An instant Indie and #1 New York Times bestseller!
“Achingly atmospheric and beautifully sharp, A Study in Drowning will draw you in from the first page.” —Rory Power, New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls
Bestselling author Ava Reid makes her YA debut in this dark academic fantasy perfect for fans of Melissa Albert and Elana K. Arnold.
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 dark fantasy 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 academic 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.
- Rivals to Lovers: Effy is a believer, Preston a skeptic determined to prove her favorite author is a fraud. As they uncover clues at Hiraeth Manor, their academic rivalry deepens into something far more dangerous.
- Gothic Mystery: Decrepit Hiraeth Manor is filled with more than just dusty books. As Effy and Preston dig into Myrddin’s past, they realize the house itself is hiding secrets that could be deadly.
- Dark Academia: A contest to redesign a famous author’s estate pits an architecture student against a literature scholar, blurring the lines between academic ambition and a dangerous obsession with the truth.
- Haunted Heroine: Plagued by visions of the Fairy King her entire life, Effy isn’t sure what’s real and what isn’t. But at Hiraeth Manor, the lines between fairy tales and reality begin to bleed together.
Ava Reid is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning, A Theory of Dreaming, Lady Macbeth, Juniper & Thorn, and The Wolf and the Woodsman. Her books have been published in over fourteen territories. She lives in the New York area. Follow her on Instagram @avasreid and find her online at tumblr.com/avasreid.
