauma and struggles with mental illness were done so well. She’s vulnerable and soft also smart and courageous at times. 

There is a romance subplot and it is perfectly fine. It’s nothing mind blowing. I had a good time reading their story but the chemistry was just fine but that’s okay cause the mystery and the main plot was what I was HERE FOR so I’m okay with the just fine subplot. 

Definitely a feminist novel with lots of rage inducing misogynistic men, but that’s the goal so it works. Except for sweet, angel Preston. Whose name I don’t care for either but I won’t dock points for it. This book was advertised to me as dark academia, and while it’s dark and academics are definitely a point of this book, it didn’t feel like a dark academia book to me. Idk, maybe that’s just me.

Despite it being an early read, I anticipate this being in the top books of the year. Loved It.

Laura Wilson

First absolute BANGER of the year. Who says you need a whole series. This book proves you can do it in a stand alone. First off, the writing with the spooky, gothic coastal town was just perfect. It was incredibly easy to put yourself there and get immersed in it. 

The FMC was also written perfectly. Her trauma and struggles with mental illness were done so well. She’s vulnerable and soft also smart and courageous at times. 

There is a romance subplot and it is perfectly fine. It’s nothing mind blowing. I had a good time reading their story but the chemistry was just fine but that’s okay cause the mystery and the main plot was what I was HERE FOR so I’m okay with the just fine subplot. 

Definitely a feminist novel with lots of rage inducing misogynistic men, but that’s the goal so it works. Except for sweet, angel Preston. Whose name I don’t care for either but I won’t dock points for it. This book was advertised to me as dark academia, and while it’s dark and academics are definitely a point of this book, it didn’t feel like a dark academia book to me. Idk, maybe that’s just me.

Despite it being an early read, I anticipate this being in the top books of the year. Loved It.

It started out very good but the character is inconsistent in the way she acts she has anxiety but has time to be a complete xenophobe to the male love interest…..i don’t know. Maybe that’s what the author was going for? like she’s anxious and shy around men but this man she’s able to look past the fact that he’s a man because he’s foreign and being xenophobic is her being comfortable around him? see, like that sounds so weird right? I jumped ship as soon as she acted weird like that because I simply do not have the patience even though it was SUCH a short book. If you are reading it i would say read it in one go because once you get distracted or put this book down for a day you don’t want to pick it up again. Because it isn’t a book you miss, you don’t think about the book. I think that’s why it’s so short because the author knew she couldn’t hold the readers attention for too long. Won’t recommend if you have ADHD like myself because it doesn’t hold you in it for too long  

nina 

2.75 stars

not awful but also not good either

officially one of my favourite books. it’s so good and addicting and i couldn’t stop reading. 

also highly recommend the audiobook cause it’s incredible.

Amelia

officially one of my favourite books. it’s so good and addicting and i couldn’t stop reading. 

also highly recommend the audiobook cause it’s incredible.

would have given 3 stars because it definitely had potential in the beginning but then as the story progresses, it gets hard to get through each pages

annie

3.5⭐️
loved the eerie, spooky vibes. it's the perfect autumn book to add to your tbr. i just wished that there was more to it. 
as much as i liked this book. i can’t help but think its a little bit overhyped.
i really love effy and preston. even though the some of the stuff they say has me confused. maybe i’m just slow and dumb
“i will love you to ruination” will have a place in my heart

Merged review:

3.5⭐️
loved the eerie, spooky vibes. it's the perfect autumn book to add to your tbr. i just wished that there was more to it. 
as much as i liked this book. i can’t help but think its a little bit overhyped.
i really love effy and preston. even though the some of the stuff they say has me confused. maybe i’m just slow and dumb
“i will love you to ruination” will have a place in my heart

This was actually eye-opening in a way for me. 

As someone who‘s always struggled with her appearance and confidence, I always wished men would give me any kind of attention or show any kind of interest, even if it was something unpleasant like cat calling. I‘ve often been jealous of pretty girls for getting this attention. I can truly say, I no longer am. The men in this book were disgusting, the lot of them and it’s so sad to think that this part wasn’t fiction. And that I had wished for this at some points. I cried for these girls/women, cried for how they were being treated and for how little they were valued. I‘m happy now, that I don’t have to deal with something like this and my heart aches for the girls and women that do. 

For that alone, I need to give this book a high rating. The slight deduction of points is due to minor things like the plot being slightly predictable and feeling just the tiniest bit off to me. However, it was enjoyable (and emotional for me) nonetheless. 

I liked the characters (except for the men ew) and I think Effy and Preston had legitimate chemistry that felt believable. The bit of spice we got I will say felt a bit poorly timed. I felt like in their situation I would’ve done nothing other than try to get away from there as quickly as possible, but that might just be a difference between me and the characters.

Still, it was a great book with good characters and nice eerie atmosphere, that as I said, actually affected my thinking as a person. So for that, I can give it no less than 4.75 stars.

Nikki

Overall, I really liked the book. however, I did not truly get into it until about 45% through, which to ME is way too long for a book to pick up its pace. The set up and exposition are necessary, but I wish the author found a way to do it a bit faster. 

The author clearly has a deep understanding and love of literature as it reflects in her writing style. I think the two main love interests are sweet and endearing but there wasn’t enough of them for me to truly understand where the strong romantic feelings are coming from.

 The book very outwardly addresses misogyny in both a metaphorical and tangible sense, which was enjoyable. However, there was also a little bit of xenophobia or “othering” of another nation/ group of people that don’t exactly get explained or handled. I wish there was more exploration of that. 

Basically, the book felt drawn out and tedious at times, but I enjoyed the ending and the writing style enough to keep it in a 3 star range.

revesjrnal

i found the writing is beautifully and atmospheric written, i also love the character and the place settings too ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.⭐️

A Study in Drowning

Reviews

Highlights