Scan barcode
A review by yazthebookish
A Dragonbird in the Fern by Laura Rueckert
4.0
4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Goodbye for now, Scilla. We’ll find your killer, and you’ll have eternal peace. I promise.
A Dragonbird in the Fern I found to be a delightful read. It had almost everything I enjoy in a fantasy book, lush world-building, court politics, mystery intrigue, and a sweet romance blooming between a couple brought together by an arranged marriage. Princess Jiara of Azzaria and King Raffar of Farnskager.
It's a YA fantasy set between fantastical kingdom called Azzaria and Farnskager. While the world-building is not complex but it is lush and it was unique in its own right. There was a stark difference between the setting from when the characters where in Azzaria to Farnskager. I felt wholly immersed into the world.
The story is narrated through Princess Jiara's POV. She is the younger sister of the murdered Princess Scilla whose killer roams freely while Scilla's soul is trapped on earth. The deceased souls who have not ascended are called Earthwalkers and the longer their soul remains on the earth they become more bitter and violent. They are the equivalent of ghosts haunting their families and even causing them harm until their killers are found and brought to justice so they can find peace and leave the earth.
Even with the death of Azzaria's oldest princess and King Raffar's former betrothed, royalty are expected to keep a tough front and do whatever they can for the sake of their Kingdom and thus Jiara finds herself to be betrothed to King Raffar. Jiara is conflicted between moving on to a new life and finding her sister's killer so she can find peace at last and no longer haunt her and their family.
What I really loved about Jiara and Raffar's relationship is that it was so sweet and wholesome. There is a language barrier between them and Jiara being a Dyslexic person even though it wasn't a familiar concept to her people, she struggled with learning and understanding his language and Raffar was kind and patient with her. I just adored how their interactions evolved and how they found their way around the language barrier to communicate.
The romance is so, so sweet and it has the delicious slow-burn that I enjoy when it comes to arranged marriage couples.
I must applause the author for the disability representation in the book. I appreciated the note at the end of the book about Dyslexia and how people with Dyslexia have different experiences with it.
In A Dragonbird in the Fern, Jiara is never diagnosed with dyslexia, and her society doesn’t understand it. She lives her entire life mistakenly believing she isn’t as smart as her siblings who can read faster and speak better.
While I do feel like I outgrew YA fantasy but this one was a light read and such an immersive read. My only complaint would be that the suspect was easy to predict and the story towards the end felt rushed.
I do think a 4-star rating is fair, I did enjoy it!
Goodbye for now, Scilla. We’ll find your killer, and you’ll have eternal peace. I promise.
A Dragonbird in the Fern I found to be a delightful read. It had almost everything I enjoy in a fantasy book, lush world-building, court politics, mystery intrigue, and a sweet romance blooming between a couple brought together by an arranged marriage. Princess Jiara of Azzaria and King Raffar of Farnskager.
It's a YA fantasy set between fantastical kingdom called Azzaria and Farnskager. While the world-building is not complex but it is lush and it was unique in its own right. There was a stark difference between the setting from when the characters where in Azzaria to Farnskager. I felt wholly immersed into the world.
The story is narrated through Princess Jiara's POV. She is the younger sister of the murdered Princess Scilla whose killer roams freely while Scilla's soul is trapped on earth. The deceased souls who have not ascended are called Earthwalkers and the longer their soul remains on the earth they become more bitter and violent. They are the equivalent of ghosts haunting their families and even causing them harm until their killers are found and brought to justice so they can find peace and leave the earth.
Even with the death of Azzaria's oldest princess and King Raffar's former betrothed, royalty are expected to keep a tough front and do whatever they can for the sake of their Kingdom and thus Jiara finds herself to be betrothed to King Raffar. Jiara is conflicted between moving on to a new life and finding her sister's killer so she can find peace at last and no longer haunt her and their family.
What I really loved about Jiara and Raffar's relationship is that it was so sweet and wholesome. There is a language barrier between them and Jiara being a Dyslexic person even though it wasn't a familiar concept to her people, she struggled with learning and understanding his language and Raffar was kind and patient with her. I just adored how their interactions evolved and how they found their way around the language barrier to communicate.
The romance is so, so sweet and it has the delicious slow-burn that I enjoy when it comes to arranged marriage couples.
I must applause the author for the disability representation in the book. I appreciated the note at the end of the book about Dyslexia and how people with Dyslexia have different experiences with it.
In A Dragonbird in the Fern, Jiara is never diagnosed with dyslexia, and her society doesn’t understand it. She lives her entire life mistakenly believing she isn’t as smart as her siblings who can read faster and speak better.
While I do feel like I outgrew YA fantasy but this one was a light read and such an immersive read. My only complaint would be that the suspect was easy to predict and the story towards the end felt rushed.
I do think a 4-star rating is fair, I did enjoy it!