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!

Thank you to NetGalley and North Star Editions/Flux for the arc. As always, my opinions are my own and completely honest. 🙂

This was a fun, unique read! I’d give it 4/5 stars. This book is YA fantasy with a nice amount of romance, and a bit of paranormal! It had one of my favorite romance tropes ever (marriage of convenience!) The setting is lush, rich, and had great world building.

I found this plot intriguing because our MC (Jiara) is married to a king that she has only met once and who speaks a completely different language. The language barrier struggle is quite prominent in this book, and you don’t often see that! Jiara is also dyslexic, which makes things much harder for her. The author did an awesome job at portraying her struggles and frustration with herself. I really felt for her 😔 On top of it all, she is homesick, and trying to avenge her murdered sister, who’s ghost is becoming increasingly violent.

Some things I would’ve loved to see:
—more depth to the love interest, Raffar. He seemed to exist only to be the love interest, and nothing more. He didn’t have much of a backstory or character arc and felt two dimensional. I did however really like him overall! He was extremely kind, understanding, and respectful toward Jiara. Definitely swoon-worthy 🥰

—I would have liked more “shady” characters to throw readers off, because the cast is quite small and I saw the “villain reveal” from a mile away. And I’m not one to usually guess that kind of stuff haha 😅

Nitpicking aside, I really liked the book overall and would definitely recommend it. Like I’ve said before, I don’t need a book to be flawless to have a great time reading. 😊 You can also see my review on my Instagram @k.c.hinckley

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.

This book was okay. Nothing too special. I loved the idea but some parts were executed poorly and I started to lose interest.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully romantic fantasy with an engaging protagonist and immersive world building. I adored the themes of sisterhood and strength, and it was a delight to follow Jiara's journey from scared ingenue to powerful queen. As someone with a family member who struggles with dyslexia, the representation in this book was really lovely to read and made me quite emotional. I think this will be a great read for fans of authors like Rebecca Ross or Adrienne Young.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I would like to start this off by saying I do not have dyslexia so I personally cannot say how accurate the portrayal of it is in this book.

That being said we need more representation of neurodivergent and disabled people in ya books, especially fantasy. We need to acknowledge that they exist in any world, and adding magic doesn’t make them disappear. Do not take this as saying any other genres do not need them. Simply that there are very few fantasy books with disabled protagonists or even disabled side characters.

Alright so my opinion of the book - 4.5 stars
I rounded up and the only reason I didn’t think it was 5 was that Jiara’s grieving process over her sister seemed a bit overlooked and rushed considering her death was a major part of the story. I would’ve loved to see more details on how Scilla’s death affected her other than her now being betrothed.

The magic system was a bit confusing at first, but I figured it out and it works really well. I loved how the different views on religion coexisted. The romance, while the language barrier deterred me a bit at first, was honestly adorable once they could communicate. First fantasy book I’ve read with an established age of consent which was a pleasant surprise.

Jiara had a friend in this book, her names Freyad and she has a wife whom I loved but also their friendship was amazing. They had a language barrier too but they just had an easier relationship than her and her betrothed. I loved Feyad’s attitude towards life and royals in general. Honestly a mood.

The villain was written so well written even from the beginning and I didn’t have a clue until the author basically took a big red marker and wrote “SUSPICIOUS” over their name. Well played even if my ego took a hit. (I’m usually good at guessing who the villain is)

tl:dr - We need disabled rep, I loved it, go read it asap

This was such a fun read! I should mention before going into my review that there are a few content warnings, these warnings consist of violence and blood, grief, death of a family member (off the page), death of a character (on the page). With these warnings out of the way, let's get to the review!

I found this novel to be a splendid standalone with a character who is dyslexic, trying to avenge her sister's death. I love a strong heroine in novels. This novel was not an exception. I am in love with the world that laura has created and I cannot wait to read more of her novels.

I don’t even know where to begin with this review. This book is so special. If I could have given it more than five stars I honestly would. Between ghosts, murder plots, a main character with dyslexia, betrayal, ancient gods, and romance. This book has everything you could possibly want. This was such a fun read and was beautifully executed. I cannot wait for its release this fall so that I can add a copy to my shelves.

A decent book and with a very intriguing world. I hope this author plans to write more.
The difficulties faced with language barriers was an interesting and well thought out mechanic in this story and not one I've read much of.
The plot was well paced and the writing style easy to follow

Fantasy is probably my absolutely favorite genre. I've read so much of it, that new (or new-to-me) books need something that sets them apart. I didn't really find that with A Dragonbird in the Fern. And that's okay because sometimes we need a similar or familiar story to read. Especially us mood readers. But, unfortunately, this book didn't hold my interest very much. I wish I had liked it more. The dyslexia plot was really interesting. I know others will inhale this story. And maybe I will give it another try sometime.

Im sort of torn with this book because there's so many elements of it that I absolutely loved but others that left me feeling confused and a little frustrated. For anyone looking at getting this book there's definitely elements to love and you might enjoy it. This one however wasn't quite my cup of tea.

Since the book is not out yet I will refrain from giving any spoilers for the events amd I'll do my best to talk about the world without getting too terribly specific.
The world building in this book is at the same time its greatest strength amd its greatest weakness.

There are times when slmethibg is explained quite a bit (occasionally to the point where there's too much exposition. But at the end of the day it is fantasy) This serves to create an incredibly lush world with probably the only time I've seen a language barrier in this kind of setting executed properly.
However iys in the parts that are not explained where this book falters.
For instance dragon and elephant birds are never physically described which is realky jarring and left me struggling to get a clear picture in my head the entire time I was reading the book.
That and the reasoning behind why earthwalkers exist in certain places amd not others felt a but thin to me.
All in all world wise it's constructed in a really interesting way and I can tell the author has great ideas they're just nkt realky showcased in what could have been the best way.

Character wise I realky like tge main character and the fact that she has dyslexia. Theres also glimmers of skme queer representation in the background which is a big positive.

Pacing wise I did really like it at first but it started jumping all over tge place and gojng far too slow in spots towards tge end. The twist reveal leading to who the bad guy was was super sudden and not realky well executed. It's far from the worst I've seen so a few people mught still be able to get past that.

All in all this was a pretty decent fantasy book and if you're looking for somethjng that feels a bit more unique to get into this could very well be the book for you. It was sadly however not quite the book for me.


An e arc was given to be by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First of all, thank you again to the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book ahead of the release date. My favorite genre is YA fantasy, and when I read the description of the book, I couldn't wait to read it. A Dragonbird in the Fern by Laura Rueckert a YA fantasy novel with a protagonist who has dyslexia. Princess Jiara of Azzaria is newly betrothed to Raffar, the young King of Farnskag. Originally, her sister Scilla was supposed to marry him, but she is murdered by an assassin, and her vengeful ghost haunts the royal family of Azzaria.

Here is a quote from Chapter One when Jiara is trying to appease her murdered sister's spirit:

"I placed the objects at the base of the memorial stone, lined up in the order of power each god possessed: the pearl; the bundle of flowers; the feather, stabbed into the earth so it wouldn't blow away; the cup of dirt. I bowed my head. Please help Scilla. Please slow the darkness engulfing her heart. Give us time to find her murderer."

Later, it is decided that Jiara must take Scilla's place and marry Raffar. Raffar and his royal cohort from Farnskag come to Azzaria to confirm the marriage with Jiara. Here is a quote from their meeting:

"My pulse beat a little faster as he considered me. Then he stepped close enough to grasp my left shoulder, and I raised my hand to do the same. I bent too quickly, and his forehead touched mine, warm and dry. I jerked back the appropriate distance, but not before the tattooed lines, swirls, and curves burned against my skin."

If these quotes sound intriguing to you, then you should definitely check out A Dragonbird in the Fern. Based on the opening chapters, I was ready to be transported to a world of fantasy, action, and romance. What I found was that there was little to no action or romance until I hit 75-80% mark in the book. Instead, the main plot of the book focuses on Jiara's language lessons as she learns the language of Farnskag while struggling with dyslexia.

Have you thought it was too easy and fantastical that people of neighboring countries in fantasy books can understand each other? Look no further. In the book, Jiara uses hand motions to communicate with the King (when she gets frustrated speaking the 10 words of Farnskag that she knows), has one of only two paper dictionaries in the kingdom (one of which the king accidentally takes with him on a journey, leaving her helpless), and struggles to find an interpreter (including having to wait hours for official interpreters to come by horseback). If you've ever had to learn a language like I have, then you understand the struggle.

Even though the majority of this book was not what I expected, it still maintained my interest throughout. I am a linguistics nerd, and I found that aspect of 2020's Goddess in the Machine most interesting. If you're interested in the study of language or if you've ever had to learn a language yourself, you should check out this book. In addition, I applaud the author for introducing a dyslexic heroine into the YA fantasy genre. Representation is undoubtedly important, and I support that aspect of the book 100%.

The Quick Cut: A young princess finds herself suddenly taking her older sister's place in a marriage after she is murdered. The newly married girl discovers that the person who killed her sister may be where her new husband is from.

A Real Review:
Thank you to North Star Editions for providing the ARC for an honest review.

The fantasy genre can help us escape from the reality of life and go somewhere new, but what if that place isn't any more fantastical than reality? What if you still had all those same struggles and frustrations that bother you in the real world? In this story centered around a Princess named Jiara, she struggles with her new marriage along with her Dyslexia.

Jiara is struggling to deal with her older sister's death - especially since it wasn't due to illness of any sort. Her sister was murdered. As if that's not enough to send her life off its planned course, she also quickly finds herself now in place of her older sister's planned future: as newly engaged in order to build important alliances. Now she is leaving home with her new husband, in a place where she doesn't know the language. While learning all the language and cultural details needed to embrace her new situation, she discovers something unexpected: that the person who killed her sister may be exactly where she is with her husband now. Will she find that her husband has more to do with the death of her sister than appears? Or will she find that she's not willing to know the truth that can make her current situation more volatile?

I wanted to enjoy this story - especially since it seems to take the fantasy genre in a different direction. So often when authors write a fantasy book, they ditch or ignore so many details about things that we have to deal with in real life (such as disabilities). To see this one bring a part of that everyday struggle into this fictional place? It's nice to see something so simple change how a story is written or how the characters approach situations. That is the one thing that I think this book does well. It takes that struggle and turns it into a true plot point. However, it's not enough to save this one from being too flat.

Although the story is quite lengthy, never at any point does the worldbuilding get detailed enough to make me feel like I can really imagine this place. Lots of details about languages and countries are thrown in, but never at any point is there enough of it to really make you feel like you're there. It feels too much like just page material instead of creating a new place.

To add even more to the injury, I couldn't relate to Jiara as much as I should have. Her sister is dead, but I never really felt any deep sorrow or mourning from that painful experience from her. The closest she ever came to being relatable to me is when she was struggling to learn the language of her new environment. The way she's treated as she struggles to read and how her tutor doesn't approach learning in a way that works for her - it made me sympathize with her. She needed more of those relatable moments where she felt like more than just a character. She required more moments where I could see her as an actual person.

A story with a unique setup that fails to viably create a whole new world of mystery.

My rating: 2 out of 5