Thank you to K.A. Merson, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC of The Language of the Birds.

Arizona is a neurodivergent, seventeen year-old who has recently lost her father in a motorcyle accident. She and her mother are traveling in their Airstream camper spreading her father's ashes in some of his places. It's at one of their stops that Arizona's mother goes missing, starting Arizona down a path of mystery and intrigue of solving cryptic ciphers to gain her mother's freedom.

I have always appreciated a good riddle, but the level of the puzzles Merson created for Arizona to solve were brilliant. Though they were beyond my skill and patience level, I enjoyed watching Arizona master them, getting closer and closer to reuniting with her mother while devising ways to stay ahead of kidnappers.

As a person with neurodivergency, Arizona has not always been treated kindly by society. As a result, her parents had taken her out of school and used their airstream travels to allow her to learn at her level. One that, quite obviously, is beyond those of her peers. You would think that this would have created a strong reliance on her parents. However, it's easy to see that her parents actually helped her to develop a sense of maturity and self-reliance beyond the norm of the average seventeen year-old. It did, however, strongly limit her friend base, making her dog, Mojo, her only confidant until she meets Lily at one of the campgrounds.

Having always been "different" because of her neurodivergency, Arizona has never had any real friends. As a result, she has difficulty trusting new people, including Lily. It was refreshing to see Lily accept Arizona without prejudice and exercise patience in building their friendship on Arizona's terms.

I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it.

Like the author, Stephen King inspired me to just write. His book, On Writing, is one of the reasons I now read at least a book a week. Also like him, I am a big fan of Andy Weir and Blake Crouch. But mostly I am thankful that Merson was duly inspired to write.

Why? Because The Language of the Birds is a wonderful and unique book. The story, which revolves around real science and facts but is also very fictional, was wonderful. Being at the low end of the Autism spectrum, I could sympathize with many of things 17-year-old Arizona was going through/had to deal with. Having had a Boxer as one of our pets at about the same age, made that feel very real to me as well—Molly (like Mojo in the book) was a great dog. Finally, having spent several formative years in California and having visited some of the places Arizona visits, like the ghost town of Bodie and even Hoover Dam (on the border of Nevada and Arizona), the locations felt very familiar, as well.

What really stood out to me and why I will be purchasing an actual copy of this books is all the codes, drawings, and diagrams that were used as a part of Arizona’s thought process. So much fun! The Language of the Birds will not be available until May of 2025, but I imagine by the time I have the actual book in hand, I will be ready to read it again!

I would have loved to read a book like this when i was a teenager! I thought the author being able to mesh mystery and puzzles in the written form was incredibly well done. I read some reviews that others readers left stating that they skipped the protagonists explanation of how she solved the puzzles because they thought it was drawn out but, I very much enjoyed reading her thought process and how it differed from my own.

I also really liked the places where the protagonists mother would correct her to say she was different instead of disordered, I often find myself saying similar things to my own child.

This book is listed as Adult, but it seems more like a YA version of a Dan Brown book. The puzzles were creative, but Arizona (the main character) solved them really easily. It was as if the reader should have been able to beat her to it or at least follow right along and say "of course." There were times it felt repetitive, but overall I enjoyed the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Language of the Birds by K.A. Merson.

While I am not the target audience for this book I thought it was an engaging and fun read. Our main character, Arizona has recently lost her father and now her Mom is missing. Arizona receives a note with a cipher that she must solve in order to save her Mom. This YA book is filled with puzzles, mysteries and conspiracy theories that will keep you turning the pages.

I found Arizona’s character easy to like and root for. While some of her escapades seem a bit far reaching it is still an enjoyable read. A fun blend of thriller and DaVinci Code type book. If you like either, you will enjoy this!

I received this ARC for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

To be honest, it’s really hard for me to rate this book, because I don’t think I am it’s target audience. If I was rating it for myself, I would put 2 stars, but I am rounding up because I think this author is super intelligent and will appeal to the right reader.

This book would be for a young adult reader that enjoys solving high level puzzles. The themes are young adult, but the content is full of puzzles and riddles that she is trying to figure out to save her mother who is missing.

It reminded me somewhat of a goonies vibe with the puzzles, but it was missing the funny vibe that usually goes along with these types of stories.

I was gifted this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, but I do not feel I was the target audience for this.

"Language of the Birds" is about a teenage girl's search for her missing mother. Arizona is a thoughtful, quirky narrator, who interests include cryptography, geocaching and dogs, so she provides plenty of adventures for the reader. Merson's writing style is accessible and the dialogue rings true. Readers who enjoy mysteries, puzzles and books about mother-daughter relationships will enjoy. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Pub date is May 13, 2025.

#TheLanguageOfBirds

Arizona lost her father 17 days ago. She and her mother are stunned by his sudden death. How do they navigate life now? They retrace prior trips and visit some of their favorite places. Her mother goes missing and Arizona investigates her disappearance. Arizona is very intelligent and loves to solve puzzles. The people holding her mother need her to solve a puzzle. Will she be able to give them the answer and save the life of her mother? Each puzzle Arizona faces is unique and involves research. She adeptly takes apart the clues and discovers their meaning. During her quest, Arizona learns about herself. She embraces her unique skills and abilities and grows in confidence.

This is a coming-of-age story wrapped in puzzles. Computer skills and research are essential to Arizona's work to rescue her mother. Arizona is interesting, quirky, and even irritating. She is single minded in her search for the answers to the puzzle that will lead her to her mom. The puzzles in this search are intricate and might not be quite what the reader expects. Read on. Whether you understand and follow these puzzles or not, the story is still compelling. Family is everything to Arizona and she will do whatever is necessary to reunite with her mother, an emotion that resonates with many people. Merson has a well researched story that doesn't skimp on details. Young adults will enjoy this story which brings tech and social media into the story in a useful way. It is also an excellent opportunity for parent to join their children in an educational discussion that will enrich family life.

K.A. Merson’s The Language of the Birds is a gripping tale of a young girl, Arizona, who must solve ciphers and puzzles to help free her mother after she's been kidnapped and held hostage. Following the death of her father, Arizona, her mother, and their dog Mojo depart on a family trip to scatter his ashes in the places he loved most. During one of their many stops, the mother-daughter duo split up so Arizona's mom can enjoy a guided tour while Arizona reads alone in peace. However, when Arizona's mother doesn't return from the tour and their Airstream is completely ransacked, panic begins to settle in. Following a call from her mothers captors, Arizona and her faithful pup sidekick, Mojo, embark on a remarkable journey to free her mother. As Arizona continues to dicipher cryptic messages, she learns that her father had deep, dark secrets that were never meant to be revealed. The Language of the Brids is a gripping novel that will have your head spinning with the intricate weave of puzzles, ciphers, and cryptograms. This is such a fun and engaging novel that will have you begging for all the answers.

I was surprised by this book. Loved the puzzles and the ciphers like in Dan Brown's books but there was such heart to this. Would recommend!

The Language of the Birds is an exciting blend of puzzles, codes, history, and adventure that will captivate YA readers who love a smart mystery grounded in U.S. history and lore. Filled with conspiracy theories, hidden messages, and plenty of danger, this book is a thrilling ride from start to finish.

Seventeen-year-old Arizona has always thought differently. Homeschooled and a keen observer of the world, she sees patterns and meaning in places where others might miss them. Her passion for puzzles and codes is something she likely inherited from her late father, a cartographer for the USGS. But when Arizona’s mother is kidnapped during a family trip in their Airstream, Arizona discovers that her father’s work may have been much more than just mapping. He might have been researching a secret so valuable that it’s now putting her mother’s life in jeopardy.

Determined to rescue her mother, Arizona embarks on an adventure across the western U.S., following the trail of clues her father left behind. The best part of the story is that much of the history is real, and many of the puzzles are hidden in plain sight. For readers familiar with the western states, or places like Hoover Dam, the setting will feel especially rich and rewarding.

While I might not the target audience , I can see how it would appeal to fans of smart, fast-paced YA fiction. Arizona is a unique and compelling protagonist, but at times, it stretched my suspension of disbelief that a 17-year-old, even one with neurodivergent traits and a knack for puzzles, would take on such a dangerous mission without reaching out to authorities. A little more character development would have helped me connect more deeply with Arizona, but her drive and resourcefulness still kept me engaged.

Overall, The Language of the Birds is a fun, adventurous read that will definitely resonate with readers who enjoy mysteries, U.S. history, and a little bit of puzzle-solving along the way. It’s a great pick for anyone who loves a smart, fast-paced story filled with intrigue and adventure.

This was one of those books I couldn't tell if i Liked or not. It sort of plodded on with different character views that had me a bit confused. I finished it but didn't love it

In The Language of the Birds by K.A Merson, a girl named Arizona has to solve puzzles in order to save her mom. She has been kidnapped by a mysterious organization who is bent on finding an even more mysterious secret.

This is the latest of my Net Galley early reviews. The Language of the Birds is firmly in the mystery genre, with clever puzzles and a mystery to solve. Arizona is an interesting character and there is a good story here, though its held back from being a great book by two aspects.

The first aspect its held back by is the puzzles. As noted, the puzzles are clever but perhaps a bit too clever. The book spends a lot of time on the puzzles and lays them out in a ton of detail. Too much detail in fact. I found my eyes glazing over as I tried and mostly failed to read through the puzzles and the puzzles solving.

I don’t want to give away what the puzzles involve but its clear that the writer thought them out and seemed to know the process and tried to explain it. There will likely be some readers who absolutely love puzzles and will enjoy these sections. For other readers, they’ll wonder if less time could have been spent spelling out all the puzzles and more time spent getting to the heart of the solutions.

The other aspect that holds the book back is the shifting perspectives. Arizona is the main character and largely it stays her but occasionally it goes to other characters who I won’t spoil. And these characters give away some aspects of the book’s mysteries. It feels like the book should have stayed only with Arizona and revealed what was going on with these other characters later in the book.

Despite these problems, The Language of the Birds is not a bad book. Its overall story is interesting, although the ending isn’t entirely satisfactory. Its possible that people who love puzzles a lot will geek out at the puzzles in this book.

It is neat that the book has a lot of illustrations. The author tries to make the puzzles interesting and inventive. If less time was spent on the puzzles and the other people, this book would’ve been shorter and a bit more interesting.

The Language of the Birds is far from the worst book I’ve ever read. I did, in fact, finish this book. It held my attention, mostly, until the end. I wanted to know what would happen. I could see Arizona popping up in another story. If she does, I hope she’ll be the sole focus and less time will be used on showcasing the puzzles. There is so much potential with this book. It could easily be the start of a series. Of course, it could easily just be a one-off book too. In any case, The Language of the Birds was a somewhat fun place to visit.

As always, I was lucky to get to read this book early. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing an early digital copy of this book for review. The Language of the Birds by K.A. Merson comes out on May 13th, 2025.

A brilliant but extremely shy homeschooled 17 year old must search the west coast for clues to solve a series of cryptographic puzzles to free her mother from captivity by heartless cult members. The descriptions of the various locations the heroine visits brought back memories of past vacations. This is a thought provoking mystery adventure that in many ways rivals the plot of movies such as "National Treasure". This is a must read if you like cryptography, puzzles, history, American west, and to an extent coming of age stories.

I thank the the author K.A. Merson, and Ballantine Books for kindly providing an advanced electronic review copy of this work.

This book was different than what I was expecting. Overall it kept me engaged but it wasn't something I kept thinking about like other books.

This book wasn't on my radar at first, but when I saw The Da Vinci Code and National Treasure as comp titles, my interest was piqued. And the part I enjoyed most about the book was definitely the puzzles. I have to admire any author who can construct a treasure hunt composed entirely of complex puzzles.

One thing I didn’t realize before I started reading this was that Arizona is very obviously autistic, although it’s never explicitly named in the book, which was quite odd. I couldn’t find much information about the author and don’t know whether this was an ownvoices depiction of autism—not that I believe authors need to share personal information about themselves on the internet, but I was afraid that some aspects of Arizona’s depiction felt a little…stereotypical? (For example: The coldly logical way she spoke to her mom in the beginning, in the wake of her father’s death.) I do really like the idea of an autistic protagonist solving puzzles, and Arizona does get to be a badass in many ways, but I don’t know if I could recommend Arizona’s portrayal in this book without reservations.

But the main drawback of this book for me was the writing style. The dialogue often felt artificial, and the narration felt distancing. It’s hard for me to explain, but the narration came across as listing things off, and sometimes jumped around to random tangents as though we’re hearing Arizona’s stream-of-consciousness. Which may be a realistic way for people to think (I know my own thought process tends to jump around a lot), but it gets irritating to read. Because of this, I had a hard time picking this book back up every time I put it down.

Lastly, I did find the ending to be a bit of a letdown. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say the ending was where the book diverged most from living up to The Da Vinci Code and National Treasure.

All in all, this was a bit of a mixed bag for me. But I appreciated getting a chance to read nonetheless.

What an interesting read....a neurodivergent teen is trying to find her kidnapped mother and is given a series of codes and ciphers to solve. (And they are VERY hard!). Arizona is a unique and wonderful protagonist and brilliantly solves the codes while investigating her mother's disappearance (and her father's mysterious passing). This story probably isn't for every teen but would appeal to teens and adults alike who enjoy solving codes, history, and the lure of alchemy. Definitely a unique read that is one to remember! I look forward to hearing more from this author!
Thank you for my copy.

When Arizona's mother goes missing shortly after the death of her father, Arizona has to solve the puzzles and clues left for her to free her mother. from kidnappers after her father's secrets. This conspiracy thriller will appeal to those who love solving puzzles and figuring out who did it. The book also features a neurodivergent lead.

I admit I'm not very good at the sorts of puzzles included in the book, but enough was explained for me to follow along with the story. This has riddles and ciphers that take up enough page time that if you aren't into that sort of thing, this might not be the right read for you. Those who do enjoy that will have plenty of puzzles to work through.

This is one of the more unique books that I've read in a long time. A teenage girl must solve a series of puzzles in order to find out where her mother has been kidnapped to. The puzzles are presented in-text, and they are tricky and fun for the reader to solve. If you are the kind of person who loves thrillers because you want to figure out who did it, I think this book is a really fun YA twist on that theme.

Imagine you are in your first staff meeting for a job you were hired for based on an inflated résumé. You realize you have no idea what’s going, but you are happy to be there. That’s how I felt reading The Language of the Birds.

I would say I enjoy puzzles more than the average person — undefeated champion in baby shower brain teasers and a regular at-home game contestant on whatever is playing on the Game Show Channel.

Reading along while Arizona solved the puzzles was like being apart of a top secret cipher spy group. When Arizona was explaining the process of decoding I didn’t comprehend some of it, though that it didn’t take away from the experience for me. The diagrams included are a definite help in following along. I would recommend the reading this book over listening to an audio vision so that you can see the pictures. Any puzzle lover would enjoy this book now matter the skill level.

I am a sucker for a strong female lead who thinks differently, knows they don’t fit in with society and doesn’t try to. So naturally Arizona had my heart for the beginning. Molly the Maid and Arizona would be great friends, and make an awesome crime solving team.

I can’t even begin to imagine the blood, sweat and tears that went into the research and puzzle tinkering for this book. Thank you to Amy Jackson at Random House Publishing for reaching out with the wonderful opportunity to read and review this book.