This is a book about a neurodivergent 17 year old girl who is super smart at solving puzzles. In the story, Arizona's mother has been kidnapped and held until a series of word puzzles are solved by Arizona.

I really enjoyed this book. Was it full of word puzzles that were too much for my brain? Yes, but the author explained them as Arizona solved them. Did I read all of the verse that made up the puzzles? No. I really didn't see any need to. Did I read this book like crazy? Yes. I was super into it.

Besides the puzzle solving, there is the growth of Arizona along the way. She learns that she can approach people, make friends, and even trust and lean on them if she needs to. She also learned that she could do pretty darn well all on her own. Go, Arizona!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine and NetGalley for the digital copy. All thoughts are my own.

When Arizona, a seventeen year old finds out her mother was kidnappedsd, she sets off to break codes and puzzles to set her free. The book was a journey filled with mind numbing conspiracy theories, mathematical ciphers and alchemist history. This slowed the story down to a crawl for me. Skimming passed the pages and pages of codes and ciphers only left an under developed character and a plot that didn't make much sense. I would recommend The Language of Birds to young adult readers who like solving complicated mathematical puzzles.

The Language of the Birds by K.A Merson is a decent mystery, but loaded with the solving of cryptographs and various other puzzles which were above my head.. It also involves knowledge of some works of literature and mythology. All of these things had been favorites of her father and so became favorites of Arizona. The three of them, Dad, Mom, and Arizona, had mostly led a nomadic life, driving from ghost town to ghost town in an F-150 pulling an Airstream. Their mission now was taking Dad’s ashes to places he loved and leaving a little of him at each one. Dad had died in a motorcycle accident a few weeks ago. That is how they found themselves in Bodie, yet another ghost town, and state park, and that is where Mom disappeared. It didn’t take long for the kidnappers to contact her with a puzzle to solve. Fun journey. Along the way Arizona made her first, ever, friend, Lily.

It was all very odd, but then most things were for Arizona, who herself was odd, probably autistic, but brilliant. Her mom was no slouch either, escaping several times, but always being recaptured. Arizona followed the clues before she passed them on. The place they took her didn’t make much sense, until it did. She was a terrific character...so smart. The mystery was good and the final solution even better. The growing friendship between the two girls was fun to be a part of. The bad guys got theirs, isn’t that the important thing?

I was invited to read The Language of the Birds by Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine #KAMerson #TheLanguageOfTheBirds

The Language of Birds is a unique mystery following the journey of a relatable young woman working through what appears to be autism. The characters are instantly likable and enjoyable to follow on their journey, including quirky Lily as a supportive role. Merson evokes feelings of The Da Vinci Code with historically accurate items and a realistic puzzle. Where the novel fell a little short for me was with the length - the action was consistent, but it felt like the puzzles were somewhat too simple. The journey itself was a little simple where a 17 year old girl has the finances and maturity to function on her own; driving a motorcycle and hauling a giant trailer. While it is fiction, this was a jarring moment that brought me back to reality. Additionally, I would have loved a little bit more closure at the end, rather than a cliffhanger. It was an enjoyable read, none the less and one I would recommend to any puzzle fans!

While this book contains so much cryptic coding, things I didn’t quite understand, I throughly enjoyed the overall story very much. Pages turned quickly to find out the end result and Arizona is definitely a character worth rooting for. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

🧩✨ Bookish expectations: mystery, puzzles, intrigue. What I got: ghost towns, kidnappers, a neurodivergent teen heroine with a dog sidekick, and some seriously wild plot twists. Not mad about it.

Meet Arizona—yes, like the state—a sharp, matter-of-fact teen whose dad just passed away. She heads to a desolate Nevada ghost town with her mom and her pup Mojo to scatter his ashes… and then her mom vanishes. Cue cryptic notes from the kidnappers demanding she solve puzzles to get her mom back. Like, escape room meets national treasure meets emotional family drama.

What truly surprised me? Arizona’s no-drama reaction to everything. Her neurodivergence is central to the story—she struggles to relate to people and express emotion, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t feeling everything deeply. Watching her slowly connect with fellow camper Lily and wise old Marty gave the story so much heart 💛

Now, full honesty: some of the puzzle-solving antics go off the rails. Like, how did she not get caught climbing that? Or breaking into THAT? Plot armor was in full force. And the kidnappers? A little extra... but in a “huh, that’s where we’re going with this?” kind of way. 🤷‍♀️

🔍 Overall, this was a quirky, unexpected ride that blended action, mystery, and a unique character voice. If you’re into offbeat mysteries with heart and hijinks—this one’s for you.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me try out this eARC!

If you love the movie National Treasure with Nicholas Cage, you will enjoy this book.
This is like National Treasure but with a socially awkward seventeen year old girl named Arizona.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very logic centric, so if figuring out puzzles and riddles in a thriller isn't your thing, then maybe sit this one out.
I did however enjoy the puzzle aspect even though I only pieced one of several together on my own. This author was helpful in spelling out how Arizona was solving these riddles and puzzles.

This book also has wonderful character relationship dynamics. There is a mother-daughter and a platonic teenage girl friendship. I'm not gunna lie, I was waiting for the shoe to drop on that one because we seem not to get true friendships anymore in books.

A couple things I'll point out for the reason this wasn't a five star. I found personally the amount of curse words was unnecessary. A few instances, I understood because of the circumstances. I also understand that Arizona is 17 and its common to curse at that age, but I don't think it really fit her character either.
This is a debut for this author, so despite the puzzle aspect being awesome, I think the writing itself lacked a little bit. Banter between characters didn't always flow well, and also the change of setting threw me off a little sometimes because the transportation wasn't clearly addressed. I also feel that Arizona could have hit a few more snags in her fight to save her mom. I knew she was smart logically for the puzzles, but she could have struggled in other ways. Her greatest kryptonite, having to talk to people and trust them. She seemed like an action heroine with few flaws.

On that note though, this felt completely like an action t.v show or movie. I wouldn't mind a streaming service to pick this up as an adaptation.
Overall fun time!

Arizona’s mother goes missing on a family trip, and a note in their ransacked Airstream indicates she was kidnapped. The kidnappers believe Arizona’s dead father took a secret to his grave, and it's up to her to solve the puzzles, codes, and riddles left throughout the Western US to find her mother. She is only seventeen, but is very comfortable going through pages of ancient texts and forgotten corners of U.S. history looking for a centuries-old prize. She had never been comfortable on her own before, and now realizes that finding other people who understand her isn’t so impossible after all.

Arizona isn't good with people, loves puzzles and cryptography, and misses her father, who just recently died. Her mother is threatened, and Arizona gets messages to decode. We see the ciphers and get explanations for her thoughts; if you've ever loved secret messages and codes before, this aspect of it will be loads of fun and suck you in as quickly as it did for me. The clues reference literature and historical figures in Nevada, and point to different locations. As she travels and begins to bond with two of the people she meets while hunting for clues, we see the ties between those messages and alchemy, which had once also been called the language of birds, or the fundamental language of god and knowledge itself.

Arizona is still very much herself throughout the book, afraid of being mocked and not able to trust easily. With her father's death, her dog Mojo and her mother are her only remaining family. She feels incredible responsibility to save them herself; the glimpses we see of her mother show us exactly where that resilience comes from. I was enthralled by the poetry clues, the way historical figures and locations were woven into the story, and how Arizona was able to dive down multiple avenues to chase down clues. I enjoyed her story and getting to know her. She's smart enough to figure out the language of birds and is an excellent guide while taking us along for the ride.

If you cross National Treasure with a coming-of-age road trip and throw in a dog named Mojo riding shotgun in a motorcycle sidecar, you’ll start to get a sense of The Language of the Birds. It’s a debut that’s unafraid to be smart, strange, and deeply specific—in all the best ways.

Arizona is not your average teen heroine. She’s a puzzle-obsessed, socially awkward girl who’d rather decode a cipher than talk to an actual human being. So when her mom is kidnapped and the ransom is solving a trail of clues, Arizona doesn’t panic. She grabs her dog, hooks up the Airstream, and follows the clues straight into the Sierra Nevada wilderness. Because of course there’s a centuries-old secret buried in American history.

I loved Arizona. She's sharp, eccentric, and fully her own person. The story doesn't flatten her edges—she’s difficult and brilliant, sometimes frustrating, always interesting. Watching her navigate the world solo, solving riddles that tie into forgotten bits of U.S. history, was unexpectedly moving. There's something really satisfying about a character who starts out believing she doesn’t need anyone, and slowly starts to realize that connection isn’t weakness.

There are lots of puzzles. Some of them are so intricate you can’t help but admire the architecture of them, even as you’re completely lost. I gave up trying to solve most of them and just let Arizona do the work. At times they slowed the story down for me—if you’re the kind of reader who wants to be in the puzzle, not just observing it, that might frustrate you. But I stayed in it for Arizona, for the weird historical tangents, and for the thrill of following someone this smart into the unknown.

Also, Mojo is a perfect fictional dog. No debate.

K.A. Merson's prose feels both tightly plotted and totally offbeat. It’s not an easy balance, but it works. I wasn’t just reading to find out what happened next—I was reading because I wanted to see how Arizona would handle whatever came next. The Language of the Birds is clever, bold, and refreshingly original, with a protagonist who sticks with you long after the last page. While some of the puzzles teeter on the edge of overcomplication, the emotional core—Arizona’s evolution, her bond with Mojo, and the strange, beautiful path she walks to reclaim her family—makes the journey more than worth it. This is a debut that dares to be different, and for the most part, pulls it off.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with an advance readers copy for review.

The storywas an intriguing story about a 17-year-old girl named Arizona, who tries to solve the mystery of her mother‘s disappearance There was a lot of focus on code breaking and puzzles, which was a different read, but took away some of the storyline for me not quite sure if this was my type of book
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion

The Language of the Birds is an engaging read that blends myth, mystery, and evocative storytelling. The prose has a lyrical quality, drawing you into a world rich with symbolism and layered meanings.

While the plot keeps you hooked with its intriguing twists, some pacing issues and a somewhat ambiguous ending leave you wanting a bit more resolution.

Overall, a solid 3.5 stars. Thought-provoking and beautifully written, though not without its flaws. Would recommend for those who enjoy literary fiction with a touch of mysticism.

For a book marketed as a young adult fiction/thriller, I still found this to be tremendously entertaining! This is a puzzling mystery with a touch of coming-of-age with a delightful main character that grows throughout the story. Including well-developed side characters and rich imagery of the California Eastern Sierras, this was a captivating story.

After the sudden passing of her father, Arizona and her mother are on a road trip to honor him and find themselves in Bodie, CA. After an afternoon of exploring, Arizona finds her mother missing, their trailer wrecked, and a mysterious puzzle leading her to a secret her father took to his grave. With her unique talent for puzzles and ciphers, Arizona must uncover her father’s secrets and rescue her mother.

This book is reminiscent of National Treasure, with secrets and adventure that have ties to American history and folklore. It’s well thought out and written in a way that comes across as interesting and unique without feeling contrived or corny. As a California native, I loved Arizona’s journey across the state and to places that evoke mystery and awe such as the Alabama Hills and the ghost town of Bodie. California natives and those who want to visit our state will love this part of the book. The pacing was also excellent—I felt like the story moved along and a reasonable speed and not once felt slow or like a drag to read.

Bottom line: this is a surprisingly delightful debut novel that will appeal to all ages and readers. 4/5 stars for a YA novel that didn’t feel like a YA novel.

Immense gratitude and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin Random House and Ballantine, for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a new to me author and while I found the story interesting, I also felt there was way too much detail in the ciphers. Maybe explaining the different options once and how she solved/figured out which one to use would have sufficed. The intrigue of the things she had to do, all in the hopes of getting her mom back, made the story more interesting.

I felt bad for Arizona at first, but Lily was a nice addition. I liked that she called Arizona out and didn’t just let her push her around. Arizona’s mom was strong and I loved how creative she was. She also never stopped trying to escape. Sam had me confused for a while, but I figured out what was going on before Arizona did. The Adept was interesting.

I don’t usually read books that have a lot of history in them, but this book combined history facts with mysterious missions that kept me entertained. I enjoyed this book. I received an ARC and this is my honest, voluntary review.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group—Ballantine Books. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult, Mystery Thriller, Coming Of Age, Suspense, Adventure, Puzzles
Audience: Crossover for YA and Adult
Language: Quite a few f-bombs
Gore Level: Mostly off page, but torture is mentioned
Representation: Autism, potential gay relationship

THE LANGUAGE OF THE BIRDS, a Gordian Knot of clues, held me breathless.

Arizona is an interesting character because she's facing challenges of her dad's death, her mom's disappearance, and the abductor's demands. On top of all that, she is on the spectrum and is learning how to work with people and how to read social situations. I think this is very relatable to teens. Arizona's friendship with another girl was slightly ambiguous—I could see it working into a gay romance, but it's not really on the page in this volume. Arizona straddles the angst of teens and the adult world, which is why I think both audiences can read and enjoy this book. She's been homeschooled in recent years and really spends her time with her parents, and a situation like this is conducive to a teen acting more like an adult.

I was hoping the puzzles were something I would be able to solve—they're not written out in such a way that I found it easy to pause in my reading to attempt finding a solution. Arizona is mentally/verbally working through the puzzles in the prose. I still liked the puzzles, but it wasn't what I expected.

The twists were logical and kept me guessing. I think any mystery lover would enjoy this book. It has a little bit of a National Treasure vibe (if someone was kidnapped). I'm marking it down a star for the unnecessary cursing.

Happy reading!

An entertaining book if you are one for clues, ciphers, and digging for answers. Think ‘National Treasure,’ but with a teenaged MC.
I think what has made me give such a low rating is because it is marketed as Adult Fiction when really I feel it should be New Adult or Young Adult.
The author did do a wonderful job representing a headstrong, smart, neurodivergent main character.

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

Seventeen-year-old Arizona and her mom go on a trip, planning to scatter the ashes of Arizona's dad. When they stop at a ghost town, Arizona's mom decides to take a tour of the stamp mill, and Arizona takes her dog Mojo and goes off on her own. When it is time to meet back up, her mom never shows. Arizona flags down a park ranger who takes down her information and says they will do a search once the park is closed. Her mother never shows back up. She does, however, hear from her kidnappers. They send her on a treasure hunt, on the trail of an occult, centuries-old secret her father supposedly took to his grave. And if the prize at the end is real, it could shake the world.

I really liked Arizona. She was neurodivergent, socially inept, and extraordinarily smart. She was able to solve all of the ciphers, codes and puzzles along the way, and even managed to go outside of her comfort zone and make a couple of friends. I admit most of the ciphers and codes went right over my head.....this book was definitely meant for someone smarter than me! It reminded me a lot of the Dan Brown books, only more complex. I will say that I had a hard time reading a lot of things on my e-reader because the print was so small.....even with it magnified as large as possible - so this might be better read as a hard copy. Overall, this was a fast-paced, enjoyable story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

The Language of the Birds is a light mystery/thriller which follows puzzle-solving teen Arizona as her mother's mysterious disappearance leads her down a rabbit hole of puzzles and clues that she must solve to get her mother back.

If I had read this book when I was twelve, I would have been obsessed. Despite the high stakes, The Language of Birds often read pretty light for me, and I had a lot of fun watching Arizona puzzle out ciphers and research history and alchemy. I enjoyed Arizona's arc, especially as she met a couple people who she actually let break down her walls a bit on her puzzle-solving journey. The writing was overall solid, though there were times when it felt like the pace lulled a bit much for me. Generally, though, I really enjoyed my time with The Language of the Birds, and I think it's a really decent debut that will keep me looking out for what K.A. Merson writes next.

“The Language of the Birds,” by K. A. Merson, Ballantine Books, 368 pages, May 13, 2025.

Arizona is 17 and is neurodivergent. Her favorite things include cryptography, geocaching, the writings of Jules Verne and exploring the Sierra Nevadas on her Russian Ural motorcycle, her dog Mojo riding shotgun in his sidecar.

Her father has just died. She and her mother are spreading his ashes in his favorite places. When they arrive at Bodie State Historic Park, Arizona walks Mojo while her mother tours a stamp mill. They agree to meet up, but her mother doesn’t arrive. She has been kidnapped.

Arizona finds a cryptic test accompanying the ransom note. Solving puzzles and cracking codes are what Arizona does best. What she doesn’t yet realize is that she’s been enlisted in a treasure hunt because the kidnappers think her father knew how to find the treasure.

Young adult readers who like puzzles may enjoy this book more than I did as much of this story is focused on solving the puzzles. The villains come off as B-movie bad guys and overall it reads juvenile. On the whole, this had a lot of potential but it doesn’t make it for adult readers.

I rate it three out of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and read it in one day. I loved the characters and the storyline. I thought the characters had great growth. I would definitely recommend this book.