Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

23 reviews

nanananaelena's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

 After a series of bad reads, I picked up this book knowing that I was likely going to love it. For anyone thinking about picking this up, I'd recommend you take a look at this Tiktoker's beautifully worded review of the book (no spoilers): https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT85f4JQt/. Now for my review below:

“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.”

A Study in Drowning is a story that is grounded in dark fairytale, with an eerie and dreamlike atmosphere and beautiful prose. It is not a fairytale retelling, but instead acts as a story within a story and inspired by Welsh folklore.

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

This book deals in heavy themes of
sexual assault and misogyny
. The protagonist is for the soft, anxious, and deeply caring to a fault parts of us that still check under our beds at night for monsters. She spoke to my own fears and anxieties in a way that most books nowadays - with badass dragon-slaying, sword-wielding female protagonists - don't.

Any for anyone who feels like they're that lone lighthouse shining a beacon into the horizon, wondering if there's anyone there to see, if there's anyone that will signal back: I am that ship in the horizon. I am signaling back. I see you. I understand you. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

themelodyofspring's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-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

Bought this completely on a whim - the cover was pretty and it was cheap for a hardcover. Best decision ever!

The story was sooo eerie. Effy was such a contradictory narrator that you couldn't tell if she was fulfilling the role of an unreliable narrator or not. I was questioning my sanity with her lol. 5 stars to Preston for not being an asshole and for being a softy. 

The writing was amazing! The story inside the story was amazing. The little epigraph snippets from the in-book authors were amazing. I marked so many quotes I loved.
Going back to read the previous two works by the author. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jess1147's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

margotdzch's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A Study in Drowning was not what I expected, it was so much more. The marketing around this book isn't doing it justice, it's not truly a rivals to lovers romance, the rivals part isn't that prominent, but it's a beautiful love story in every other aspects. I don't want to spoil the magic of it but it's an eerie atmosphere with beautifully complex characters, especially Effy, and very well-written dives into dark themes. It's more of a Gothic fantasy than dark academia in my eyes, which doesn't make it any less good. Overall, Ava Reid waves such a magnificent world, especially "world-building" (in the cultural aspect I guess). The quotes from fictional academic papers / other novels that introduce each chapter are such a well-thought-out idea, it's truly impressive. Would honestly be a 6 star read if I was inclined to break the scale. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

astoryofpages's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.0

Third book by Ava Reid that I've read and it's another very pleasant reading. A small change of universe, with a dark academia world inspired by Welsh folklore.

The characters are very endearing, although I had a little difficulty at first differentiating Effy's voice from Marlinchen’s (Juniper and Thorn). Ultimately, Effy becomes a fully-fledged character, very interesting to analyse and follow. Preston is a very good love interest who touched me a lot. A little faded but that didn't bother me since for me, Effy is the main character, not him. Their romance was perhaps a little rushed but it was self-evident given Effy's narrative arc and her evolution.

Reid's prose is still as melodious as in his other books. The descriptions are imposing but they immerse us with the characters in their emotions and feelings.

However, I had a little more difficulty with the worldbuilding, which was a little vague at the start (I needed a map!!), and the pace of the story. This one is indeed quite slow, which didn't help my reading slump, and we progress very slowly until the half or even the two thirds of the book. The ending is much more accelerated but therefore causes an imbalance.

In conclusion, a very beautiful book with a powerful message: the invisibility of women in academic circles and of the victim of a toxic relationship and abuse. Ava Reid always manages to write beautiful stories that deal with dark and serious subjects.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bailey_walk's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

amyliz08's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

gladiolus17's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

Such an impressive, multi-layered, nuanced story. The themes and symbolism were so powerful and unshakeable. There was so much thought out into the word choice and plotting. 

Atmosphere—incredible. This is marketed as dark academia, but there’s a lot of gothic themes in it as well. The book is so unsettling and rich.

I had a very good time with this! 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

rosiec's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark hopeful tense 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? No

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

hardcoverhaven's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging 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? Yes

4.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings