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.

I love puzzles and mysteries but this book some how made them boring. It takes a rather large amount of suspension of disbelief as well to think that every time this freshly 15 year old girl came across an adult while in distress they just kind went ok, bye. No one made her stay and called child services, even when guns were involved. She’s just wandering around the us in on a motorcycle with a gun, again no one pauses. It’s just odd, all of it odd. When explaining the cyphers it often became redundant and boring trying to get to the point. I just found this book over all very hard to engage with.

I was invited to read an advance copy of this book, but I think I am actually not the target audience. I liked the general premise, but the puzzle-solving was too "techical" and detailed for me. I'm sure there are other, probably smarter, readers who would enjoy the experience of trying to solve the puzzles and interpret the clues more than I did. I read other reviews comparing this book to Dan Brown's, but I found his books more approachable for me. I did enjoy the interpersonal relationships that developed during the course of the book, and it was interesting to see an example of how a neurodivergent person deals with life's challenges.

This book has a 3rd person narration that I could not get into. The constant descriptions from this viewpoint made the story difficult to empathize with and the writing was too choppy. I DNF this book after 25%.

This was an engaging read!

Characters 4/5
I appreciated the main character as a neurodivergent individual. The author did a good job of expressing that and the quirks of neurodivergence. My only critique, as a neurodivergent individual, was that it was treated as a condition that could be tempered. The main character is excited to go off to a school where she knows no one and one presumes without her emotional support animal. I would have preferred those issues be less of an afterthought.

World 4/5
Set in modern America the history was interesting and well-researched.

Plot 5/5
This was a fun puzzle/mystery novel. I liked the twists and turns and I appreciate that they were fully explained and detailed enough for the reader to keep up with the main character.

Writing 5/5
This book was an easy read. The writing was engaging and comfortable.

Arizona is an unconventional, brilliant seventeen-year-old. After the unexpected death of her father, Arizona and her mother are on a trip in their Airstream. After each going their own way for a couple of hours at a state park, her mother isn’t at their agreed upon place and time where they are to meet. It soon becomes apparent that her mother has been kidnapped.
Arizona is an expert at solving puzzles, and deciphering codes and sets out with only her dog, Mojo, in the Airstream to find her mother. This story was told in third person style, by Arizona, her mother and even one of the kidnappers. There seemed to be an abundance of codes and riddles to decipher, which sometimes was too much, and I found myself occasionally glazing over them, Arizona, however, thrived on such challenges as she pursued the trail to find her mother.
This was an interesting, very different story that I think would appeal to more of a younger reader that could relate more to an extraordinary, very smart teenager.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

I like my thrillers to be more of a puzzle than a simple who-dun-it, when the main character has to solve and research and follow the clues to more clues, and The Language of the Birds delivers a mystery ripe with puzzles. The protagonist, named Arizona, (not sure if this was an homage to "Indiana" Jones) is a unique seventeen year old. After loosing her father, she discovers her mother was kidnaped and the ransom is the solution to a chain of puzzles that, seemingly, only she can solve and set her on an adventure of discovery and self-discovery. We follow her through her exploits as she chases down the solutions, luckily she has the family airstream to travel in. The book was written in an easy to read and easy to follow style and told in third person mostly from the viewpoint of Arizona, but also her mother, and one of the kidnappers. It was an enjoyable quick read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes the Robert Langdon style thriller.
I received access to this ARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

I remember the magic and excitement of reading Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code when I was in my 20s, and I feel like KA Merson captured similar magic in THE LANGUAGE OF THE BIRDS. Filled with puzzles, codes, cyphers, U.S. history, conspiracy theories, danger and adventure, this book is sure to capture the imagination of YA readers in search of a smart mystery rooted in US history and lore.

Seventeen year-old Arizona thinks differently and sees patterns and meaning in things others may not. Homeschooled since she was young, Arizona is well traveled, well read, and struggles in social situations. Her superior skill in deciphering puzzles is something she likely inherited from her beloved father, who recently passed away. When Arizona’s mother is kidnapped while on a family trip in their Airstream, Arizona is shocked to discover that her father may have been more than a cartographer who worked for the USGS: he might have been researching a secret the kidnappers are desperate to uncover.

Arizona’s quest to rescue her mother takes the clever teen on great adventures across the western U.S. I enjoyed that the history here is real and many of the clues are hidden in plain sight. Those who live in the western states, and those who have visited some of the monuments and sites featured (including Hoover Dam) will enjoy the story even more.

I am not the target audience for this book, as my tastes have changed greatly since my 20s and I wasn’t aware THE LANGUAGE OF THE BIRDS was YA when I requested it. That being said, I do think this book will appeal to readers of smart YA. I am not sure it’s believable that a 17 year-old - even a neurodivergent one who has a difficult time connecting with others - would put their life on the line to solve the mystery without trying a bit harder to report her situation to the authorities. In addition, a touch more character development would have roped me into the story a bit more, but overall THE LANGUAGE OF THE BIRDS is a fun read.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the early digital copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

I appreciate having had an opportunity to read and review this book. The appeal of this particular book was not evident to me, and if I cannot file a generally positive review I prefer simply to advise the publisher to that effect and file no review at all.