I’ve been waiting for this book for so long. Every-time i saw TikTok video or a review of someone who got an arc my envy level was ↗️↗️↗️ she understood Angharad on a level that was almost inarticulable: it was as primal and unconscious as her lungs pumping and her heart beating." A Study in Drowning is set in a world inspired by mid-century England and Wales, and Effy belongs to a class of women who would have been among the first non-aristocrats to be able to attend university. While she has the privilege of being upper class, as a woman she is still subjected to horrifically dehumanising institutional sexism. This gripping, smart gothic fantasy explores the magic of mythology and story and makes readers think about the many facets of sexual harassment and assault and how deeply it affects the victims. This ambitious tale takes some getting into -- way too much needs explaining while Effy is at university -- but when she lands at the moldy manor there's no putting the book down. The setting is fantastically creepy and brings out all the worst of Effy's night terrors about the fairy king even during the day.

it just confused me and ruined any potential attachment to the characters, but specifically Effy that i craved. The only reason anything matters is because it ends,” he says. “I wouldn’t hold you so tightly now if I thought we could be here forever.” this was the downfall of this book. The romance didn’t gave what it was supposed to gave. Their rivalry banter was so bland or i’m just so stupid to understand it idk. But I didn’t feel the chemistry. Or the romance between them until i was like 84% into the book 🤡 i was very disappointed. A Study in Drowning is a YA dark academia fantasy that follows Effy, an architecture student who desperately wants to study literature but is barred from it because of her university’s archaic, sexist laws. When she sees an advertisement for a competition to design a home honoring her country’s national author–the author of her favorite book–she leaps at the chance. But when she arrives, she finds herself in a remote, crumbling manor, full of disturbing secrets and ruled over by the author’s enigmatic and capricious son. She also meets her academic rival, Preston, who is there for his own reasons: to prove her favorite author was a fraud. im bummed because i have been excited for this since Ava announced this book and all we had was a title nearly two years ago. i truly think parts of this read like a draft and is in dire need of editing.effy is an extremely relatable character. she is struggling with her mental health, she is anxious and hides in her favorite stories to escape her trauma. her growth throughout the story is beautiful and showcases her journey of self-discovery and healing. preston was honestly just a precious little bean and the way he treated effy was so sweet. There are definitely shades of A.S. Byatt’s Possession in A Study in Drowning, and that book was a big inspiration to me. Possession is also a literary mystery where two rival academics end up falling in love in their quest to uncover obscure lore about a famous (fictional) author, although obviously ASID takes place in a fantasy world. But I think what was most compelling to me about Possession– and what influenced ASID the most strongly–is the theme of obsession and devotion. The sense of ownership that academics feel over their subjects, that people feel over the objects of their affection. The seemingly-effete and remote world of academia is, ultimately, driven by passion, and that’s part of what makes it so compelling to me.

Effy used both hands to smooth the paper flat, then squinted at the curling script. Handwritten, it was smeared in several places. It was further obscured by a water stain of no discernible shape, like a birthmark or a growth of mold. Effy’s breath caught, and when she tried to speak, she found that no words would come. She wanted to say I don’t believe you. She wanted to say thank you. She wanted to say tell me more about who I am because I don’t know anymore.” Reluctantly, Effy allies with Preston, hoping to use the credit on his paper to gain entry to the literature college. Together they uncover a decades-old conspiracy, all while being menaced by mysterious, supernatural forces. But the truth is more horrifying than Effy could have imagined, and it might bring her and Preston–and their entire nation–to ruin. It's an incredibly atmospheric book, every moment feels alive, as if the wind will wrench you from this world and place you anew upon the cliffs. Every creak of the dilapidated house, every lash of rain on the characters' cheeks, it was all so vivid. The writing was truly phenomenal.The history of Welsh folklore–its broad dissemination and integration with the modern Western fantasy genre–is inextricably tied to English colonialism of the Celtic countries, which itself is a major theme in A Study in Drowning. I’m always interested in the political salience of fairy tales and folklore; how they contribute to building national identity; how they often connote deep, centuries-old social tensions. These are ideas that crop up in pretty much all of my books, and I wanted to explore them in ASID too.