I love a book that makes you think and work to solve the riddles and clues hidden in the text. I had very high hopes for The Language of Birds and while I think it falls a bit short of my expectations, I also think it is a good book that will appeal to many YA readers. Interestingly enough, I think the difficulty of the puzzles may be what brings this book down toward the middle of the pack. I think this book will be a favorite for some - however, for many, it may land on the DNF pile because of the difficulty of the puzzles.

There have been some fascinating female characters in the thriller genre. There's the legendary Lisbeth Salander. There's the absolutely amazing Antonia Scott (my personal favorite). There's the nascent Nola Brown. And, in The Language of the Birds we are introduced to a fascinating 17-year old named Arizona. She is a character to keep an eye on. K. A. Merson has crafted an entertaining tale with cyphers galore. Arizona has the ability to solve these cyphers when others cannot. There are no shortage of puzzles in this tale and they keep you turning the pages to see how everything connects to the mystery at the heart of the story. This is a terrific introduction to a wonderful new character. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I found the action to move quickly and kept me engaged throughout the entire book. Merson filled this story with plenty of puzzles, codes, cyphers and much more. This book will capture the imagination of YA readers with Arizona’s search to rescue her mother. We meet Arizona, a 17-year-old, who is an unconventional teenager with a mind that creates patterns just like her father. Her father just died in a car accident and her, and her mother are in the process of spreading his ashes in all the places that he loved to go to. At one of the stops a ghost town that Arizona’s father loved, her mother is kidnapped and the people who kidnapped her want Arizona to figure out where her father left something that is worth a lot of money. She is left a clue that will begin her journey in her family's airstream to find her mother. Along with her is her devoted dog, Mojo. Illustrations are embedded within the story that provide puzzles that can sometimes be distracting if you aren’t a puzzle solver. You also got to travel through the west coast as Arizona’s follows that clues that are left for her. Merson combines a great mystery, plenty of historical tales and information about our western states. I highly recommend this book to readers that love mystery, travel and puzzle solving. Thank you, Netgalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For those who enjoy puzzles and mysteries, this is a terrific read. I think, as a teacher or 9th and 10th graders, exploring the ciphers would be tough for many of them, but I am excited to recommend this book for several of my students who enjoy solving puzzles. I really enjoyed it myself- and I learned a lot!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Arizona, suffering the loss of her father, soon loses her mother in an apparent kidnapping.

In order to save her mother, Arizona must solve the puzzles to find the location of her mother before it’s too late.

I really enjoyed Arizona’s personality and smarts. I tended to gloss over some of the puzzle speak, but overall enjoyable.

This book reminded me of The DaVinci Code due to yhe puzzles. I enjoyed it because of the puzzles. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

While I love a puzzling mystery, this was too much. The puzzles were so complex that I found myself glossing over most of them. And as Arizona traveled throughout the western states in search of clues the story began to feel like a travelogue. Arizona and the other cast of characters were well drawn and kept the story moving with a few red herring twists – for much of the story I though Lily was one of the bad guys who had befriended Arizona for nefarious means. But in the end the whole thing didn’t work for me. The puzzles were too complicated, too much telling in the descriptions of the locations, and an ending that after all that puzzling didn’t solve anything. And don’t even get me started on the language. Any writer who insists on using the f-bomb in any situation, good or bad is a writer who lacks an imagination and command of the English language. 2.5 stars. rounded to 3.

I love a good puzzle and mystery so this novel appealed to me. I enjoyed it but at times had found myself eyes glazing over at the depth and detail of the ciphers. That said I found Arizona a lovely character and enjoyed following her through this puzzle/mystery. This book would be a lovely choice for a young adult who likes puzzles.
I was preapproved for this novel by Netgalley. Thank you Netgalley and K.A. Merson.

What a fun mystery. Full of adventure and puzzles it is never a dull moment. Like any good YA novel it’s a little hard to believe at times but it was still a very enjoyable read.

A missing mother, a tragically dead father, and, at the manipulative behest of a nefarious group, strange puzzles to be solved that point toward the unbelievable form the basis of an adventurous and deductive trek for one teen in The Language of the Birds by K.A. Merson.
Seventeen-year-old Arizona is traveling with her mom and her dog Mojo in the days after her dad’s tragic death when her mom suddenly goes missing. Slightly concerned, Arizona’s fears ratchet up when she returns to their Airstream to find it ransacked, with an ominous note left behind claiming her mother’s been kidnapped but if Arizona complies with their demands of solving the ciphers they require to lead them to the prize they seek everything will be fine. Luckily Arizona is more comfortable with books and puzzles than trying to deal with people and has a keen mind capable of solving the puzzles set before her, which all seem to have a connection to things that she and her dad were fond of; as she ventures where the clues lead, the facets of history and possible governmental involvement she’s uncovering become stranger and stranger as she hunts down the elusive alchemical-related prize hidden by the encrypted clues while she aims to remain ahead of her adversaries to rescue her mom from the clutches of her adversaries.
Presenting an entertaining puzzle and conspiracy surrounding the history of America’s government and development of a prominent landmark, the narrative weaves together a wide variety of knowledge bases, including literary, cartographic, cipher, and the elusive alchemical in an ambitious yet accessible combination that incorporates common favorites while offering new tidbits to educate while it blends fact and fiction. The narrative is primarily focused on Arizona’s journey from her third-person perspective, with the quirks of her neurodivergence shining through decently, though there are a few brief chapter interjections, with growing frequency in the latter parts, from a combination of two of the kidnappers and Arizona’s mom to help flesh out the conspiracy aspect of the story further, but these additions skew the balance and pacing of the whole in an odd way, raising more questions about their characters and for why it was presented in this manner rather than more consistently strewn throughout; the various ciphers and solving of clues also adds a layer of complexity to the narrative that slows the otherwise rapid pacing down and may lessen engagement with the characters and plot, particularly when it gets a bit repetitive-convoluted-rambling while trying to solve it, though the images do aid with clarification. Arizona’s character exhibits growth while managing grief of her dad’s loss and her growing acceptance of trusting others; however, while behaving as if you belong somewhere may work for a while, the fact that Arizona is young and is traveling vast distances by herself does continue to stretch the bounds of belief to the premise.
Overall, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While it did seem to take me a while to get fully immersed into this book, once I did, it was thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you K.A. Merson and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this ARC.

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.