Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

31 reviews

demievrything's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

 Ich hatte Angst, dass ich dieses Buch nicht so sehr mögen würde. So ein großer Hype und hohe Erwartungen und dennoch war ich komplett begeistert von der Geschichte.
Perfekt war, dass ich parallel zum Lesen auch das Hörbuch hören konnte und Effy so direkt eine Stimme verliehen bekommen hat, die wunderbar gepasst hat.
Die Handlung geht einerseits langsam voran und dennoch zieht es sich zu keinem Punkt, auch wenn die Kapitel länger sind, sind sie stets mit Handlung und relevanten Informationen gefüllt. Die Geschichte lebt natürlich auch sehr von der ganzen Stimmung, die über dem Haus auf den Klippen und in Effys Innerem herrscht. Besonders mitgezogen hat mich Effy als Protagonistin, weil ich sehr mit ihr fühlen konnte, ihre Handlungen und Gedanken nachvollziehen konnte und sie als Charakter einfach sehr nah und echt wirkte.
Die wenigen anderen Charaktere sind eigenständig und ich kam gut mit den Namen und Unterscheidungen klar. Auch die Dynamik zwischen den Hauptcharakteren hat mich überzeugt. Vor allem das Ende fand ich besonders gelungen, da es mich einerseits zufrieden aber auch etwas wehmütig und melancholisch zurück lässt und gleichzeitig neugierig, auf die Fortsetzung.

Trotz Reihenauftakt ist der Roman alleinstehend mit abgeschlossenem Ende.

"A Study in Drowning" ist ein mitreißender Roman über den Glauben an sich selbst, die Ungerechtigkeit der Welt voller patriarchaler Strukturen und zeigt eine starke innere Entwicklung der Protagonistin.

Ganz große Empfehlung! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

sherylkay's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Blood, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.5

A Study in Drowning was a lengthy look into how superstition is just the ugly side of magic.  This is a dark and icky world where female characters have no agency.   It felt like a cross between Rebecca and the Magicians.  A devotee of a book discovers what it's like to understand her hero.  It's a little soggy.  

Well written though, this novel was filled with beautiful descriptions.  The characters were multi-faceted.  The world building was rich and filled with minute details.

I don't love the way Reid handles SA and its been present in all of her novels I've read so far.  Which I also don't enjoy.  

There were a few times when the characters' decisions seemed too convenient and not fully in character.  But for the most part, it's a good book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

ellenwm's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book is beautiful and brilliant. Truly stunning.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, and War

aleilvandrea's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Dementia, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Infidelity, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

edilyaaang's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Reading this book felt like a rollercoaster ride. 

Got really confused about everything at first especially because there were lots of gaps in the beginning. There were times that that I rolled my eyes hard at some parts but in the end I felt like those things married the story together in a way that gave it more depth.

 But whew, I did not expect the story to turn that way. Though I have already guessed some parts of the story, the plots twists blew my mind off.

Especially how the Fairy King was real. I did not see that one coming. And that bed scene came out of nowhere LMFAO.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Grief

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, and Violence

hal00alex's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

Fantasy take on a very interesting time period with dark academia vibes. The characters did very well with the enemies to lovers as it didn’t seem rushed and the dialogue was actually funny. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Drug use

incefloscen's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

drhoneybee's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Blood, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

cadimy's review against another edition

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

2.25

Architecture student gets chosen to design a home for her favorite author’s estate. At no point does she actually do what she was hired to do. She’s off hanging out with the other kid from her school and snooping around the house. 

I get what the author was trying to do with the heavy misogyny and how it affects the MC deeply, so I did appreciate that at times. Unfortunately I had no connection to any of the characters- they fell so flat and there was no chemistry to be found.

Also, little to no backstory on the fairy king?? Why was he hanging around? He was apparently “stuck” on the estate because of the trees and berries everywhere but that doesn’t explain how he escaped to almost steal the MC? She said she saw him all of the time, but how? Not much story building, and the backstory of the north vs south seemed unnecessary other than to sprinkle in some racism for the characters. 

I listened to the audiobook on a road trip, and the fact that I finished it gives it 2 stars, maybe 2.5. I was kind of hoping for a dark ending where her love interest was over taken by the fairy king.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry