A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid – A Book Review

Spoiler-Free Overview

Effy Sayre is an architecture student, and the only woman who’s entered the architecture college. Though she really wanted to enter the literature college, they do not accept women. 

So, when the opportunity arises to enter an architecture competition where the winner gets to redesign the estate for Emrys Myrddin’s family, the famous writer of Effy’s favorite novel Angharad, Effy jumps to the task. 

Effy is chosen as the winner even though she’s not the best architecture student, but her love of Myrddin’s work shows in her designs for his home. To complete her work, she must travel to the southern coastal region and stay at the Myrddin family home. It’s here that she meets another student, Preston, from the literature college. 

Preston is investigating Myrddin’s work to expose the writer as a fraud. He enlists Effy to gather clues about Myrddin’s legacy and the dark forces that have taken hold of the house. 

Liz’s Thoughts and Feelings

I was so hyped for this book. Several creators I follow on TikTok were giving rave reviews. Unfortunately, that’s not how I feel about the book. In fact, I couldn’t really care about the story or the characters. If I’d read this at a younger age or at a different point in my life, maybe I could have loved it as so many others do. Instead, I spent so much of the book waiting for a big reveal that improved everything. And when the big reveal of the book came, I was underwhelmed.

Let’s break this review down into categories:

Themes: 

There are so many of them – misogyny especially in academics, racism, mental health and anxiety – and it’s all wrapped up in this gothic mystery. Notice how I didn’t mention romance or connection in that? It’s because I do not get romance from this book. I don’t care that they fall in love on the page. There is no romance.

Combating misogyny through small victories is the basis of this book. Effy pushes back in small, silent ways where she can, hating the injustices placed upon women. They are either seductresses or mewling maidens. The way Effy is treated throughout the book all comes down to this. Except for Preston, her love interest, everyone wants to make Effy fit into those two boxes.

The racism is unfortunate in this book. It’s fantasy racism between two warring nations, Llyr and Argant. Effy is Llyrian, and Preston is Argantian going to the Llyrian college because his mother is Llyrian. This theme could have added a lot to the story. Instead, it added almost nothing except to make Effy look like an ass. She frequently looks down on Preston because his father is Argantian and he grew up across the border. And, instead of having Effy face the terrible realization that she is racist, the author gives Effy a small moment where she realizes she shouldn’t have judged Preston so quickly. It was extremely uncomfortable to read, and because it didn’t have a resolution, caused me to dislike Effy the entire book.

The only reason the war between the two countries held any value was to show that the people from the opposing country were treated better in the college than women. Which is a fine thing to mention, but it just felt like we were building up this conflict for it to not have much purpose.

The Mystery

There are several mysteries in this book – did Myrddin write Angharad or did someone else, what’s going on with the visions of the Fairy King Effy keeps happening, and what is happening with the creepy house and Myrddin’s family? They’re all wrapped up in this gothic aesthetic which I love. You spend a lot of the book questioning what is real and what isn’t. Which goes along with Effy who’s also questioning if she’s seeing things or if they’re real. I won’t say much more because I don’t want to spoil anything, but there’s a general sense of ‘what is going on’ throughout the book.

Characters

I don’t connect with Effy. I think she’s a character for a younger audience, or at least, I would have liked her more when I was younger. She’s ruled by these bouts of anxiety and that no one understands her. She’s lost in a world without anyone to connect to. Yeah, a younger me would have connected with that.

Now, on to Preston. He existed. There. That’s it. I think he’s two-dimensional and uninteresting.

Romance. Because we must.

Effy and Preston experience a strange and unsettling adventure in the Myrddin estate. This shared experience and trauma is the basis for their romance. Effy also likes Preston because he sees her and isn’t a misogynistic asshole, which I’m here for. But I couldn’t tell you why Preston likes Effy. The only thing they really share is some bickering about literature, and Effy is a total jerk to Preston because of her racism towards Argantians.

All in all, a lot of people like this book. I found it boring, which isn’t for a lack of adventure or excitement on the page. I simply couldn’t care about these characters, so I couldn’t care about the book. That’s why I rated it three stars. It’s solidly in the ‘meh’ category.