Reviews

A Dragonbird in the Fern by Laura Rueckert

beautifullifewithdani's review

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3.0

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It's a great intro to YA fantasy as the world, magic system, and political climate are very straightforward and easy to understand. The characters are sweet, and we get some amazing learning disability representation.

That said, for a fantasy with a murder mystery element, it wasn't as engaging as I hoped. I found the plot predictable and was slightly bored at times.

A solid debut.

thindbooks's review

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5.0

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

4.5 stars. This was such an amazing book! It’s about Princess Jiara who is forced to marry her sister’s fiancée after she was killed where she now goes to his kingdom to find her sister’s killer in a world where she is unable to communicate. This story was beautifully written and I had to say before I picked it up, I was nervous that I wasn’t
going to love it. Once I read the first two chapters, I was hooked into the story and didn’t stop reading it until I was finished. There was just everything I loved that was included into one book! Romance, mystery , fantasy and suspense was all jammed into one book. I also loved the world building which was simple but also very unique. The writing was amazing ,the pacing was perfect, the conflicts were just wow and there was some good page turners.

I enjoyed the main character Jiara. She was kind of forced to get married and was brave to go to a new country with her new husband. Jiara has dyslexia and it was good to see the author writing this into a character as most female characters are written to be super strong like assassins, powerful, etc but this heroine was strong by having to be strong for her country. I enjoyed seeing her development throughout the novel. Also I enjoyed the side characters in the book who also had some developments but I enjoyed how they played out their roles in the book. Though I have to say I wish there were more scenes with Jiara and Raffa as I totally shipped them together. The romance in this book is forced marriage trope which I enjoyed in this book!

The ending was well done with this book and I was so sad we only had ONE book. I wish it was written into a series or a duology. I just loved the world and characters that it was hard to say goodbye. Everything that I love to read about was combined into this one book which made it so much better. I did have a minor problem which was mostly the romance but overall this was such a great book. I’m so glad I decided to pick this one up and read it! This book is perfect for fans of Serpent & Dove and those who enjoy forged marriage.

nite0wl29's review

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3.0

It was okay? The world building was fantastic, and I adored the main character Jiara. But the book was “very YA” which made it a light read after reading a much heavier story. I love a story that delivers the angst and feels, and that is where I think this story was lacking. For having just lost her sister, you’d think the reader would share Jiara’s pain. Well, you don’t...That made it hard for me to sympathize with her. Especially when her sister’s ghost lashed out at Jiara during her earthwalker “tantrums”. If anything I found her annoying and wanted to roll my eyes because she did it whenever Jiara seemed to have found a sense of happiness in her life after marrying someone from a foreign kingdom, where Jiara was forced to learn a complete foreign language. Not easy for a person with dyslexia.

The romance was kinda meh, but still kind of sweet. Her love interest just didn’t do anything for me. I think there should have been more chapters developing their relationship but....It is what it is.

The only thing that kept me fully engaged with this story was the mystery behind Jiara’s sister’s killer. The first handful of chapters drew me in. Until after 70-80% of the book, not much happens. Other than that I think this story has potential to be better.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

kathleenabby's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

We follow Princess Jiara. She is grieving the lose of her elder sister who was recently assassined but they don't know by who. And now her vengeful ghost is tormenting her and loved until they find her killer. They need justice for Scilla before she becomes dangerous. 

Before Scilla died she was set in an arranged marriage to form an alliance with the neighbouring country. So Jiara now needs to take her place. Unlike her sister she was raised for this role she doesn't even know the language. She is terrified of life in a country she'll be unable to communicate in.

This was a good book, it just wasn't to my own personal taste. My favourite thing is the disability representation. Jiara dyslexia and following her trying to learn the language and navigate this new country/culture was interesting and done well. 

This is fantasy and although we have magical creatures this book very much sits in magical realism. The magic there was I would of like to explore alittle more, there wasn't alot of depth to this world. It was simply built but I can see how it would work for other readers.

This wasn't a bad book, it was just a bit to much on the cozy side. The characters were sweet, the romance was sweet, the world was cute. The murder mystery although alittle predictable was what carried this for me. I think this is a good book for someone else that likes cozy and nice.

binzpr's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

raquelzc's review

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5.0

Spanish/English Review.

Gracias a NetGalley, la editorial y a Laura Rueckert por proporcionarme una copia de este libro a cambio de una reseña honesta.

¡Excelente lectura! Me hizo desear que no fuera stand-alone.

La hermana de la princesa Jiara ha sido asesinada antes de que se formara una alianza a través de matrimonio. Jiara es ahora la siguiente en la línea para asegurar esta alianza, mientras que su hermana Scilla ahora es una “Earthwalker”, un espíritu que no continuara al más allá hasta que se descubra quien la asesino. Esta historia no solo trata de la perdida de un ser querido, si no de esperanza y un poco de amor.

Me encantó leerlo, estuve picadísima con el mundo mágico presentado en la novela, tan sencillo y tan bien explicado por cada uno de los reinos sin ser confuso, la magia que cada uno de ellos maneja y hasta la trama fluyó bastante bien. Le doy el total de 5 estrellas en cuanto a este aspecto, el mundo presentado en las páginas.

Como conocemos del mundo real, las costumbres varían por país, en esta historia, donde hay reinos, es igual, vemos como cada grupo tiene sus costumbres y respetan aquellas de los reinos vecinos. Un sentido general de respeto es lo que mantiene a los reinos sin entrar en una clase de guerra civil, excepto por el misterio que rodea el asesinato de Scilla.

Jiara es un personaje increíble, empezamos viéndola como una chica joven y seria que es completamente devota a su familia, y crece y madura de tal manera que se convierte en una excelente líder y reina. Vemos que cuenta con sus debilidades, tales como su dificultad para leer (similar a la dislexia, pero nunca se comprueba), y aún así ella intenta hacer lo posible por aprender este nuevo lenguaje en el nuevo reino que se encuentra, casada con un rey. Esto no la detiene de dudar de si misma, pero conforme la historia avanza, vemos como se convierte en una mujer segura de si misma, una reina en su propio derecho.

Aunque no vemos mucho desarrollo en los personajes secundarios, Jiara se destaca y hace que cada personaje con el que interactúe brille también, sea su esposo, un traductor, su madre o un guardia. La verdad es que me gustaron mucho los personajes y no estaba del todo segura cual sería la resolución en cuanto al asesinato de Scilla y la tensión entre reinos. Fue una sorpresa cuando descubrimos quien fue el causante, al igual que sus razones. No justifico sus razones ni sus acciones, pero se sintieron tan real y tangible dado la importancia y relevancia que se hace a las familias y el gobernar en la historia.

Este libro es excelente como un respiro para aquellos lectores de sagas de fantasía largas, ya que este libro por si solo cuenta toda una historia de principio a fin (¡y no me molestaría leer un segundo en este mundo!) y con la trama, el ambiente, el romance y todo lo demás, es algo que se disfruta en una tarde de verano.


Pueden encontrar un review de este libro en Youtube aquí.

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Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and Laura Rueckert for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Such a great read! It made me almost wish it wasn't a stand-alone..

Princess Jiara's sister has been recently murdered before an important marriage alliance. Jiara is now the next in line to secure this alliance, while her sister Scilla is now an Earthwalker, a spirit who will not move on until her killer is found. This is a story not only of loss, but of hope and remembrance.

An amazing read, I was captivated by the world presented in this novel, so simple, yet so easily explained for each of the neighboring kingdoms without being confusing, the magic each holds, as well as the plot just flowed without any trouble. I give it a whole 5 stars on the setting and world creation.

As we know in the real world, customs vary in each country, and here, where there are kingdoms, its plain to see how everyone keeps their own customs as well as respect those of the neighboring kingdoms. A sense of respect is what keeps everyone in line without breaking into a civil war, except for the mystery surrounding Scilla's murder.

Jiara is an amazing character, she starts as this young and serious girl who is completely devoted to her family, and turns out to be an amazing leader and queen. We do see she has her weaknesses, such as her problems with reading (similar to dyslexia without it ever been stated), yet she tries and does her best to learn the language of this new world she finds herself in, married to a king. This doesn't stop her from doubting herself, but as the story progresses, we see how she becomes a woman sure of herself, a queen in her own right.

Though we do not see this much character development on the rest of the characters, Jiara shines and makes each character she interacts feel important, whether it is her husband, a translator, her mother or a guard. I honestly felt close to each character and I wasn't sure what was going to be the endgame relating to Scilla's killer and the tension surrounding the other kingdoms. It came as a surprise when we find out who did it and their reasons. I do not justify them nor their actions, yet they felt real and tangible given the whole sense of importance that family and ruling is given in this story.

This is a great book for a small breather for readers of longer YA fantasy series as it stands by its own (but I wouldn't mind another one set in this world!) and with all the plots, the ambiance, the romance and everything in between, makes it an enjoyable ride.

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goatsinspace's review

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  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 When Princess Jiara's elder sister Scilla is murdered, her angry ghost seeks retribution until the killer is found. Amidst mourning, an unexpected proposal arises: Jiara is asked to stand in as the bride for her sister's intended spouse, sealing an alliance with the other kingdom. Plagued by dyslexia and not speaking the language of her new kingdom, Jiara's trepidation intensifies. When she uncovers that the assassin's origin is within her new domain, she sees an opportunity to unveil the truth and end her sister's tormenting spirit. To save her family and herself, she embarks on a perilous quest to unmask the killer before becoming their next victim.

This has a great amount of world-building and political machinations. I loved that the main character is dyslexic and how she works to make it a strength. Great story! 

garbutch's review

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5.0

This is some high quality fantasy and the use of sensitivity readers definitely shows. The pacing is fast and the disability rep is excellent IMO. One thing I want to note is that while the protagonist gets married at 17, the nuances of her being a minor at the beginning of that are addressed with grace, IMO. If you're reading this while the review is fresh enough for me to remember the details, feel free to ask. But I stayed up to read this so I'm going to wrap this up.

I also very much love that queerness is a part of this worldbuilding so casually. Even though there are no nonbinary main characters, it's addressed that these people exist and it's mentioned several times that there are people in different cultures that "aren't completely men or women" and it's just. Really nice to feel included in a story setting without it being a throwaway comment made just the once. It's seamless.

catleesi's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

lulu_readsalot's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

It was entertaining, had a good pace, magical elements and intrigue!
The fact that the author casually includes LGBTQ+ characters in this type of novel (young adult romance and magic) is different and very welcomed.