Cover of A Study in Drowning

A Study in Drowning

Ava Reid

A Study in Drowning #1

young adult romance(106k)

A haunted girl and a sceptical scholar uncover dark secrets in a crumbling Gothic manor — and each other.

Content Warnings
sexual assault (past or present)stalking

Description

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.

A Study in Drowning series

Books like this

Cover of Belladonna

Belladonna

Adalyn Grace

young adult romanceBelladonna #1
(181k)

A girl who can't escape Death discovers he's been watching over her all along — and she wants him closer.

forbidden romanceslow burnmorally grey hero

8 tropes in common

Cover of House of Salt and Sorrows

House of Salt and Sorrows

Erin A. Craig

young adult romanceSisters of the Salt #1
(115k)

A girl in a cursed coastal manor suspects her sisters' deaths are no accident — and the stranger she's falling for knows

forbidden romanceslow burnmorally grey hero

8 tropes in common

Cover of Dreams Lie Beneath

Dreams Lie Beneath

Rebecca Ross

young adult romance
(20k)

A young warden secretly allies with her rival magician to break a nightmare curse haunting her realm.

forbidden romancerivals to loversslow burn

7 tropes in common

Cover of Stolen Songbird

Stolen Songbird

Danielle L. Jensen

young adult romanceThe Malediction Trilogy #1
(32k)

Kidnapped and bonded to a cursed troll prince, a singer must choose between escape and the rebellion only she can lead.

forbidden romancerivals to loversslow burn

7 tropes in common

Cover of We Hunt the Flame

We Hunt the Flame

Hafsah Faizal

young adult romanceSands of Arawiya #1
(109k)

She hunts to save her people; he's sent to kill her — but first they must save the world together.

forbidden romancerivals to loversslow burn

7 tropes in common

Cover of Falling Under (Falling Under, #1)

Falling Under (Falling Under, #1)

Gwen Hayes

young adult romanceFalling Under #1
(17k)

A sheltered girl is drawn to the dangerous boy from her dreams — who may be the cost of her soul.

forbidden romancemorally grey herowallflower heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of By the Orchid and the Owl

By the Orchid and the Owl

Mariah Montoya

young adult romanceThe Esholian Institute #1
(4k)

A forbidden power, a dangerously handsome mind-manipulator, and a secret that could get them both killed.

forbidden romancerivals to loversmorally grey hero

5 tropes in common

Cover of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Heather Fawcett

romantasyEmily Wilde #1
(220k)

A prickly faerie scholar and her infuriatingly charming rival uncover dangerous secrets — and each other.

rivals to loversslow burnwallflower heroine

5 tropes in common

Cover of Malice

Malice

Heather Walter

young adult romanceMalice Duology #1
(34k)

The villain of Sleeping Beauty falls for the princess she's destined to curse — a dark F/F fairy tale retelling.

forbidden romancerivals to loversslow burn

6 tropes in common

Cover of The Hedgewitch of Foxhall

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall

Anna Bright

young adult romance
(4k)

The last hedgewitch in Wales reluctantly quests with a magic-hating prince—while his brother also wins her heart.

forbidden romancerivals to loversslow burn

7 tropes in common

Cover of Fallen (Fallen, #1)

Fallen (Fallen, #1)

Lauren Kate

young adult romanceFallen #1
(620k)

A girl sent to a reform school falls for a mysterious boy she feels she's loved before — in another life.

forbidden romancemorally grey herowallflower heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of Doctor D'Arco, Sorcerer of London: A Victorian Gothic Romance

Doctor D'Arco, Sorcerer of London: A Victorian Gothic Romance

Kathryn Colvin

gothic romance
(925)

A destitute Victorian widow apprentices under a fearsome, masked sorcerer — and falls dangerously in love.

forbidden romanceslow burnmorally grey hero

8 tropes in common

Cover of Inescapable (The Premonition, #1)

Inescapable (The Premonition, #1)

Amy A. Bartol

young adult romanceThe Premonition #1
(39k)

A college freshman is drawn to a mysterious sophomore who acts like she's his worst nightmare — but can't seem to stay a

forbidden romanceslow burnmorally grey hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of Matched (Matched, #1)

Matched (Matched, #1)

Ally Condie

young adult romanceMatched #1
(817k)

In a society that chooses your perfect match, Cassia's heart is torn between the boy she was given and the one she can't

forbidden romanceslow burnwallflower heroine

5 tropes in common

Cover of Die for Me (Revenants, #1)

Die for Me (Revenants, #1)

Amy Plum

young adult romanceRevenants #1
(56k)

A grieving girl in Paris falls for a devastatingly handsome undead hero cursed to die for others — again and again.

forbidden romancemorally grey herowallflower heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of A Stage Set for Villains

A Stage Set for Villains

Shannon J. Spann

young adult romance
(5k)

A cursed girl infiltrates a deadly competition to steal immortality — and strikes a bargain with its most dangerous perf

forbidden romancerivals to loversmorally grey hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of Rubinrot (Edelstein-Trilogie, #1)

Rubinrot (Edelstein-Trilogie, #1)

Kerstin Gier

young adult romanceEdelstein-Trilogie #1
(173k)

A teenage girl discovers she's a time traveller — and falls for someone she absolutely shouldn't.

forbidden romancemorally grey herowallflower heroine

5 tropes in common

Cover of Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)

Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)

Stephenie Meyer

young adult romanceThe Twilight Saga #1
(7.4M)

A shy girl moves to a rainy small town and falls for a vampire who wants her blood — and her heart.

forbidden romancemorally grey herowallflower heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of Mr Darcy - Through the Looking Glass

Mr Darcy - Through the Looking Glass

D.B. Thomas

historical romance
(109)

Mr Darcy's diary reveals the secret story behind Pride & Prejudice — and the girl he could never forget.

slow burnmorally grey herowallflower heroine

6 tropes in common

Cover of The Midnight Prince

The Midnight Prince

Angie Grigaliunas

young adult romance
(990)

A fae prince and his half-human ex discover their breakup was a lie — with days left before he must choose a bride.

forbidden romancemorally grey herowallflower heroine

5 tropes in common