I’ve read three books by Ava Reid now and this one is by far the best, it’s excellent. This is a wonderful, dark book about two students trying to uncover the mystery of a decrepit house that’s gradually falling into the sea and the author of a book they both love who recently died. The fairy stories in this are just magnificent. It’s the dark tales I remember from childhood. The fairies in this are to be feared. It’s so beautifully woven throughout the story. The main character has experience with the Fairy King but her mother and doctor put her on medication thinking she’s mad. She is unable to trust her own judgement and tell what’s real and what’s not. There’s also a regional split with southerners believing in fairies but the North dismissing it as superstition. We also have an academic institute with inappropriate behaviour towards our main character. She experiences frequent discrimination as the only female on the architecture course and was outright refused for her preferred course of literature despite her outstanding academic performance purely for being female. The setting is so evocative. From the university to the coastal town with the decaying house, it’s all so well described. Highly recommend this book, it was a joy to read.

“Anything can be taken from you, at any moment. Even the past isn't guaranteed. You can lose that too, slowly, like water eating away at stone.” Today we are talking about a book coming out this fall that I had the opportunity to preview thanks to Netgalley • A study in Drowning is the third book by Ava Reid and like the others on the works it is a very atmospheric fantasy book in part dark academia, but also gothic horror and with the addition of a Romance Academic rivals to lovers that I loved! • It is about sexism in the academic environment; about stories and the relationship between author and reader; about horror fairy tales, about ancient myths and traditions but also about how often our voice is taken away from us and what it takes to get it back to make us understood and believed again! • The main characters, Effy and Preston, are two rivals forced to work together to bring secrets and lost stories back to life and to let the world know the truth about a famous writer praised by all. I loved the Romance! The two have a very strong chemistry and both have a strong personal and couple growth over the course of the book. Effy is a girl who is becoming an adult who has lost her voice and with a difficult past, but she is also a strong and fearless girl. Preston is a cinnamon roll. He's a determined guy and eager to find out the truth, he's caring, sweet and I'm sure you'll all love him!! • Highly recommended if you've loved books like Divine Rivals, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue!

a study in drowning is a captivating journey into dark academia with an irresistible blend of romance and mystery. effy, an architecture student haunted by enigmatic visions of the fairy king, takes us on a spellbinding ride to a decaying manor where the line between reality and fantasy blurs. ava reid's storytelling shines as the story delves deep into profound themes, touching upon the theft of voices and the undercurrent of academic sexism. the atmosphere is hauntingly perfect for a brisk autumn evening, enveloping you in an eerie ambiance. with concealed mysteries waiting to be unraveled, and reid's expert storytelling, the plot maintains a tight grip on your attention from start to finish. highly recommend!!

Effy has been haunted by visions of the Fairy King since she was a child, with only the fairy story Angharad and sleeping pills to get her through the night. When she's offered the chance of a lifetime to design a new home for the author's widow and son, she jumps - especially as it gets her away from the Architecture college where whispers follow her footsteps. But when she arrives at Haereth, she finds a house half-drowned and in ruins on a crumbling clifftop. Water seeps through the wallpaper and entire floors are submerged by the dark sea. Rebuilding Haereth would be an impossible task for an accomplished architect, let alone a first-year student. But with nothing to return to, and an opportunity too good to refuse, Effy is drawn deeper and deeper into a murky world where nothing is as it seems and water pours through the cracks of her memories, her mind and her sanity. Steeped in fantasy and magical realism, this book was utterly impossible to put down, but at the same time I didn't want it to end. Effy was a protagonist it was easy to root for, although I was never quite sure how her story was going to end. I loved the mystery elements to the plot, and Reid keeps tension high throughout with unsettling and uncertain visions and the constant threat of the sea. Snippets of literature add to the dark, Gothic atmosphere, and there are lots of interesting discussions about authorship, and how the personality and actions of writers can affect our responses to their works. This is the first novel I've read by Ava Reid, but it definitely won't be the last.

A story that keeps you guessing until the end! This book is a beautiful combination of gothic, academic, feminism, fey, and folklore wrapped up in fantastic writing.