Effy Sayre is Llyre’s newest architecture student, but she’d much rather be studying English. Heading into her first term, Effy clutches onto her battered copy of the Angharad, an epic fable detailing the triumphs of a mortal girl over the Fairy King. Plagued by visions of her own in which the Fairy King takes center stage, Effy is desperate for an outlet and enters a contest to redesign Hiraeth Manor, the house of the Angharad’s author, Emrys Myrddin. Redesigning Hiraeth Manor is a chore beyond measure, as portions of the estate have fallen into disrepair and ruin, and the house is seconds from losing itself to the sea. When Effy arrives, she finds another point of contention in Preston Héloury, her academic rival who has taken up residence, intent on proving Emrys Myrddin a fraud. Although he is everything she stands against, Effy can’t help but be drawn to Preston’s quest. Because there’s something dangerous lurking on the estate, something that echoes her past, and Hiraeth Manor hides secrets that could very well drag them both down for good.
A Study in Drowning is a swirling tempest of hope, love, and finding a way forward against all odds. This their third novel, It’s clear that Ava Reid cannot write a bad one. Enveloped in folklore and set in a Welsh-inspired fantasy world, this book is a balm for every person who has been an outsider in their lives and for those still fighting to have their voice be heard. All of this is characterized in our protagonist Effy Sayre; a young woman in academia struggling to keep her head above water. As the only woman in her architecture college, unable to pursue the field of education she desires, and consistently mocked and preyed upon, Effy is adrift in every sense. The only thing holding her together is the novel The Angharad.
Across her works, Reid has emphasized the power of storytelling and it is A Study in Drowning that focuses on the readers that find themselves within stories. This fraught relationship between author and reader is investigated within the novel as the Angharad’s authorship is contested. We get glimpses of the Angharad, both the story itself and scholarly critique, and the ways in which the story mirrors the real world, one in which a Fairy King may rule still. As Effy seeks the truth at Hiraeth Manor she develops a connection with Preston, her academic rival and, similarly, an outsider. If there’s one thing I trust with Ava Reid, it’s delivering a phenomenal romance. Preston and Effy’s relationship is a deeply gratifying slow burn between two kindred spirits forging a way forward in a world that has consistently denied them. There is so much genre work going on here as well. It’s a romance, a gothic, a mystery, and a dark academia all at once. All of these are interwoven with startling prose and imagery. Hiraeth Manor – with its peeling water-stained wallpaper, portraits of days past, and floorboards glistening with seawater is a beautiful and haunting example. Reading A Study in Drowning is like slowly sinking into an unruly sea and welcoming it with the knowledge that someone will be there to pull you out. It’s about owning your story in a world determined to control the narrative and finding healing despite past abuses. A book I’ll be keeping in my back pocket to weather any future storms.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger warnings: parental abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, misogyny, bullying, sexism
Literaryrobin 