A Study in Drowning

The SUNDAY TIMES and NO. 1 NYT bestselling dark academia, rivals to lovers fantasy from the author of The Wolf and the Woodsman

By: Ava Reid

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NO. 1 NYT BESTSELLING NOVEL, FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN

Effy has always believed in fairy tales. She's had no choice. Since childhood, she's been haunted by visions of the Fairy King. She's found solace only in the pages of Angharad - a beloved epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, and then destroys him.

Effy's tattered copy is all that's keeping her afloat through her stifling first term her prestigious architecture college. So when the late author's family announces a contest to design his house, Effy fells certain this is her destiny.

But Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task: a musty, decrepit estate on the brink of crumbling into a hungry sea. And when Effy arrives, she finds she isn't the only one who's made a temporary home there. Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar, is studying Myrddin's papers and is determined to prove her favourite author is a fraud.

As the two rival students investigate the reclusive author's legacy, piecing together clues through his letters, books, and diaries, they discover that the house's foundation isn't the only thing that can't be trusted. There are dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspiring against them - and the truth may bring them both to ruin.

'A love letter to stories - and to everyone silenced or forgotten in their retelling.' Allison Saft, author of A Far Wilder Magic

Sunday Times bestseller, September 2023
New York Times bestseller, November 2023

©2023 Ava Reid (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

A love letter to stories - and to everyone silenced or forgotten in their retelling.

A wonderfully written, tense and moving novel that offers its audience an endlessly readable mix of historical fiction, gothic mystery and fantasy romance that will draw you in again and again.

As merciless as a rising tide and as beguiling as a fairy's bargain.

A Study in Drowning is a stunning book in every way. From one phenomenal book to another, Ava Reid is an author I am obsessed with . . . A masterclass in pacing, characterisation and tension, with a beautiful meditation on stories and who gets to have an authorial voice.

A spell-binding mix of magic, myth, and mystery.

Reid wields lyricism, dark academia, and fairy-core elements to eloquently imbue the narrative with originality and depth that ferries themes surrounding grief, gender, and the value of folklore.

A lyrical examination of stories told, cherished myths, and an unravelling of truths held dear. Darkly romantic and unsettlingly eerie.

A dark and gripping feminist tale.

Lyrical, incisive, and tragically beautiful, this book will haunt your dreams. Reid delivers in every way - from the atmospheric house by the sea to the achingly hopeful romance to the examination of power, gender, and control, A Study in Drowning ruins and rebuilds you.

Full of myth and superstition, and heavy rains that fall upon crumbling old houses. A rewarding, romatic read, with much to chew on.

A good listen, not the best

Though the narrator’s performance was great and I initially really enjoyed the story, it fell a bit flat. The world that is created seems very interesting but could have been fleshed out a bit. The story had a fantastic set up but the ending was a disappointment. I am in a love hate relationship with this book.

Disappointing

Pros: good concept and enjoyed the writing style

Cons: The fantasy setting was quite similar to the real world didn’t really add anything.

Effy’s dislike of Preston made no sense. He borrowed some books she wanted and this is a reason to hate him!

Parts of the book read like a bad romance. The number of times Effy is about to burst into tears or stumbles or goes weak in the knees and Preston is there to catch here.

The reveals were very disappointing, you will be able to figure them out well before our main characters.

Characters also made incredibly stupid decisions sometimes just to further the plot.