A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
- alwayswandering
- Feb 14
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 27
Here is a summary with spoilers of A Study in Drowning
Effy Sayre is the only female student at her prestigious architecture college, navigating an environment made even more tense by the ongoing war between her home country, Llyr, and Argant. Fearing the erasure of Llyrian literature if her country loses, she becomes determined to protect its legacy. When she stumbles upon an opportunity to redesign Hiraeth Manor, the home of her favorite author, Emrys Myrddin, she eagerly applies. However, her research is hindered by an Argantian student, Preston Héloury, who has already borrowed all the relevant books. Despite this, her design is chosen, and she is invited by Myrddin’s son, Ianto, to visit the manor. Before leaving, Effy must obtain permission from her advisor, Master Corbenic, whom she fears due to a past sexual assault. Once at Hiraeth, she is housed in a crumbling guest cottage, and soon meets Preston, who is researching Myrddin’s work for his thesis. Their opposing perspectives and attitudes create immediate tension between them. Feeling discouraged, Effy attempts to leave but is dissuaded by a cruel phone call from her mother. While in town, she meets a mysterious shepherd who warns her about the Fairy King and gives her a handful of enchanted stones.
Effy soon discovers that Preston’s goal is to disprove Myrddin’s authorship of Angharad, her favorite novel. Initially horrified, she ultimately agrees to help uncover the truth. Meanwhile, Ianto’s unsettling behavior and unwelcome comments make her uneasy, culminating in a harrowing hallucination of the Fairy King during a car ride back to the manor. As Effy and Preston dig deeper, they grow closer, sharing past traumas and uncovering a hidden box containing Myrddin’s diary and compromising photographs. Their search leads them to Colin Blackmar, another writer linked to Myrddin, where they find evidence of a passionate affair between Myrddin and Blackmar’s daughter. Back at the manor, Effy attempts to seduce Preston, but he gently refuses, revealing he knows about her past trauma. As a storm approaches, they continue exploring and find another abandoned box labeled Angharad. Just as they prepare to leave, Ianto, seemingly possessed by the Fairy King, attempts to sacrifice Preston to the sea in exchange for preserving his home. Effy fights back and defeats the Fairy King, but Preston is already drowning. She rushes to save him with unexpected help from Myrddin’s widow, who is revealed to be Angharad—the true author of Angharad.
Angharad confesses that she wrote the novel and sold it to Myrddin in exchange for marriage after their affair. While Myrddin received public credit, Blackmar secretly collected the royalties. With this revelation, Effy and Preston return to their college, prepared to publish an exposé on Angharad’s true authorship. In return for their findings, Effy is granted a place at the previously men-only literature college, and Master Corbenic is fired. As the war and academic traditions shift around them, Effy and Preston embark on a new chapter together.
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