I know full well that I, too, would hate that stupid formalist class and its sentiments...for the last time, literature doesn't exist in a void.

A Theory of Dreaming is the sequel to A Study in Drowning, and I think I might be in the minority that preferred it slightly more than the original. I think that the first book could act as a standalone if you had no intention of continuing the series, as many of the themes are the same and the second book doesn't do much to resolve issues from book one as much as it creates new issues to address. However, if you enjoyed book one and would like to see more of the characters, I would encourage you to check this one out too.
Effy and Preston knew that their discoveries regarding Myrddin and Angharad would be questioned during their return to the literature college, but they underestimated how aggressive hostilities would become. This book features Preston's POV (in third-person) in addition to Effy's, which helps to keep the plot moving...especially because it seems that there are two different main plots for each POV character. Effy is trying to adjust to the literary college and the drama surrounding her past; Preston becomes involved in his adviser's eccentric schemes and must also deal with the racist sentiments of his classmates. I think the pacing was a bit slower in some respects, but I think there was a higher level of tension than in the first book. Some of the creepy vibes have been replaced by more academic and historical aesthetics, so it is a bit of a tonal shift from book one. Also, the themes are relatively similar (female authorship, elitist academia, not believing survivors, etc) to the first book, but at least this time, the racism/nationalism was actually addressed - and in a way that felt relevant, too. I think the one twist was kind of predictable, and the end was underwhelming, but I think I just enjoyed the academia vibes mixed with the mild mysteries.
Again, the story primarily focuses on Effy and Preston. Rhia makes a return and gets a bit more page time, but she's mostly irrelevant to the plot. The same goes for Lotto (Preston's roommate, who serves a bit as a deus ex machina at times) and Maisie. Southey is just Draco Malfoy, and Gosse, while intriguing at times, was also kind of underwhelming in his arc. Effy definitely improved from book one, and her struggles with mental health and acceptance from her peers were realistic and relatable in many ways. Her conflicts were more mundane than Preston's, which made her POVs a bit slower, in my opinion. I also thought her arc was a bit odd, given the developments of the previous book. Preston's chapters were a bit more interesting because they dealt with the fantasy elements of the story. I liked his character and the struggles he faced, although I still feel like we know very little about his backstory. The romance mostly developed in book one, so the most we saw here was a mild miscommunication that didn't really affect the plot; it just led to a bit of a disconnect between the stories of the two characters.
A Theory of Dreaming is a worthwhile addition to the A Study in Drowning duology, and fans of the series will enjoy the extra time spent with Effy and Preston as they deal with the aftermath of the previous book in the form of elitist academia.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

4/5