A Dragonbird in the Fern by Laura Rueckert

I was kindly provided with an ARC by NetGalley and North Star Editions in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun, heartwarming and short read with the perfect summer vibe. Additionally, look at that georgous cover!

We follow our main character Jiara, who is a princess with three siblings - older and younger - in the queendom of Azzaria by the sea.
Jiara was never intended to inherit the throne, so she wasn't educated as strictly as her older siblings. Instead she got to lead a relatively free life for 17 years.

When her sister is murdered, Jiara is the only one who can take her place as bride of a foreign king to form an alliance between their countries. Her new husband is a good man, but now she has to balance being queen, learning the language of her new people and finding the one who killed her sister while dealing with political intricacies as well. In addition to that it's implied on many occasions that Jiara is dyslexic and has trouble reading and writing.

What I liked about this story:
- Jiara's flaws feel very real
- it's a short lighthearted YA fantasy standalone
- the magic was fascinating and well integrated in the lore

What I didn't love:
- the reveals and plot twists didn't suprise me
- the motivations of the villain weren't strong enough for me

If your're looking for the perfect lighthearted beach read with a slow burn romance, this one is the perfect fit!

Those no longer here left so much behind. Expectations, reputations.


I was provided the opportunity to read and review this great book, thanks to NetGalley.

Princess Jiara Ginevoradaag of Azzaria is seventeen years old, with five months to go until she becomes eighteen. She is a bright and smart character, but she has doubts about her reading and writing skills. She feels she isn't good enough and that she isn't as clever as those around her since she is dyslexic without realizing it. Scilla, her three-year-older sister, was engaged to King Raffar Perssuun Daggsuun of Farnskag, while Jiara, on her 18th birthday, would become engaged to Duke Marro Berdonando Riccardi of Flissina, northern territory in Azzaria near Loftaria. (OMG I had a hard time typing out those names.)Jiara's world is flipped upside down when Scilla is murdered. Scilla becomes an earth walker, a type of murder victim consumed by anger and capable of harming the living. (And I love, love, love ferocious ghosts.)
During the three months of mourning known as the Time of Tears, the Farnskagers arrive early for a prearranged meeting to pay their respects to Scilla. Raffar, who became the ruling king three years ago when he was sixteen after losing his parents, leads the party with his translator, Aldar Anzgarsuun. Queen Ginevora of Azzaria, Jiara's mother, devises a fresh scheme to betroth Raffar and Jiara to preserve the alliance between their nations, as Farnskag requires Azzaria's ports and Azzaria requires them should Loftaria invade. Jiara travels to Farnskag when the two of them marry, which is where the main story begins. Not only is there a lot of political intrigue going on, but Jiara also has to live with her new husband in a foreign country where she doesn't speak the language or understand the culture. On top of that, she is adamant about finding Scilla's killer. There are a couple of times in the story where we see her being vulnerable.  Despite her inability to speak, Jiara put herself out there, and it was amazing to watch her form bonds with her guards and her people. We were also able to witness her tenacity. She was dead set on learning Farnskag traditions and language to track out her sister's killer. She took chances, was hurt, and went to great lengths to discover the murderer. She is a great heroine who will always hold a special place in my heart.
Raffar. Oh, Raffar. They may not have known one other well and may have struggled to communicate, but no one can dispute that they were special. It was wonderful to watch their connection blossom over the course of the book. My heartstrings were tugged by Raffar's modest attempts to put her at ease.
In this novel, all of the characters are likable. I like how Jiara and Rafaar's relationship was developing. I appreciate that the protagonist isn't flawless and has weaknesses. I also like Jiara's ability to learn how to be a queen and, despite making errors, swiftly learn from them. She's a formidable character.
While the main characters were not LGBTQ+, there were queer and trans characters, and because this was a supernatural realm, there was no prejudice or discrimination, which was great. 
The story begins in the kingdom of Azzaria, which is located near the ocean on the southern edge of the continent, with Glizerra as its capital. Its relationship with Loftaria, their northern neighbor, is tense. Farnskag, with its capital city of Baaldarstad, is on the other side of Loftaria. Svertya is to the east of these countries, while Stӓrkland is to the west. Although the narrative takes place mostly in Azzaria and Farnskag, all of the nations are represented in some way across the pages.
The 2 main countries in the narrative, as well as their peoples, were lively and clearly characterized. And there was no information dump; whatever we learned came to us naturally, piece by little.
It began out exciting, but once Jiara arrived at her new home, there was a long period when nothing much happened. She was only trying to fit in, learning a new language and looking for any clues to her sister's death. It wasn't boring, but it moved slowly. There were also no surprises or plot twists.
It's written in the first person, which I don't mind, but I wish it alternated with other characters' perspectives. The entire time was spent with Jiara, and we only saw what she did and her own ideas. It would have been more fascinating if more people had been involved.
Overall, this was a pretty well-written and well-thought-out story. There's a lot of suspense at the start, especially when it comes to the murder. The author did a fantastic job of keeping the story intriguing as it became increasingly predictable about how it would end.  Jiara's experience, ideas, and feelings were at the core of the tale. In most cases, this would irritate me as a reader, but the author handled it so effectively and with such purpose that I like the way it was written. Even though this is a stand-alone novel, I would like to read more stories set in this universe since it was so beautifully detailed and intriguing. Without a doubt, I would read any and all of this author's books!
My only criticism of A Dragonbird in the Fern is that it was a little too straightforward and predictable for me at points. Because I like complicated fiction with plenty of twists and turns, I guessed the narrative twist in this novel nearly right away. I was expecting additional disclosures near the conclusion of the twist to add to the intricacy. However, this had only a little influence on my pleasure of the narrative, and it is highly personal criticism.
A Dragonbird in the Fern was an incredible debut novel that I couldn't put down. I was worried that as a standalone fantasy novel, there wouldn't be enough world-building or character development; nevertheless, this novel exceeded my expectations, and I can't wait to read more from this author.
I would highly suggest this book to anybody seeking a light fantasy, and I am looking forward to getting my hands on a physical copy of A Dragonbird in the Fern.

Overall A Dragonbird in the Fern was a fast paced and interesting fantasy book. I really liked the dyslexia rep through Princess Jiara. This really helped the plot because a major storyline is that Jiara is trying to learn the language of her new husband's kingdom. I thought that this was extremely well written and was refreshing to see in a fantasy book.

I do feel that there were quite a few plot lines that were not completely fleshed out. The romance, solving the murder of her sister and the magic system all seemed to be competing with each other instead of coming together to build the story up. The romance was sweet but Jiara and Raffar had barely any page time together so it was a bit hard to believe that they were in love with each other. The ending definitely felt rushed and the magic system all of a sudden seemed to fix all the issues even though major things were not talked about until the end. To me it felt too much like a magic wand to bring the story together in the last few pages.

Rating this one 3.5/5 stars because I did enjoy it for the most part.

When an assassin kills Princess Jiara’s older sister Scilla, her vengeful ghost is doomed to walk their city of glittering canals, tormenting loved ones until the murderer is brought to justice. Jiara agrees to marry her sisters bethrothed in order to find out her killer, but by doing so she has to move to a foreign country, and learn a foreign language.

This proofs difficult for Jiara, she struggles with dyslexia, a disorder that she is never diagnosed with since her society doesn’t understand it. Rueckert draws from her own experiences in a brilliant way, Jiaras struggles felt very raw and the way the dyslexia ties into very important plot points was brilliant.

I really enjoyed how plot based this story was, but I also adored watching Jiara and Raffar get to know each other.

The story is a blend of a fairytale and a ghost story, the magic system was simple and understandable. The world building was good and the political machinations were just the right amount and it didn’t weigh down the story.

Ultimately I found myself enjoying this YA fantasy standalone, but I didn’t love it. I wish some of our secondary characters were fleshed out more, that way I would have been more invested in the story as a whole.

If you enjoy fast paced political fantasy novels with a light romance thread, this might be the book for you. Overall a 3 star read for me.

CW: Violence & Blood, greid, death of a family member (off page), death of a character (on page)

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

when i received this ARC and began reading it, i had never seen it mentioned or heard of amongst my friends before. therefore, i was hesitant to jump into this. but i've never been happier to be wrong!

the relationship between jiara and raffar developed so beautifully, with their private dinners and little board games. freyad was also an incredible character, as was matid in his own special way. and even the insight into scilla both as an earthwalker and a ghost were wonderful. though i suspected who the killer was after the incident with the elephant bird, i was satisfied as hell to see things play out this way. most of all, i loved how openly queer this book is in its own little way. even though jiara and raffar were not, the existence of trans identities, of mlm and wlw relationships, the importance and reverence shown to the process of adoption... it was all wonderful.

all in all a great read.

This was an amazing read and never failed to keep me interested.

First off, a huge thank you to Flux/ North star editions for providing me with an arc through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Second, before I begin my review, I'd like to state that I don't have dyslexia, so I can't comment on whether or not the portrayal in the book was accurate. But I can argue that it's critical to have disabled protagonists in books, especially fantasy. It is something that many people have, and they should be able to feel represented and seen. It is also important to have disability rep in fantasy books that aren’t erased by magic and where the characters don’t “magically get better” or get magically healed. That being said let’s get on with the review.

Blurb:
Scilla, Jiara's older sister, is murdered, and her furious ghost is cursed to walk their city and torture loved ones until her killer is apprehended. While the kingdom is in mourning, Scilla's fiancé arrives and asks Jiara to take her sister's place as his wife, therefore sealing the alliance between their countries. Leaving her home and marrying the man who was supposed to marry her sister is stressful enough, but because she has dyslexia, she has lost all chance of learning another language and is scared of living in a nation where she will be unable to converse. Jiara then learns that her sister's murderer is from the king's own nation. If she marries the king, she will be able to locate the murderer, free her sister's ghost, and save her family from further agony. She must track down her sister's murderer in order to preserve her family... before he murders her as well.

A DragonBird in the Fern has it all: a murder mystery, an arranged marriage, a marriage of convenience, a strong female lead who is vulnerable at times, a chosen one (that isn't cliché), and AMAZING world-building!

It's rare for me to give a book/know that a book will be a five-star read less than halfway through, but this book was an instant 5 star.

It has a beautifully crafted world with incredible world-building and even greater characters. Rueckert didn't hold anything back when it came to the details! It was fascinating to learn about the distinctions across the countries, including religions, cultures, food, and animals.

Jiara, the main character, works relentlessly to uncover her sister's murderer while simultaneously learning a new language and maintaining her appearance. There are a few instances in the novel where we see her being vulnerable, which I believe is quite important to have in books. To demonstrate that it is okay to be vulnerable, scared, sad, and struggle from time to time. We learned this from Jiara. Despite not being able to communicate, she put herself out there and it was incredible to see Jiara build ties with her guards and her people. We also got to witness her determination. She was determined to learn the Farnskag ways and language in order to identify her sister's killer. She took risks, got harmed, and did everything it took to find the murderer. She is a fantastic heroine who will live on in my heart forever.
Raffar. Oh, Raffar, my sweet Raffar. They may not have known one other well and may have had difficulty talking, but no one can deny that there was something special about them. It was lovely to see their relationship develop throughout the novel. Raffar's small gestures to make her feel at ease tugged at my heartstrings.

Now for the unveiling of her sister's assailant. That was not anything I expected. It was a shocking betrayal that no one saw coming. It wasn't a major surprise, but it was someone I hadn't expected. I was heartbroken when the killer was revealed since I admired the individual. Nonetheless, looking back, I'm noticing small hints that said person is suspicious.

Overall the book was a light and fun read. I will never stop recommending this book! I cannot wait to read more of the author’s work!

Very simplistic writing style, perfect for young readers to follow - that being said - I found it hard to be emotionally invested. The ghostly aspect of the story gives a sinister tinge to the tale but I found it hard to love Jiara - there was so much she couldn't do but not much to mention that of which she could. If she has lived in the Palace forever then what did she do with her time? You would think the royals would give her something to fill the days.
The romance element was just lost in this book- how can there we romance if they can't talk to each other without a translator?! Rafffar is an all powerful king, but can't speak any other language? I found this frustrating to say the least.

Overall I was quite disappointed.

A Dragonbird in the Fern follows Princess Jiara as she steps in to marry her sister's betrothed after her murder. Jiara learns that Scilla's murderer may be from the King's country and wishes to avenge her death. Jiara must do more than investigate her sister's murderer in her new country, however; she must navigate romance, queendom, and learning a second language with dyslexia.

I absolutely love Jiara's character and the dyslexia representation in this book! It is a really interesting choice to use a language barrier as a plot point, and the storyline between Jiara and the king communicating is extremely captivating. There is also a superb balance of magic, politics, and romance. While the novel has a simplistic but interesting magic system, it does not lack in political in romantic tension or political intrigue.

A Dragonbird in the Fern feels familiar yet refreshing- I truly believe that fantasy readers of all ages and preferences can find something to love about this novel. This debut is absolutely fantastic- I cannot wait to read more by Laura Rueckert in the future. I would be happy to read a sequel the world Rueckert crafted could easily be expanded upon, but the book ties up well as a standalone. I highly recommend this book to any young adult fantasy reader!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eArc to review- I'm so happy to have read one of my favorite books of 2021!

Title: A Dragonbird in the Fern
Author: Laura Rueckert
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5

When an assassin kills Princess Jiara’s older sister Scilla, her vengeful ghost is doomed to walk their city of glittering canals, tormenting loved ones until the murderer is brought to justice. While the entire kingdom mourns, Scilla’s betrothed arrives and requests that seventeen-year-old Jiara take her sister’s place as his bride to confirm the alliance between their countries.

Marrying the young king intended for her sister and traveling to his distant home is distressing enough, but with dyslexia and years of scholarly struggles, Jiara abandoned any hope of learning other languages long ago. She’s terrified of life in a foreign land where she’ll be unable to communicate.

Then Jiara discovers evidence that her sister’s assassin comes from the king’s own country. If she marries the king, Jiara can hunt the murderer and release her family from Scilla’s ghost, whose thirst for blood mounts every day. To save her family, Jiara must find her sister’s killer . . . before he murders her too.

I enjoyed this read. Jiara’s struggles with reading were captured beautifully, and I felt all of her embarrassment and pain. Her attempts to learn the language of her new husband and home grounded the story and made it relatable, even amidst the magic and strange cultures and settings. This was a solid read for a debut novel.

Laura Rueckert grew up in Michigan. A Dragonbird in the Fern is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of North Star Editions/Flux in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 8/5.)

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

A Dragonbird in the Fern has several storylines running through it, but I’ll start with the one that resonated most for me. In the kingdom of Azzaria, when a person is murdered their ghost will roam as long as their killer remains unknown, performing progressively more violent acts against their surviving family and friends – sometimes even killing them. As a fan of the paranormal, it was this poltergeist activity that grabbed my interest and wouldn’t let go.


All of the storylines revolve around Princess Jiara of Azzaria, who finds herself in an arranged marriage with the ruler of a neighboring kingdom following the murder of her sister, who was originally betrothed to the same king. In addition to the paranormal aspect I mentioned above, there is a romantic storyline involving Jiara’s relationship with her husband, a linguistic storyline involving Jiara relocating to a country where she does not know the language and where her (undiagnosed) dyslexia will stand in the way of her learning the language, and a court intrigue storyline which puts both Jiara and her husband personally at risk as well as leading their country into war. There is also was religious/spiritual aspect to the story as well. As you can see, the plot ranges widely between these various aspects, but the author balances them well and does a great job of turning them into a cohesive plot.

I gave A Dragonbird in the Fern five stars on Goodreads. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable story, superbly executed with the various storylines weaving seamlessly together. I recommend it to readers of all ages.

This review will be published at GATEWAY REVIEWS on August 20, 2021.

Pros
Dyslexic Protagonist: It's hard enough to find fiction featuring a dyslexic character. It is even more difficult to find a dyslexic protagonist, let alone one in a fantasy world. Jiara's dyslexia is important both character-wise and plot-wise. It's not just thrown in for kicks, or "diversity," or anything like that. This is a great bit of representation, and it is especially great to see not just how dyslexia affects Jiara but how she learns to both use and overcome what she has been given.

Paranormal Activity: There is, generally, an unspoken distinction between fantasy ghosts and "paranormal" ghosts. Fantasy ghosts are more ethereal, much looser in definition than are their paranormal counterparts. Paranormal ghosts are more likely to be associated with gory slashing and poltergeist-style hauntings. They're just different. But here, that distinction isn't made. This work of fantasy features a slash-in-the-night ghost, violent and bloody in her spectral presence, and that adds a unique and interesting touch to this world of fantasy.

Culture Abounds: I haven't read a fantasy so steeped in cultural worldbuilding in a long time. Though the cultural aspects are not always well-woven into the story itself, it is clear that Laura Reuckert loves the world she's built. From wedding ceremonies to gods, supernatural phenomena to fauna and flora, all parts of the cultures presented are given the utmost care and respect.

Cons
Overly Descriptive: There are two common problems I find when it comes to fantasy descriptions. The first is long-winded passages that describe without any real point. The second is an overload of adjectives and descriptors sprinkled throughout. This book unfortunately suffers from the latter. The text is burdened with descriptions. While they are often vivid and imaginative, the descriptions can also be a bit overloaded as well. Laura Reuckert definitely gives a full picture, but from a reader's point-of-view, things can get a little bit bogged down. Having so many descriptors to describe a single object, person, or place can make it difficult to picture at all.

Too Much, Not Enough: There are far too many name-drops at the beginning of this book without enough worldbuilding to back them up. It's fine to have a lot of countries in a fantasy world. It is fine to have a complex political situation both internally and externally, but to start off with all of it kind of dumped on the reader is a bit much. It was hard to distinguish the difference between allies, potential allies, and enemies. There was too much information given at once--and also not enough. Because I didn't ultimately have enough information to set the countries, people, places apart in my mind. I got there eventually, but it did make for a rough start in the first few chapters.

Lost Focus: It peeves me to no end when romance creeps in and overloads the plot, especially in a book (like this one) where the author so obviously cared about fleshing out the world, culture, and characters. She took the time to highlight characters struggling and growing, especially Jiara with her transition to an entirely new culture and language, and all of this gets swallowed but bouts of uncontrollable, lusty romance. This book might have done better as an adult book in that regard. Because of the young ages of the main couple, there's an element of "we-have-to-wait" which leads to lots of longing looks. If they had been older--without the need to wait--like the couple would be in an adult novel, this lusting would have progressed to something quicker than it did. And with that out of the way, we could have gotten back to the plot again. Alas, they needed to wait--and as a reader, I needed to wait out the romance, too.

Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6/10

Fans of Tricia Levenseller's Blade of Secrets will love this new down-to-earth protagonist with real life struggles. Those who loved the lush world of Elizabeth Lim's Six Crimson Cranes should immerse themselves in this new fantasy world.

A lovely and unique take on the Stranger in a Strange Land story. And while no beautiful blue dragons make an appearance, the title has meaningful resonance, and the cover is gorgeous.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This book was an extremely pleasant surprise! A Dragonbird in the Fern is perfect for readers new to fantasy or those who struggle with long, complex fantasy. The worldbuilding was simple and easy to follow yet still interesting. Knowing it was a standalone was one of the reasons I finished this book so quickly. I knew that the mystery would be resolved by the end of the book.

I loved the two main characters in this story. They were brave, likable, and easy to root for. I was immediately sold on the relationship as I found the love interest so genuine and endearing. A Dragonbird in the Fern also features a dyslexic main character! I believe this is the first fantasy I have read with dyslexia representation and I thought it was really well incorporated into the story.

My favorite part of this book was the depiction of being a stranger in a strange land and adapting to the customs and habits of the land. I loved following Jiara as she learned the language of her new home. I feel like the difficulty of learning a language is often glossed over in fantasy books or avoided through the inclusion of multilingual characters. It was particularly engaging to watch Jiara and Raffar find different ways to communicate.

The plot with the vengeful ghost kept the tension high throughout the entire story. This suspense was another reason that I felt compelled to finish the book in one sitting. While I think the concept of the earthwalker could’ve been expanded on for clarity, I enjoyed the sense of anticipation that it added to the story.

My only real critique for A Dragonbird in the Fern is that at times it felt a bit too simple and predictable for me. I enjoy complex fantasy with a lot of twists and turns so I called the plot twist in this story almost immediately. I was hoping that the twist would have more reveals towards the end to add more complexity. However, this only minimally impacted my enjoyment of the story and it is a very personal critique. The fact remains that this book kept me engaged the entire time. I read it in one sitting, staying up until 3 am to finish it.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a light fantasy and I cannot wait to add a physical copy of A Dragonbird in the Fern to my bookshelf.

I LOVED this book. It was incredibly sweet but had enough tension to keep me racing through to the end. It reminded me a little of The Goblin Emperor, with its gentle characters doing their best to love and to lead, despite the difficult circumstances.

THE PREMISE
I thought the premise of the book worked nicely. I've not read many books with dyslexic characters, and none where dyslexia plays such a key role in the story. I don't suffer from dyslexia myself, so found it interesting to read a little more about what it's like: the exhaustion of trying to read, the words swimming on the page, etc. Writing at the end, Rueckert explains that, whilst she doesn't have dyslexia, she has a number of close acquaintances that do, so I'd hope the experience is reasonably accurate.

Add to the already weighty challenge that dyslexia poses the challenge of moving abroad, alone, to a country where almost no one speaks your language, where you're in the limelight and responsible for a nation, where your tutor doesn't know how to teach and doesn't understand your difficulties, and where your sister's ghost punishes you for your failures in finding her killer–you can imagine the tension. I could barely put it down.

THE CHARACTERS
Beyond the story, the characters were a big part of why I loved this story. Jiara (17) is a sweet, kind, gentle soul. She cares deeply for others, no matter their station, and finds joy in the small things and the beauty around her. Her deepest desire is to serve and to protect; her deepest fear is that her learning difficulties limit her capacity to do this.

Often, such characters come across as pathetic, weak-willed, whiny and annoying. Not so with Jiara. In fact, I felt quite protective off her. She imagines herself stupid but she isn't by any stretch; it may take her longer to learn certain things, but she perseveres and she gets there in the end. And she contributes in so many other ways that it's hard not to love her.

----"Don't you see? This thinking you should be doing more...it's exactly why you were chosen in the first place. There is no 'just' when it comes to describing you, Jiara."----

As the story is told from Jiara's perspective alone, it's harder to get a grasp on Jaffar (19). What we do see is a kind, peaceable young man, who's down to earth, willing to work, and trying to do his best for his country. He immediately sees the value of Jiara's heart and is gentle, patient and loving with her. I was a bit fan, right from the start.

----"Good game." He kissed the top of my head. "Good queen."----

THE GENRE
A warning: don't go into this book thinking you're getting an all-guns/swords-blazing young-adult romp. You'll be disappointed. Neither should you think of it as epic fantasy, despite the discussions of king and country. Talk of governance is limited and world-building on this front is simplistic and (perhaps overly) optimistic. Instead, look forward to a gentle story about gentle people learning to love and finding a home, despite the challenges. There are beautiful moments–the butterfly picture, for one–and sweet scenes–my favourite when each listened to the other's story of their day despite not understanding a word. Bad things happen, but you know that good will out.

----'He didn't understand, but he watched me and listened.'----

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS TO OTHERS?
Definitely, and in particular to fans of hopepunk and gentler fantasy romances. Would I read more by Laura Rueckert? Absolutely; sign me up. I love a sweet story with a happy ending. It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty perfect for me right now.

4.5 out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5)
When Princess Jiara’s sister is murdered, she agrees to marry her sister’s betrothed from the neighboring kingdom. Now an earthwalker, her sister Scilla will not be at peace until her killer is found. Jiara marries and travels to the new kingdom. She is confronted with language barriers, new customs, new gods and new everything while battling her dyslexia and investigating her sister’s death.

She battles with her sister’s vengeful spirit, who is angry her killer hasn’t been found. She is increasingly becoming more aggressive, even to the point of killing.

During her investigation, Jiara catches the eye of the Watchers. They are the deity and are very involved in each persons life. Jiara is smiled upon many times which endeares her to her subjects and those around her.

For a debut and a standalone novel I was impressed by the word building. It’s immensely satisfying to see a well formed world that involves such counter balance; the scary spirits vs the watchful deity. I was immersed in the descriptions of the wildlife but also the landscapes and differences in each land.

Jiara is a fabulous protagonist. She is strong but second guesses herself with the language and her right to marry her sisters betrothed. Dyslexia is something she struggles with and feels inadequate because of it. Rueckert does an impressive job making dyslexia more understandable by seeing her struggles. She makes it relatable while showing the struggle and accomplishment at the same time.

And where can I find a drawing of these elephant birds? They intrigued me but I could never quite picture them! All in all, this is a great story with impressive world building and character development. I have a new author to watch!

Content Summary: Look at that! NO language! I’m always impressed when an author can write an exciting story with little to no language. The intimacy involved desire to consummate a marriage (she was 17, he was 21 or so) but they waited until she was 18 and then there was one bedroom scene with a few details then the chapter stopped with no further details. There was some violence and intense scenes, mostly involving a spirit acting out in anger and causing harm to others.

Thank you to North Star Editions/Flux for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

The book releases August 3, 2021.

“A Dragonbird in the Fern” is a fun young adult fantasy, with a touch of murder mystery, with vengeful ghosts, and it was exciting!

Jiara is the main reason why I loved the book. She brings the tale to life as she adjusts to her new life with Raffar and investigates Csilla’s murder. She also stands out because she displays signs of Dyslexia as she tries to learn the language and adapt to the culture. I adored her relationship with Raffar. It was lovely to see how they interacted irrespective of know verbally communicating, without the translater. Moreover, I thought the author wrote her scenes with Csilla very nicely, where initially I didn’t know if Csilla came as a ghost or if they were memories. I also adored the scenes where Jiara studies the place and the people with Freyad.

The author also wrote the world-building nicely. I was fascinated with the concept of the Watchers the political unrest when Jiara moves to Farnskag. There are some memorable moments, like when the bird attacks Jiara or interacts with the dolphins. The author paces the story well, which leads to an exciting climax.

However, I felt that the supporting characters could be more assertive. Raffar was predictable and did not bring much to the story. Moreover, the way the author reveals who betrayed Jiara was predictable. Nevertheless, the story was still entertaining to read, and I thought the author did an excellent job for a debut novel!

Overall, “A Dragonbird in the Fern” is an intriguing young adult fantasy debut by the author and worth picking up.

3.5/5

Princess Jiara has never been good with her studies, not when the words refuse to stay on the page. However, the murder of her older sister means that not only must she find her sister's killer, she must take her sister's place to marry a foreign king who does not speak her language.

I really liked how this book dealt with the heroine's dyslexia. I've never read a protagonist who has this condition, but getting to read Jiara's struggles and triumphs was definitely rewarding. She's clever and resourceful in her own way once she figures out the proper methods. And the way she tricks people into assuming she's dumb in order to eavesdrop critical information? Delightful.

I also really enjoyed all of the political elements. I'm always critical of book where the rulers never have to actually do anything political or balance international relations because it's just not believable for me, but this book handled it really well. I liked how everyone problem-solved their way out of situations rather than using violence.

Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of the characters as a whole, and was underwhelmed by the romance. I did appreciate the casual diversity in queer representation, though, and how that might have political ramifications (but nevertheless, love wins!). I also thought that the plot itself shot itself in the foot a bit with all of the specific incidents of Plot Armor that lessened the stakes.

All in all, it's a fun adventure story with clever storytelling that I do recommend for anyone who wants to read a different type of heroine.

Wow! I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did! If you love ya fantasy/ paranormal romance then you definitely will love this one!

Arranged marriage, foreign land and language, a ghost out for revenge, and a crazy adventure of figuring things all out!

Jiara has so much growth in this book! She has to do the unexpected and is so amazing! Her connection and chemistry with Raffar is intense and man is it slow! But there are sparks flying all over the place between them.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from this book, I absolutely devoured it!

𝘼 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙚𝙧𝙣 is about a princess who wanted to find her sister's murderer. Took all cost including unwilling marriage then travel far away from home.
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🌟 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪
"Like yesterday. Like forever.”—Chapter 15
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I recently finished A Dragonbird in the Fern. It was a fascinating read for me. A fast-paced story keeps me reading and guess what's happening next.
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Actually I got confused by the beginning of the story but then it goes well and I really like it. I enjoy the writing style, some foreign languages used in the story, and the world building.
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I adore the main character, Jiara. She is such a tough girl. I like how the author describe her as a dyslexia girl, read her struggle to adapt and find her sister's murder. Sometimes I laughed when read Jiara communicate with her husband. They're so cute. 🤣
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Overall, I like to read Jiara's story, great combination with paranormal spice. 😉
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If you're looking forward the story about family, arrange marriage, and murder mystery, you can try read 𝘼 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙚𝙧𝙣.

3.5 stars

The main thing I enjoyed about this book was the dyslexic representation because that's so rare in YA fantasies. It gives the reader an inside look on the struggles of dyslexia and how it becomes quite a task to fit in somewhere you can't.