Early Review – A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Length: 384 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: September 19, 2023
ASIN: B0BQMWCHP5
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny.
But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this on ebook through NetGalley to review.
Thoughts: I ended up really enjoying this. It is a bit of an odd book that deals with dark fae and has a strangely Lovecaftian feel to it as well. I also enjoyed Reid’s book “Juniper & Thorn” when I read it.
Effy is the only female architecture student (she wanted to go into literature but they don’t let women do that because women are too flighty). She has had some trouble with her professor abusing her and would love nothing more than to leave the college. She ends up winning a contest to redesign the house of a famous author named Myrddin; an author she really admires. However, when she journeys to the desolate Hiraeth Manor she realizes she’s been given an impossible task. The house is literally falling into the sea and the new lord of the manor (Myrddin’s son) is strange and seems to want to use Effy in the same way her professor wanted to use her.
The only saving grace is that there is another student there, Preston Héloury, working on his thesis. He draws Effy into a mystery around Myrddin that will upend everything she thinks she knows about the fae and her favorite author.
I ended up enjoying this. The story deals some with dark fae but has more of a Lovecraftian vibe to it at points. You have the sea pounding on the town that Hiraeth Manor is located in and the way it is infusing the walls of the house. The master of the house is slowly descending into madness as well. There are also heavy themes about women being taken advantage of and learning to stand up for themselves. Many of the men in here seek to abuse and take advantage of the women in their lives.
This is beautifully written and easy to read. You can smell and taste the moldy walls of Hiraeth Manor. While I got frustrated with Effy at times, I did sympathize for her. I thought the relationship between Effy and Preston was decently done. Although, the fact that Effy went from an abusive relationship with her professor directly into a relationship with another man who says he will protect her was not ideal. It would have been nice if Effy had learned to stand on her own two feet first.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. The dark damp depths of Hiraeth Manor were strangely enticing and I enjoyed uncovering Myrddin’s secrets. The characters weren’t my absolutely favorite but I did enjoy the dark fae and Lovecraftian vibes to this story. This was a good read and I will keep an eye out for future books by Reid. I enjoy the darker tone that her books have.
