This novel appealed to the parts of me that love a good puzzle to figure out. It definitely gave me National Treasure vibes. Arizona was a very likeable character and had me rooting for her to outsmart the adults the entire book. It slowed down a little for me in the parts that had a lot of ciphers. Unfortunately, my knowledge of ciphers is not up to par with Arizona which left me a little bored in some parts. Overall this book was well written and kept me interested throughout.

The Language of the Birds by K. A. Merson

What an interesting read! I think this book should be read in “real book” form…not on the Kindle or listened to as an audiobook. The book contains maps, long codes, and poetry stanzas that really should be seen on a page. They all add to the story. I received the advanced reader’s copy on my Kindle. I was not able to enlarge the visuals, but it would have been extremely helpful to do so. If you use the Kindle app on your phone or iPad, you can probably enlarge the visuals. Please keep this in mind when you purchase or borrow, because I think it matters.

I really enjoyed this book. It isn’t perfect, but I found it very close. The subject matter is right up my alley. I love puzzles to work and codes to break. These codes are difficult but fun! The descriptions of how Arizona deciphers these codes are well-written and very descriptive. The solutions are a bit complicated, so if you aren’t into deciphering codes, you should push through those sections and continue on. I think the story holds up even without getting into the weeds with the codes. I love the codes and Arizona’s work to break them, but I know that is not for everyone.

This book reminds me of the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code, etc.) until about halfway through the book, and then Birds begins to take its own path. I was glad when it did. I love Dan Brown’s books, and I didn’t want this book to be a copycat. It’s not. Birds is its own original story.

Merson does a great job of not revealing things too soon. I make some assumptions as we all do when reading mysteries. Sometimes I end up being correct and sometimes not. I prefer to be wrong. I find those stories more interesting. The more twists the better in my opinion.

Arizona is a different kind of girl. I feared her personal quirks and natural tendencies would bug me. They did not. I just got used to her and came to really like her. I think this is another great job by the author.

I will not give away the ending, but I will say that I am pleased with it. As I have said in many other reviews, endings are difficult. I am always happy when the author makes the ending work. Merson did.

Star rating: 4 stars

This was a great book! I really liked the puzzles, mysteries, and clues the main character was getting through from the father. I really enjoyed the mystery and how the pacing of this book was. I loved that it was thought-provoking. I think the characters were well developed too


Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

The publisher Random House sent me pre-approval through NetGalley. I’ll always take these on, even if I might not have chosen it first. I'm glad I did.

Right off, I’m not a present tense fan, but as is usual, I got used to it pretty quickly. There will be the inevitable comparisons to The Da Vinci Code (there already are), Andy Weir's The Martian (the author thanked Weir in his Acknowledgements*). I enjoyed Dan Brown's book when it came out, and I enjoyed this one (before it comes out).

So, our protagonist is a not-of-the-age-of-consent (her words) seventeen year old neurodivergent and gifted girl.

“I’m just trying to protect you.”
“Just because I have some disorders—”
“Differences,” Mom says, “not disorders. And everyone is different.”

If anything at all in this book speaks to me…this. I have a version of ADHD, and I don’t think it’s a deficiency or a disorder, rather, a difference as she says here. I have been evangelizing this for years. And I have friends with adult children who have autism - they are different yes, and they have a place in the world. And and (how many postscripts do I need??), the puzzles speak as well. I had a fascination long ago, and long since set aside, with cryptography. These are cleverly crafted. Some might chose to skip past them, as I know some did with Weir's mathematical calcs, but I love the stuff.

The action moves quickly, and geographically quickly as well. The story engaged me enough that after splitting time with another ARC, at about a third through I focused only on this book until I finished.

One nitpick is that the mysterious villains come off as cartoon/B-movie bad guys in their speech. It stands out compared to the main story line, as Arizona is quite smart and written that way. Another is her access to funds, but that's easy to sidestep.

There’s a connection for me at the end of Part II, and a wee bit of belief suspension knowing what I know about San Nicolas Island. Of interest only to me, I was the Assistant Public Works Officer (Navy) 1997-99 at what is now Naval Base Ventura County, in charge of the maintenance of the facilities on land and on the island. I did get to spend a few nights a couple of times out there, visiting with the folks who worked in my division and I also designed a barge landing floating pier so that we could still bring bulk material out during the times the elephant seals were occupying the beach without disturbing their nesting. Sadly, the archeological sites were off limits to everyone but the archeologists. Oh, and I did see an Island Fox.

I like looking up, and sometimes reading jumping off points. Some of the texts referenced in the story:
Roger Bacon, “Epistle on the Secret Works of Art and the Nullity of Magic"
{Lookup/find}

[Arizona] Finds a link to the full searchable text of De Re Metallica.
{As Mr. Merson says, it's real. Project Gutenberg has a copy in case you are interested.}

Alchemy and its Mute Book by Canseliet
This is an uncommon book, rather obscure, so cool that it was included. And,
[From the Author's Note] There is an admonition near the end of Mutus Liber — Lege, lege, lege, relege, labora et invenies. It translates roughly as: Read, read, read, read again, work and discover.
{The is an early copy of this available on the Library of Congress website. The Canseliet book is available through retail sources. Have fun}

* The author acknowledges...
Stephen King, thank you so much for your stories and for your book On Writing. It was On Writing that inspired me to take this effort seriously.
{on my List}
Andy Weir, for demonstrating how science and math writing can be eminently accessible.
{Yes!}
Blake Crouch, for your stories that blend—and bend—genre so seamlessly.
{I've read seven of Crouch's works so far. I agree]
Stieg Larsson, for your inspirational heroine in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
{I only read the first. She was pretty badass.}

Precocious girl (think Lisbeth Salander) becomes an expert in breaking various codes and ciphers (think Robert Langdon) to solve her father's death/murder while her mother is held captive by some nefarious and mysterious criminals. While the potential for meme/trope/well-worn plot points is huge, Merson steers clear of them and keeps the action going and the code-solving thick. If you liked the two series mentioned, you will find this mystery interesting and the situations just real enough to keep you guessing about what happens to the characters, both good and bad, and produces an enjoyable read.

I was 100 pages into this book when I stopped reading it. I'm just not the right audience. I found the solving of the three ciphers rather tedious and the conclusions to each a stretch. What I did find fascinating was the young heroine Arizona. She is a mensa genius who looks at the world analytically and has difficulty relating to people. Hence the three star rating.

For folks who are real puzzle addicts and love the southwest this will be a fantastic read.

Wow; I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. Arizona is truly a determined and extremely intelligent girl. Solving the puzzles and ciphers was wild to watch unfold. Gave me DaVinci Code/Natural Treasures vibe the hunt for ancient things that were hidden. I loved that she stepped outside of her comfort zone and made some friends along the way. Such a fantastic journey, written so well you feel a part of it!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Random House / Ballatine Books to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Language of the Birds by KA Merson.

This is a fascinating book. Seventeen year old Arizona, and her mom and their dog Mojo set out on a trip in their Airstream, not long after Arizona's father died in a motorcycle accident. But when Mom goes missing and the trailer is ransacked, Arizona starts to uncover a plot leading back to her father and a secret he may have taken to his grave.

There's great scenery and really great character development. Much of the story is Arizona solving ciphers and other puzzles left by the kidnappers. Mom meanwhile escapes a couple of times but is always found by the bad guys. Arizona quickly learns she cannot trust anyone.

The pacing is great, the writing is great. Some of the puzzle deciphering was a bit tedious but my brain appreciated it nonetheless.

This was a good book, but I found the need to cram as many obscure words as possible to be annoying. I understand that the main character was super smart, but I have a pretty large vocabulary and had to look up so many words that it took away from my enjoyment of the book. I like the idea of the codes and the mystery of it, but in some spots, it felt like a low budget Da Vinci Code. Pretty solid effort, but I feel like this could’ve been executed better. Arizona was also extremely irritating in parts, Lily was much more likable.

This is my kinda story--puzzles, mystery, and adventure. In a few places, I would have liked to see a bit more depth to fill in some of the questions I had while reading it. However, I do think that the concept is very innovative and kept me wanting to know what happens. Thank you for the opportunity to read this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House Ballantine for the ARC of The Language of Birds by K.A. Merson.

This is a fun take on a YA Da Vinci Code / National Treasure esque adventure. It is heavy on the cipher/code solving, and it has a pretty advanced mystery to solve that takes into account some cool history of the United States and the west.

I can see this really appealing to young adults who wish for independence / want to solve mysteries - it's the kind of adventure a teenager would feel like an absolute superhero in. The way that solving the ciphers and following the clues are detailed feel written for young adults to learn about code cracking while also reading about history and poetry -- it's like a learning lesson made fun in a variety of ways. Arizona as a character is brilliant, a MENSA member, a lover of puzzles and awkward with people -- while she doesn't really change as a character from beginning to end (always one step ahead of everyone else) she does process her grief a bit, she does try to open up to people and she does step outside her comfort zones - some of those ways are a bit impossible to believe for day-to-day life, but I think it's something a young adult would find awesome in a character.

I think it's harder to read as an adult and to get into that mindset for two reasons: 1) I can just be told "Here's how we solve it" without needing the step-by-step to engage in the story 2) Every single adult and person Arizona encounters seems to have no concerns that she is a 17 year old just on her own with a very expensive airstream and no adult supervision. Some of the adventures she takes to find clues are ones where we would definitely expect a parent needing to sign a waiver or someone questioning where her parents are more seriously. It's actually the scariest part of the book that adults fail her so spectacularly.

I was also a bit confused on the motivations of the kidnappers -- in the end, it seemed an odd thing that they elected to kidnap Arizona's mom / force her to solve the ciphers when they had the same tools to do it themselves at all times. It was an odd gamble to rely totally on a 17 year old when they had plenty of resources on their own - I know it made for the story to keep it this way, but in the end it kind of seemed a bit forced.

Again, I think it would be great for a YA reader because it provides a lot of cool exposure to history, code breaking, literature, adventure, etc. it just falls a little flat for an adult.

Vibes: National Treasure and The Da Vinci Code
Setting: desert
Arizona: genius
Execution: fine?

The Language of the Birds is marketed as a YA clue hunt/treasure finding adventure with puzzles similar to National Treasure or the Da Vinci code. Basically, after just losing her father, Arizona and her mother go to his favorite ghost town to spread his ashes. But, her mother goes missing when they split up to do different activities in town. Arizona is contacted by a sketchy organization and is told that they have her mother and will return her in exchange for Arizona solving a series of very vague clues.

At first, I really enjoyed Arizona's thought process as she puzzled her way through the initial clues. They had pretty complex solutions and I liked how algorithmically she went through the steps to try to solve them. It was fun to learn about some of the more common ciphers and patterns in the English language (like how E is the most common letter by far). But, as the book progressed, the clues and the solving of them got so complicated that I became very lost. The final clue involved a lot of maps, geometry, solving vague poetry, and exploring a landmark. I only had a vague idea of what was going on and it was a far cry from the complex but easy-to-follow first few clues she solved.

This was definitely a me problem but I suspected every friendly person she came in contact with to be working with the antagonist, so I didn't allow myself to like any of the supporting characters. That being said, I think her friends Lily and Marty were fun additions to the plot and our solo main character.

Overall, this is a decent book for YA lovers of National Treasure or for parents who grew up with Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and want to show their children some of the thrill of that book. It was a fun and quick read that almost anyone could find enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley + Random House Publishing Ballantine for the ARC!

A Da Vinci Code or National Treasure for a YA audience (or perhaps new adult, I don't know the amount of swear words that would graduate it out of YA but the MC is 17 and the f word is used a few times). I love National Treasure and unironically enjoy Dan Brown so it's not a surprise that I enjoyed The Language of Birds as well. It's an easy read and a quick pace so I flew through it in a couple of hours because I wanted to know the ending and the puzzles' conclusions. You need a bit of suspension of disbelief while reading to fully enjoy it (or I'm overestimating the US military and underestimating 17 year old girls), but if you can do that, you can enjoy solving puzzles alongside Arizona as she hunts for clues and her missing mother.
I do think it's missing some of the magic of its comps though. Parts of the puzzle solving got repetitive (the ciphers/poems/etc being written out in full numerous times, for example), and some read like dense study material rather than fun adventure. I didn't need full pages of how to decode a cipher, including all the wrong guesses, or a lecture on Pythagoras and triangles to understand the story. Those parts got a little boring for me before we got back into the action. Overall, a 3.5 rounded up.

If you like puzzles, particularly ciphers, you'll love KA Merson's The Language of the Birds. Next time I hope he develops the characters more. Arizona must be more than her ability to solve ciphers.

This was a very fun book! A story about a mother and her daughter, Arizona. They have recently lost their husband/father in an accident and are trying to come to terms with it. They both get pulled into an adventure which requires Arizona to do some major puzzle solving. I really enjoyed the puzzles in the story. It made the story fun and interesting. I also enjoyed the growth that Arizona experiences. All in all, a nice adventure/puzzle solving story ! Happy reading!

I received a copy of the book "The Language of Birds" By K.A, Merson from Netgalley. This is a mystery thriller. The main character is 17 years old Arizona. Her father has just died a few weeks ago { it is possible he has been murdered} and now her mother is missing. Arizona is a very smart girl and now it is up to her to rescue her mother. She has to solve a mystery of codes and figure how to solve them. She was raised by parents who encouraged her curious nature for solving codes. She along with her devoted dog Mojo and some help from a new friend Lily to go to many different sites to solve complex codes and poems that also give hints. I found this to be a good read. I liked that a girl gets to be a hero. Arizona reminds me of a young sherlock Holmes or even a Nancy Drew.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. The book is about a brilliant, although different, teenager named Arizona who must solve puzzles left behind by her father in order to free her kidnapped mother. Arizona heads out with her dog toward Nevada, which is where the first clue led her. Through her process of solving these puzzles, she digs deeper than she could have imagined, going all the way into American history.

Unique to this book were the illustrations provided within the text for the puzzles; it lent a different aspect to the envisioning of the setting while reading. I also really appreciated the representation of a neurodivergent person in this book - thank you. Also it was a lot of fun to try to solve the puzzles, and I enjoyed the deep dive into history and location!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Language of Birds is certainly mystifying and the perfect book for solving puzzles using math and poetry. What a find for intricate in-depth solutions as the reader becomes more and more tangled in the maze.

There were aspects I liked: learning about ciphers and ways they can be cracked, and I liked the main characters.

However the plot was a bit too contrived for me. I also didn't really buy The Adept character and didn't understand why he focuses on the family so intensely. I mean I understand the journal and the tattoo, but it didn't really add up as plausible that he'd kill his mom and go cross country to follow the family (and recruit others... Why didn't they just figure it all out?)

It was interesting learning other aspects about Hoover, but this was just an ok read for me.

This was a interesting book, the plot had me excited, and while the puzzles themselves could have been a but easier, I really did enjoy them. But that said, I do enjoy those type of puzzles regularly and can see how that would put off others.

Plot was phenomenal, and I enjoyed the writing style, I haven't read a puzzle/escape thriller like this, and I love that troupe.
This had me eager to solve and find out, what really happened.

One thing I loved is, I'm one to figure out how did it early early on, and while it dosent make me dislike a book, it makes me sad if I figure it out too soon.
This book and the puzzles had me distracted and took me a little longer to work out what was what. And I appreciated that.
Looking forward to more from this author.