I particularly enjoyed the portrait of dyslexia of the main Character and her struggles to keep improving despite the difficulties. The rest of the characters are fleshed out enough to be supporting, although I feel like Freyad and Raffar could have bigger parts : it would have been really interesting to see more of their points of view. The villain motivations were a bit lacking for me, I would have liked a little more backstory.
As a summary , I found it a fun and entertaining book, good MC and the story is engaging enough to make you want to read more.

When Princess Jiara’s sister is brutally murdered before she can marry the king of a neighboring land a solidify an alliance, Jiara agrees to marry in her sister’s place. Jiara’s sister Scilla, now an Earthwalker, won’t be at peace until her killer is found. As Jiara travels to an unknown land with her new husband and learns how to be a queen, Jiara is plagued by communication issues, brewing war, her sister’s impatient and violent spirit, and traitors in her midst.

This is such an immersive and intriguing story! The setting is unique and vivid, and I love how the author paints such a clear picture of each kingdom. Jiara’s home and her husband Raffa’s home are so well-depicted with different customs, faiths, and ways of living and governing, and both are beautiful in their own right. I love how the kingdoms are so different, yet they are similar in their principles and beliefs. The author did a fantastic job of bringing the setting alive and creating a rich and fascinating world.

I was particularly intrigued by the different beliefs and religious customs in each kingdom. In Jiara’s kingdom of Azzaria, a person cannot move on and be at peace if their murder is not solved. These Earthwalkers, like Scilla, are fated to roam the earth, becoming increasingly violent and out of control until their death is solved. Jiara’s people also pray to the gods, much like Raffa’s people do. Each kingdom has different yet similar beliefs, and both revere nature. Jiara shows a deep connection with nature and the gods, which becomes increasingly significant as the story progresses. I found it interesting that her faith, as well as her unique connection to nature, is one of the few things that brings balance and a sense of peace to this burdened protagonist.

I love Jiara! She is such a fantastic protagonist. Throughout the story, Jiara grows from a sheltered and naïve young woman to a strong and smart leader. Jiara struggles with reading and is so hard on herself for something that is out of her control. People in this world don’t know about dyslexia, and Jiara struggles with self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy and believes she isn’t as smart as others who can read easier because of it. The author does a great job of showing dyslexia in such a realistic and relatable way. (Also, if you check out the Author’s Note at the end of the story, Rueckert discusses dyslexia in more detail.)

Jiara goes through so much throughout the story – murder attempts, an arranged marriage, and a dead sister whose ghost becomes increasingly violent are just the beginning of her troubles. She also moves to a new kingdom where she knows no one, can’t speak the language, and doesn’t know the customs. There Jiara must figure out how to be a wife and queen, and she doesn’t know who she can trust. I like how willing Jiara is to adapt. She is so selfless and kind, and her inherent goodness stands in stark contrast to many of the nefarious dealings in her world.

I also love Jiara’s strong relationship with her family, especially with her sister. Even after death, Scilla and Jiara remain connected. Jiara's relationship with her brothers and parents is also strong. Like Raffa, family is important to Jiara, and there is nothing she won’t do for the people she loves. With her sister’s murderer still unknown and her sister’s spirit becoming more and more violent, Jiara’s life is always at risk, and she puts her life at risk to protect others. This makes for an exciting and suspenseful read!

Some of the other characters are not as deeply developed and complex as Jaira, which feels purposeful. This is a story about Jiara – her quest to find her sister’s killer, her experiences as a new bride in a foreign land, her fears and faith, and her determination to do right by herself and those that are important to her. I love Jiara’s journey and how she becomes more confident, self-possessed, and independent. She and Raffa are so similar in their ideals, and they complement each other well.

The love story between Jiara and her new husband is lovely. He and Jiara struggle initially, as they speak different languages and can’t communicate as well as they’d like. However, their actions and tender moments together reveal the growing depth of their feelings. Raffa is an honorable leader who prefers unity to war. He is young, yet sure of himself and his ideals. He has such respect for Jiara, and it’s clear her truly cares for her (and she for him). Their story is sweet, slow-building, and slow-burning, and I enjoyed how they steadily grew closer and fell in love. They have such great chemistry!

In addition to the interesting characters and immersive world-building, there is quite a bit of intrigue. Jiara’s determination to find her sister’s killer leads her in directions she never expected, and loyalties, love, and kingdoms are tested. I enjoyed the suspense and political intrigue, as well as the constant threat of Scilla’s presence. The combination of so many different dangers made for an exciting read.

A Dragonbird in the Fern is a great book for readers who like standalone YA fantasy with vivid world-building and a well-developed and strong protagonist. Plus, there’s the romance!! Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and Laura Rueckert for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. I can’t wait to read more by this debut author!

This review will be posted on my blog, Twitter, Goodreads, and Book Bub on June 10th.

↠ 4.2 ★★★★✮

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, for that beautiful cover, but above all, for the synopsis and I'm very happy to say that it fulfilled my expectations. Is was an awesome and addictive book that have so beautiful learnings and messages, I love that, although the author uses common tropes, she gives them a unique touch.

This book is very well balanced, I feel that the first part is more focused on presenting the main problem, know the MC and on the romance. When I was reading this first part I thought that the book was going to have much more romance, but in the second part this is left aside to give more importance to the problem development. Is so easy to connect with the MC, I loved her development along the story, Jiara have dyslexia and in some way have always made her see less for not being able to write or read as well as her family, so you can imagine the problem that represent for her to go to live to another kingdom with people she don't know and a totally different language, I think that the development of this plot was so good and her evolution was awesome, watch how she was realizing that despite her difficulties she could be able of many things and that she was as intelligent as anybody was so nice.

I thought the world building was very good, the beliefs and traditions, also it was integrated in the story in a light and natural way. I think I never have read a book where the language was a romance problem and I really like how that was represented here, I liked how they managed to understand each other and awns, the first "conversation" was soo cute, in fact, I thought all the romance was soo cute lol. And the mystery, the main problem, let me *shock*, I didn't expect that plot twist, I lasted a long time without knowing who to trust, all of them were possible suspects for me but I was quite surprised, so positive points for that.

The only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars is that I am missing a bit of depth in the other characters, especially Raffa, I would have liked know him more and maybe more parts of Jiara and him, idk, I think with that this book would have been perfect for me. But in general this book was so good, a very good fantasy with a touch of mystery and romance, I recommend it a lot and I don't sure is this will be a stand alone book (but I think is probably), either way I really hope that the author write more books in this world.

Thanks to NetGalley and North Star Editions for this ARC

The story follows Princess Jiara as she deals with the death of her sister, a marriage proposal from the man her sister was previously engaged to and the responsibility to step up for the sake of her family and her people. In addition to this, Jiara has to find a way to uncover the truth behind her sister's death and bring the murderer to justice.

Initially, I liked the concept of the book and the idea of a vengeful ghost who can actually cause harm was intriguing. As the story progresses, I like how Jiara grows as a person and her distress while trying to read and learn a new language is brought out rather delicately. However, some parts of the story were rather abrupt and the character development was not strong enough. King Raffar is interesting, but the reader doesn't come to know him as a person. We do not also get a chance to understand how he governs or what he thinks. With a strong focus on Jiara, her struggles and triumphs, it is difficult for the reader to connect with other characters.

In terms of the plot, the author has done a good job and the surroundings are well described. The kingdoms, their locations and the people are touched upon albeit only a little, but enough to give us a sense of the places. Overall this is a light YA fantasy read that has great potential and wraps up quite well in the end. The book can be read quickly and is rather enjoyable for those who enjoy the genre!

Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this eARC!

I really enjoyed the fantasy in this one, and even more so I really liked seeing a main character that struggles with dyslexia. This really resonated with me and was done very well. I also really liked how the romance was woven in. This was such a great debut story!! I know this is a standalone, but I hope we get more in this world.

4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

<b>Goodbye for now, Scilla. We’ll find your killer, and you’ll have eternal peace. I promise.</b>

A Dragonbird in the Fern I found to be a delightful read. It had almost everything I enjoy in a fantasy book, lush world-building, court politics, mystery intrigue, and a sweet romance blooming between a couple brought together by an arranged marriage. Princess Jiara of Azzaria and King Raffar of Farnskager.

It's a YA fantasy set between fantastical kingdom called Azzaria and Farnskager. While the world-building is not complex but it is lush and it was unique in its own right. There was a stark difference between the setting from when the charcaters where in Azzaria to Farnskager. I felt wholly immersed into the world.

The story is narrated through <b>Princess Jiara's</b> POV. She is the younger sister of the murdered Princess Scilla whose killer roams freely while Scilla's soul is trapped on earth. The deceased souls who have not ascended are called Earthwalkers and the longer their soul remains on the earth they become more bitter and violent. They are the equivalent of ghosts haunting their families and even causing them harm until their killers are found and brought to justice so they can find peace and leave the earth.

Even with the death of Azzaria's oldest princess and King Raffar's former betrothed, royalty are expected to keep a tough front and do whatever they can for the sake of their Kingdom and thus Jiara finds herself to be betrothed to King Raffar. Jiara is conflicted between moving on to a new life and finding her sister's killer so she can find peace at last and no longer haunt her and their family.

What I really loved about Jiara and Raffar's relationship is that it was so sweet and wholesome. There is a language barrier between them and Jiara being a Dyslexic person even though it wasn't a familiar concept to her people, she struggled with learning and understanding his language and Raffar was kind and patient with her. I just adored how their interactions evolved and how they found their way around the language barrier to communicate.

The romance is so, so sweet and it has the delicious slow-burn that I enjoy when it comes to arranged marriage couples.

I must applause the author for the disability representation in the book. I appreciated the note at the end of the book about Dyslexia and how people with Dyslexia have different experiences with it.

In A Dragonbird in the Fern, Jiara is never diagnosed with dyslexia, and her society doesn’t understand it. She lives her entire life mistakenly believing she isn’t as smart as her siblings who can read faster and spell better.

While I do feel like I outgrew YA fantasy but this one was a light read and such an immersive read. My only complaint would be that the suspect was easy to predict and the story towards the end felt rushed.

I do think a 4-star rating is fair, I did enjoy it!

This book was okay. It was medium-paced and entertaining. The unique thing about this book – and why I decided to read it – was because the main character had dyslexia and could not speak the language of the love interest. Even though it was interesting to read the main character's struggles, I do not think the language barrier was beneficial to the character development of the love interest because you do not get to know him. Another thing that bothered me is that the love interest saw her struggling with his language and did not even try to learn hers. Other than that, the plot and other characters were fine.

I had the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for an honest review, thanks to NetGalley and North Star Editions.

Hi overall I liked the build up of the world and the heroine. I thought that she is brave, smart and charming. However, there some issue in the plot that make it less believable like that in a world that has three nations there so few translators to see the communication between them. Moreover it is less realistic that the royal palace won't hold this kind of position. It also strange that how anemic is the build up of Raffa and how often he was willing to leave her behind. As a monarch that his parents killed you would expect him to be less naively. Also, after the warning of the reader about the behavior of earthwalkers (wraiths) that suppose to escalate in time when their relative won't supply them absolution, I would expect Scilla to help her sister to get rid from the bad guy.
And if I reach to the bad guy, the build up of his character was superb.
Overall, I enjoyed the reading the book and I wait to hear more from the author.

This is an incredible debut by YA author Laura Reuckert. A Dragonbird in the Fern checks all the delicious fantasy checkboxes: a fierce heroine - check, arranged marriage - check, chosen one - check, political intrigue - check, developed magic system - check. But everything was done with a unique twist.

Jiara was the second daughter. She was never supposed to be queen. Yet when her sister is murdered, Jiara has to make the marriage alliance with Farnskag by wedding the king Raffar, who she happens to like anyway.

Hoping she can solve her sister’s murder before her vengeful ghost kills them all, Jiara is thrust into a new country and a world of politics without knowing the native language. And she’s dyslexic.

This had major House of Salt and Sorrows vibes with a combined murder mystery, ghost story and political fantasy. Do not miss this one!

I overall enjoy reading the book. It was a light and smooth reading, but there are some aspects that prevent me to completely appreciate it.

The world is divided into three reigns (Farnskang, Loftaria and Azzaria) that precariously live in peace. However, the tension between them and the ghost of a possible war require the need to forge alliances when possible. The wedding between the king of Farnskang and Scilla, the daughter of the queen of Azzaria, has exactly this scope until Scilla is tragically found dead and her sister, Jiarra, must take her place. People in Azzaria believe that when a murderer is not found, the victim remains on the earth, traveling as a ghost and seeking vengeance against everyone connected with the victim. To find the murder of her sister Scilla and to forge the alliance between Azzaria and Farnskang, Jiarra decides to marry king Raffar and follow him in his country. This is not an easy decision for Jiarra who is affected (but never diagnosed) with a form of dyslexia that makes learning a new language a very difficult task. Jiarra, alone in a new country that she does not understand, must find the murder of her sister before her ghost is going to kill her while preventing a state coup against her new husband and reign.

The whole worldbuilding idea is quite fascinating in my opinion, each country has its own religious beliefs that are different but with a lot of similarities. The writer depicted really well the physical and emotional struggles of Jiarra who is able to find her place in the world despite her limitations. This is at the same time a main pro and con of the book. While I understand the will to focus on her dyslexia and how she is able to succeed despite it, at the same time the fact that we have only Jiarra POV prevents the reader to bond with any other characters. I think that the story would have benefited a lot from the POV of at least king Raffar. In this way, the chemistry between the two seems quite forced and based on some occasional eye contact and words with a translator. There is no speech between the two, no intimate moments until the very end and no real reason why they should love each other. There are also some other minor details that prevent me to fully appreciate the book. For example, the "bad guy" of the book makes some really stupid mistakes that only Jiarra is able to found even if she does not read or speak the language. The all circumstances around the death of Scilla seem quite unrealistic, there was no reason for her to search for secret alliances without her family or her future husband knowing.

Overall, I think it will be a fine and niece reading if you appreciated books like Uprooted of N. Novik, Soulswift of M.Bannen or Wraith King of G.Daven.

I love this book! The sister relationship, the ghost, a main character with dyslexia, learning languages, political intrigue!

I am so torn on this one! 2.5 stars, but do I round it up or down? Overall, I enjoyed reading it and the writing was smooth, but I also had a lot of issues with the book.

The Pros
- Worldbuilding: I thought the worldbuilding was great. The two main countries in the story were very vibrant and well defined, very distinct, as were their peoples. And there was no info-dumping, all the information we got was revealed organically, bit by bit.

- Representation: The main character is dyslexic and I thought that the author did a great job portraying her struggles and self-doubt. I had a very basic understanding of how dyslexia can affect people, so I'm glad I learnt more about it.
While the main characters were not LGBTQ+, there were queer and trans characters - this was all super natural, so there was no prejudice or discrimination in this world, which was nice. (It did make it a little odd that underage sex was a taboo in one of the countries, even with your spouse!)

- Chemistry: Jiara and Raffar had great chemistry, despite not being able to communicate properly due to language barriers.

The Cons
- Languages: I found it extremely hard to believe that so few of the characters spoke more that their own country's language! It was Babel tower level of inability to communicate! These are royals and they can't speak a word of their neighbour's language?! Not only that, but they only have one translator in court? Without this, there would be almost no conflict left...

- Characterisations: While I liked Jiara and Raffar, I couldn't really tell you a lot about them other than what they do in the story. Very little about what they are like, what they enjoy - especially when it comes to Raffar. And although they had great chemistry and physical attraction, I wasn't sold on their growing attachment.

- Pacing: It started off engaging, but once Jiara reached her new home there was a long portion where not a lot was happening. She was just trying to adjust, struggling to learn a new language and find any clue towards solving her sister's murder. It wasn't uninteresting, but it was slow.
There were no surprises or twists either.

- Certain Plot Points: These are all spoilers , but I didn't find them very believable.

SPOILERS
- Why would Scilla hide her plans from her family and ditch her guard? I can sort of accept that she wanted to surprise her betrothed, but why hide it from her family too? And would another country really engage in negotiations with her acting on behalf of another country, just because she was engaged to its king?
- Why would the villain not destroy the incriminating letters (especially the first - he allowed to have it added to the archive files?!)
- MC dies (and is resurrected) four times! This is in only 5 months (although 3 deaths are in just 2 weeks). I liked the idea of the Watchers and their protection, but that was far too many times. If the author really wanted her to become a human Watcher, couldn't that just happen by being chosen by all, without having to die each time?
- Everyone was so gullible and Jiara had to solve it all on her own, sacrifice herself to save Raffar and then stop a war. Honestly, the others couldn't do a single thing right!
- On the cusp of battle, the king leaves alone, no one follows him, no one sees anything, so the villains were just going to kill him and explain his death to their army how? Luckily, Jiara was more observant than a whole army and spotted them!

Scilla - murdered older sister, who would have been Queen. Jiara - a younger sister, seeking to find justice, while having to live in her older sister's stead. A curse that threatens their family, and a plot to ruin all that Jiara cares for. She marries in her sister's place, in order to find her sister's killer, but she could never expect what she would uncover in the land of the Bone Eaters.

The premise of the story immediately intrigued me, and I found that Rueckert's debut novel quickly sucked me in. From the magical world building, to the intricate perspective that Rueckert builds, I was immediately connected to the main character, Jiara. Unlike many YA fantasy novels out currently, <i>A Dragonbird in the Fern</i> was deeply illustrative and colorfully constructed. While the plot left a little more to be desired, and was overall a little predictable, there were still several twists that I hadn't been expecting. Rueckert combines fantasy with mystery, and overlaid on to the colorful world building and background, this novel made for an engaging read. Additionally, I applaud their inclusion of a dyslexic main character. Reading in the author notes, I was not surprised to find that Rueckert had done ample research in order to properly portray dyslexia.

Many thanks to North Star Editions and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

real rating 4.5
This book captured me from chapter one and I read it in one day. It was such a lovely book and a bit unexpected, to be honest.
I loved the plot, the characters, the world-building. Ah! I just wish there was more of it!
It was very well-written and it had such a good plot twist that I did not see coming! And I absolutely loved the characters especially Jiara and Raffar. At first, I was unsure about Jiara because I'm a bit tired of the "I'm not like the other girls" trope but I LOVED HER! She's so mature. Her way of thinking is so good and very human. I loved how the author portrayed her struggles with learning a new language and with dyslexia. And Raffar is the cutest ever!
I loved the romance too. Even though it wasn't romance-focused I'm very happy with how the romance unfolded. I'd have loved to see more of them though, especially in the end. And also a Raffar POV would have been amazing!
In summary, it was a great book! It helped to get out of a reading slump! so, thank you!

Ok first I have to admit that I was drawn to this book by this GORGEOUS cover! I could not pass this up. The story is exciting - some paranormal, romance, and adventure. I would like to have had a little more depth in some areas, but I still enjoyed the story immensely.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for kindly providing me with an eArc!

A-MA-ZING! A beautiful cover to match the beautiful book inside! Please give this a go!

The lovely, imaginative world that Laura Reuckert creates will fascinate teen readers. I felt the landscape, the colours, the inventive animals and plants, not to mention the Watchers and extraordinary afterlife conceived by this author. I looked forward to my daily escape into the curious landscape of the novel and the narrator's unique dilemma. I'm sure other readers will feel the same.

Action and adventure mingle with intrigue, royalty, and arranged marriages, while ghosts and gods play their own games.

Princess Jiara's older sister, Scilla, was brutally murdered shortly before her marriage to a king, whose alliance would remove the increasing threat of war. Scilla, now a ghost known as an 'Earthwalker', will not rest in peace as long as her killer remains free. And the longer it takes to find the criminal, the more violent she grows. But with war still being an ever growing threat, Jiara's parents have little time to spare. Before the end of the mourning period, they agree to give the king Jiara's hand in marriage, and only a few days later, she finds herself as the queen of a country and people she knows little about. Her own dyslexia and language difficulties make things worse. But she has no time to concentrate on such problems as she begins to suspect there might be a tie between the country and her sister's death. If she doesn't figure out the weave of secrets soon, all those she loves will pay a deadly price.

This one was actually much better than I thought it might be. It has all the elements needed to make an exciting, young adult read for fantasy fans, who love series about clashing countries, magic, strong heroines, intrigue and a dash of romance, but this one manages to keep it bound into one, exciting book. Every page holds something new, and the weave of secrets is very well done. There are subplots, which all come together as they should at the end, and characters to root for...or hate. Princess Jiara isn't hard to connect with, and she isn't even one of those heroines, who makes silly choices. Rather, she has a good head on her shoulders and does well with what she has. Even the descriptions of the various countries and cultures are well done and draw the reader in. There's more richness than I hoped for, and it's well written, too.

Of course, it's impossible to pack the amazing goodness of what many authors use three books for into one without losing something. The romance wasn't extremely strong, and there was little chemistry on that end. But, in my opinion, that isn't really a problem. The marriage is arranged, and while there is attraction, it's not the main focus of this book. Jiara has enough on her plate, and any romance slides as a tiny nibble along the sidelines of the plot. The King seems nice but we don't really get to know him. So, romance fans aren't going to be swooning as much as they'd like, but action fans and secret intrigue supporters will get their fill.

While logic held pretty well the entire way through, foundation and depth were missing from the 'Watcher' aspect and their involvement. It was hard to grasp what they really are or their greater meaning in anything. Because of this, there were several events, which happened too quickly and conveniently. This cheapened the ending a bit and skipped over some needed depth to really make the ending sit. But I enjoyed reading this one quite a bit and appreciated how the author got so much into one novel...and accomplished it in a way that works pretty well. It's an easy and exciting read, which is hard to put down. So, that makes it a good read in my book (no pun intended).

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Recommend: I highly recommend you all pick this up when it comes out
Review:
The feline familiars: No cats. Hooman picks stupid chew toys to stare out. There were big birbs though. Want to eat the birbs.

The Bibliophile: *sigh* I swear, these beasts are ungrateful for their HIGHLY EXPENSIVE FOOD and act like I starve them daily. Anyway, let's get on with the review!
I feel like I see nothing about this book, which is sad because 1) the cover is absolutely stunning, 2) the main character has dyslexia (#OwnVoices), and 3) this story is really good and the main character is amazing. This book deserves a lot more hype than it is getting and I hope my review will convince you to add this beauty to your TBR and buy/get it from your library when it comes out in August.
Personally, I am dyslexic, though mine only affects my math skills, but I really appreciated reading a book where the main character is not a *natural* at everything or perfect or anything like that. Don't get me wrong, I love books where the main character is The Chosen One, but it is nice to get a book where that isn't the main character. I also appreciated how the relationships/romance in this book flowed and worked out. It all felt very natural and I felt like this book really showed how people from different customs can come together.

The Plot: So, I'll try to explain this without giving anything away, because this is a NO SPOILER ZONE.
Princess Jiara is the third born child of her kingdom, the second daughter, so her life is more relaxed than her older siblings, but also already determined for her. She struggles with reading because of her dyslexia, which is beautifully depicted in this book, so she has spent more time running wild and climbing trees than in the classroom. Jiara, and her family's, lives are turned upside down with Jiara's older sister Scilla is murdered by an unknown assassin.
This thrusts Princess Jiara into a new life path. Her mother, the Queen, proposes that Jiara marry the King of a different kingdom that her sister Scilla was originally betrothed to. This scares Jiara because 1) she is attracted to the King and 2) he and his kingdom speak a different language that she does not know and she struggles with words/reading/language. To add more tension to their lives, when a person is murdered they become Earthwalkers, who will torment their families and slowly become more violent as time goes on until their murderer is found. So Princess Scilla is an Earthwalker, tormenting her family and becoming more violent as the days go on.
Priness Jiara marries the King because it is believed that her sister's murderer is from his kingdom and believes by marrying him and going to his kingdom, she will be able to find her sister's murderer and bring them to justice so her sister can rest and her family will be safe. Of course, things aren't as simple as they should be. There is violence, mystery, betrayal, friendships, and romance. This plot flows really well and the relationships in this book felt very real and built slowly over the course of the book.
This book also includes different cultures and customs, along with different Gods and Goddesses and religious beliefs. I believe the representation and acceptance of these cultures/customs by the characters is handled very well.

The Characters:
Princess Jiara: She's only 17 for a large part of the book, but she's also very kind, smart, and willing to learn. She wants to be the best Queen possible for her new kingdom and she wants to love her people and their beliefs and customs. She learns her new kingdom and people over time, appreciates their differences to the life she once lived, and she wants to fall in love with her new husband. She recognizes that she has issues with words and reading and learning, so she's scared about learning a new language, but she wants to learn and tries everyday to become fluent. She is resilient, brave, kind, and everything a main character should be.
King Raffar: I would die for this man. He is so kind and caring and truly wants the best, not only for his kingdom, but the world around him. He is patient and kind with Jiara and her needs, he treats all his people equally and with respect, and he wants Jiara to fall in love with him and her new kingdom. He is brave and courageous and kind and listens to the people around him. He respects his peoples' customs to not have sex before both parties are 18, so even though he marries 17 Jiara (begrudingly, as he knows it is best for his kingdom and he does like her), he waits until she is 18 years old before he consumates the marriage. I love this man and would die for him.
Princess Scilla: Not much to say about her, since she dies before the book even starts and we only really see her when she is being violent. There are some flashbacks of her where she appears to be a kind, loving sister who truly wants to do her duty and do the best for her world, but we don't get a lot about her. I don't think this hinders the plot though.
Aldar: He's Raffar's cousin and they are as close as brothers; he is also the translator. He teachers Jiara the language and customs of her new home, is kind and patient, and cares deeply for his kingdom, Raffar, and his dying father. However, I would recommend keeping your eye on this one because not all that glitters is gold.
Freyad: She is a strong warrior from Farnskag (Raffar's kingdom), is Jiara's guard, and ends up becoming Jiara's closest friend. She is brave, strong, patient, and wants Jiara to be the best possible Queen she can be. She is also married to a woman, who is the elephant birds (the animals those of Farnskag ride) keeper/trainer.
Pia: She was Jiara's older sister Scilla's guard and blames herself for Scilla's death. She and Jiara are actually friends and close, so when Jiara marries Raffar, Pia comes back to be Jiara's guard. Of course, she has her own little story, which I will not spoil. I thought she was a great character and kind of wish we'd gotted more of her in the book.

Final Thoughts:
I really truly enjoyed this book. I appreciate how there are multiple LGBTQ+ relationships and it is the norm in this world. I appreciate the slow building of relationships and the way the plot slowly builds. I like the twists taken and the ending. I truly enjoyed my time reading this book.
Yes, I will admit that at times it was really slow and I do wish for a tad bit more action, but this was still a really great book that has a main character with dyslexia that is depicted in a realistic way. I like the romance and friendships and the way that even though Jiara is completely foreign to he new kingdom's cultures, customs, and life, she wants to learn all about it.
I do recommend this book to all of you and truly hope you will give it a chance.

Wow.

Laura Rueckert's 𝑨 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏𝑩𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒆𝒓𝒏 is a wonderful take on the Stranger in a Strange land tale that I couldn't put down.

We begin with a quiet hillside where we meet the heroine of our take, a broken hearted princess Jiara who with her family are in a time of mourning for her older sister. I found the twist of what happens in this tale for ghosts to be a wonderful albeit sad set of events that remain a constant throughout the book as Jiara’s life changes from the life that had been laid out before her for sometime. Spirits in Jiara’s homeland do not settle if their lives are cut short through violent means and Scilla’s spirit is no different. Time is of the essence and if not resolved, Scilla's fury will end up in utter destruction for everyone she loved whilst alive.

I welcomed the concept of Jiara being dyslexic (although there isn't have a word or concept of it, it is evident that this is what the young Princess struggles with) as I haven't come across the idea of neurodivergency in a YA books in particular fantasy before. As a parent of two ND children, this was excellent to see and the way Rueckert writes how dyslexia causes barriers and frustration for Jiara is so relatable.

The magic in 𝑨 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏𝑩𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒆𝒓𝒏 is woven so well within the various countries religion and faith so that whilst they differ, you clearly see the idea of nature being so important to all within the book and it helps to create a comfort for Jiara as she finds herself in a strange land with someone she knows very little about. I did long for a bit more world building so I could be truly lost in the tale, whilst yes the differences are apparent between the lush richness of her homeland and Jiara's betrothed home, I did want a little more.

I'm greedy admittedly to description...

The villain of the tale is a sneaky one and he's fantastically evil yet I wasn't 100% sure for most of the book. I'm hopeful you will be too as 𝑨 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏𝑩𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒆𝒓𝒏 is a story you will love, and probably feel the occasional tear fall when reading.

Thank you again to Netgalley and Northstar editions for my advanced copy.