Reviews tagging 'Classism'

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

17 reviews

aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

3.5

Def look at trigger/content warnings.
Overall, I appreciated reading this, but it wasn't a favorite. It was pretty slow at the beginning, and if I didn't also listen to the audio, I think I wouldn't have liked it as much. I appreciate the discussions on sexism and abuse of power/power dynamics with a backdrop of magic, but I feel the magic was a little throw away. I also could've done without the romance aspect of this.
This is the first book from this author I've read and I will plan to read more from them it's just this one wasn't amazing for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism

Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Medical content, Bullying, Classism, Racism, and Rape

deetabz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Confinement, Death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, and Sexual content

lizzye33's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Blood, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Classism, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Minor: Torture, Sexual assault, Gore, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Cursing, Child death, Car accident, Body shaming, Animal death, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, War, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Rape, and Domestic abuse

jos_haunted_library's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Classism

Moderate: Death of parent, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Violence, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Blood, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

eviethebookworm's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Mental illness

krisglomb's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Things about this book that hit and hit HARD: atmosphere, a sense of doom, romantic descriptions of nature and people so heavy they feel positively gothic. This is the type of book I love however, there were some parts I felt could’ve been better. 

First, the overall mystery. I liked the interplay of a haunted house/person, the ugly realities of Effy’s (and others’) day to day, and the main mystery of Angharad’s authorship. I feel like the 3 didn’t come together to make each story line stronger, however. I think it became obvious to the reader the solution to the main mystery halfway through. And while sometimes its ok for a reader to have information our MCs don’t, in this case it didn’t make much sense. And then, even though we had known the answer to the question for about half the book, we get to the end and instead of a clarity of pieces being put together in an event or revelation, its all revealed in an info dump. It wasn’t very satisfying. There was also a distinct tie between Effy’s “haunting” and her daily atrocities, but by the end they feel so far separated. Their combined resolution make her a stronger person able to step into her life more fully, but it felt like the author couldn’t quite decide if she wanted to keep her worlds separate/the consequences separate/etc. 

I love this book for the potential for discussion and while sometimes the prose hit you over the head (yes, not only the sensation of drowning, but the word drowning is used HEAVILY in the book), it didn’t end up taking away from the atmospheric quality overall. 

QUOTES

The solitude that had once comforted her had become an enormous empty space where so many bad things could happen.

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

It was an eternal feeling, this sense of being unwelcome.

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

She wasn’t a Southerner, but she knew what it was like to drown.

“No one owns the right to tell a story.”

As if stories were not spoils of war.

“You don’t have to love something in order to devote yourself to it.”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” “It’s terrifying.” “Most beautiful things are.”

“They didn’t think to fear the Drowning until the water was lapping at their door […] It’s the fear we have to learn. The fear keeps the sea from taking us.”

She was not afraid of the ghost. But she was horribly, wretchedly afraid of whatever had killed the woman it had once been.

“You’d be surprised of how much cognitive dissonance people are capable of.”

Anything can be taken from you, at any moment. Even the past isn’t guaranteed. You can lose that, too, like water eating away at stone.

Even though she was afraid of living, she didn’t want to die.

“Survival is bravery, too.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Bullying

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Sexual assault

Minor: Classism and Confinement

hailslynn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is the book I will reference whenever I talk about dark academia from now on. Poignant with beautiful prose and tough conversations. This book is heartbreaking and healing, leaving me feel seen and heard and giving me hope. Effy is strong and brave and brilliant and also fragile and scared. Preston is thoughtful and kind and the perfectly flawed male love interest to the perfectly flawed main character. This book is as real as it is fiction, and I loved getting to escape into it. Here’s to Effy.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Drug use, Violence, Sexism, Rape, Mental illness, Death, Bullying, Alcohol, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: War

bi_n_large's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, and Classism

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Blood, and Alcoholism

kylosten's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Classism, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

Minor: Xenophobia

confessionsofabibliophile's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This is my first Ava Reid story, and it probably won't be the last! This book was not like others I had read, they mixing fantasy, paranormal, as well as hinting on psychological, with a tad of romance. It did start of very slow, and the time period I had questioned due to the rules and systems within the university. As I went through reading, you are made uncertain if it is fantasy/paranormal or mental health. The main character, Effy, has had it rough! I won't go into detail, but I felt bad for her throughout the book. I wanted to scoop her up and give her the biggest cuddle. She ironically reminded me of another character by the same name, from a UK TV show called Skins. With everything going on, how men and boys made her feel. How she thought of herself in a man's world. The psychological stuff behind the main character. When looking at Ava Reid's IG, she did a character map of who she pulled inspo from for her Effy, and there she was in all her smeared eye-liner glory, Effy Stonem from Skins. It felt good to know my brain wasn't just imagining the parallels. 

The story takes place in thesouthernn part of Llyr. The difference between the North and South is like night and day. It follows along similar stereotypes as in today's times, the North, wealthy, educated, and experienced. The south, poor, illiterate, and believe in myths and lore and superstitions, like a characte,  The Faery King. Effy finds herself in the bottom hundred after the death of her favourite writer. She is entrusted to rebuild his estate, while the entrance of another main character, Henry, whom I knew right away who he was; is there to disprove or prove the dead writers' 
authorship. 

They go on this journey uncovering the mystery the old manor has had locked way for years. When the path is finally discovered, I was semi surprised. I had a feeling the stuff that was uncovered was a thing. I just didn't realise a few things. Sorry for the extreme vagueness. I am trying very hard to keep this spoiler free.

Romance does spark, but it also talks about forced romance, my take from it, sort of grooming, but both girls are 18, but the men are DRASTICALLY older 30s+. Sexualising of women is a huge running theme. I found myself wanting to punch a couple of male characters in the face. The theme is that women are either weak and only good for the home life or that we are harlots and temptresses which hook and ensnare men in a trap, with just one look. Really had me flabbergasted, but the end is what made me realise why these themes were used.

Come the last two chapters, it had left me wanting a bit more of the story, the aftermath, I wanted that. The build-up was great, a bit slow, the climax hit, and then I was left wanting to know more and seeing where it all took them. Which is why it isn't a 5☆.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Mental illness

Moderate: Gaslighting and Classism

There is kind of grooming acts in book, but the girls involved are 18. But the men are 30s+