Alexis:
I’m a little behind on reviews, because it sure feels like October flew by. I mean, how is it already almost Thanksgiving? I read a lot of books in October that I haven’t even been able to get to yet! But today, I’m going to talk about A Study in Drowning.
Synopsis:
A Study in Drowning follows Effy, the only female architecture student at her university. When her design to rebuild Hiraeth Manor is chosen, she is partly nervous and partly thrilled. The manor belonged to Emrys Myrddin, the most famous author of her country, before he died. Myrddin’s work is Effy’s all-time favorite. But when she arrives at the manor, she finds a literature student named Preston—who is there to prove that Myrddin was a fraud. As the two students 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.
What I Liked:
The star of this book is definitely the atmosphere. I truly felt like I was stuck in the creepy, mysterious, drowning manor. Reid’s descriptions just drip with water and rot; her imagery is both beautiful and visceral.
I also really enjoyed the academic vibes. While this book was marketed as a dark academia, I wouldn’t go so far as to categorize it as such, as only the beginning is set on an actual university campus. I think it has more dark academia vibes with a heavy dose of literature vibes. There are a lot of scenes where Effy and Preston are analyzing the text together and searching for clues, which I thought was really fun and reminded me of my time in grad school.
Myrddin’s epic was about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him. Effy herself has been having visions of the Fairy King her whole life. I thought this was a very interesting and effective motif throughout the story, as Effy struggles with knowing what is real and what isn’t. This book also deals with sexual assault, abuse, sexism, and mental health, and Reid did a great job of showing how it affected Effy’s life.
What I Didn’t Like As Much:
The plot itself was a little thin at times, and the ending itself felt very rushed compared to the rest of the book.
Most of the characters are pretty unlikeable. I don’t necessarily mind unlikeable characters; having flawed characters makes for a much more interesting story. But Effy herself, who has been a victim of prejudice, does inflict her own prejudices on Preston, which I wasn’t a fan of. The book blurb also says that Effy and Preston are academic rivals, when in reality, Preston does his best to deal with Effy when they first meet because she’s so hostile towards him.
Overall
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Reid’s prose is gorgeous and atmospheric and transports you directly into the story. I loved the mysteriousness, and I loved the academic and literary vibes. While I do wish the plot and the ending were a little more fleshed out, I was really sucked into this story!
VERDICT: 🌊🌊🌊🌊.5/5
takes two to book review 