I was blown away by the complexity of the puzzles! I love how smart the main character was and aside from having to suspend disbelief at times to accept what was happening, I had a pretty good time.

This book was interesting. It was filled with history about this country that I did not know. I love a good puzzle and the decoding was fun to read as well. I can't imagine what life would be like to be so intelligent that you really didn't feel like you could fit in or have friends. Good fiction book around some truths.

This book did not grab me right away, but I am glad I kept reading and became so very involved ,in the
brilliant story, and the adventures of Arizona, as young as she is, she is very bright and very special, and
with her Mojo, she did a fine job.
I did wonder if this was intended to be a YA book, but maybe not, though I can see high schoolers
enjoying it a lot.
As a debut offering, it offers a strong character and a well thought out journey, giving a strong
voice to Arizona.
I recommend it to everyone.’
My thanks to Ballantine Books (Amy Jackson) via NetGalley, for reading and review purposes.

This was a delightful YA book! I did not realize it was YA when I requested it, but I enjoyed it just the same. I love puzzles, and found the integration of math, codes, ciphers, and geometry (among other disciplines) really well done. I did see flavors of Andy Weir's The Martian as well as National Treasure, Da Vinci Code but for a younger audience, and I think it was a great debut novel by this author to introduce those younger readers into that realm of mathematic/scientific fiction.

It was cute, a little sassy, some good jokes, and a few twists along the way. A fun little read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books/Random House Publishing Group for an advanced copy.

This was not my favorite book. While I really liked the concept and the history behind the clues, it fell flat. I would not qualify this book as a young adult. Maybe a new adult or just an adult. I didn't find the main character relatable or really enjoyable. The clues and cipher were really fun and well thought out, but I didn't think the story meshed well. Personally, I'm not a poetry fan, but if you are, there are a lot of poems included.
All that being said, if you are looking for a very intelligent book that will make you think, with adorable dogs and mysterious clues, you may highly enjoy this book.

A solitary teen must crack the code to save her kidnapped mother. She travels around California and Nevada with her dog in a motorcycle and a pickup truck solving ciphers and finding clues left long buried. There were a lot of things to like – the adventure, the travel, the history, but there were some things that slowed it down for me. I didn’t like that she was carrying a shotgun and the long details on how she solved the ciphers became disinteresting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this DRC.
#TheLanguageoftheBirds #NetGalley

Following the unexpected death of her father, Arizona and her mother are on a road trip to their favorite places scattering his ashes. When she returns from a hike to find her mother missing and their Airstream ransacked she tells herself not to panic. Finding a cryptic note on the counter she learns she must solve a series of puzzles to secure her release. Did her dad take a deadly secret to his grave and what are the kidnappers seeking? Eccentric and brilliant Arizona is no ordinary teen and knows just how to solve the ciphers. With her dog Mojo as company she begins a cross country treasure hunt. I love books like the DaVinci Code and anything to do with puzzles so I enjoyed this unique narrative. The historical details about California ghost towns, Hoover Dam and Herbert Hoover were informative and tantalizing. Arizona is a plucky protagonist despite being quirky and anti social. Arizona prefers books to people and the bread crumbs relating to classics such as Lewis Carroll or Robert Louis Stevenson made me chuckle. An engaging, gratifying read.

The Language of Birds is one of the more unique books that I've read in a long time. A teenage girl's mother is kidnapped and it's up to the daughter to solve a series of puzzles to get her mother back. The puzzles are presented in-text, and honestly I wasn't very interested in them. If you like puzzles and thrillers this might be a great book for you.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for my review copy.

A young woman with a unique ability to solve puzzles and riddles, must put her skills to test to solve her father's murder.

The Language of Birds was that great mix of an engaging, mysterious plot mixed with an emotional, human story. The backdrop of the western US was also a striking part of the story, which made me feel like I had visited a new place. The code-breaking details were a little over my head, but completely following them did not end up being a requirement for the enjoyment of the story, thanks to explanations along the way. This is a story about grief, emotions, relationships, and trust. An exciting, heartfelt read!

Thank you to K.A. Merson, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC of The Language of the Birds.

Arizona is a neurodivergent, seventeen year-old who has recently lost her father in a motorcyle accident. She and her mother are traveling in their Airstream camper spreading her father's ashes in some of his places. It's at one of their stops that Arizona's mother goes missing, starting Arizona down a path of mystery and intrigue of solving cryptic ciphers to gain her mother's freedom.

I have always appreciated a good riddle, but the level of the puzzles Merson created for Arizona to solve were brilliant. Though they were beyond my skill and patience level, I enjoyed watching Arizona master them, getting closer and closer to reuniting with her mother while devising ways to stay ahead of kidnappers.

As a person with neurodivergency, Arizona has not always been treated kindly by society. As a result, her parents had taken her out of school and used their airstream travels to allow her to learn at her level. One that, quite obviously, is beyond those of her peers. You would think that this would have created a strong reliance on her parents. However, it's easy to see that her parents actually helped her to develop a sense of maturity and self-reliance beyond the norm of the average seventeen year-old. It did, however, strongly limit her friend base, making her dog, Mojo, her only confidant until she meets Lily at one of the campgrounds.

Having always been "different" because of her neurodivergency, Arizona has never had any real friends. As a result, she has difficulty trusting new people, including Lily. It was refreshing to see Lily accept Arizona without prejudice and exercise patience in building their friendship on Arizona's terms.

I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it.

Like the author, Stephen King inspired me to just write. His book, On Writing, is one of the reasons I now read at least a book a week. Also like him, I am a big fan of Andy Weir and Blake Crouch. But mostly I am thankful that Merson was duly inspired to write.

Why? Because The Language of the Birds is a wonderful and unique book. The story, which revolves around real science and facts but is also very fictional, was wonderful. Being at the low end of the Autism spectrum, I could sympathize with many of things 17-year-old Arizona was going through/had to deal with. Having had a Boxer as one of our pets at about the same age, made that feel very real to me as well—Molly (like Mojo in the book) was a great dog. Finally, having spent several formative years in California and having visited some of the places Arizona visits, like the ghost town of Bodie and even Hoover Dam (on the border of Nevada and Arizona), the locations felt very familiar, as well.

What really stood out to me and why I will be purchasing an actual copy of this books is all the codes, drawings, and diagrams that were used as a part of Arizona’s thought process. So much fun! The Language of the Birds will not be available until May of 2025, but I imagine by the time I have the actual book in hand, I will be ready to read it again!

I would have loved to read a book like this when i was a teenager! I thought the author being able to mesh mystery and puzzles in the written form was incredibly well done. I read some reviews that others readers left stating that they skipped the protagonists explanation of how she solved the puzzles because they thought it was drawn out but, I very much enjoyed reading her thought process and how it differed from my own.

I also really liked the places where the protagonists mother would correct her to say she was different instead of disordered, I often find myself saying similar things to my own child.

This book is listed as Adult, but it seems more like a YA version of a Dan Brown book. The puzzles were creative, but Arizona (the main character) solved them really easily. It was as if the reader should have been able to beat her to it or at least follow right along and say "of course." There were times it felt repetitive, but overall I enjoyed the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Language of the Birds by K.A. Merson.

While I am not the target audience for this book I thought it was an engaging and fun read. Our main character, Arizona has recently lost her father and now her Mom is missing. Arizona receives a note with a cipher that she must solve in order to save her Mom. This YA book is filled with puzzles, mysteries and conspiracy theories that will keep you turning the pages.

I found Arizona’s character easy to like and root for. While some of her escapades seem a bit far reaching it is still an enjoyable read. A fun blend of thriller and DaVinci Code type book. If you like either, you will enjoy this!

I received this ARC for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

To be honest, it’s really hard for me to rate this book, because I don’t think I am it’s target audience. If I was rating it for myself, I would put 2 stars, but I am rounding up because I think this author is super intelligent and will appeal to the right reader.

This book would be for a young adult reader that enjoys solving high level puzzles. The themes are young adult, but the content is full of puzzles and riddles that she is trying to figure out to save her mother who is missing.

It reminded me somewhat of a goonies vibe with the puzzles, but it was missing the funny vibe that usually goes along with these types of stories.

I was gifted this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, but I do not feel I was the target audience for this.

"Language of the Birds" is about a teenage girl's search for her missing mother. Arizona is a thoughtful, quirky narrator, who interests include cryptography, geocaching and dogs, so she provides plenty of adventures for the reader. Merson's writing style is accessible and the dialogue rings true. Readers who enjoy mysteries, puzzles and books about mother-daughter relationships will enjoy. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Pub date is May 13, 2025.

#TheLanguageOfBirds

Arizona lost her father 17 days ago. She and her mother are stunned by his sudden death. How do they navigate life now? They retrace prior trips and visit some of their favorite places. Her mother goes missing and Arizona investigates her disappearance. Arizona is very intelligent and loves to solve puzzles. The people holding her mother need her to solve a puzzle. Will she be able to give them the answer and save the life of her mother? Each puzzle Arizona faces is unique and involves research. She adeptly takes apart the clues and discovers their meaning. During her quest, Arizona learns about herself. She embraces her unique skills and abilities and grows in confidence.

This is a coming-of-age story wrapped in puzzles. Computer skills and research are essential to Arizona's work to rescue her mother. Arizona is interesting, quirky, and even irritating. She is single minded in her search for the answers to the puzzle that will lead her to her mom. The puzzles in this search are intricate and might not be quite what the reader expects. Read on. Whether you understand and follow these puzzles or not, the story is still compelling. Family is everything to Arizona and she will do whatever is necessary to reunite with her mother, an emotion that resonates with many people. Merson has a well researched story that doesn't skimp on details. Young adults will enjoy this story which brings tech and social media into the story in a useful way. It is also an excellent opportunity for parent to join their children in an educational discussion that will enrich family life.

K.A. Merson’s The Language of the Birds is a gripping tale of a young girl, Arizona, who must solve ciphers and puzzles to help free her mother after she's been kidnapped and held hostage. Following the death of her father, Arizona, her mother, and their dog Mojo depart on a family trip to scatter his ashes in the places he loved most. During one of their many stops, the mother-daughter duo split up so Arizona's mom can enjoy a guided tour while Arizona reads alone in peace. However, when Arizona's mother doesn't return from the tour and their Airstream is completely ransacked, panic begins to settle in. Following a call from her mothers captors, Arizona and her faithful pup sidekick, Mojo, embark on a remarkable journey to free her mother. As Arizona continues to dicipher cryptic messages, she learns that her father had deep, dark secrets that were never meant to be revealed. The Language of the Brids is a gripping novel that will have your head spinning with the intricate weave of puzzles, ciphers, and cryptograms. This is such a fun and engaging novel that will have you begging for all the answers.

I was surprised by this book. Loved the puzzles and the ciphers like in Dan Brown's books but there was such heart to this. Would recommend!