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Cover of A Study in Drowning

A Study in Drowning

by Ava Reid

🥛clean·spoiler·A Study in Drowning #1·Ongoing Series

Why Read This?

Ava Reid weaves a gothic mystery where fairy tales are weapons, academia is a battlefield, and a crumbling estate holds secrets that refuse to stay buried. The rivals-to-lovers romance between Effy and Preston is tender, not flashy—and that is the point.

Synopsis

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.

At a Glance

3.70 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🥛clean
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingslow burn
Energymedium

Top Tropes

rivals to loversslow burnforced proximity

Mood

darkatmosphericmysteriousbittersweethaunting

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

3.70 ★

Primary Genre

Young Adult

Pairing

M/F

POV

Third Person

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Solo Narration

Narrator

Saskia Maarleveld

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

Mood & Vibe

Mood

Writing Style

lyricalatmosphericbroodingintrospectivelush

Story Pacing

medium

Emotional Weight

heavy

Energy Required

medium

Vibes

haunted estateliterary mysteryfairy tales bleeding into realitygothic dark academia

Characters

FMC Archetype

bookworm/scholarsurvivorsoft/gentle

MMC Archetype

secretly softgrumpy protectorscholar/intellectual

Relationship Dynamics

mutual piningslow burnpush and pullintellectual connectionreluctant allies to lovers
sexual assault (off-page)child abuse and neglectdeathviolencesexual harassmentmisogynyinstitutional sexismdrowninganxietyhallucinationsbullying
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World & Setting

World Type

gothic

Primary Setting

Hiraeth Manor, a crumbling seaside estate in a Welsh-inspired secondary world; Llyr University

Fantasy Creatures

Representation

mental health rep

Reading Context

Emotional Payoff

Best Time of Year

autumn

When & Where to Read

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