Return to the immersive, haunting, and lush world of the bestselling A Study in Drowning as the aftermath of their first discovery pulls Effy and Preston into a new adventure with the promise of magic, romance, and stories that might be washed away—and may be safer that way.

Effy has yearned to study literature, but finally becoming the first woman enrolled at the literature college draws the ire of her classmates—and the whole nation.

With Effy under threat, Preston is surprised to discover a rage simmering inside him, ringing in his ears. And at night, he begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he is king.

As the war between Llyr and Argant explodes, the Llyrians turn to fairy tales, and Effy and Preston find themselves caught in the crossfire, pulled away from each other by their dreams—dreams that are becoming dangerous.

Are dreams ever truly just dreams?