Scan barcode
bookbunny01's review against another edition
5.0
"You don't have to take up a sword. Survival is bravery too."
My fav Reid book so far. The themes of this book are very raw, and her imagery is, as usual, haunting and vivid. When I had to put the book down I sort of imagined it was oozing into a puddle, there's so much water in these pages. It was beautiful and sad and buoyant and hopeful.
Trigger warning for implied sexual assault and harassment.
My fav Reid book so far. The themes of this book are very raw, and her imagery is, as usual, haunting and vivid. When I had to put the book down I sort of imagined it was oozing into a puddle, there's so much water in these pages. It was beautiful and sad and buoyant and hopeful.
Trigger warning for implied sexual assault and harassment.
kelsdunc's review against another edition
5.0
6⭐️ absolutely loved this book. Awesome gothic fairy tale. The love story in this book was one of my favorites all year.
Kindle with a couple chapters on Spotify audio.
Kindle with a couple chapters on Spotify audio.
friedareads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
ineshelsen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.5
satyrane's review against another edition
5.0
I received a copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books. All opinions expressed are my own!
Initially I tried to listen to an audiobook version of this story, but with the heaviness of the themes an audiobook version just wasn't for me. But once I started reading the text, I found it as bewitching and sharp as the sea, or the Fairy King himself. In fact, I think that analogy holds even further: A Study in Drowning feels tempestuous and unsafe, and yet deeply and wholly true. It is not always a pleasant and almost never a comfortable voyage, but a compelling one. For sensitive readers, the themes of misogyny and sexual assault are continuous and prevalent, so please be mindful of that when picking up this book. Most references to sex and sex acts are mentioned in euphemistic or indirect terms, though not all. I would definitely recommend this book, though it might be too heavy for some people to read casually.
Initially I tried to listen to an audiobook version of this story, but with the heaviness of the themes an audiobook version just wasn't for me. But once I started reading the text, I found it as bewitching and sharp as the sea, or the Fairy King himself. In fact, I think that analogy holds even further: A Study in Drowning feels tempestuous and unsafe, and yet deeply and wholly true. It is not always a pleasant and almost never a comfortable voyage, but a compelling one. For sensitive readers, the themes of misogyny and sexual assault are continuous and prevalent, so please be mindful of that when picking up this book. Most references to sex and sex acts are mentioned in euphemistic or indirect terms, though not all. I would definitely recommend this book, though it might be too heavy for some people to read casually.
brittwahls's review against another edition
3.0
No one is more upset about giving this book this rating than I am. I wanted desperately to love this book but it just fell so flat for me. The romance cannot be classified as enemies to lovers, unless you consider one character hating the other just because of where they are from as being an enemy? Once Effy got over her prejudice (which she of course never actually has any accountability for), it’s instalove because of course she has no real reason to dislike him.
Outside of the descriptions of the house and the land, there isn’t enough backstory about the war or the Drowning or the countries themselves. I also couldn’t figure out what time-frame this was supposed to be in. They talk about writing letters, but then it turns out there are phones??
The conclusion of the story felt rushed while simultaneously feeling drawn out because it was extremely obvious from the moment Effy stepped foot into the house. I just wanted to get on with it.
The reason I will give this book even the 3 stars is the exploration of women being silenced throughout history and the things they have to do in order to have their voices heard. This aspect of the book was extremely compelling and why I so desperately wanted to love it and am so sad it fell flat.
Merged review:
No one is more upset about giving this book this rating than I am. I wanted desperately to love this book but it just fell so flat for me. The romance cannot be classified as enemies to lovers, unless you consider one character hating the other just because of where they are from as being an enemy? Once Effy got over her prejudice (which she of course never actually has any accountability for), it’s instalove because of course she has no real reason to dislike him.
Outside of the descriptions of the house and the land, there isn’t enough backstory about the war or the Drowning or the countries themselves. I also couldn’t figure out what time-frame this was supposed to be in. They talk about writing letters, but then it turns out there are phones??
The conclusion of the story felt rushed while simultaneously feeling drawn out because it was extremely obvious from the moment Effy stepped foot into the house. I just wanted to get on with it.
The reason I will give this book even the 3 stars is the exploration of women being silenced throughout history and the things they have to do in order to have their voices heard. This aspect of the book was extremely compelling and why I so desperately wanted to love it and am so sad it fell flat.
Outside of the descriptions of the house and the land, there isn’t enough backstory about the war or the Drowning or the countries themselves. I also couldn’t figure out what time-frame this was supposed to be in. They talk about writing letters, but then it turns out there are phones??
The conclusion of the story felt rushed while simultaneously feeling drawn out because it was extremely obvious from the moment Effy stepped foot into the house. I just wanted to get on with it.
The reason I will give this book even the 3 stars is the exploration of women being silenced throughout history and the things they have to do in order to have their voices heard. This aspect of the book was extremely compelling and why I so desperately wanted to love it and am so sad it fell flat.
Merged review:
No one is more upset about giving this book this rating than I am. I wanted desperately to love this book but it just fell so flat for me. The romance cannot be classified as enemies to lovers, unless you consider one character hating the other just because of where they are from as being an enemy? Once Effy got over her prejudice (which she of course never actually has any accountability for), it’s instalove because of course she has no real reason to dislike him.
Outside of the descriptions of the house and the land, there isn’t enough backstory about the war or the Drowning or the countries themselves. I also couldn’t figure out what time-frame this was supposed to be in. They talk about writing letters, but then it turns out there are phones??
The conclusion of the story felt rushed while simultaneously feeling drawn out because it was extremely obvious from the moment Effy stepped foot into the house. I just wanted to get on with it.
The reason I will give this book even the 3 stars is the exploration of women being silenced throughout history and the things they have to do in order to have their voices heard. This aspect of the book was extremely compelling and why I so desperately wanted to love it and am so sad it fell flat.
brighttreebookshelf77's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0