Scan barcode
indigoquill's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
4.0
What a fun book! A Dragonbird in the Fern is a fast paced, immersive, light fantasy debut.
Our protagonist, Princess Jiara, is determined to discover who killed her older sister, Scilla–or risk losing her own life if she doesn’t find out the truth quick enough. And if being haunted by her sister’s vengeful ghost isn’t enough, Jiara takes Scilla’s place as the bride of King Raffer, ruler of a neighboring country.
I wanted this to be a five star read so bad! The elements are there; the execution left me wanting more from such a fascinating concept.
The strongest aspect of this book is the worldbuilding. Both Jiara’s kingdom, Azzaria, and Raffar’s kingdom, Farnskag, are incredibly well fleshed out. You can feel the passion Laura Rueckert has for her world, and I love when authors let their love for their creation shine through on the page.
I’m in the minority here, but I also adored the relationship between Jiara and Raffar. They don’t speak the same language–though Jiara does her best to learn his despite how difficult dyslexia makes that goal–and I enjoyed seeing them learn how to communicate with one another. Their relationship as a whole is a bit insta-lovey in all honestly. Still, I can forgive that solely because I appreciated that Raffar is a sweet character. It’s a refreshing take on the arranged marriage trope.
I do think the plot dragged a bit toward the middle of the book. There’s a lot of focus on language lessons and learning a new culture with the occasional reminder that yes, there’s still a murder to solve! I figured out the ending somewhere around the 45% mark, though I enjoyed the story enough to continue reading.
Overall, I wish there was more I could sink my teeth into in this book. It’s very straightforward at times, with the main focus shining on learning a new culture/how to be a queen instead of the murder mystery aspect.
I hope Laura Rueckert writes more books in the future! (Maybe even return to this world someday?) Her ideas are a much-needed breath of fresh air in YA. I'd certainly recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy entry into the fantasy genre.
satan_is_back's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tinysongstress's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
goblin_reaper's review
4.0
Those no longer here left so much behind. Expectations, reputations.
I was provided the opportunity to read and review this great book, thanks to NetGalley.
Princess Jiara Ginevoradaag of Azzaria is seventeen years old, with five months to go until she becomes eighteen. She is a bright and smart character, but she has doubts about her reading and writing skills. She feels she isn't good enough and that she isn't as clever as those around her since she is dyslexic without realizing it. Scilla, her three-year-older sister, was engaged to King Raffar Perssuun Daggsuun of Farnskag, while Jiara, on her 18th birthday, would become engaged to Duke Marro Berdonando Riccardi of Flissina, northern territory in Azzaria near Loftaria. (OMG I had a hard time typing out those names.)Jiara's world is flipped upside down when Scilla is murdered. Scilla becomes an earth walker, a type of murder victim consumed by anger and capable of harming the living. (And I love, love, love ferocious ghosts.)
During the three months of mourning known as the Time of Tears, the Farnskagers arrive early for a prearranged meeting to pay their respects to Scilla. Raffar, who became the ruling king three years ago when he was sixteen after losing his parents, leads the party with his translator, Aldar Anzgarsuun. Queen Ginevora of Azzaria, Jiara's mother, devises a fresh scheme to betroth Raffar and Jiara to preserve the alliance between their nations, as Farnskag requires Azzaria's ports and Azzaria requires them should Loftaria invade. Jiara travels to Farnskag when the two of them marry, which is where the main story begins. Not only is there a lot of political intrigue going on, but Jiara also has to live with her new husband in a foreign country where she doesn't speak the language or understand the culture. On top of that, she is adamant about finding Scilla's killer. There are a couple of times in the story where we see her being vulnerable. Despite her inability to speak, Jiara put herself out there, and it was amazing to watch her form bonds with her guards and her people. We were also able to witness her tenacity. She was dead set on learning Farnskag traditions and language to track out her sister's killer. She took chances, was hurt, and went to great lengths to discover the murderer. She is a great heroine who will always hold a special place in my heart.
Raffar. Oh, Raffar. They may not have known one other well and may have struggled to communicate, but no one can dispute that they were special. It was wonderful to watch their connection blossom over the course of the book. My heartstrings were tugged by Raffar's modest attempts to put her at ease.
In this novel, all of the characters are likable. I like how Jiara and Rafaar's relationship was developing. I appreciate that the protagonist isn't flawless and has weaknesses. I also like Jiara's ability to learn how to be a queen and, despite making errors, swiftly learn from them. She's a formidable character.
While the main characters were not LGBTQ+, there were queer and trans characters, and because this was a supernatural realm, there was no prejudice or discrimination, which was great.
The story begins in the kingdom of Azzaria, which is located near the ocean on the southern edge of the continent, with Glizerra as its capital. Its relationship with Loftaria, their northern neighbor, is tense. Farnskag, with its capital city of Baaldarstad, is on the other side of Loftaria. Svertya is to the east of these countries, while Stӓrkland is to the west. Although the narrative takes place mostly in Azzaria and Farnskag, all of the nations are represented in some way across the pages.
The 2 main countries in the narrative, as well as their peoples, were lively and clearly characterized. And there was no information dump; whatever we learned came to us naturally, piece by little.
It began out exciting, but once Jiara arrived at her new home, there was a long period when nothing much happened. She was only trying to fit in, learning a new language and looking for any clues to her sister's death. It wasn't boring, but it moved slowly. There were also no surprises or plot twists.
It's written in the first person, which I don't mind, but I wish it alternated with other characters' perspectives. The entire time was spent with Jiara, and we only saw what she did and her own ideas. It would have been more fascinating if more people had been involved.
Overall, this was a pretty well-written and well-thought-out story. There's a lot of suspense at the start, especially when it comes to the murder. The author did a fantastic job of keeping the story intriguing as it became increasingly predictable about how it would end. Jiara's experience, ideas, and feelings were at the core of the tale. In most cases, this would irritate me as a reader, but the author handled it so effectively and with such purpose that I like the way it was written. Even though this is a stand-alone novel, I would like to read more stories set in this universe since it was so beautifully detailed and intriguing. Without a doubt, I would read any and all of this author's books!
My only criticism of A Dragonbird in the Fern is that it was a little too straightforward and predictable for me at points. Because I like complicated fiction with plenty of twists and turns, I guessed the narrative twist in this novel nearly right away. I was expecting additional disclosures near the conclusion of the twist to add to the intricacy. However, this had only a little influence on my pleasure of the narrative, and it is highly personal criticism.
A Dragonbird in the Fern was an incredible debut novel that I couldn't put down. I was worried that as a standalone fantasy novel, there wouldn't be enough world-building or character development; nevertheless, this novel exceeded my expectations, and I can't wait to read more from this author.
I would highly suggest this book to anybody seeking a light fantasy.
I was provided the opportunity to read and review this great book, thanks to NetGalley.
Princess Jiara Ginevoradaag of Azzaria is seventeen years old, with five months to go until she becomes eighteen. She is a bright and smart character, but she has doubts about her reading and writing skills. She feels she isn't good enough and that she isn't as clever as those around her since she is dyslexic without realizing it. Scilla, her three-year-older sister, was engaged to King Raffar Perssuun Daggsuun of Farnskag, while Jiara, on her 18th birthday, would become engaged to Duke Marro Berdonando Riccardi of Flissina, northern territory in Azzaria near Loftaria. (OMG I had a hard time typing out those names.)Jiara's world is flipped upside down when Scilla is murdered. Scilla becomes an earth walker, a type of murder victim consumed by anger and capable of harming the living. (And I love, love, love ferocious ghosts.)
During the three months of mourning known as the Time of Tears, the Farnskagers arrive early for a prearranged meeting to pay their respects to Scilla. Raffar, who became the ruling king three years ago when he was sixteen after losing his parents, leads the party with his translator, Aldar Anzgarsuun. Queen Ginevora of Azzaria, Jiara's mother, devises a fresh scheme to betroth Raffar and Jiara to preserve the alliance between their nations, as Farnskag requires Azzaria's ports and Azzaria requires them should Loftaria invade. Jiara travels to Farnskag when the two of them marry, which is where the main story begins. Not only is there a lot of political intrigue going on, but Jiara also has to live with her new husband in a foreign country where she doesn't speak the language or understand the culture. On top of that, she is adamant about finding Scilla's killer. There are a couple of times in the story where we see her being vulnerable. Despite her inability to speak, Jiara put herself out there, and it was amazing to watch her form bonds with her guards and her people. We were also able to witness her tenacity. She was dead set on learning Farnskag traditions and language to track out her sister's killer. She took chances, was hurt, and went to great lengths to discover the murderer. She is a great heroine who will always hold a special place in my heart.
Raffar. Oh, Raffar. They may not have known one other well and may have struggled to communicate, but no one can dispute that they were special. It was wonderful to watch their connection blossom over the course of the book. My heartstrings were tugged by Raffar's modest attempts to put her at ease.
In this novel, all of the characters are likable. I like how Jiara and Rafaar's relationship was developing. I appreciate that the protagonist isn't flawless and has weaknesses. I also like Jiara's ability to learn how to be a queen and, despite making errors, swiftly learn from them. She's a formidable character.
While the main characters were not LGBTQ+, there were queer and trans characters, and because this was a supernatural realm, there was no prejudice or discrimination, which was great.
The story begins in the kingdom of Azzaria, which is located near the ocean on the southern edge of the continent, with Glizerra as its capital. Its relationship with Loftaria, their northern neighbor, is tense. Farnskag, with its capital city of Baaldarstad, is on the other side of Loftaria. Svertya is to the east of these countries, while Stӓrkland is to the west. Although the narrative takes place mostly in Azzaria and Farnskag, all of the nations are represented in some way across the pages.
The 2 main countries in the narrative, as well as their peoples, were lively and clearly characterized. And there was no information dump; whatever we learned came to us naturally, piece by little.
It began out exciting, but once Jiara arrived at her new home, there was a long period when nothing much happened. She was only trying to fit in, learning a new language and looking for any clues to her sister's death. It wasn't boring, but it moved slowly. There were also no surprises or plot twists.
It's written in the first person, which I don't mind, but I wish it alternated with other characters' perspectives. The entire time was spent with Jiara, and we only saw what she did and her own ideas. It would have been more fascinating if more people had been involved.
Overall, this was a pretty well-written and well-thought-out story. There's a lot of suspense at the start, especially when it comes to the murder. The author did a fantastic job of keeping the story intriguing as it became increasingly predictable about how it would end. Jiara's experience, ideas, and feelings were at the core of the tale. In most cases, this would irritate me as a reader, but the author handled it so effectively and with such purpose that I like the way it was written. Even though this is a stand-alone novel, I would like to read more stories set in this universe since it was so beautifully detailed and intriguing. Without a doubt, I would read any and all of this author's books!
My only criticism of A Dragonbird in the Fern is that it was a little too straightforward and predictable for me at points. Because I like complicated fiction with plenty of twists and turns, I guessed the narrative twist in this novel nearly right away. I was expecting additional disclosures near the conclusion of the twist to add to the intricacy. However, this had only a little influence on my pleasure of the narrative, and it is highly personal criticism.
A Dragonbird in the Fern was an incredible debut novel that I couldn't put down. I was worried that as a standalone fantasy novel, there wouldn't be enough world-building or character development; nevertheless, this novel exceeded my expectations, and I can't wait to read more from this author.
I would highly suggest this book to anybody seeking a light fantasy.
thebookishren's review
4.0
What an interesting concept and unique twist on the ever thrilling “new girl in a new place” trope I tend to enjoy! What made this story so interesting was the added layer of dyslexia to the plot. The language barrier was probably my favorite aspect of this story, especially with the conversation progression between Jiara and Raffar. This story was a wonderful representation of how difficult basic communication can be for individuals who suffer from communicative disorders. Toss that into a language barrier and the angst and truth behind that whole plot point is fantastic!
The romance was YA. The thoughts were a little more mature, but in the grand scheme of things this was a juvenile, slow-burn romance that was really more of a side plot. Actually, I felt like there were multiple side plots (ghost, language barrier, romance, assassin) woven together without much of a central plot. If this were any other genre it might not work but I found it made this extraordinary tale more enjoyable in the end.
readingwithpapillons's review
4.0
Big thanks to FluxBooks/Netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book ❤️
As soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis of this book I new I had to give it a go. And it definitely did not disappoint. I really really enjoyed reading this!
Firstly wanted to mention, holy damn this book has amazing world building, the detailing in the writing was spot on. You could really imagine how beautiful the world was, especially at certain times
I always found myself super intrigued as to what was going to happen next.
I really felt like this was such a unique murder mystery story, so so different from your typical murder mystery.
I loved the tensions that were brought on from the murder of Jiara’s sister Scila, this is a major part that keeps you really wanting to keep going and see what happens with Scila’s Ghost and what she will do.
The characters I did feel like could have had more to them, they felt a bit plain and simple. However I still adored the relationship between Jiara and Raffar, at some points I was really out here smiling and thinking awww. Their whole relationship was just so so sweet.
I did like the idea of the language barrier and watching Jiara struggle to learn a new language to she couldn’t communicate with her new husband, but I feel like this also may have contributed to having both characters a bit plain, especially Raffar. Nonetheless I still loved both characters and both have a special place in my heart.
Throughout the whole book I was pretty invested but it was about the last quarter or so I was like omg.must.keep.reading. Forget eating, forget doing literally anything else other than reading. All the plot twists were awesome
Another thing I wanted to mention, I love how instead of common horses, it was elephant birds
As soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis of this book I new I had to give it a go. And it definitely did not disappoint. I really really enjoyed reading this!
Firstly wanted to mention, holy damn this book has amazing world building, the detailing in the writing was spot on. You could really imagine how beautiful the world was, especially at certain times
I always found myself super intrigued as to what was going to happen next.
I really felt like this was such a unique murder mystery story, so so different from your typical murder mystery.
I loved the tensions that were brought on from the murder of Jiara’s sister Scila, this is a major part that keeps you really wanting to keep going and see what happens with Scila’s Ghost and what she will do.
The characters I did feel like could have had more to them, they felt a bit plain and simple. However I still adored the relationship between Jiara and Raffar, at some points I was really out here smiling and thinking awww. Their whole relationship was just so so sweet.
I did like the idea of the language barrier and watching Jiara struggle to learn a new language to she couldn’t communicate with her new husband, but I feel like this also may have contributed to having both characters a bit plain, especially Raffar. Nonetheless I still loved both characters and both have a special place in my heart.
Throughout the whole book I was pretty invested but it was about the last quarter or so I was like omg.must.keep.reading. Forget eating, forget doing literally anything else other than reading. All the plot twists were awesome
Another thing I wanted to mention, I love how instead of common horses, it was elephant birds
katies_bookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
I loved this book. I DEVOURED this book. I stayed up until 4am to finish this book because I simply could not fathom going to bed without all the answers.
The world-building was wonderful - the setup of the world was well-spaced out and without large blocks of dense exposition. At the same time, whenever a new element of the world was introduced, there was just enough explanation to make sure we were not completely lost when it came to this world's vocabulary.
I love stories about characters who end up immersed in a language wholly unfamiliar to them and watching them slowly learn the language and grow more confident in their surroundings.
Jiara was great. She wasn't afraid to feel her feelings, but also always got back up and did what she needed to do. I loved watching Jiara grow as a character and become more confident in herself.
The romance in the book felt like a relatively minor subplot compared to Jiara learning to navigate her new linguistic, cultural, and political surroundings and searching for her sister's killer, but I loved all of what we got from it. Raffar was so incredibly sweet and watching their relationship blossom from acquaintance, to affection, to love gave me so many warm, fuzzy feelings. I wish we saw a little more of Jiara and Raffar together after the major plots had been resolved, like in the epilogue, but their romance didn't really seem to be the main point of the novel so I understand why we didn't. (That being said, I would read a million pages of pure fluff about Jiara and Raffar going about their daily lives together!)
The learning disability rep was great, and the side characters were chock full of LGBTQIA+ rep.
I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good fantasy/murder mystery book, or someone who had stepped away from fantasy for a while (like I had) and is looking to get drawn back in.
The world-building was wonderful - the setup of the world was well-spaced out and without large blocks of dense exposition. At the same time, whenever a new element of the world was introduced, there was just enough explanation to make sure we were not completely lost when it came to this world's vocabulary.
I love stories about characters who end up immersed in a language wholly unfamiliar to them and watching them slowly learn the language and grow more confident in their surroundings.
Jiara was great. She wasn't afraid to feel her feelings, but also always got back up and did what she needed to do. I loved watching Jiara grow as a character and become more confident in herself.
The romance in the book felt like a relatively minor subplot compared to Jiara learning to navigate her new linguistic, cultural, and political surroundings and searching for her sister's killer, but I loved all of what we got from it. Raffar was so incredibly sweet and watching their relationship blossom from acquaintance, to affection, to love gave me so many warm, fuzzy feelings. I wish we saw a little more of Jiara and Raffar together after the major plots had been resolved, like in the epilogue, but their romance didn't really seem to be the main point of the novel so I understand why we didn't. (That being said, I would read a million pages of pure fluff about Jiara and Raffar going about their daily lives together!)
The learning disability rep was great, and the side characters were chock full of LGBTQIA+ rep.
I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good fantasy/murder mystery book, or someone who had stepped away from fantasy for a while (like I had) and is looking to get drawn back in.
olivia_meret's review
4.0
Princess Jiara’s sister is murdered and before her sister’s spirit can find rest her murder must be solved. To find the killer before her sister's spirit turns violent, Jiara travels to a neighboring country to investigate by marrying that country’s king, her sister’s intended husband.
This was a great debut! The build up in romance was sweet, the mystery was intriguing, the world was well built and surprisingly expansive. It was fun to watch Jiara learn the culture and language and come to love her new husband and country. Recommend for all the YA Fantasy Romance lovers
eARC received in exchange for an honest review.
This was a great debut! The build up in romance was sweet, the mystery was intriguing, the world was well built and surprisingly expansive. It was fun to watch Jiara learn the culture and language and come to love her new husband and country. Recommend for all the YA Fantasy Romance lovers
eARC received in exchange for an honest review.