Dear The Language of Birds,
You ended up feeling like The DaVinci Code for YA readers to some degree. You had the same fun, monument related puzzles, except set in Nevada. I loved that your MC was some decent disability rep. It is never stated outright what her neuro-differences is, but it is clear that she thinks and experiences the world in a different way, but she was drawn authentically. You were well paced and taught me a lot about that area of Nevada and Herbert Hoover. You would be a fun introduction for a YA reader to puzzle mysteries. I enjoyed getting to know Arizona and her perspective on the world.

Seventeen year old Arizona and her mom are grieving the tragic loss of Arizona’s dad. While spreading ashes in his favorite locations around Nevada, California and Arizona, Arizona’s mom is kidnapped. In exchange for the return of her mother, the kidnappers force Arizona to dive into the world of ciphers and code that she once shared with her father. What she discovers along the way brings questions to the forefront — of the potential mystery her dad was chasing and how she will manage to thwart her mom’s kidnappers.

This was a good novel that merged a coming of age theme with a “National Treasurer” type plot. There was a lot of focus on the decoding of ciphers and clues that the protagonist has to work through as she navigates appeasing the kidnappers while also trying rescue her mom. It also really focused on Arizona’s personal growth and interactions with external stimuli that have been difficult for her growing up. Following along with her was interesting but also at times a major slow down to the pacing of the novel. But, overall a good read for anyone who likes puzzles, mystery and some historical fiction too! 3 stars.

Based on a digital Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you!

I am so torn on this book, it has a great concept with a teen that struggles to connect with the world being more comfortable with riddles and puzzles chasing puzzles left by her recently deceased father. Except that isn’t what this book ended up being, its a kidnapping mystery and the puzzles come from the the kidnappers trying to get something, its never really important enough to the story.

The book is told from a few different perspectives but Arizona is the main character we spend the most time with. I don’t think I liked Arizona as much as others did but I certainly didn’t dislike her. At times she falls dangerously close to being that neurodivergent genius that has horrible people skills yet is allowed to get away with it because she is genius, its an old tired trope. But for the most part she manages to pull through without falling too far into a trope. She does grow through the book, coming to be better at dealing with people and having a better understanding of herself.

Unfortunately the secondary character don’t fare much better. I expected more from Lily, it felt like the book was setting her up to be more than just a plot device for Arizona’s growth. Arizona’s mother and kidnappers chapters also don’t add anything to the story other than the pad the page count. They seem to be more about setting up another character making the revelation feel a little too forced, I think leaving that out would have made the revelation and potential betrayal have much more of an impact on Arizona and the struggle to come to trust again. The Adept doesn’t really add anything, I would have preferred he not have any chapters.

I don’t find this book works with the plot that it was given. The kidnapping story just doesn’t work, there is no tension it never feels like Arizona’s mother is in any level of danger. Nor does it feel like Arizona is in any level of danger or pressed to complete something in a strict time lime. This may be where the book struggles between whether it is adult or young adult. There is some level of minor violence but nothing too serious. I wish that it had been more of a story about a young girl following the puzzles left by a deceased father that helps her work through her grief. Unfortunately the ending of the book falls flat, it doesn’t know if it wants to commit to the fantasy aspect of it or be more rooted in a realistic ending and so it just stutters to an end that isn’t satisfactory.

The puzzles are interesting but the details get a little well boring as they go through every little step of the puzzle. Maybe if you really really love puzzles you will love this part but as much as I like puzzles its okay to not go through them step by step by step since this is still a story and sometimes it gets a little too much into telling than letting the story show us.

The Language of Birds has a lot of potential but as it gets lost in the weeds it loses what potential it had.

What I liked: An adventure set in various locations of rural California and Nevada

What I disliked: Plot holes galore! A lone teenager doesn’t have money for gas, food, lodging, a scuba diving trip, veterinarian services for emergency surgery on a dog’s gunshot wound, and amazing internet service to do complex computer research from remote campgrounds

Meet Phoenix, a highly intelligent teen, grieving the recent death of her father and the sudden disappearance of her mother. She is now tasked with utilizing clues to find her mother before the clock runs out. I found this novel to be well written and complex; however, I also realized I needed to be in the right frame of mind to read it. It is definitely not a throw it in your beach bag book. If you are in the mood for puzzle solving and a cerebral challenge twisty mystery, this book is for you.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Teenaged Arizona and her mother hit the road in their Airstream to help grieve the loss of Arizona's dad who had recently died in a motorcycle accident. Then, while out sightseeing, Arizona's mother goes missing and their Airstream is ransacked. A note with a puzzle is left behind. Arizona must solve the puzzles in order to save her mother but from who? And why??

This book gave me serious Davinci Code vibes! I absolutely adored Arizona (and her sweet dog) and found myself devouring it! I felt like I never knew who to trust and was so worried for Arizona as she moved deeper into the mystery. Each puzzle she solved and unlocked was so fascinating! I tried not to fall too deeply into the explanations of the logic and clues and instead focused more so on how her brain worked and how she solved the complex puzzles. I kept having to remind myself that she was just a teen and working ALONE to save her family. It was quite inspiring! I'd recommend this for readers who enjoy cat and mouse chase storylines with puzzles and history woven in. Super fun read!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review!

I didn't know going into this story that The Language of Birds is technically more YA than a typical adult mystery. That being said, I found the main character engaging, interesting, and relatable. As a 17-year-old, Arizona is not a "typical" teenager...  she is a wickedly-smart introvert who has been homeschooled due to her neurodivergence (not fully explained but definitely has issues with auditory processing, some obsessive tendencies, and perhaps lands somewhere on the spectrum with reading social cues) whose best friend is her dog Mojo ... and she is exactly what I think of when I hear the term "neurospicy." I actually like that the author chose not to provide a diagnosis and not put Arizona into some sort of box.

In the story, Arizona and her mother are both morning the recent loss of Arizona's dad in a motorcycle accident and travelling the West in theiir Airstream trailer (bonus for the Airstream piece as my family also had one when I was a child). To their surprise, they get pulled into an intense bit of intrigue that appears to be related to Arizona's dad's death. Racing against time, Arizona must decode complex puzzles and clues to uncover more of the story. Part puzzle and part treasure hunt, The Language of the Birds interweaves, US History, alchemy, and secret societies with each reveal.

This book would be great for those who love complex puzzles and riddles. I appreciated the neurodiversity representation and Arizona's personal growth as she had to step out of her comfort zone and do some pretty scary things, beginning with making her first friends along the way.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Language of the Birds is all about solving puzzles, cyphers to be specific. Overall, the cypher solving and story were interesting but it was constant. One after another. It got tedious after a while and I started to lose my interest. I needed more story than just being in the MC’s head repeating the same thoughts over and over. Puzzle solvers will probably enjoy trying to figure out the cyphers along with the MC.

The language of the birds is a quirky mystery whose heroine is its memorable hallmark. Arizona is a seventeen loner who prefers to spend the days with her dog mojo cracking complicated puzzles and codes and deciphering texts from eras past. When Arizona’s mom is kidnapped, Arizona must go on a treasure hunt cracking codes to find her mom. However, the answers lay with Arizona’s dead dad who held the codes to a centuries old secret of an underground society.

This is like the da Vinci code with a memorable heroine in Arizona. Arizona is the standout in this novel and her voice is unique and one that will be remembered. The plot moved quickly and the chapters were short and helped the pages turn fast. I enjoyed this one-even if the plot could be a little too “high brow” in parts!
Well done- and will be recommending.

Thanks to the publisher for proving this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is a 2.5 rounded up to 3. This book was somewhat of a drag due to the fact that it included a lot of puzzles that were described in great detail. I also was wondering how no one seemed to have an issue with a minor riding a motorcycle around with a gun.

I did enjoy the mystery but this felt much more YA than I was expecting. The main character felt much younger than she was in the way that she spoke and acted.

I really enjoyed this! I enjoyed the action and the mysterious ciphers. I also really enjoyed Arizona, she's quirky but so crazy smart! I do feel like the ending fell a little flat, but also, I think the author is setting it up for possibly a second book. I do think it's worth the read!

I feel like this book was ultimately not for me. I liked the setting, and I really liked the main character, but I found the puzzle/riddle/code part rather dense, and unfortunately that is the bulk of the book. Pacing is probably my biggest make it or break it when it comes to stories, and the action to character development to puzzles ratio really impacted my overall enjoyment. I do think there will be an audience for these book, even if it wasn’t me.

When I saw the synopsis of this book I thought it was right up my alley! And while the story itself was interesting it was bogged down by SO much specific details for the cyphers and codes. I normally enjoy puzzle solving books, but when there are full chapters of “Let’s try L = E or J = E….” Etc. it gets to be really hard to follow and incredibly boring.

Since there was so much about deciphering the codes, it felt like there wasn’t enough time spent on character and story development. I also felt it was a little unrealistic that the kidnappers would leave everything up to a teen to figure out.

I think this could have been a really great book, but it just missed the mark.

I received a a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

This was a decent read, but I found myself confused on whether this was targeted to adults or young adults. It seems to be somewhere in the middle. I did find all the puzzles an interesting part of the story and enjoyed them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

17-year-old Arizona lives a quiet life of exploration on the road with her mother and her dog Mojo. But everything changes on a sightseeing trip: her mother disappears, their camper is invaded, and shadowy figures are sending Arizona strange ciphers. The only way to get her mother back, it seems, will be by cracking these codes.

Fortunately, Arizona is a genius when it comes to ciphers and research. And she has moral support from Lily, a new friend she made before her world was turned upside down. Together, the two (and their dogs) follow a trail of literary codes and alchemical symbols, decoding a seemingly impossible truth about the history of the United States and the "Great Work." Could the ancient philosophers have been on to something? And if so, what did Arizona's late father have to do with it?

So many YA intrigue novels aim low, but The Language of the Birds never underestimates its readers. Even the most astute code-crackers and historians will find themselves stumped as we follow Arizona from campsites to national monuments in search of the truth. This storyline would stand alone just fine on its own, but there's more joy to be found in Arizona's own coming-of-age. As she fights to save her mother, she learns to open up to new friends in a world that until now has been too big, too loud, and too untrustworthy.

The synopsis of this was so intriguing since I love a good puzzle so even though it leaned towards YA territory with a teenage MC, I still decided to read it. The family dynamic in this was strong and I enjoyed seeing how much love they had for each other. t was very fun seeing how Arizona solved each cypher and made me wish I knew more about codebreaking. Parts were a bit farfetched - none of the adults seemed too concerned about a 17 year old girl alone with her dog - so you do have to suspend some disbelieve for this one to work.

I enjoyed this really detailed story about 17 year old Arizona. Her father has recently died and while visiting a historic state park before going to spread his ashes, her mother disappeared. In order to get her back, Arizona needs to solve a mystery. All the detail tied to that is interesting and the author must had spent a lot of time on researching before writing this book and making the diagrams and it shows.

an interesting unpredictable story filled with murder, mayhem
Cryptograms, ciphers, and mysteries. After her father's death Arizona and her mother go to set her father's ashes free, they go in their trailer to a ghost town and her mother is kidnapped. She is enlisted to help find a treasure, a secret her father took to his grave. Lots of twists and turns, interesting complex characters, a real page turner and a must read!

I was excited for this book because I love a near-divergent main character (The Maid, Eleanor Oliphant), and I am a fan of codes and puzzles. Immediately, Arizona reminded me of one of my favorite characters, Sloane from The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, so I was very hopeful that I would enjoy this book. I felt like the set up for the story was excellent, with so much potential to excite, but I did not feel it carried throughout the book. I am not a genius, but I love a tough puzzle, and these were far too complex for me to grasp, and I doubt that younger demographics will understand, especially with the nods to classic literature. It was interesting to see how she comes up with the answers, but as the reader, I wanted to feel that discovery with her instead of being told how she got there. I couldn't emotionally connect to Arizona, and that made me lose interest in the story. I picked this book up over 20 times, putting it down after only a few pages because it didn't captivate me like I had hoped. I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I hope that the author continues writing because I think the ideas were there.

I wanted to provide feedback to the Author and the Publisher, and to say "Thank You" for the opportunity to read this. I think this book will be loved by the right audience, but unfortunately I don't think that my corner of the internet is the right fit, so out of respect to the author, I will not be sharing this on my platform.

Seventeen-year-old Arizona is travelling across the country with her mom and their dog, Mojo, in an Airstream trailer, all while being homeschooled on the road. Still grieving the recent loss of her father, Arizona and her mother visit a national park to help them heal. When they temporarily separate and her mom fails to return, Arizona realizes something is terribly wrong—her mother has gone missing.

What happens next is a YA mix of National Treasure meets the Da Vinci code meets a more high stakes The Inheritance Games. Arizona is tasked with discovering clues to free her mother, which range from puzzles to ciphers to images, all which are included in the pages and add a level of immersiveness throughout the story. She is also forced to forge connections and lean on people in a way she previously hasn't.

I thought this was a really interesting and unexpected read. While at first it was hard to understand why a seventeen year old was expected to decipher and understand all the clues, I was really impressed by the time the author clearly dedicated to researching and creating these puzzles and spelling out the solutions for the readers. I would have liked a little more lead in as to why Arizona was targeted for this task (hint, it has to do with her father), and maybe a little more backstory on the big bad characters. Overall, this is a read you will want to pick up when you want to learn something or have some challenging brain training. A summer read that will make you think.