This book is interesting and will appeal to many. However, it was not the right fit for me. I know several high schools that would love to dive into this story and I will recommend it to them. I think I expected something a bit different when I was reading so I did not appreciate it fully. I will share and compare with others after they read the book to see how we compare. I feel like this could possibly be a good book club read as members of the club read together. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you are not a serious problem solver, this book may prove difficult to finish.

The young heroine is smart, articulate and endlessly curious. Arizona adores solving puzzles- the more intricate the better,

This young adult book will be interested in the detail loving readers of Dan Brown - Arizona doggedly pursues clues to find an rescue her kidnapped mom. The book has twists and turns and a good amount of darkness.

Wow! This turned out to be far more intricate than I anticipated. It’s packed with cryptograms, riddles, and a mystery woven from history. I absolutely loved the main character, Arizona—she was refreshingly unique, and I really appreciated how the author brought her to life. It didn’t take long before I was rooting for her.

While I enjoyed the premise of the story and the geographical journey it took me on, I quickly realized I wasn’t quite prepared for the complexity of the puzzle-solving. At times, I felt weighed down by the detailed decoding Arizona worked through. However, whenever the story shifted away from the ciphers, I was drawn back in. The ending delivered some great surprises, and Arizona’s character development was so compelling that I’d love to read more about her—ideally in a slightly less complex adventure next time!

Random House Publishing – Ballantine Books recommended and gave me a free copy of the book The Language of Birds by K. A. Merson and I am so grateful.
This book pulled me in with its well structured puzzle and held on to me for all of it with its witty characters.
Arizona-like-the-state is a homeschooled teenager who has remarkable parents who have taken homeschool to a new level. They live in an RV and travel around the US learning as they go. While in a small ghost town, Arizona’s mother comes up missing. Arizona must unlock the puzzles sent to her from her mothers captors if she and her mother want to stay alive. Her father had died earlier in the year with events that seem to surround this puzzle.
I would recommend this to fans of Danielle Trussoni and Dan Brown. Well written and enticing book.

Seventeen year old Arizona and her mother are traveling out west in their truck and airstream trailer scattering their fathers/husbands ashes at his favorite places after his recent death. Before long, however, Arizona's mother has gone missing and it is up to her to solve the puzzles the kidnappers send her in order to gain her mothers freedom. Although not explicitly stated, our main character appears to be neurodivergent with a special ability to solve puzzles and codes.

I did enjoy following Arizona as her character grew and managed to make social connections and grow as the story developed. I ended up skimming much of the code breaking sections however as they were SO detailed, including diagrams and specific descriptions of how she figured out each puzzle. Although some readers may enjoy figuring out the codes along with Arizona, it was way too detailed for me, so perhaps I was just the wrong reader for this book. If you enjoy treasure hunting stories with puzzles to decipher along with the main character, than this book will be for you.

Thank you to net galley and Random house publishing for an e galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for providing the copy of The Language Of The Birds, by K.A. Merson. I like the chapters about Arizona and her mother more than the ones about The Adept and Gordon. The journal was hard to get interested in so it was more difficult to read. Arizona was an amazing character, and I loved how she was able to solve the ciphers. I love puzzles and was glad diagrams explained her solutions so well, along with diagrams. There were many unexpected reveals that took me by surprise. If you love clever puzzles and ciphers, you will love this book. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

The premise was interesting but the detailed analysis of breaking the puzzle codes had my eyes glazing over. And did the dog really need to be shot? I had to fast forward to the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

I write haiku reviews on Instagram and reviews on goodreads, but am happy to provide further feedback, if desired.

Growing older and wiser is realizing that Young Adult novels can be just as good as an adult novel for an adult.
While I love learning new things and who doesn’t love an amazing Mystery they think Jessica Fletcher would be just as excited to solve as them?
This book was a wild ride of understanding the depth of America and Men who built it on the beliefs of something greater. I loved how the author spun a tale of cyphers, maps and lore. While ultimately leaving you holding a necklace and wondering…. Was any of this real?

This is such an interesting premise for a book. Arizona must solve a series of puzzles in order to save her mother from a kidnapping that occurs while the two are setting out to scatter her deceased father's ashes. Arizona is neurodivergent and brilliant so she is up for the task. It is a bit of a stretch of the imagination to charge this teenager with such a monumentous task but it makes for an engaging read. This story really focuses on the puzzles and less attention is paid to the plot or characters but I didn't really mind that. The mystery itself held my attention and I really liked Arizona as a protagonist. This is definitely geared towards a YA audience but I enjoyed it as an adult reader too. Thanks to K.A. Merson, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 rounded to 4

This young adult thriller follows 17-year-old Arizona, who, withmher dog Mojo, must solve a lot of puzzles in order to free her kidnapped mom when the two go on a road trip to spread her father’s ashes.

The author does a good job with Arizona, who is on the spectrum (and the kidnappers know it, and attempt to make a weakness of her strengths), and who has to solve a series of puzzles in order to spring her mom.

Basically, if you like puzzles, you're sure to like this book. Puzzles take up the majority of the pages. If you want more plot with friends and social engagement, and thriller action, you might check out a chapter or two before deciding.

The Language of the Birds is somewhat a teenage book version of National Treasure, where cypher savant Arizona is forced to solve codes after her father dies and her mother is held captive. Arizona is a high functioning autistic, but with both her parents gone, she’s left on her own to solve the cyphers. And yet learning how to make friends, first with Lily, a young woman her age she meets at a campground, and then Marty, who she meets on a diving trip, may be the bigger challenge for Arizona. I won’t claim to be super into decoding the clues themselves, though the ones Merson puts together are fascinating and an exploration of history on the west coast of America. That element may be the best part of this book for some readers that enjoy figuring out cyphers, codes and clues. I really enjoyed Arizona’s adventures with her dog Mojo, the history and connections behind the cyphers, and her learning how to make friends with people who like her for who she is in a world where she can trust many people and other kids have been cruel to her for being different. Arizona has just enough moxie to be a brave and smart teen, but not too much to feel unbelievable. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

2.5 stars rounded up
Not quite what I expected. Not much of a plot, more about the puzzles, most of which went right over my head. I get that the 17 year old FMC was a Mensa member so, yes, she's a genius, but she's only 17! You really have to suspend disbelief that she relies completely on herself and her dog to rescue her mother from a kidnapper. I mean, the scuba diving scenes alone - did no one at the dive company question her age or level of experience before she joined a boat load of adults for expert-level dives? I enjoyed the first half much more than the second, mostly having to skim read all of the puzzle pages which get more difficult as the story progresses. I think I'm not the target audience for this book.

Synopsis:
A brilliant, eccentric teenager must solve a series of puzzles left behind by her dead father in this debut that features codes, riddles, and a plot that ingeniously mixes fact and fiction.

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.

Thoughts:
I had a very difficult time with deciding what rating to give this book because on one hand I struggled to connect with Arizona. On the other hand, the author created an intricate mystery that kept me hooked from beginning to end. In the end, I do recommend this book for the mystery and if you don’t mind an eccentric main character!

The Language of the Birds by by K.A. Merson
Arizona has some social issues. She is sensitive to bright lights, loud noises and people. Currently depressed due to her father’s death, Arizona and her mother are on a road trip in their Airstream trailer and Ural sidecar motorcycle. The sidecar is an addition to hold Mojo, her dog, a boxer and her best friend.
The plot centers around Arizona’s mother’s abduction by a miscreant calling himself the Adept. The Adept is looking for the secrets of alchemy. He thinks Arizona’s father was tracking down the mystical key to open the secrets of Alchemy.
Arizona is on the spectrum and has a distrust of people based on the treatment she has had in social environments, particularly school. This makes it very hard for her to connect to Lily, like the flower, whom she meets at a campground.
There is mild action and some surprising growth in a young lady whose mind is puzzle-oriented and cryptographically superior.
I enjoyed the book and recommend it.

3 stars
Expected publication - May 13, 2025

Thank you, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Arizona is a young woman, still reeling from her fathers sudden and tragic death. While visiting places he loved with her mother to spread his ashes, her mother disappeared. Arizona is then thrown into an elaborate puzzle solving mission to get her back.

I don't recall this being classified as a YA novel, but that is definitely how it felt to me. It was very detailed and had ingenious puzzles, but it just wasn't for me, at my age, I suppose.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review.

“The Language of the Birds” primarily follows 17-year-old Arizona and her dog Mojo when her mother is kidnapped during their road trip to spread her father’s ashes. Arizona’s father recently passed away due to a tragic accident, so when her mother suddenly goes missing, Arizona will do whatever it takes to find her. However, Arizona is not your average teenager and the kidnappers know this.

When Arizona finds a cryptogram accompanying a ransom note, she’s immediately swept into a “National Treasure” style treasure hunt. Her brilliant mind loves solving puzzles and cracking codes, but she prefers the company of her dog instead of people, so Arizona must step outside her comfort zone to find additional help.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and found it suspenseful while also interesting. I found all the images (like the flower of life and the classical elements) very helpful in the chapters where Arizona was solving puzzles. However, I was somewhat lost towards the end of the book and thought the final clue was maybe a bit too complex for the standard reader to follow.

I would highly recommend this book to any adult who loves a good mystery/thriller in line with “The DaVinci Code” and “National Treasure.” The book feels well-suited for a YA audience (definitely a coming-of-age story), but there are some strong themes that should be taken into account before letting certain teens read this book.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Ballantine Books/Penguin Random House LLC in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed this coming of age story of a young neurodivergent woman navigating loss and responsibility as she’s put in the impossible situation of trying to rescue her mother by solving cryptological puzzles for the kidnappers. I found the cryptology fascinating although hard to follow at times. I may be the right audience for this since my entire family is neurodivergent. Some of the characteristics such as sound and light sensitivity and social anxiety are shared in common however, the narrowed interests and talents of every neurodivergent person are unique. Not all are math geeks or introverts. I think the author did an excellent job of giving the reader insight into why the MC was reacting to situations the way she did and why she constantly went out of her to way to NOT ask for help. She was very vulnerable at times because of how she took what others said at face value but also through her pre conceived notions of how she felt others saw her. The descriptions of the locations she visited were vivid and transported me as the reader there with her. The story did remind me a bit of a Da Vinci code for Young Adult Readers but kept me engaged as an adult reader as well. I really enjoyed The Language of the Birds and look forward to more from this author.

Arizona is on a family trip with her mother to scatter her father's ashes, When her mother is kidnapped. Arizona
is contacted with the information that if she wants to see her mother again, she will need solve ciphers and puzzles.
Being neurodivergent, Arizona does not deal well with others and will need to step out of her comfort zone to
rescue her mother. In meeting Lily and Marty, Arizona realiizes that social interactions are becoming easier to
handle. Reminiscent of the DaVinci Code.
#TheLanguageofBirds #RandomHouse #Ballantine #NetGalley

A puzzling mystery filled with treasure hunts, codes and ciphers. No spoilers here but the story revolves around Arizona, a brilliant neurodivergent teen who must solve these puzzles to save her Mom.

The primary characters are engaging and ones you will root for. The plot is both fun and intellectually stimulating, and readers who enjoy solving challenging puzzles and alchemy will really appreciate what this debut novel from K.A. Merson has to offer.

Rate this a 3.5 but rounded up since half stars aren't an option on Netgalley.

Disclosure: Received an uncorrected ARC of this book from NetGalley and Ballantine Books/Penguin Random House LLC (Thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.