“We must discuss, then, the relationship between women and water. When men fall into the sea, they drown. When women meet the water, they transform. It becomes vital to ask: is this a metamorphosis, or a homecoming?”
Ava Reid

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid is a young adult fantasy novel. It is one that paints a picture of a dark academia-esque atmosphere. We follow Effy, a college student who has been given the opportunity to study at a gothic manor by the sea. When she arrives, though, she finds Preston. Preston is a student from her college who is studying literature at the manor. This is what Effy wishes she could be doing. When she finds out that Preston plans to expose her favorite author, she attempts to stop him. What follows is a story of mystery and coming-of-age mixed well with more serious themes.

One theme Ava Reid weaves through the story is the oppression of women. When we first meet Effy, she is portrayed as shy and quiet. After having a bad experience with a male professor, Effy keeps to herself. Reid also adds that at this particular college, you can study either architecture or literature unless you are a woman. Women only get to be part of the architecture college. In reality, Literature is Effy’s passion. She is almost boxed in at this college.

Ava Reid describes all of this in prose. She sets up the parallel of both a mystery and the phenomenon of calling women crazy because of the way they react to something a male did. The setting also adds to the mysterious atmosphere and causes the reader to question what’s real and what’s a fairy tale. Is Effy crazy, or is she just a girl?

This book honestly first drew me in with its cover. It’s dark and has themes of academia, all with a rising waterline. Once reading the author’s style of writing kept me enthralled. It’s a beautiful story full of settings you can picture perfectly. The characters also ended up being another part of the story that appealed to me. They are real and messy in the way college students are. They are still trying to figure out their wants and what intrigues them. The author did a great job at capturing what it feels like to be that age. Since its release in 2023, the author has announced that there will be a second book to this. It will be called A Theory of Dreaming and is coming in 2025. It will be interesting to see where these characters go next!