Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny.
But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.
Part historical fantasy, part rivals-to-lovers romance, part Gothic mystery, and all haunting, dreamlike atmosphere, Ava Reid's powerful YA debut will lure in readers who loved The Atlas Six, House of Salt and Sorrows, or Girl, Serpent, Thorn.
Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny.
But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.
Part historical fantasy, part rivals-to-lovers romance, part Gothic mystery, and all haunting, dreamlike atmosphere, Ava Reid's powerful YA debut will lure in readers who loved The Atlas Six, House of Salt and Sorrows, or Girl, Serpent, Thorn.
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Find A Study in Drowning Ava Reid in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
Find A Study in Drowning Ava Reid in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
2 books in catalog
Fantasy literature often draws upon folklore and historical mythology to examine sociopolitical tensions, a tradition central to the young adult fantasy novel A Study in Drowning. Ava Reid entered the publishing world with dark speculative fiction that weaves folklore, academic rivalries, and institutional power dynamics into narrative frameworks across both young adult and adult fantasy genres.
Ava Reid was born in Manhattan and raised across the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey. She earned a degree in political science from Barnard College, where her academic research focused on religion and ethnonationalism. Prior to becoming a full-time novelist, her professional background included work for a refugee resettlement organization, service in the office of a United States senator, and employment at an artificial intelligence robotics startup. Her academic study of religious and national identity directly informs the political systems and ideological conflicts present in her fiction, which has been published in over fourteen territories. Reid has lived in Palo Alto as well as the New York area.
Reid's writing frequently explores the intersection of myth, historical conflict, and gender dynamics through dark, atmospheric fantasy. Drawing upon fairytales such as those of the Brothers Grimm alongside Eastern European and regional folklore, her stories examine institutional corruption, religious fervor, and the survival of marginalized characters within hostile social structures. Her works range from gothic dark fantasy to dystopian young adult fiction, characterized by detailed worldbuilding, moral ambiguity, and a strong thematic focus on mythmaking and personal agency.
2 books in catalog
Fantasy literature often draws upon folklore and historical mythology to examine sociopolitical tensions, a tradition central to the young adult fantasy novel A Study in Drowning. Ava Reid entered the publishing world with dark speculative fiction that weaves folklore, academic rivalries, and institutional power dynamics into narrative frameworks across both young adult and adult fantasy genres.
Ava Reid was born in Manhattan and raised across the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey. She earned a degree in political science from Barnard College, where her academic research focused on religion and ethnonationalism. Prior to becoming a full-time novelist, her professional background included work for a refugee resettlement organization, service in the office of a United States senator, and employment at an artificial intelligence robotics startup. Her academic study of religious and national identity directly informs the political systems and ideological conflicts present in her fiction, which has been published in over fourteen territories. Reid has lived in Palo Alto as well as the New York area.
Reid's writing frequently explores the intersection of myth, historical conflict, and gender dynamics through dark, atmospheric fantasy. Drawing upon fairytales such as those of the Brothers Grimm alongside Eastern European and regional folklore, her stories examine institutional corruption, religious fervor, and the survival of marginalized characters within hostile social structures. Her works range from gothic dark fantasy to dystopian young adult fiction, characterized by detailed worldbuilding, moral ambiguity, and a strong thematic focus on mythmaking and personal agency.
A Study in Drowning
A Study in Drowning
