A Study in Drowning

Ava Reid's YA debut, 'A Study in Drowning,' is a richly atmospheric dark academic fantasy perfect for readers aged 12-18. It follows Effy Sayre, a young woman plagued by visions of the Fairy King, who enters a contest to redesign the estate of her favorite author, Emrys Myrddin. At the decrepit Hiraeth Manor, she encounters Preston Héloury, a literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As Effy and Preston, initially rivals, piece together clues about Myrddin's legacy, they uncover a haunting gothic mystery involving both human and magical dark forces. The book explores themes of truth, belief, identity, and the blurred lines between reality and myth, all wrapped in a compelling rivals-to-lovers romance.

"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 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.