lastblossom reviewed A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
An excellent mix of gothic and dark academia set in a world where the lines of reality are blurry, and the power of writing runs deep.
4 stars
I was going through a reading dry spell when I grudgingly forced myself to start reading this book. And then I finished the entire thing in a day. The book starts at a slow pace, but it gets its hooks into you early with an uneasy sense of uncertainty with the world. There's magic in the world. Or maybe there isn't. Strange things haunt Effy at night. Or maybe they don't? All we really know is that Effy feels unwelcome, and finds solace only in her worn copy of the novel Angharad. It's no wonder that she leaps at the chance to redesign the author's house, even if the invitation seems utterly suspect. And things get even more suspect when she arrives. The house is a character unto itself, a proper gothic crumbling mansion with locked rooms and nature creeping in and out of cracks in the ceiling. It's here …
I was going through a reading dry spell when I grudgingly forced myself to start reading this book. And then I finished the entire thing in a day. The book starts at a slow pace, but it gets its hooks into you early with an uneasy sense of uncertainty with the world. There's magic in the world. Or maybe there isn't. Strange things haunt Effy at night. Or maybe they don't? All we really know is that Effy feels unwelcome, and finds solace only in her worn copy of the novel Angharad. It's no wonder that she leaps at the chance to redesign the author's house, even if the invitation seems utterly suspect. And things get even more suspect when she arrives. The house is a character unto itself, a proper gothic crumbling mansion with locked rooms and nature creeping in and out of cracks in the ceiling. It's here that the story really closes in, as reality begins to blur even more, and the mystery surrounding the house and the novel take center stage. Literature student Preston provides a good partner in both the study and romantic sense, with a softer slow-paced romance that takes a back seat to the rest of the plot. The ending is expected, but satisfying, and I found the discussion on what it means to read or write a book to be incredibly touching.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.