Book description
A Study in Drowning: Where Fairy Tales Go to Die
Ava Reid's debut novel promises gothic fantasy but delivers something closer to gothic fanfiction with commitment issues. Effy Sayre, our protagonist, clutches her tattered copy of "Angharad" like a security blanket while supposedly redesigning the deceased author's estate-an endeavor that sounds more glamorous than gutting a haunted mansion filled with literary hipsters and actual ghosts.
The plot revolves around proving whether the late author Myrddin was a fraud, which feels like Reid's thinly veiled commentary on her own genre credentials. Preston Héloury, the stodgy scholar determined to expose literary fraud, apparently missed the memo that he's in a fantasy novel, not a dissertation defense.
Reid's writing style alternates between breathless fairy tale romanticism and clunky exposition, creating a narrative whiplash that would make even the most devoted romance reader reach for Dramamine. The "dark forces" threatening our heroes seem less menacing and more like poorly coordinated dinner theater.
The audiobook narration likely adds unintentional comedy to already awkward dialogue, transforming what should be tense supernatural moments into inadvertent farce. Listening to Effy's internal monologue about her precious fairy tales while she literally drowns in plot holes becomes a meta-experience in literary self-awareness.
This is fantasy for readers who think "research" means reading SparkNotes and "world-building" means buying expensive candles. Reid has created a story where fairy tales aren't just real-they're also really annoying.
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Playing a wide variety of audio formats
Works on all devices with iOS 13 and newer
Huge amount of features for a small price
Frequent updates to add new features and improve existing ones
Advanced playback controls
Live sound processing
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice and noise reduction
Translated into more than 20 languages
If you love listening to fiction audiobooks, ListenBook has features to make the process easier.
Edit book data: title, author, cover
Use equalizer to make the sound comfortable for you
Adjust the playback speed
Enjoy dark and light app themes
Supported formats: MP3, M4B, AWB, FLAC, OGG audio files and many more (must be DRM free)
Auto-Bookmarks make it easy to find your place
AirPlay support allows redirection of audio output.
VoiceOver support
Dark mode for night owls
Convenient bookmarking system helps you mark the most important places.
Unlimited bookmarks for each audiobook
Put your own cover on the wager
Share your audiobook with friends
Lock-screen control
Customise app with extensive options
Sleep timer with shake to reset, set custom notification sounds, and a few unique options
Auto rewind depending on paused time, customize rewind times to your liking
Removing background noise from recordings made in classrooms and meetings
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice for a better listening experience