I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid Published by HarperTeen on 9/19/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Gothic, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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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.
Short and Sweet Review
Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales, and since she was a young girl she has been haunted by the Fairy King. Her favorite author Emrys Myrddin wrote a book about a mortal falling in love with the fairy king and it just happens to be one of Effy’s favorite books. When Myrddin’s estate puts out a concert to redesign the late authors estates Iffy jumps at the chance. When she gets to Hiraeth Manor, Effy learns that her task is nearly impossible, the house is built near the sea and its close to falling in. She also meets another university student from the Literature college who is planning on exposing Myrddin as a hack but to do that he needs Effy’s help. There’s a lot of forces coming together to stop Effy and Preston, and they have to keep their wits about them to survive.
A Study in Drowning, is a scholarly mystery combined with dark fantasy elements. Effy is a student at the Architecture college and unfortunately she’s the only girl in that college and there’s some rumors or maybe truth to her being with a teacher. Effy is often looked down on because of her gender, so when she’s picked for the contest she’s ready to go and prove herself. Iffy meets Preston the other college student and finds him insufferable but they’re just two very different people who believe in different things which is why I did like this romance, because they took the time to understand each other and see things from the others point of view. Our setting is a decrepit manor on a cliff near a sea and even the writing makes you understand how dark and dreary this place really is. When Preston asks for Effy’s help, we see them both put their selves at risk to discover the truth. Ianto is Emrys’s son and there’s definitely something off with him, we see glimpses of the Fairy king in him. I could never tell whether or not to trust what Effy was seeing. Effy is one of those characters you end up falling in love with, she’s lived a life where a lot of people put her down and don’t always believe her so I’m glad in this book we see Preston coming around and having her back.
This book was an interesting combination of mystery and fantasy and I liked the characters and their determination to uncover the truth. I enjoyed this book and everything it had to offer.
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