# Ava Reid
**Ava Reid** (born 1996) is an American author of fantasy fiction, best known for the #1 New York Times bestselling novels *A Study in Drowning* and *Lady Macbeth* and for her 2021 debut, *The Wolf and the Woodsman*.[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/reid_ava) • [2](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2283262/ava-reid/) She writes across young adult and adult categories, in gothic, historical, and dystopian modes, and her books have been published in over fourteen territories.[2](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2283262/ava-reid/) • [3](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/ava-reid-exclusive-blog-interview)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996, New York City; born in Manhattan and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/reid_ava) • [4](https://avasreid.wordpress.com/about/) |
| Education | Degree in political science from Barnard College, focusing on religion and ethnonationalism[4](https://avasreid.wordpress.com/about/) |
| Debut | *The Wolf and the Woodsman*, published June 8, 2021[5](https://www.sffworld.com/2021/06/interview-with-ava-reid-author-of-the-wolf-and-the-woodsman/) |
| Best known for | *A Study in Drowning* (2023), a #1 New York Times bestseller[2](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2283262/ava-reid/) |
| Range | Young adult and adult fantasy, gothic horror, Shakespeare reimagining, dystopia[3](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/ava-reid-exclusive-blog-interview) |
| Translation reach | Books published in over fourteen territories[2](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2283262/ava-reid/) |
| Agent | Sarah Landis at Sterling Lord Literistic[4](https://avasreid.wordpress.com/about/) |
## Life and education
Reid was born in Manhattan in 1996 and raised across the [Hudson River](https://www.edgepedia.org/hudson-river) in [Hoboken, New Jersey](https://www.edgepedia.org/hoboken-new-jersey).[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/reid_ava) • [4](https://avasreid.wordpress.com/about/) She studied political science at [Barnard College](https://www.edgepedia.org/barnard-college), concentrating on religion and ethnonationalism, a course of study she credits with shaping her first novel.[4](https://avasreid.wordpress.com/about/) • [5](https://www.sffworld.com/2021/06/interview-with-ava-reid-author-of-the-wolf-and-the-woodsman/) Before publication she worked at a refugee resettlement organization, for a U.S. senator as a congressional intern, and at an AI robotics startup in Silicon Valley.[4](https://avasreid.wordpress.com/about/) • [5](https://www.sffworld.com/2021/06/interview-with-ava-reid-author-of-the-wolf-and-the-woodsman/)
**Path to publication.** In a podcast interview Reid described a mentorship with the author Isabel Ibañez, who showed her the ropes of publishing and brought her work in front of agents; through that connection she found her first agent and signed her first publishing deal in 2018.[6](https://craftchatchronicles.buzzsprout.com/2297946/episodes/15009164-episode-3-unveiling-the-art-of-dark-academia-ava-reid-on-crafting-bestsellers-and-navigating-literary-fame) She is represented by Sarah Landis at Sterling Lord.[4](https://avasreid.wordpress.com/about/)
## The Wolf and the Woodsman
Reid's debut, *The Wolf and the Woodsman* ([HarperCollins](https://www.edgepedia.org/harpercollins), June 8, 2021), is a literary-leaning adult epic fantasy inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish myth.[5](https://www.sffworld.com/2021/06/interview-with-ava-reid-author-of-the-wolf-and-the-woodsman/) • [7](https://lilith.org/2021/06/a-qa-with-novelist-ava-reid/) The idea came from coursework on contemporary Hungarian politics: researching the formation of Hungarian national identity, she encountered the anecdote of [Saint Stephen](https://www.edgepedia.org/saint-stephen), the first Christian king of Hungary, who had the eyes of his pagan heir apparent, Vazul, stabbed out to keep the throne from a pagan successor.[3](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/ava-reid-exclusive-blog-interview) • [5](https://www.sffworld.com/2021/06/interview-with-ava-reid-author-of-the-wolf-and-the-woodsman/) The novel follows Évike, the only powerless woman in a pagan village, who is betrayed by her neighbors and handed to soldiers of the Holy Order of Woodsmen as a blood sacrifice for the king.[7](https://lilith.org/2021/06/a-qa-with-novelist-ava-reid/) Reid has described the book as an exploration of nation-building, ethnic nationalism, and religious conflict, and has noted that many places in it have real-world analogs, including the Gellért Hill Cave and the Dohány Street synagogue in Budapest.[5](https://www.sffworld.com/2021/06/interview-with-ava-reid-author-of-the-wolf-and-the-woodsman/)
## Major works
**Juniper & Thorn (2022).** Her second novel, published in June 2022, is a gothic horror retelling of *The Juniper Tree*, set in another time and place within the world of her debut.[8](https://agenceelianebenisti.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/STERLING-LORD-Fall-2021-Rights-Guide.pdf) • [9](https://www.fictiondb.com/author/ava-reid~761771.htm) Reid has said the book began as a more traditional fantasy set during the Black Plague before she reshaped it into a more intimate sort of horror.[10](https://www.distractify.com/p/ava-reid-interview-juniper-and-thorn)
**A Study in Drowning (2023).** Her young adult debut, published September 19, 2023, is a dark academia romantic fantasy in which two rivals investigate the works and legacy of an influential but mysterious author at a crumbling gothic manor by the sea.[11](https://thenerddaily.com/ava-reid-author-interview/) • [12](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author/ava-reid/) It became a sleeper hit through BookTok, the book-focused community on TikTok, and reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.[13](https://pghrev.com/innamorata-is-ava-reids-most-off-putting-book-good/) • [2](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2283262/ava-reid/) Reid has said the book's success was largely word of mouth, promoted by influencers, booksellers, and readers who talk about books for the love of books, rather than a large publisher campaign.[3](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/ava-reid-exclusive-blog-interview) A sequel, *A Theory of Dreaming*, followed on July 29, 2025.[12](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author/ava-reid/)
**Lady Macbeth (2024).** Published in August 2024, this reimagining gives Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth her own voice, history, and power, moving the story away from legend toward control, survival, and female rage.[14](https://bookseries.blog/ava-reid/) Reid has said she rewrote its first chapter more than any other piece of her writing, revising a single sentence across three rounds with her editor.[3](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/ava-reid-exclusive-blog-interview)
**Fable for the End of the World (2025).** Released March 4, 2025, this standalone dystopian novel is set in a near-future world half-drowned by climate change and controlled by the corporation Caerus, which runs the Lamb's Gauntlet, a livestreamed hunt in which modified human Angels kill debt-sacrificed Lambs.[15](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ava-reid/fable-for-the-end-of-the-world/) • [16](https://www.penguin.com.au/books/fable-for-the-end-of-the-world-9781804953792) It centers a sapphic romance between the hunted Inesa and her hunter Melinoë, and Reid has described it as a more intimate, small-scale survival story than *The Hunger Games*, sharing as much DNA with *The Last of Us*.[15](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ava-reid/fable-for-the-end-of-the-world/) • [17](https://www.unitedbypop.com/books/author-interviews/ava-reid-chats-why-dystopian-novels-are-making-a-comeback/) The book entered the New York Times bestseller list directly on publication, as *A Study in Drowning* had before it.[18](https://www.loewe-verlag.de/ava-reid)
**Recent and forthcoming.** *An Archive of Romance*, a *Study in Drowning* novella, appeared December 9, 2025, and *Winterveil*, a dystopian duology opener set in 2037 at a military academy, is scheduled for September 15, 2026.[12](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author/ava-reid/) • [19](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ava-reid/winterveil-2/) The adult novels *Innamorata* (March 17, 2026) and *Necromantica* (April 20, 2027) form the House of Teeth duology.[20](https://www.penguinrandomhouseretail.com/author/?authorid=2283262)
## Themes and style
Reid has described herself as a big-picture thematic writer for whom the "why" of a book comes before the "what," and as a non-outliner who works without a plan but fixes a character's voice early.[3](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/ava-reid-exclusive-blog-interview) • [11](https://thenerddaily.com/ava-reid-author-interview/) Recurring themes include reclaiming one's own narrative after abuse and trauma, a subject she has said is personal and informed by her own psychiatric treatment and reading in trauma theory and the history of psychiatry.[11](https://thenerddaily.com/ava-reid-author-interview/) Her stated influences include [Shirley Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/shirley-jackson)'s *We Have Always Lived in the Castle*, the Gormenghast trilogy, A.S. Byatt's *Possession*, and the fabulist work of Kelly Link, Carmen Maria Machado, and Helen Oyeyemi.[11](https://thenerddaily.com/ava-reid-author-interview/) The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction notes that she has been compared to Shirley Jackson and Kelly Link.[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/reid_ava)
## Reception
Reid's books have drawn both commercial success and divided critical response. On [Goodreads](https://www.edgepedia.org/goodreads) her works average 3.61 across 251,966 ratings, with *A Study in Drowning* the most rated at 3.68 from 113,515 readers.[21](https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/19757734.Ava_Reid) Kirkus called *Fable for the End of the World* "a thrilling, page-turning must-read: prescient and necessary, impressive and disturbing," and described *Winterveil* as "a riveting dark dystopia" with Reid's trademark atmospheric and literary prose.[15](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ava-reid/fable-for-the-end-of-the-world/) • [19](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ava-reid/winterveil-2/) Commentators have noted that her success with *A Study in Drowning* was built substantially on word of mouth among BookTok readers rather than a large publisher campaign.[13](https://pghrev.com/innamorata-is-ava-reids-most-off-putting-book-good/) • [3](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/ava-reid-exclusive-blog-interview)
## References
1. [Reid, Ava, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/reid_ava)
2. [Ava Reid, Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2283262/ava-reid/)
3. [Gothic Stories, Irony and Shakespeare: A Q&A with Ava Reid, Barnes & Noble Blog](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/ava-reid-exclusive-blog-interview)
4. [About, Ava Reid (author website)](https://avasreid.wordpress.com/about/)
5. [Interview with Ava Reid, author of The Wolf and the Woodsman, SFFWorld](https://www.sffworld.com/2021/06/interview-with-ava-reid-author-of-the-wolf-and-the-woodsman/)
6. [Episode 3: Unveiling the Art of Dark Academia, Craft Chat Chronicles podcast](https://craftchatchronicles.buzzsprout.com/2297946/episodes/15009164-episode-3-unveiling-the-art-of-dark-academia-ava-reid-on-crafting-bestsellers-and-navigating-literary-fame)
7. [A Q&A with Novelist Ava Reid, Lilith Magazine](https://lilith.org/2021/06/a-qa-with-novelist-ava-reid/)
8. [New & Noteworthy, Sterling Lord Literistic Fall 2021 Rights Guide](https://agenceelianebenisti.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/STERLING-LORD-Fall-2021-Rights-Guide.pdf)
9. [Ava Reid Books in Order, FictionDB](https://www.fictiondb.com/author/ava-reid~761771.htm)
10. [Interview: Author Ava Reid Dishes on Juniper & Thorn, Distractify](https://www.distractify.com/p/ava-reid-interview-juniper-and-thorn)
11. [Q&A: Ava Reid, Author of A Study In Drowning, The Nerd Daily](https://thenerddaily.com/ava-reid-author-interview/)
12. [Books by Ava Reid, Kirkus Reviews](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author/ava-reid/)
13. [Innamorata is Ava Reid's most off-putting book. Good., Pittsburgh Review of Books](https://pghrev.com/innamorata-is-ava-reids-most-off-putting-book-good/)
14. [Ava Reid Books in Order, Bookseries.blog](https://bookseries.blog/ava-reid/)
15. [Fable for the End of the World, Kirkus Reviews](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ava-reid/fable-for-the-end-of-the-world/)
16. [Fable For the End of the World, Penguin Books Australia](https://www.penguin.com.au/books/fable-for-the-end-of-the-world-9781804953792)
17. [Ava Reid chats why dystopian novels are making a comeback, United By Pop](https://www.unitedbypop.com/books/author-interviews/ava-reid-chats-why-dystopian-novels-are-making-a-comeback/)
18. [Ava Reid, Loewe Verlag](https://www.loewe-verlag.de/ava-reid)
19. [Winterveil, Kirkus Reviews](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ava-reid/winterveil-2/)
20. [Ava Reid, Penguin Random House Retail](https://www.penguinrandomhouseretail.com/author/?authorid=2283262)
21. [Books by Ava Reid, Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/19757734.Ava_Reid)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Writers and literary biographies › Fiction writers: novelists and genre › Science fiction, fantasy, and horror writers › Fantasy writers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license