It was okay? The world building was fantastic, and I adored the main character Jiara. But the book was “very YA” which made it a light read after reading a much heavier story. I love a story that delivers the angst and feels, and that is where I think this story was lacking. For having just lost her sister, you’d think the reader would share Jiara’s pain. Well, you don’t...That made it hard for me to sympathize with her. Especially when her sister’s ghost lashed out at Jiara during her earthwalker “tantrums”. If anything I found her annoying and wanted to roll my eyes because she did it whenever Jiara seemed to have found a sense of happiness in her life after marrying someone from a foreign kingdom, where Jiara was forced to learn a complete foreign language. Not easy for a person with dyslexia.

The romance was kinda meh, but still kind of sweet. Her love interest just didn’t do anything for me. I think there should have been more chapters developing their relationship but....It is what it is.

The only thing that kept me fully engaged with this story was the mystery behind Jiara’s sister’s killer. The first handful of chapters drew me in. Until after 70-80% of the book, not much happens. Other than that I think this story has potential to be better.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

I didn't expect this book to compel me as quickly as it did. We are instantly entered into the struggle the main character is having with helping her sister move on to the afterlife, as disclosed in the blurb.

This book engrossed me in a wide variety of details about the fantasy lands it is set in, including Beautiful descriptions of birds, nature, people, and settlements.

I was captivated right from the start with the protagonist's journey and truly felt a connection with her. There was also the perfect amount of swoon for a fantasy novel so that it did not detract from the beauty of the narrative.

This fantasy novel also does one of my favourite things in literature: It includes a spectrum of gender pofiles and sexuality in character with no explanation or justification - exactly how the world should be.

A very pleasant surprise - this story completely captured my imagination.

ARC received from Netgalley. The review is 100% honest.

I finished this book moments ago and still in awe. I love everything in it, for Jiara is my type of heroine. She didn't dwell in her incapability. She did what she could, one day at a time. I love the background setting! The Watchers and the rituals are both familiar and original. Readers can easily dive into the story and fell in love with the characters. I adore Jiara! Raffar is total sweetheart! I want bestie like Freyad!

The plot is intriguing and refreshing! I have my suspicion about the murderer and was proven right, but the journey there is amazing! I love this book with all my heart!

And *spoiler alert!*
<spoiler> I even love Aldar's cunningness. He is a perfect snake lol </spoiler>

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

2.5 stars

Unfortunately this book took me forever to finish even thought it was only around 350 pages. I didn't really connect with the main character and I felt like the world building was kind of not all there. It also felt pretty rushed. I wish they author would of split it in two books because they could of had a lot more explained in some areas and it would of been more enjoyable.

Laura Rueckert's A Dragonbird in the Fern was a pretty enjoyable read - I’d give it about 3.75 stars. I loved the character of Jiara, who’s grounded, intelligent, and caring. The Watchers and Earthwalkers added an almost spiritual quality to this book that I liked. Also, the mystery element of “who killed Scilla?” really had me intrigued! I do wish the character of Raffar had been more developed. I thought the development of the relationship between Freyed and Jiara was much better. I also feel like while the story did wrap up well in the end, it was lacking something. Maybe it was too clean of an ending.

I really appreciated the portrayal of dyslexia (with Jiara) in this book. In an afterword, the author explains that Jiara has undiagnosed dyslexia, which became clear with her experiences with learning language, reading, and writing. Jiara struggled a lot with trying to understand a new language and communicate with the people in her new country, and it made her feel embarrassed, frustrated, and like she was a burden. I think it was great to see a discussion of dyslexia's effect on not only the ability to read, write, or communicate, but also on one's self-esteem.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley!

Ahh! This was so amazing! Fantastic world-building, intriguing plot, lovable and realistic characters! Overall, really enjoyed this one!

Full review will be posted on my blog, www.thebarnaclebookshelf.com, closer to release date in August.

I am a sucker for mystery entwined within fantasy. Especially when it involves a murderous plot.

This fantasy story is about avenging death, even if it means going against the country you were born in.

If you're looking for a book with plenty of twists and a plot that will have you guessing, pick this up. I really, really enjoyed the direction this narrative took.

Thank you for the e-galley in exchange for an honest review!

I loved the world-building in this fantasy debut! Rueckert created two different religious systems and blended them expertly into the cultures of the different countries newly queened Jiara must understand if she's to lead in peace, AND find out who murdered her sister Scilla, who is quickly becoming a pretty scary earthwalker, a ghost consumed by revenge to find her killer. There's a lot going on with high stakes but the pacing flows well so it never reads overwhelming.

Jiara is an awesome protagonist you want to follow to the ends of worlds. She's brave and kind and is constantly on herself for not living up to her older sister's legacy due to her undiagnosed dyslexia. But she always looks for the Next Best Thing and by opening her heart to her new people, their Watcher religion (while still embracing her own) she learns so much about her own capabilities. Her relationship with King Raffar is awesome and sweet and so refreshing.

Thank you to the author and Flux/North Star Editions via Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this, the world is unique and interesting and the fact that this is a standalone is great. It seems that the majority of new fantasy books are part of a series so this stands out. It was nice to have a complete story in one book. There weren't any slow parts and everything that happened felt important to the plot.

Jiara is smart, kind, and will do anything for her family and people, including marrying her late sister's fiancé. Jiara knows this move is paramount to her country's safety so she leaves her home to go to a foreign place where she doesn't know the language or customs. Jiara takes things in stride and works hard to be a good queen, while still investigating her sister's murder.

The earthwalker spirits that roam the land were creepy and the fact that they hurt their own families while waiting for justice made me sad. Jiara was trying so hard to find the killer and her sister is trying to kill her because she's so angry. How awful that would be.

There were a couple twists in the plot and the mystery of Scilla's killer was entertaining and engaging. I liked Jiara's relationship with Raffar and that it was a slow burn. That was more realistic and the build up was fun. I appreciated their moments together, especially when they were learning to communicate with each other.

This is a great fantasy debut and I look forward to seeing what else the author comes out with!

I have voluntarily chosen to read and review an advanced copy of this book. Thank you to NetGalley and North Star Editions.

Heartwarming and gripping. The parallel storylines in this book of romance in a foreign land and a dangerous mystery make this a very engaging read. I particularly like how Jiara's struggle with reading/writing impact both on her powers of communication in a new land and the danger of uncovering the hand behind her sister's brutal murder. The love story between her and her new husband is truly heartwarming - there are some very tender moments where the language divide draws them together - and her observations of the culture and religious practices amongst his people are compelling. Very enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher North Star Editions and the author for the ARC

ARC provided by NetGalley for an Honest Review

I grabbed this book on a whim really. The description sucked me in and I'm so glad I requested an ARC for this book because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Early on I was sucked in and the suspense did not let up. The story starts in the thick of things with Jiara trying to calm and save the spirit of her sister who was murdered a few months back. Then her sister's betrothed shows up and it's Jiara who will take her place instead and become Queen in a kingdom far away from home. But given she's had a super crush on her sister's betrothed and her killer may be from his kingdom she's not really upset by these circumstances. The journey to her new kingdom is fraught with danger and more than once Jiara's life is threatened. While she's wary of people she meets her number one goal as always is to help her sister and bring her killer to justice. I did enjoy the slow moving romance as it gave the characters time to get to know one another. It also made sense to be so slow moving as the two don't even speak the same language and as you'd imagine that makes communicating rather difficult and at times invasive as they need an interpreter to simply speak. There was so much going on and so many suspicious characters at times I even wondered if the King himself was not party to her sisters death. He was so smitten with Jiara and even makes the two wait to consummate their marriage as Jiara is only 17 and he wants to wait until she reaches 18. Not only that he wants them to get to know one another and for her to be sure she wants him. Considering they were already married before leaving her home I thought this was really sweet and let's be honest very uncharacteristic of the way most men would behave. I gotta say I think the author did a great job creating this unique world and brought forth a truly engaging story. For her first novel this book blew me away and I really enjoyed the entire process until the bitter end

I really enjoyed this! As soon as I started it, I was hooked, and I didn’t want to put the book down. I will admit to being a tiny bit worried about certain elements at the start, but they faded away soon enough!

The main thing that drove this for me was the romance. Was this a romance novel? Most definitely not. Was I shipping the romance the entire time? Yes. It was just so well written!! Every single time Raafar and Jiara exchanged a single sentence, I was so happy!! And, I loved how caring and understanding he was. I totally respected him for asking to wait until she was 18, it’s something you don’t see in books, but I was so happy he respected her enough for that.

This was the first book I’d read with a language barrier, but I actually really enjoyed it. The amount of satisfaction I got from simple communication was astounding. I loved the way that Jiara didn’t learn the language immediately, it was a process. It felt so much more realistic than other YA novels.

I also really loved the mythology and world this builds. The religion and beliefs were so unique, and they tied into the story in a great way. I wasn’t really a fan of the multiple resurrections, but I did like the way they tied in at the end.

When I picked this up, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I ended up loving it! I’d recommend to all fantasy fans

Thanks to Netgalley and Laura Rueckert for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

This book had such a strong and unique premise, but I felt that it fell a bit flat for me at times, unfortunately. While I did enjoy reading it, there are storylines that honestly feel a bit pointless other than to add drama. However, one thing I absolutely adored was the depiction of language barriers in relationships. I honestly think that this aspect is so often ignored, overlooked, or just pushed aside by some form of 'common tongue' in the majority of fantasy. While I am not sure if this is planned as a standalone or a series, the book did wrap up nicely while still leaving room open to further explore the stories in this world.

*If you like gifs, please consider checking out this review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3859390894*

If I'm being completely honest, this book falls in the 'ok' category. It didn't awaken any type of strong feelings, either good or bad.

I appreciated the inclusion of a dyslexic main character, especially in a setting where there's a language barrier between the two leads, and the heroine has to learn her love interest's native tongue. I don't personally have any experience dealing with dyslexia, but I felt like the struggles and frustrations that arise when having to deal with it came across very clearly. Also, I liked how fast paced the story was, and the straightforward writing style. And don't even get me started on that cover! Absolutely gorgeous and captivating. It was definitely what drew my eye in the first place.

However, I feel like there was something missing. Sadly, and even though a main part of the plot is the grief of dealing with a lost family member, this book lacked any sort of emotional punch in my opinion. Everything was such a whirlwind of jumping from one thing to the next, that there were no quiet moments to explore the emotional repercussions of losing a loved one.

Plus, even though we are told Jiara very much cared for her sister, we aren't shown many interactions between them. I wish their relationship would have been more deeply explored and we'd got to see more moments between them. It's hard to care about the death of a character you've never met. For that matter, her whole family was little more than a few names. And same with the bodyguard/friend. They all had little to no repercussion in the story, and only appeared briefly. They all could have died, and I wouldn't have cared very much because I didn't have any reason to be attached to them. I feel the whole story would have strongly benefitted of a bit of backstory. When all was said and done, even the romantic relationship between the two main characters felt lukewarm at best. I needed more interactions, more bonding experiences, more relationship development,. Just more overall, I guess.

Another think I would have liked is for there to have been a red herring villain. A few more twists and turns in who killed Scilla. A shocking plot twist. A stronger thriller element, if you will. I think the bones, the potential for something great, were there, but the fleshing out part was where the whole thing fell short, sadly. Still, it was a fantastic effort for a first time author. In this day and age coming up with original, exciting ideas can't be easy. And the world presented in this novel is for sure very interesting and full of possibilities. Kudos!

**I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to North Star Editions and the author for the opportunity**

A fun and easy reading story. It was a nice and refreshing story. It had a nice plot and lovely characters. It had a wonderful ending and wrapped everyting up.

A lovely and unique take on the Stranger in a Strange Land story. While Rueckert employs a number of familiar fantasy tropes--an arranged marriage, a chosen one story, a key political betrayal, a vengeful spirit--the novel has a distinct focus on the nuances of language. As a young princess weds the king of another land, she must rely on translators to help her navigate her new home. But how does she know if a translation is accurate until she learns the language, herself? And what if her dyslexia makes learning that language an especially arduous challenge? Not only does language play into her personal journey to adapt to her new culture, it affects the political alliances and antagonisms of several bordering lands. It's through a clever use of language that war can be incited or dispelled, and the key players here aren't the wielders of swords but the wielders of words. Fantasy lovers will also find lush imagery, a determined heroine, a murder mystery, and a hint of romance. It's a lot to pack in the pages, but Rueckert wraps everything up nicely, making this an ideal read for those looking to dive into a single-title fantasy without the commitment to an epic multi-book series. And while no beautiful blue dragons make an appearance, the title has meaningful resonance and the cover is gorgeous.

As a result of my various committee appointments and commitments I am unable to disclose my personal thoughts on this title at this time. Please see my star rating for a general overview of how I felt about this title. Additionally, you may check my GoodReads for additional information on what thoughts I’m able to share publicly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and any other titles you are in charge of.

This is.... a thing that exists,

It's not a bad book, per se. I would more say that it's a very mediocre book with the bones of what could have been an interesting story buried in there. Many of the concepts sound - and could have been - very interesting, given the right execution.

The political tension? A ghost waiting to be avenged and all the while slowly losing their grip on humanity? Being forced into a marriage with the King from a foreign country, knowing that it was one of his countrymen that murdered your sister? Being thrust into said foreign country with no preparation and suddenly needing to learn their culture/language all whilst struggling with undiagnosed dyslexia?

Had these things had the proper execution, this could have been *such* a unique story.

Unfortunately, it just fell flat. For example: the ghost plot-line seemed to be an afterthought that was only utilized to ruin random moments of happiness for the character. Jiara would be taking a lovely stroll through an apple field and then, oh crap, lo and behold the ghost has sliced her arm and now we're stressed out about finding the murderer. Until! The very next page once she's (Jiara) completely moved on to being upset that her sister's ex-betrothed and her now-husband is refusing to have sex with her until she's no longer a minor.
Because, y'know, when three countries are on the brink of war and your sister's ghost almost killed both your mother and your brother, that's definitely the most important thing we should be thinking about.

The most interesting and well executed part of this book was, in fact, the language barrier. This is the first time I've ever seen it brought up in a YA book, which is kinda crazy since everyone's always traveling to new countries/kingdoms. I really liked getting to see Jiara and Raffar's communication grow from nearly non-existent, to stilted, and then eventually blossoming into something more. (I do want to say that I feel like it was hard to connect to Raffar's character due to the language barrier. That might also be because he had no personality aside from tattoos and dead parents but I digress.😌)

However, even this grew tiring since it was heavily relied on in lieu of focusing on an actual plot. Nothing really happened up until 75-80% of the way through. And when things were finally allowed to happen, they were so predictable and rushed that it too almost felt like an afterthought. The pacing went from, "learning the customs, gawking over Raffar, learning the language, feeling like a failure, wanting to have sex with Raffar, learning the language some more, OH RIGHT I FORGOT I HAVE A GHOST SISTER, dang Raffar's looking pretty damn fine today👀, did you say we have a prisoner here that could be useful, that elephant bird has it out for me I just know it, time to learn some more about the culture" to "DECEIT AND BETRAYAL AND GUESS WHAT THIS PERSON'S LIFE IS IN DANGER AND also you still kinda have to learn our language? sorry?" and it was just so hard to connect with the story.

That being said, if you enjoyed "Sky in the Deep" by Adrienne Young, you might really enjoy this? I kind of feel like they had some (minor) plot similarities as far as themes and character growth went, so if it sounds interesting to you, definitely give it a try! Even though this story and I didn't mesh well, I can definitely see it having its own readers that fall in love with the story and I hope it finds them.

I received this e-ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you Flux!

There is so much ground to cover with this novel!

First, this cover is beautiful!

This novel had fabulous world-building, is incredibly plot rich and well-paced.

A huge part of the plot is Scilla, Jiaras older sister and now earth walker. Essentially a ghost ruled by rage that cannot settle into the afterlife without seeing to their justice.

The rage causes them to induce pain and spill even the blood of their loved ones. I loved the way death was portrayed in this book, especially for Jiaras home country.
The mourning, the discovery, the violence. It was unique.

Though not as unique as the language barriers, props to Rueckert!

Language barriers are almost never seen, despite the use of the 'royal arranged marriage' trope.
The language barries gave great depth to the plot along with Jiaras implied dyslexia. Having an MC to overcome not only one but two language barriers whilst simultaneously melding into a new culture and country gave it a far more realistic aspect yet still maintain that fantasy vibe. Thank you for making an imperfect and hardworking MC, and thank you for not miraculously having her cured of her dyslexia like many stories have done before.


The religious aspects were tastefully done, we love to see characters adapting and respecting.

The romance/ love interest aspect was a touch more lacking than I had hoped. It had a lot more potential to delve into the characters, perhaps see more growth especially in terms of Raffar, I felt that majority of the characters were shallow, or rather vague. It would have been fabulous to get more dynamics.

overall an enjoyable read! The story was wrapped up perfectly, full circle. The world-building could definitely be put to good use, I hope to see some other characters stories told within the same world

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE ARC!

I feel like in some ways this book has a little something for everyone. Ghosts, fantasy, travel, politics, a little romance. Plus a dyslexic main character and LGBTQ representation in siblings/side characters!

I really enjoyed this book. It has such an interesting premise - someone who is murdered turns into a vengeful ghost if the murderer is uncaught. I do still have some questions about how the earthwalkers work. However, I think that people in the book don't understand it entirely themselves so I can mostly accept it.

I love that there's a mystery aspect, and also political scheming and yet it doesn't feel like a "mystery" book and doesn't get too bogged down with the politics. Basically it has a little bit of everything to appeal to a lot of different people and I'm excited to share it.

Also LOVE Jiara's struggle to read and learn a new language when taught in the "traditional" manner. She's very smart, but can't recognize it because of her struggles with dyslexia. And I love how the author includes LGBTQ+ characters and adoption as normal and accepted parts of the world as well.