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A review by katies_bookshelf
A Dragonbird in the Fern by Laura Rueckert
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.