The Language of the Birds by K.A. Merson is interesting. It is not my usual type of book, but I enjoy it when young adults are solving a mystery, so I tried it.

Arizona is out one and come home to her airstream which has been ransacked and her mother missing. She finds a note. Her father took a secret with him and Now Arizona needs to solve it.
I liked the writing -- The story was interesting with all the coding and chasing to find the lost secret.

Thank you NetGallery for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is very different than anything I have ever read before. You definitely need a lot of brain power to understand this book, and it is not a book to pickup if you are in the mood for a light read. That being said, K.A. Merson is a genius. I have no idea how he was able to write all of those poems and ciphers, and connect all of these clues to create the treasure hunt that ensued. The beginning of the book was hard for me to get into, but I got hooked at the end and couldn’t put it down. I did end up skimming over some of the parts explaining how Arizona decrypted the messages, but besides that I enjoyed this book a lot. I also learned a lot of U.S. history in this book, which is always a plus for me.

I’d definitely be interested in a sequel to this book!

The Language of the Birds is a fun mystery book for young adults. The main character, Arizona, is a smart teen who loves puzzles and codes. When her mom gets kidnapped, Arizona goes on a thrilling adventure to save her. She travels across the U.S., solving clues and uncovering secrets.

The book is a great blend of history and adventure. While some parts might be a bit much to believe, it's still a fun and exciting read.

I thought the author did a great job crafting a really intriguing storyline that gave me a bit of a YA National Treasure vibe.
I think that the inclusion of the puzzles really made the Mystery fun and the overall storyline standout to me. The plot has a great flow to it and I was invested in trying to solve the Mystery right alongside Arizona.
I'm looking forward to picking up a copy for my teens when this book is released and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you K.A. Merson, Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed it. Sort of The Hunger Games meets The Lost Symbol. The young girl is very resourceful in solving the many puzzles and riddles with which she is presented. Enjoyable, worthwhile and recommended.

This book grabs you from the very first page, and keeps you moving through the story at a very intriguing pace. Everyone sees something of themselves and their own insecurities in Arizona and celebrate with her when she finds her strength and confidence. The puzzles and riddles are sometimes a little overwhelming, but they are also well defined and explained and carry us to the conclusion with a great deal of skill. The overall themes of confidence, intelligence, trust and family are relatable and heartwarming. This story holds intrigue, mystery, conspiracy and all that makes us good humans.

The concept of code deciphering is what drew me to this book. I thought that aspect of it was really well done and did indeed give National Treasure vibes. Enjoyable read.

When seventeen-year-old Arizona’s mother goes missing on a family trip, Arizona tells herself not to worry. Until she finds her family’s Airstream ransacked—and the ominous note on the counter. Incredibly, impossibly, her mother has been kidnapped. Even more bizarre are the terms of the ransom: The kidnappers believe that Arizona’s dead father took some sort of great secret to his grave—and to get her mother back safely, Arizona must now uncover it for them.

If Arizona were a “normal” teenager, she’d have no idea what to do. Luckily, Arizona’s anything but normal. Like her father, she’s more comfortable with books than with people, and inordinately fond of puzzles, codes, and riddles—and she soon realizes that the trail begins with a cipher that points her West, to the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

I've got mixed feelings about this one. I liked the mystery of this, but Arizona was an odd character to me. I think smart teens will love this, although I only felt meh about it. I am probably the wrong audience for it, because it wasn't a bad book. 3.5⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

The Language of the Birds introduces us to a neurodivergent teen protagonist with a talent for deciphering codes and ciphers. Arizona and her mother are still grieving the loss of her father while traveling by camper through the Sierra Nevadas. When her mother is kidnapped, Arizona is forced to decipher ancient clues dealing in alchemy to get her other back. Arizona sets out on a challenging quest while making new friends and exploring US history to uncover the secret language of the birds. This was a cool read that is like a teenage version of the Da Vinci Code or the National Treasure series. Arizona is a likable, smart character that will have you rooting from the sidelines and holding out for more Arizona books. My voluntary, unbiased, and non-mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Kidnapping, puzzles left behind by a dead father and a great secret to uncover. Definitely gave me Inheritance Games vibes.

The Language of the Birds is a fantastic read about a teen girl trying to solve the death of her father and save her mother by decrypting a verse relating to the Golden Dawn and its adherents. Most of the facts about the symbolism around the Hoover Dam are really true which makes the story even more interesting. Arizona is meticulous in her research taking the reader to many places. I highly recommend this book; I could barely put it down.

This was a fantastic book. I really enjoyed every second I spent reading it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you to the publisher for a digital ARC!
With her father dead and her mom kidnapped, Arizona must solve increasingly difficult ciphers to gain her mother's release. Arizona is brilliant, a bit of a savant. So while the ciphers are challenging, they are definitely not impossible. What Arizona uncovers along the way, however, is truly unbelievable. Fortunately she has Mojo, her dog, to help ground her. And she makes a new friend, Lily - like the flower - who brings a surprisingly wonderful new dimension to her life.

I really enjoyed this book - I enjoyed meeting Arizona and her dog Mojo. Does Arizona accomplish seemingly impossible tasks? You betcha! But it's still a whirlwind of an adventure/mystery tale. I hope there are other puzzles and mysteries for her to solve!

This is a solidly written and exciting book! The protagonist, although never being specifically labeled, is obviously neurodivergent and I could really relate to many of the issues that she deals with. I was able to be almost step in step with her puzzle solving and it sent me down several research rabbit holes, since most of the accompanying information actually had a pretty good basis in fact. I look forward to seeing more from this author!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 rounded up

Overall, this was a super fun read. It was recommended as the perfect read for fans of the National Treasure series, and I do believe it falls into that genre. The use of Western United States history and historical figures create a really wonderful adventure story. I did find the tone to be a little hard to read at times but when a character like Arizona is very much coded to be neurodivergent, it makes sense that the tone is meant to replicate that. While I loved the use of codes and ciphers within the story, at times the multiple pages of explanation as to how Arizona was decoded felt overwhelming. Some chapters had more cipher decoding than plot progression. The ending also felt lack luster given how action packed the story was. It felt as if Arizona and the other characters struggled for nothing. I think that this book could be a 5 star read for the right audience and I did have fun reading it.

This was a bit out of the ordinary for me, but overall enjoyable. One thing I really liked was all of the images included in the Kindle version of this book. There were drawings and maps and other fun things to make the story come to life more.

Arizona's skills for deciphering codes and messages was amazing, well beyond anything usual. I also enjoyed Arizona's navigation of relationships.

Overall, this was a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley, K.A. Merson, and Ballantine Books for this ARC!

Thanks for the review copy. This is an intriguing debut. I liked how accessible the book is and the cover.

This was fantastic! I saw my neurodivergent self reflected back at me by Arizona, the main character. I was pleasantly sucked into the story from the beginning. This was an experience I will never forget!

I certainly don’t have the Mensa qualifications of the protagonist, Arizona, but I am very impressed by the author’s crafting of this story. It is an amazing detective story. I was worried that Arizona’s new friend might prove to be more of a bad connection, which added more suspense to her work of discovery. Her dad’s death, her mom’s disappearance, the ranger maybe not a ranger…problem after problem! By accepting that Arizona’s work in solving the puzzle was beyond my knowledge bank, I appreciated a well crafted work. Well worth the read!

Arizona, a brilliant and unique teenager, must use all her wits to save her mother and solve an ancient mystery regarding alchemy. There are numerous codes, puzzles, and associations that she must unravel if she's ever going to see her mother again. This is a young adult book that will grab people like Arizona as they stay with her throughout this puzzle-solving and head-scratching story.