I was really excited to read The Language of the Birds by K.A. Merson, especially because of the promise of a treasure hunt and puzzle-solving. While I liked the book, I didn’t love it. At times, the detailed explanations of the ciphers felt a bit overwhelming and went over my head. That said, I really enjoyed the main characters, Arizona and Mojo — they brought charm and energy to the story. The book’s clue-following adventure gave me strong National Treasure and The Da Vinci Code vibes, which made it a fun ride overall.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for letting me read this ARC.

Despite sounding interesting, this was so far over and above anything that I could begin to understand. Ciphers, codes and obscurity abound. In the midst of all the running around trying to solve the clues and thereby finding the person there were some significant “listen to me and learn moments” Lesson to be learned, it shouldn’t be hard to accept help when you need it. It shouldn’t be hard to express your emotions, even when you are scared. Being different shouldn’t be made hard for savants and others.

Best sentence: “Hope is a log on a raging river, and she clings to it.”

If you love puzzles, clues and working it all out, this is definitely your next and best read. Thanks to Ballantine Books/Random House and NetGalley for a copy.

I couldn't get into this book, unfortunately. I tried a couple times, but I didn't connect with the character. I think part of this was how early on the inciting incident happened (almost right away).

The puzzle aspect of this book—which is what I was most excited for—didn't feel like it invited the reader to participate. It felt more like we got to sit back and watch the MC make connections and solve things without a chance to ponder the clues ourselves.

DNFed at 13%.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC.

A coming of age story with heart and history. This novel is a brainy thrill ride filled with myth and mystery as Arizona dives into a world of ancient texts, encrypted clues, and forgotten corners of American history. A brilliant read.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Language of the Birds is part thriller, part puzzle box, and part coming-of-age story. Seventeen-year-old Arizona, a brilliant and socially offbeat teen, finds herself at the center of a cryptic conspiracy after her mother is kidnapped under mysterious circumstances. The ransom demand? Solve the puzzles left behind by her late father—puzzles that seem to point toward a long-lost secret hidden somewhere in the American West.

Armed with her encyclopedic mind, trusty dog Mojo, and an Airstream trailer, Arizona sets off on a quest that’s anything but straightforward. Along the way, she deciphers ciphers and follows obscure historical breadcrumbs in hopes of reuniting with the only family she has left.

The mystery is tightly wound, and readers who love decoding riddles, cracking historical codes, and diving into esoteric knowledge will find much to enjoy. Think The Da Vinci Code meets National Treasure, with a dose of teenage introspection and emotional growth. That said, the book’s layered riddles and extended problem-solving sequences may lose some readers along the way (myself included).

Although it was more of a cerebral read than I was looking for, it came together for a really nice ending. Thanks to Random House-Ballantine and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book felt very haunting to me as they worked on solving the mystery and gain confidence in themselves.

Arizona's journey into the world hit me hard and seeing an introvert having to come out of there shell was really cool.

I tried reading this book earlier and stop. I thought I would give it another try. However, I am not the target audience for this book. I believe it would be best classified as a YA. In reading the synopsis, I was intrigued, a young girl, puzzles, a mother needing to be found and notes left behind from the father. I did not connect with this book.

Thank you #NetGalley, #Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, #K.A.Merson and #TheLanguageoftheBirds for the ebook for my honest review.

A highly intelligent teen sets out to save her mother through a series of codes left by her dead father. Things I liked- connections to US history and her dog. This fits well in YA genre. However there are pieces that seem like square pegs fitting into a round hole - especially putting oneself on the line when the connection to any other human seems to be a struggle. Thanks to NetGalley for the read.

This book is the first to be published by K. A. Merson (https://kamersonbooks.com). The Language of the Birds was published last May. It is the 52nd title I’ve completed reading in 2025.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and mature language, I categorize this novel as R.

Arizona is brilliant, but has some disorders that make it difficult for her to fit in. As a result, she has been homeschooled. She is only 17 when her father dies in a motorcycle accident. Her only real friend is her dog, Mojo. Three weeks later, she and her mother are visiting some of her late father’s favorite places. They arrive in the ghost town of Bodie in Bodie State Historic Park and go their separate ways. Late in the afternoon, she discovers that her mother is missing. She reports it to a Park Ranger and is told she should return to her campsite and wait for an update on the search.

When she later checks on the progress of the search, Arizona finds that the man she had talked with was an imposter. Now talking to a real Park Ranger, she finds there is still no sign of her mother. Arizona receives a note saying that her mother has been kidnapped. She is told that the only way she will see her mother again is if she cooperates.

Arizona is on her own and has to rely on the problem-solving skills her father taught her. She is given a coded message to decipher. Each time she solves one puzzle, she is presented with another. The kidnapper is looking for an ancient secret that her father had kept secret, and Arizona is expected to find it for him.

Along the way, Arizona meets another young woman traveling alone. The slightly older Lily is traveling in a Volkswagen camper with her dog, Gus. Arizona is surprised when she slowly establishes a friendship with the stranger. While she is willing to discuss things with Lily, she insists on doing anything she considers dangerous herself. Her travels take her to a graveyard, diving off the California coast, to an abandoned mine, the Hoover Dam, and finally back to Bodie. Arizona is confronted with increasingly more challenging puzzles, and she is eventually able to apply her extensive knowledge against the kidnappers.

Can Arizona follow the trail of clues and discover the ancient secret her father had been hiding? Can she maintain genuine friendships with others? Will she get her mother back?

I enjoyed the 7.5+ hours I spent reading this 352-page young adult thriller. Due to the trail of clues, this novel reminds me a bit of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The author weaves the explanation of different codes and ciphers into the story. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 5 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

17 year old Arizona is reeling from the recent death of her father when her mother is kidnapped and the kidnappers want Arizona to solve some complex puzzles before bringing her mother home. Arizona is very bright and able to decipher many puzzles to find this hidden secret that the kidnappers want to find. She travels all over Nevada and Arizona in her quest to get her mother back.

I was intrigued by the puzzle aspect of this story and that worked pretty well although sometimes the explanation of how Arizona solved the riddle went a little long. Arizona was a good main character, if maybe a little too good to be true. I would shelve this in the YA section since there is a heroic teenage YA character and plenty of background things that get ignored (source of money, for example). Think of this book as YA version of National Treasure but with lots of internet research.

Arizona, an outcast teenager from what you would consider "normal" is an only child living with her parents camping their way around California. She's homeschooled, super into numerology, astrology, history, and poems. Some social anxiety has her fearful of strangers and relies on the company of her dog, Mojo. Her had, only two weeks prior, has passed away due to a motorcycle accident. While Arizona and her mom are exploring a new park, they agree to meet up at a certain time and Arizona's mom never shows. Turns out she was kidnapped and the only way to save her is to solve a puzzle for the Adept, a man who is trying to seek the answer to life, or The Language of Birds. This story leads you down a Dan Brown like story with twists and turns and all things ciphers to figure out what they want in exchange for Arizona's mom.

While the story seemed a little clunky, I was hooked on the clues and puzzles that needed to be solved. So much research went into this book, it was an incredible job by the author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

What an interesting book! Think Dan Brown on American soil with local landmarks. I loved the puzzles, though on a Kindle, they lost some of their solving power on the reader's end. The dips and twists and history and scenery...all very well done. It did get a little clustered with how the first couple puzzles were solved. A bit too much information that I had to look up. I enjoyed that the characters were not perfect. They had personality. I think I'd like to know a little more about dad and his history.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Digital Copy of The Language of the Birds in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book!
Arizona's dad passed away 17 days ago at the beginning of the story. She and her mom, and their dog are traveling in their Airstream to different locations that her dad loved, in order to spread his ashes.

At the first location, Arizona needs to be alone with her thoughts for a while and wants to go on a walk with her dog, Mojo. She and her mom agree they will meet up at 4pm. 4pm comes and goes, but her mom is not around. She talks with a park ranger, who doesn't seem to be too concerned. By 6pm, Arizona knows something is wrong. The park is closing and her mom still hasn't shown up. Arizona approaches a park ranger who tells her she needs to go back to their campsite, but that the rangers will do a search.

When she gets back to the Airstream, it has been ransacked, but a note was left behind on the counter explaining that her mom has been kidnapped and that she will need to tell them what her dad's secret was. She doesn't know what they are talking about, but after the first phone call, she is given some clues.

Throughout the book, she will have to travel to different locations, solve riddles and crack codes to come up with information for the kidnappers.

I really enjoyed this story and it kept me wanting to finish the book to see how it ends!

Well done!

Arizona and her mother are traveling to spread her father's ashes at his favorite spots across the US. When visiting a Ghost Town her mom disappears and their RV is ransacked. A note suggests that her dad died with a great secret and crooks want it. Arizona must solve some cryptic clues to solve the mystery and save her mother.

This is quite an intriguing book. It features a YA protagonist but it's a very "smart" story--filled with big words, big theories, and big problems.

Also, it feels as if there are a lot of books featuring codes and puzzles lately. I love National Treasure as much as the next person, but I will freely confess that I am not smart enough for all these clues and treasure hunts!

Seventeen-year-old Arizona's father dies in a motorcycle accident and her mother disappears while they are mourning him. She quickly learns her mom has been kidnapped and the only way to get her back is to solve a series of puzzles and codes. The kidnappers have ties to the old alchemists and the book features tons of puzzles and mentions of ancient texts (and lots of readings of poems). I won't lie--it's a lot.

The puzzling is fun, but my favorites were the more emotional sections with Arizona herself. She was clearly autistic, or something similar, and it was her father with whom she had identified more (he was also a puzzle guy). Arizona is crazy mature for a 17-year-old, driving the family truck and camper all around to solve these puzzles, and basically dealing with a death and disappearance without completely freaking out. She also has an adorable dog, Mojo.

This is definitely a different sort of book, but that's not a bad thing. The puzzles and ciphers and some of the odd plot choices were a bit too much for me, but I'm still glad I read it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

The Language of the Birds is a fun and mysterious read from start to finish. Seventeen year old Arizona (like the state) finds herself in the middle of a series of puzzles and has to use her curiosity, intellect, discipline, and determination to find her way out—amidst loss, social anxiety, and intense pressure.

The puzzles in the story must be solved using various time-tested ciphers and other techniques, and Mersin does a great job of explaining how they work without slowing the plot with overly complicated details.

Although the stakes for Arizona pretty much couldn’t get any higher, as a reader the book didn’t feel ominous or bleak. This is the perfect summer read: intriguing, exciting, mysterious, and ultimately hopeful. Check it out!

The Language of the Birds is a difficult novel to describe, and a harder one to evaluate. Kudos to debut author K.A. Merson for taking readers along through appealing Western landscapes he obviously knows well, as a teenager bravely searches for the answers required to free her kidnapped mother. 17-year-old Arizona will amaze readers with her skills and actions, even as she deals with grief, danger, and personal characteristics that challenge her quest. An author praising the book describes it as a “mystery, crime, adventure, and coming-of-age tale all wrapped up in a treasure of a book.” This busy plot was a lot for this reviewer to engage with; but Arizona’s winning character kept me reading, rounding my rating of 3.5 stars up to 4.

SLow paced but it gets better! Stick with it if you feel like stopping. I think what was missing was that my arc didn't have any of the puzzles in it so I bought the book and it was so much better. Not your typical book.

The Language of the Birds by K.A. Merson is a refreshingly original and intellectually rich adventure that breaks away from the typical YA mold. When Arizona discovers that her mother has been kidnapped and left behind is not just a ransom note, but a cryptic test, she’s thrust into a high-stakes treasure hunt rooted in ancient secrets and hidden histories. What follows is a mind-bending journey filled with riddles, conspiracies, and revelations that could alter everything we think we know.

What sets this novel apart is its protagonist. Arizona isn’t your usual action hero—she’s a quiet, highly analytical teen whose late father trained her to decode puzzles and ciphers. Her quiet strength, sharp intellect, and emotional resilience make her a standout heroine, proving that quiet doesn’t mean weak, and that brainpower can be just as gripping as brawn.

Set against the dramatic beauty of the American West, the story unfolds through a series of masterfully constructed challenges that feel both timeless and grounded in real-world lore. Merson deftly weaves in historical and occult elements without ever overwhelming the narrative, striking a perfect balance between mystery, myth, and emotional growth.

What’s truly great about The Language of the Birds is how different it feels—it doesn’t rely on tired tropes or predictable arcs. Instead, it offers readers something far more engaging: an intellectually thrilling, emotionally layered quest led by a girl whose greatest weapons are her mind and her heart. Clever, captivating, and utterly unique, this is a novel for readers who love their adventures smart and surprising.

3.5 stars

I ended up listening to this and reading along. However, my copy of the book (Advanced Review Copy) often did not include the images of the codes or puzzles, and the narrator sometimes described what was shown and sometimes did not. So, I'm not sure if I would have been able to better understand the codes if I had read a final copy. Generally speaking, I really love codes and puzzles, and I'm glad the author included so many of them with a description of Arizona's reasoning as she figured out the clues. And yet...there were times when it just seemed too much, especially because on occasion, I became so bogged down by the puzzle that I lost track of what she was doing in the big context of the story.

Still, I liked Arizona, and I really enjoyed seeing her neuroatypical brain function. I found it informative to hear the thoughts swirling in her head as she sought to balance how to save her mom with whether she could trust other people. I also really liked some of the other characters, the good people, who gave her space to be who she was, called her out when it was warranted, and still loved her anyway. In many ways, this was a coming-of-age story, with puzzles as the framework, connecting her to her father. I think, because of the complexity of the puzzles, that some readers might be turned away, but at its heart, it's about a girl learning there are people in this world you can trust, but it takes time and some risk to let them in as you figure out who they are. At the same time, it's a much better alternative than keeping yourself isolated from the world.

I believe this author shows a lot of promise and I would be very interested in reading other works by him.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.