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A review by teachinatardis
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Effy Sayre has earned her place as the only female in the architecture college, but that's not even where she wants to be. The place she belongs is the literature college, but there's no chance of them ever allowing a woman in. But when she learns about an architecture competition to design a home for the family of her favorite author who has recently died, she jumps at the chance...and WINS! But as she delves deeper into the truth behind the life of her favorite author, his crumbling home, and his anxious son she finds that sometimes the reality and imagination are sometimes the same thing.
This book was an odd one for me, because at times I thought it was moving slowly, but it would pick up quickly until the next time I thought it slowed down. The first few chapters were frustrating because I thought I had missed some important information, but that information was just withheld until a later time in the story. I inferred the meaning correctly, but it wasn't actually confirmed until late in the game. Effy also suffers from seeing things that aren't there, and the unfolding of that plot point also gave me some confusion as it was another slow burn that made me feel as if I were missing something. Overall, a story that addresses some serious things, like sexual assault and grooming, and does it well, while managing to create a solid fantasy that was fun and engaging.
This book was an odd one for me, because at times I thought it was moving slowly, but it would pick up quickly until the next time I thought it slowed down. The first few chapters were frustrating because I thought I had missed some important information, but that information was just withheld until a later time in the story. I inferred the meaning correctly, but it wasn't actually confirmed until late in the game. Effy also suffers from seeing things that aren't there, and the unfolding of that plot point also gave me some confusion as it was another slow burn that made me feel as if I were missing something. Overall, a story that addresses some serious things, like sexual assault and grooming, and does it well, while managing to create a solid fantasy that was fun and engaging.