I recommend this book if you like fairytales and ghost stories, getting engaged to your dead sister's betrothed, and watching two dumb puppies yearn for each other despite the communication barrier.

My problem with this book is that it felt like it thought its readers are dumb. It would spell everything out for me, rather than show me what's happening.

A Dragonbird in the Fern was such a fun lovely and engaging read. Our heroine Jiara life changes dramatically when her older sister is murdered. She is thrust into a political contract marriage in her sister's stead, for which she is ill prepared. Unlike her sister who has spent years studying the language and the customs of the neighboring country, she has to learn as much as she can quickly while her dyslexia makes mustering her own written language hard. The representation of disability is well incorporated into the story and the growth of Jiara into her new role as queen.
All the while there is a growing threat from the unrested ghost of her sister who seems to target loved ones and family at least until her killer is apprehended and she can exact revenge. There is also a budding romance inhibited by the age of our heroine who is just shy of 18. The relationship evolves despite the language barrier in a delicious slow-burn while the king is always respectful of her and incredibly principled and patient.

Thanks to Netgalley and Laura Rueckert for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
I thoroughly enjoyed this debut and look forward to more stories by the author.

Enjoyed the book from beginning to end. It was an easy to follow fun read and I think younger audiences will really enjoy the book. The characters, the world building and the main character are a joy to read. We mostly follow Jiara and her journey as she struggles with dyslexia, and finding her sister's killer. I found the story interesting and engaging.

1. Gorgeous cover.
2. Arranged marriage trope.
3. Mysteries & murders.
4. Vengeful ghosts.

Princess Jiara's sister is murdered and the only way to secure an alliance with a neighboring country is to have her marry her late sister's betrothed. A young king Jiara has seen before and liked. But since he was to marry Scilla, he was off-limits. Sadly, Scilla cannot rest until her murderer has been caught and, as time passes, she becomes a vengeful spirit that starts hurting Jiara's loved ones.

So on top of trying to solve a murder, she's to become a queen to a country and people she doesn't really know - and she's dyslexic. Nobody knows that - the author didn't even say it directly, but it's implied - and Jiara works hard to learn the language of her new home.

But things aren't what they seem. People aren't what they seem and soon, she finds there might be a connection between certain things and she's thrust into a huge political intrigue - all without the king by her side.

That's actually a bit of a miss, for me. I feel we didn't really get to see how Jiara and Raffar, her husband, grow together and get to know each other. But the little we do have is sweet. So, I'd say this is more Jiara's journey and arc than anything. Which isn't to say is a bad thing, it's simply a personal choice.

Anyway, Jiara is a great heroine and, even though the mystery is solved pretty quickly, you're kept on your toes as they're trying to stop the bad guy(s).

Would I reread it? Yes, why not? Do I recommend it? Yes. I'll also read this author's future books, see how they evolved, since I enjoyed the writing style.

I voluntarily agreed to read an early copy via Netgalley and my rating is 4 stars.

3 stars

If you are looking for an easy YA read, with a boring romance and semi-interesting characters, with basic world building, then you might like The Dragonbird in the Fern.

Hmm this book wasn’t too bad but, as another review has also pointed out, lacked characterisation. Jiara had the potential to be a far more interesting character, especially with the storyline with the Watchers. Despite this, I found her to be an ideal lead and liked watching her grow into her role as queen and her struggle with dyslexia. The only other character who didn’t bore me was Aldar, although his motives weren’t very developed within the story.

The romance:
Usually I read books solely for the romance, but this was a very disappointing aspect of the story, with the love interest barely being present, so if that’s what you’re going into this book for then don’t bother as it is not the exciting political/royal romance I had hoped for.

Whilst the book was not the most engaging, the story was easy to follow and the plot surrounding the Watchers had potential. The book concluded fairly satisfyingly but I would not read more books if it turns out to be a series.

A Dragonbird in the Fern was a good read to me. What drew me in about it was that the main character, Jiara, has dyslexia, and I've been looking for a some fantasy that includes disabled characters, but it's really rare to find. This book didn't disappoint.
The book didn't suck me in completely, but I absolutely loved Jiara, and I really liked the world and the mystery. Jiara was definitely what I enjoyed most about this book.
Overall, it was a great debut, and I'm excited for more books by Laura Rueckert!

A Dragonbird in the Fern was such a fun and lovely read. The main character, Jiara, has dyslexia and this is her story trying to navigate a world that is new to her. Reading and writing don't come easy to her in her own language so learning a whole other language is laborious for her. The representation of disability is wonderful to see and the character growth of Jiara is enchanting and inspiring.
Jiara makes this whole story worthwhile and you cannot help but root for her through all the obstacles she has to face. The author did a wonderful job constructing and presenting this beautiful world that leaves her options to continue within it. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this debut and look forward to more novels from Laura Rueckert.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 Stars
Themes: young adult, romance, murder mystery, fantasy, stranger in a foreign land, arranged marriage

Laura Rueckert's debut novel, *A Dragonbird in the Fern,* was an enjoyable read with an intriguing story and great world-building, but I felt there was a few things that kept it from being memorable. I would recommend this book to people looking for a stand-alone YA book that is quick to read with no commitment.

Following the murder of her elder sister, Princess Jiara of Azzaria agrees to marry King Raffar, her sister's former betrothed, in order to keep the alliance between their two nations When her sister's murderer is identified as someone from her new husband's country, Jiara is determined to navigate the struggles of living in a place where she cannot even speak the language in order to find the killer. Meanwhile, her sister spirit is unable to rest while her murder is unsolved and begins to become violent. Jiara must quickly find her sister's killer before it loses control while she tries to learn how to be a queen to her new people.

Firstly, I loved the world building in this book! Rueckert transported me into the lands of Azzaria and Farnskag with her descriptions, and the hints at the strange creatures that inhabit the world made me eager to see more. The culture and values of the different societies were also intriguing, and it was almost a relief to read about more socially advanced fantasy societies. I would be very interested to see more of this world.

Rueckert ensured there was a lot of representation in this book too. A number of LGBTQ+ characters are seamlessly written into the world, including Jiara's brother and the badass Farnskag warrior Freyad. Also, I thought Jiara's struggle with dyslexia was well written and it was interesting to read in a fantasy setting where such disorders are not understood.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much else to rave about. Although it was an interesting story that kept me engaged and I did enjoy the murder mystery aspect, it didn't quite suck me in. The main storylines revolve around finding her sister's killer, trying to become a queen, and eventually a looming threat of war, however, the focus was mostly on Jiara trying to learn a language. It took up a larger portion of the book that I think could have been used on other things. There was also a lot about Jiara’s adventure with the Watchers (Farnskag’s ‘gods’), which was interesting, but sometimes felt a bit out of place with so much else going on.

As for the characters, I found it hard to connect with them and thought they were a little bland, particularly Raffar. Starting with Jiara, I liked her as a protagonist but a lot of her choices or reasoning didn't make sense to me which kept me from understanding her (I would go a little more in-depth, but it would mean major spoilers). Secondly, Raffar was... ok. Nothing stood out about him, nothing really intrigued me about him. The language barrier made it hard to learn more about him from Jiara's POV and there was a lot of missed opportunity to deepen their romantic relationship as he was mostly out of the picture, which made their romance a bit unbelievable. Actually, the character I thought was best written was Freyad, and I ended up enjoying reading her scenes with Jiara the most.

Finally, I found that the pacing was a little all over the place. Sometimes scenes would jump ahead or time would suddenly pass without warning, but other times things seemed drawn out to the point I skipped a paragraph or two. Plus (and I *know* it is a stand-alone novel with length constraints) there was just too many 'oh well, moving on' moments. Like Jiara being totally okay with what went on with her original betrothed? Even with her reasoning, that was just too convenient in my opinion.

Overall, A Dragonbird in the Fern was an interesting read, but it just didn't completely hook me in the end. I do think it was a good debut book from the author though and I would be happy to read her future works.

Thank you to North Star Editions and NetGalley for an ARC of this book to give an honest review. It will be available on Goodreads from 5/6/21, on Amazon after publication and promoted through TikTok, Twitter and Instagram.

Overall, a solid read! “A Dragonbird in the Fern” captured my attention as soon as I read the synopsis. The book captured my interest throughout, and I loved seeing how Jiara overcame her struggles with dyslexia and an enormous language barrier.

This read also incorporates many different elements and offers something for everyone, whether you love a good ghost story, romance, or fantasy. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Flux/North Star Editions and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

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!