“A Study in Drowning“ by Ava Reid is a dark academia meets fantasy novel about a young girl named Effy who attends an architectural college, but yearns to attend the neighboring literature college which is strictly only open to males.
I picked up this book because I have become intrigued by dark fantasy novels and the potential for strong female characters, spooky happenings and magical twists. While this novel was definitely spooky, I found some holes in the character development and the not-so-surprising ending.
Due to this lack of representation she feels in the real world, Effy is comforted by the novelist Emrys Myrridan who writes epic tales about the strength and bravery of women. However, when she is selected as a winner to renovate the late author’s house, a fellow young literature student is determined to prove that Myrridan is a fraud and not a true author.
Throughout the story, my favorite character was Preston Heloury. He’s the one other student selected to renovate the house and he has suspicions that Myrridan didn’t write the books himself, due to hints from a professor. In conversation, he shows himself to be witty and has a subtle romantic side to him that makes him charming.
One piece of criticism though is that he didn’t seem real at times because he was a little too smart with his words. His sentences sounded a little too thought out and seemed a little unnatural at times.
On the other hand, I personally didn’t like the protagonist because her personality was flat and underdeveloped. Even though the book’s main message is about conveying women as strong and independent, Effy seems like quite the opposite. She’s often portrayed as feeble and weak and is completely dependent on Preston for much of the story.
Once I got to the end, I was disappointed by the predictable ending. The plot twist wasn’t quite a twist.
Spoiler alert: I honestly knew from the beginning that they were going to get caught. They were snooping around Myrridan’s place so obviously and leaving so many footprints that it would’ve been harder to not get caught. I feel like it was quite obvious that Ian was the Fairy King when Effy saw him transform in the car and when he started acting all suspicious. I was hoping for some impressive magical powers, but the Fairy King was not entirely convincing.
Overall, the book kept me wondering, but not really guessing. The story is mostly a mystery about the late author and his secret relationship with a young girl. It kept me wondering if the books he wrote were actually his own and how ethical of a person he really was.
By the end, Effy is more empowered and has learned how to stand up for herself in the face of harassment from men throughout the story. I just wish, for a fantasy novel, it had been a bit more magical.
(Photo courtesy of HarperCollins publishers)
