A Theory of Dreaming by Ava Reid

A Theory of Dreaming by Ava Reid

A Theory of Dreaming (published in late 2025) by Ava Reid is the highly anticipated, haunting sequel to her bestselling YA dark academia fantasy, A Study in Drowning.

This book serves as the final installment in the duology, trading some of the first book's secluded, gothic estate vibes for a raw, high-stakes exploration of academic politics, national propaganda, and the boundaries of reality.

Following the explosive revelations at Hiraeth Manor in the first book—where the legacy of the revered author Emerys Myrddin was exposed as a lie—Effy Sayre and Preston Hylton return to the University.

• Effy has achieved something historic: she is the first woman ever allowed to enroll in the prestigious literature college. However, she finds herself in a deeply hostile environment. Her professors and peers are actively waiting for her to fail, and without her lifelong fixation on the Angharad fairy tales to shield her, she struggles to define who she is in a world stripped of magic.

• Preston is dealing with severe trauma from the events of the first book, compounded by intense xenophobia. He is an Argantian living in Llyr, and as geopolitical tensions escalate into a twelve-year war between the two nations, he faces immediate danger.