A Study in Drowning (Book 1)
Available at Bookshop.org
5/5
““I will love you to ruination,” the Fairy King said, brushing a strand of golden hair from my cheek. “Yours or mine?” I asked. The Fairy King did not answer.”
The Big Questions:
What genre is this in? Fantasy
Are there any swoon-worthy characters? If you like swotty, mysterious types with a heart of gold, Preston is your guy
Is it spicy? Fade to black
Is it violent or gory? Fight scenes, but nothing gory
Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? If you are a fan of Ava Reid’s work, buy it!
“I was a woman when it was convenient to blame me, and a girl when they wanted to use me.”
Review: Ava Reid just gets better and better with each new book. This new adventure happens in a crumbling, gothic mansion on a dark and stormy cliff overlooking a violent sea. Our FMC is Effy Sayre, a young woman who has been in survival mode from the moment she was born. When our story begins, she is a university student reluctantly studying architecture in a society that does not believe in the capability of women. Haunted by childhood visions, sordid rumors, and her strongly held belief in the Fairy King, she struggles to control any aspect of her life. Given the opportunity to redesign the home of her favourite author, the recently deceased Emrys Myrddin, she travels away from her past and encounters a fellow academic with his own agenda in the southern reaches of her war weary nation. Upon her arrival, Effy quickly realizes the redesign is not as simple as she believed and her beloved author has a far darker past than anyone could have ever known. Themes of power imbalances, mental health, childhood trauma, and finding your voice all come into play as a storm brews just off shore. This is the perfect moody, mysterious read for October’s dark nights.