A review by indigoquill
A Dragonbird in the Fern by Laura Rueckert

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.