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A review by serena_reads_and_writes
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
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
5.0
"I will love you to ruination."
Effy has spent her entire life obsessed with a novel by a man named Emrys Myrddin about the malevolent Fairy King and his pursuit, and eventual corruption, of a young girl. She reads the book constantly and can quote it by heart along with Myrddin's other works. She also, since she was a child, has dreamed of the Fairy King. She sees him out of the corner of her eye and is convinced that he is coming for her someday.
After Myrddin passes away, his surviving family sends out a request for someone to design a renovation for the late author's estate, Hiraeth Manor, in the south of the country. Effy, a first-year student in the Architecture College who wishes she was in the Literature College instead (she's not allowed because she's a woman), submits a proposal on a whim, not expecting anything to come of it. But, to her surprise, the author's son chooses her proposal and requests that she travel to the estate to begin work immediately. There, she meets a young man named Preston who is in the Literature College and is at Hiraeth Manor under the pretense of collecting Myrddin's writings for scholarly preservation while really seeking to prove that the author did not write his most famous work. Effy and Preston are drawn into each other's orbit as they explore Hiraeth Manor and learn that there is far more to it than they could have expected.
Ava Reid's prose is lyrical and haunting. Her world-building is light but effective and her characters are relatable and sympathetic. This novel explores themes of identity, fact vs fiction, corruption, and mental illness while engaging in a heady examination of the tendency of powerful men to take advantage of young, impressionable girls. At no point during the reading of this novel did I want to put it down. Reid enthralled me from page one and transported me to those craggy cliffs right next to Effy. This book spoke to my soul (yes, that's cheesy, but that's how I feel) and I think it will do the same for any non-man who has felt dragged down by the men around them.
TL/DR: Ava Reid does it again with a captivating Gothic fantasy that will leave you wanting more in the best way.
After Myrddin passes away, his surviving family sends out a request for someone to design a renovation for the late author's estate, Hiraeth Manor, in the south of the country. Effy, a first-year student in the Architecture College who wishes she was in the Literature College instead (she's not allowed because she's a woman), submits a proposal on a whim, not expecting anything to come of it. But, to her surprise, the author's son chooses her proposal and requests that she travel to the estate to begin work immediately. There, she meets a young man named Preston who is in the Literature College and is at Hiraeth Manor under the pretense of collecting Myrddin's writings for scholarly preservation while really seeking to prove that the author did not write his most famous work. Effy and Preston are drawn into each other's orbit as they explore Hiraeth Manor and learn that there is far more to it than they could have expected.
Ava Reid's prose is lyrical and haunting. Her world-building is light but effective and her characters are relatable and sympathetic. This novel explores themes of identity, fact vs fiction, corruption, and mental illness while engaging in a heady examination of the tendency of powerful men to take advantage of young, impressionable girls. At no point during the reading of this novel did I want to put it down. Reid enthralled me from page one and transported me to those craggy cliffs right next to Effy. This book spoke to my soul (yes, that's cheesy, but that's how I feel) and I think it will do the same for any non-man who has felt dragged down by the men around them.
TL/DR: Ava Reid does it again with a captivating Gothic fantasy that will leave you wanting more in the best way.