I absolutely loved A Study in Drowning so when I saw there was going to be sequel I couldn't wait to be back in this world and with these characters.

While I didn't enjoy A Theory in Dreaming as much as the first book, I really appreciated how this one focused more on Preston and what he was going through and that it centred around dreaming. Some parts did feel a little dragged out and it felt a little too similar plot wise to the first book with moments got very bleak towards the end I still loved how it ended and will always love how Ava writes such thought provoking books and stories that stay with you long after the last page is turned.

I didn't love A Study in Drowning, it was enjoyable but not my favourite of Ava's works. So with that in mind I had some reserves about going back into this world at the invitation to read/review A Theory of Dreaming. I am so glad I did though.

Ava has this really beautiful, vivid, and poetic way of writing that makes her stuff distinctly her own and very atmospheric. That really shined for me in A Theory of Dreaming.

There is a lot happening in this unexpected sequel. We know already that this is a world/country that does not think especially highly of women. The college is not happy Effy is there and will use nearly any excuse to undermine her, her experiences, and her right to be in that space. Preston gets the same treatment being an outsider from the country Lyr is at war with. But in the midst of this, Effy is dealing with navigating the world that she doesn't really know how to live in after running from the Fae King her whole life, and Preston is having some kind of mental breakdown Piranesi style with statues and all while trying to keep Effy upright.

Preston is also dealing with one of the worst academic advisors a student could possibly have. They have Rhia and Lotto though, and I love those two. I was super prepared to hate Lotto's father but even he was surprisingly unproblematic with regards to Preston. He obviously has some issues to work through with his son.

It feels cheesy to say A Theory of Dreaming, and A Study in Drowning, are lyrical ode to the forgotten contributions of those deemed less important, but that's also massively what both books are. While also being about incredible strength, love, and a million different mental health representations.

Where I said A Study in Drowning was an improvement over another of Ava's works and enjoyable, I can see myself coming back to A Theory of Dreaming again and again. There is something absolutely alluring in the story and the writing that makes it gorgeous to follow the first time you pick it up, and something that you can unpick something new about it with every re-read.

A Study in Drowning was my very first Ava Reid book, and my top read of 2023. I have since read all of her backlist (and everything she’s written since), and have fallen head over heels for her writing. She is one of my auto-buy authors and I eagerly await every new book announcement she makes.

However, I was so nervous when she announced there would be a sequel for aSiD. Not that I thought Reid wouldn’t be able to pull it off, but I was such a fan of the ending of book one, and had spent so long imagining what would happen next to these characters, getting definitive answers was slightly terrifying.

Now I can’t imagine living in a world without A Theory of Dreaming.
What a sequel!!! So, so, so important. In fact, it’s vital. It was needed all along.
The gorgeous, atmospheric prose was back from the very first page, and I really enjoyed Preston taking centre stage in this one. So many more questions about the world and the lore were answered. There was a rawness in this second book that was perfect for what the characters are dealing with.

A Theory of Dreaming is a phenomenal follow-up book to an already fantastic novel. I highly, highly recommend this duology (!).

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was an interesting read and I adored being back with Effy and Preston, but it felt different. Obviously they are back in the real world, and I enjoyed their journey, it just didn't draw me in as much as book 1. I still enjoyed seeing where they are currently and the fun that follows.

A Study in Drowning was a very pleasant surprise for me when I first read it and I honestly think it's a big standout in the YA fantasy genre, but as much as I loved it, I didn't know if it really needed a sequel. Even so, I instantly dropped everything as soon as A Theory of Dreaming released, because I just really can't resist devouring Reid's exceptional storytelling as soon as something new is available, you know?

Now, I think this sequel still has all the beautifully haunting atmosphere, folkloric vibes, rich thematic depth, and dreamlike, soul-stirring prose that made A Study in Drowning so good, but aside from that it really feels like a whole different story, which can be a good or a bad thing depending on what you were expecting.

We're going full-in on the dark academia vibes as Effy and Preston return to university, where Effy has finally managed to secure a place in the Literature program as the first female student. Though while we get to experience some of the new challenges she has to face, I think A Theory of Dreaming really is mostly Preston's time in the spotlight as we see his stubborn skepticisim being tested beyond belief when his advisor embarks on a journey to prove the existence of magic.

I personally really enjoyed getting to know Preston and his backstory more intimately as he gets fully immersed in the folkloric underwater dreamworld that starts haunting him day and night. That said, I felt like Effy really got sidelined in A Theory of Dreaming, to the point that it almost felt like it ruined/reversed some of the power of her beautiful personal growth arc that we got to experience with her in the first book.

Moreover, the plot was just a bit... boring and predictable? Yes, the vibes were vibing real good; yes, the socio-political commentary on sexism, privilige in academia, and the dangers of misinformation and rewriting of history were searing and spot-on; and yes, I honestly had a great time just spending time with these precious characters, but I ultimately couldn't help but feel like this sequel was a bit unnecessary, just as I'd feared.

Even though I had some quibbles with A Theory of Dreaming, I am still glad I read it and I think it concluded this duology in a satisfying (if maybe slightly too perfect?) way. Ava Reid really just knows how to write YA fantasy that isn't afraid to go dark and explore difficult topics, and I appreciate them all the more for it.

Amazing!

Obviously A Study in Drowning is one of my FAVOURITES of all time, and this was no less. The story of Effy and Preston continued in this sequel after the events of book 1. The writing was gorgeous and whimsical. The setting and atmosphere were amazing and I felt so immersed in this story. The plot and characters had so much depth and the story rounded off quite well. I really enjoyed this and was really worth the wait!

Highly recommend!

This was read in the thin veil between waking and sleeping, savoured over many days as I crawled into bed or woke up at dawn, only to fall into exhausted sleep. Fitting for a book about the power, and danger, of dreaming.

Effy and Preston, recently returned from briny, salt-soaked Hiraeth, are dealing with the fallout. Effy, freed from the fairy king, can no longer escape reality to numb her feelings while Preston, subjected to xenophobia and the hostility of Llyrian society, begins to lose himself in a dreamscape.

I loved returning to this rich world where fairy kings and underwater palaces exist against a gothic backdrop of scholarship. I'm so in love with the history and lore of this world with each academic extract peeling back the layers of this society.

Whilst A Study in Drowning was very contained, A Theory of Dreaming opens the door wider and invites us to consider the power of stories to further nationalist agendas and exclude people from narratives of power, particularly women. This is so relevant now when so-called institutions of truth are silencing voices to gorge themselves on the poison of wealth and influence.

Effy and Preston go on very individual journeys in this book so the narrative did feel split into two and they hide a lot of things from each other out of fear and a desire to protect one another. This made the academic mystery less important with the focus of the book being largely on the character's internal worlds.

Both Effy and Preston really go through the ringer which was hard to read at times but the exploration of mental health was very raw and honest.

A Theory of Dreaming is many things. It is a metaphor. It is an allegory. It is a slow-burner

Reid returns to Llyr and to Preston and Effy who are now in the aftermath of the events of A Study in Drowning. Their thesis viewed with scepticism and suspicion as the War with Argant continues to ramp up, leaving Preston's position as the only Argantian student at the university evermore precarious as nobility and students machinate against him pushing for ever harsher, nationalist policies whilst his tutor and head of the literature college, Master Gosse had plans to use Preston to his own ends.

If Study was Effy's book this is definitely Preston's, as he deals with his own supernatural phenomena picking up the threads from the end of Study, phenomena that reflect Effy's own spiral as she tries to deal with intractable stuffy professors, social isolation, and the backlash of the media and the dismissal of Corbenic.

The dream world is so well realised and you feel Preston's conflict over it, and Effy's the academic research and discovery is as gripping as it is disturbing and angering.

I love the way their relationship continues to develop and the lessons they learn. (For the love of all that is holy TALK to your other half about your problems, people).
Reid carefully draws all the threads to a satisfying close that opens brand new possibilities for both nations and a happy ever after for Effy and Preston.

Every book I read by Ava Reid so far has been a five star read. I have a few books to catch up with and will do so as soon as possible. However, when I was invited by Del Rey to download a digital review copy through Netgalley I didn't hesitate.

It's impossible to explain the effect this book had on me. When you would ask me to explain what happened exactly in this book, my head would struggle. But my heart felt it. My heart felt every word, every sentence, every emotion, loads of hidden layers and messages and so much longing. When I reached the end of the book I started crying. All those feelings needed out. The book emotionally broke me in the best way possible.

I understand that Ava Reid is not for everyone. Not everyone will like the way she tells her story, the hidden layers, the story in between the words. If you need a strong plot and a well explained fantasy world, this is not gonna be for you. But this book was for me. This book was for me so much. I touched a part of my soul. It dug deep, it reached emotions I had tucked away gently. It stirred them, awoke them and soothed them.

I flew through the book and in a way I wished I had read the book slower, had taken my time. In a way I knew I would never have been able to do this. Because this book is about the journey, about the characters' growth. It's a book about failing, falling, standing up and pushing on. It's a book about the truth, about what's right. It's a book about being seen, being heard, being believed and most of all: it's a book about being loved.

”It takes strength, to feel so much. To feel so deeply.”

If you read A Study in Drowning, you already know the treat you will get with the sequel: The writing is, once again, sublime.

Ava Reid has a rare talent for creating relatable, albeit rather dark, characters who face genuine pains and struggles. In this book, she brings us back to her atmospheric world, where fairytales and stories perfectly blur into reality. In this book, Ava brings us back to her atmospheric world, where fairytales and stories perfectly blur and complement reality. While the first book created in me a suffocating sense of claustrophobia and drowning, this one wrapped me in a numbness and mist that felt like being trapped in a dream.

We follow both Effy and Preston while they navigate their return to the university and scholarly life. Their thesis created division and put them at the centre of the University debates and scandal. While A Study in Drowning focuses mainly on Effy and her connection to a possible magical world, Preston takes a more central role in this sequel, as he is forced to confront his deepest fears and beliefs.

Beyond the Fairytales we already loved, this installment gives us an additional commentary on how countries/ civilizations manipulate their narrative to unite against a fabricated enemy. I loved this premise, and I couldn’t think of a better timing to explore it, with its unsettling relevance to our current world.

”Because the truth is detrimental to patriotism, to national unity, to everything that supposedly makes Llyr great and strong and enduring and exceptional. And everything that makes Argant its one-dimensional enemy.”

“There’s nothing natural or inevitable about its division. Just the lowly work of men.”

Preston and Effy’s love story remains one of the major highlights of both books for me. Their moments together are beautifully written, with tenderness that feels earned and fragile. I’ll remain rooting for them to grow old together, finding happiness in each other.

“I chose this,” he murmured, his lips brushing the soft hollow of her cheek. “And I would choose it again, every time. You can’t take that away for me.”

I will remain following Ava's career attentively. I can't wait to know what she will bring us next.

I would like to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone | Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautiful follow-up to A Study in Drowning, which is one of my favourite books ever. Being back with Effy and Preston felt like being home, and after being enthralled by Effy's character journey in the first book, I really enjoyed getting to read from Preston's perspective and experience his own struggles dealing with oppression as an Argantian, being back at university and questioning his disbelief in magic after the ending of the first book. I really enjoyed the exploration of magic as a coping mechanism, and the blurred lines between reality and dreaming. The plot in this book felt slower than the first and took a bit of time to find its rhythm; there was more of a focus on the characters and themes rather than any pacy story (not that I minded this). Reid's writing was beautiful as always, and emotionally impactful. Overall I would recommend this if you loved the first book! 💙

Having really enjoyed a Study in Drowning by this author and many of her previous novels I had high expectations for this and they were met. The atmosphere is gorgeous, the dark, moody and gothic descriptions are just my cup of tea. I found that Effy’s personal journey emotionally was a little slow moving at points but regardless I loved this duology.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing me an eARC to review!

I was kind of mid on the first one but for me this was a vast improvement. Sorry to say that was probably because the main characters are very depressed - the incessant flirting and banter in the first book really didn't do it for me so while unfortunately the reason for it being gone was Effy and Preston spending the whole book really going through it, I liked this one so much more as a result. Some readers may find the tone shift jarring, but I think it makes sense as it explores the aftermath of the events of book 1.

This book felt like it had all the depth I was missing from book 1 - Effy's struggles with herself and the way she was being treated after speaking out against a powerful man felt very personal to Reid and were portrayed with care and sympathy. Preston couldn't understand these struggles in the same way, but for the same act was the target of discrimination in a way that was portrayed in a very timely and realistic manner. The miscommunication between them as a result also didn't feel annoying in the way I usually find the trope - it was realistic for two young adults very out of their depth and wanting to protect each other from their own struggles.

The tone is a lot darker - CW for attempted suicide, discrimination/racism, mental illness - but I think it also reflects our current moment in a lot of ways. I especially liked the exploration of Effy's discovery of how thoroughly women have been erased from her nation's founding history, and the burden that places on her as a woman trying to expose it. Preston had a lot more going for him in terms of plot, but I also feel this was because Effy's struggles manifested a lot in shutting down while Preston was driving himself to exhaustion.

Would definitely recommend picking this up no matter your thoughts on book 1, but definitely to be aware of the content warnings and the more adult tone.

Just like A Study in Drowning, Ava Reid’s newest novel takes its time—unfolding with slow-burning grace until it reaches its full, sweeping emotional and thematic scale. But this time, I was ready for it. I knew to wait, to listen, and to trust that Reid would guide me somewhere profound.

In A Theory of Dreaming, we see the world from Preston’s point of view for the first time, and what a difference that perspective makes. No longer the enigmatic scholar hovering just out of reach, Preston is revealed as a deeply anxious, emotional young man—still reeling from the events of the previous book, still haunted by a love he can’t quite name, and yet so capable of seeing beauty and mystery in the world, even if he doesn’t believe in magic himself. His mind creates its own mythos.

Effy, meanwhile, remains the heroine we rooted for—just a little more weathered, a little more wary. Her illusions have shattered, and she’s now learning to navigate a reality that demands more of her than any fairy tale ever did.

There’s a quietness to this novel, a kind of soft ache that underscores each interaction. It’s a story about what it means to live after the climax—to keep going when the monsters are vanquished, but the wounds remain. A love letter to characters who, in another life, might have been allowed to be soft—but who instead must don armour and endure.

Tender, melancholic, and gorgeously written, this is a story about rebuilding—not just oneself, but the narratives that shape us

I adored A Study in Drowning. The gothic atmosphere, the lone seaside manor, the feeling that the walls themselves might whisper secrets…it was intimate, unsettling, and utterly immersive. A Theory of Dreaming, by contrast, trades that haunted-house hush for lecture halls and academic panels, and while the writing is still strong, the magic felt dimmed.

This time, we’re back with Effy and Preston, Effy now the first woman admitted to the university’s literature department, Preston working under Master Gosse. There are new tensions that are explored: classism, institutional rot, xenophobia, and identity politics. While Reid handles these themes thoughtfully, especially through Preston, whose development was the clear highlight for me, it lacks magic so present in Effy’s story.

But the shift in setting made a difference. The university, while rich in lore, felt sprawling and cold. Gone is the claustrophobic, eerie intimacy of the manor; in its place is something more diffuse and academic. Instead of being inside the mystery, I felt like I was watching it unfold behind a pane of glass.

I was so delighted to return to the world of Effy and Preston. A Theory of Dreaming is dark, dramatic, incredibly well written. The story pulls you in from the start and doesn't let go. A brilliant novel!

(4.5 rounded up to 5.0.)

I adored "A Study in Drowning" and I adore this sequel/finale.

Effy is now the first woman in history to attend the literature college, and there's not many people who are happy about it. Ava Reid's atmospheric story is full of feelings and emotions - good and bad. The fixation that the other students have on her is verging on the claustrophobic and dangerous. Is Effy stable as a result? Well, she's becoming more dependent on sleeping tablets for her dream-world.

This tale allows the reader to hear more from Preston's point of view, and it's his turn to see the visions (even in daylight) and hear the bells that only the next king can hear. That's an improvement on his real life where he's worried about Effy and thinks he's losing her, while the majority of academia thinks he's a spy for the Argantian war effort.

Please don't read this without reading "A Study in Drowning" first. Ava Reid writes from her heart, and this duology shows this second to none.

I chose to read an ARC of this work, which I voluntarily and honestly read and reviewed. All opinions are my own. My thanks to the author, publishers and NetGalley.

A THEORY OF DREAMING is a great sequel exploring the themes of stories and nationalism.

This book continues A STUDY IN DROWNING's look at the impact of stories with an even sharper focus at the power of stories to shape nationalistic narratives. It asks us to think about why we venerate certain stories and what messages they are trying to justify. Literature is inherently political and this book discusses that openly.

This book is told from both Effie and Preston's perspectives, largely alternating save for a section told from his perspective alone. This is really his book. A STUDY IN DROWNING was all Effy's, but this book is his (as much as she is a POV.) How does a young man who has always firmly rejected the illogical deal with a world very much proved to be magical? How do you live in a country that is yours and yet does not recognise you as belonging?

The focus of Effy's story is her journey with her mental health. How do you survive the toll of being the first? There's so much expectation and resentment - and plenty of people actively trying to fail you. The dogma is rigid and the thinking set, and of course she has a new perspective given she's a woman and they are not, and no one appreciates this.

There is more overt magic in this book, though it is equally liminal and hard to pin down as the first book's. This and the different setting (entirely at the university instead of largely in a watery province) helped set the book apart, though I appreciated the watery vibe coming through the magical realm.

It is rare to enjoy a sequel more than its predecessor but A Theory of Dreaming is even more powerful. With more literary mysteries and tonnes more water, Reid explores a wide range of topics from scholarship & intellectual property, to mental health, relationships, & what makes life worth living. I definitely recommend this beautifully written novel!

I never wanted Effy and Preston's story to end. What a brilliant continuation and culmination for Ava Reid's duology.