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adancewithbooks's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to North Star Editons and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
A Dragonbird in the Fern is a heart felt fantasy YA standalone be sure to take you by surprise.
I'll start right off by saying that the whole plot will not be the surprise. Her going after her sisters killer and who it ended up being was not that surprising. But that was the backdrop. The front and center was our Jiara.
Jiara, as the youngest princess, had always known what her place was going to be. She was betrothed to a royal of their country. Her brother was to become the king (with his male partner might I add) and her sister was to marry a prince from a neighbouring country to strengthen their alliance. She was fine with this. But when her sister is murdered all her own plans gets thrown with the wind when an offer of marriage comes from the hand of her sisters former bethrothed.
As a person Jiara would have preferred to have hidden away more. Both her older brother and sister had bigger responsibilites in the limelight. Jiara was fine with supporting her mother and later her brother. She's always felt stupid as studying never came easy for her. Especially writing and reading was hard.
While dyslexia is not named in the storythe author makes it clear in an authors note and through Jiara's description that it is that. Jiara is dyslectic. And when is the last time you came across that, in a YA fantasy at that. I liked how it was dealt with. It was more accepted at home but in a new country she has to learn a new language. And nobody listens to her prefered method of learning which is verbal with the visual items or handling along side. No she gets taught with written words. Jiara is a powerhouse and because she is determined she is learning through her own method by placing herself in situations where she has to learn the language with hands and feet. Its hard. But she does it. She learns that she is not stupid. She is very smart. And she can learn another language despite her disability because she knows what works best for her. I liked that.
Other elements I liked was how everyone was so aware of their duty. They would never go beyond that but at the same time they all still had their own desires. How Jiara was the wild child but that just seemed accepted. How Jiara found her sisters bethrothed attractive when she first met him. How her sister found peace so important that she went to make a secret alliance even before her marriage.
I also enjoyed seeing how adoption and succession of the throne was (small) topic). And the relationship between Jiara and Raffa. There was a willingness and trust between them that developed over time. Also how he was so adamant not to have sex before she was 18.
And of course there was her sisters ghost that haunted the family. I found it interesting to see how far her sisters ghost was able to travel. How Jiara wasn't angry with the ghost. How her understanding and emotions could sometimes sooth the ghost down. I thought it was an interesting addition to the story. Because so often in stories like these, the murdered party kind of gets forgotten along the way, until the end of course when they catch the murderer. That wasn't the case. There was a living embodiment of her sister right there. She never lost sight of that. But it wasn't revenge. She just wanted to make sure her sister could rest in peace.
A Dragonbird in the Fern is a heart felt fantasy YA standalone be sure to take you by surprise.
I'll start right off by saying that the whole plot will not be the surprise. Her going after her sisters killer and who it ended up being was not that surprising. But that was the backdrop. The front and center was our Jiara.
Jiara, as the youngest princess, had always known what her place was going to be. She was betrothed to a royal of their country. Her brother was to become the king (with his male partner might I add) and her sister was to marry a prince from a neighbouring country to strengthen their alliance. She was fine with this. But when her sister is murdered all her own plans gets thrown with the wind when an offer of marriage comes from the hand of her sisters former bethrothed.
As a person Jiara would have preferred to have hidden away more. Both her older brother and sister had bigger responsibilites in the limelight. Jiara was fine with supporting her mother and later her brother. She's always felt stupid as studying never came easy for her. Especially writing and reading was hard.
While dyslexia is not named in the storythe author makes it clear in an authors note and through Jiara's description that it is that. Jiara is dyslectic. And when is the last time you came across that, in a YA fantasy at that. I liked how it was dealt with. It was more accepted at home but in a new country she has to learn a new language. And nobody listens to her prefered method of learning which is verbal with the visual items or handling along side. No she gets taught with written words. Jiara is a powerhouse and because she is determined she is learning through her own method by placing herself in situations where she has to learn the language with hands and feet. Its hard. But she does it. She learns that she is not stupid. She is very smart. And she can learn another language despite her disability because she knows what works best for her. I liked that.
Other elements I liked was how everyone was so aware of their duty. They would never go beyond that but at the same time they all still had their own desires. How Jiara was the wild child but that just seemed accepted. How Jiara found her sisters bethrothed attractive when she first met him. How her sister found peace so important that she went to make a secret alliance even before her marriage.
I also enjoyed seeing how adoption and succession of the throne was (small) topic). And the relationship between Jiara and Raffa. There was a willingness and trust between them that developed over time. Also how he was so adamant not to have sex before she was 18.
And of course there was her sisters ghost that haunted the family. I found it interesting to see how far her sisters ghost was able to travel. How Jiara wasn't angry with the ghost. How her understanding and emotions could sometimes sooth the ghost down. I thought it was an interesting addition to the story. Because so often in stories like these, the murdered party kind of gets forgotten along the way, until the end of course when they catch the murderer. That wasn't the case. There was a living embodiment of her sister right there. She never lost sight of that. But it wasn't revenge. She just wanted to make sure her sister could rest in peace.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Death
allisonwonderlandreads's review
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A Dragonbird in the Fern begins with a vengeful sister reaching from beyond the grave to express her displeasure that her murderer has not been found. Protagonist Jiara seeks to solve the crime and put the spirit to rest as her sister's ghostly anger gets increasingly violent. During this struggle, she must take her sister's place in a political engagement or lose the important alliance with King Raffar. Swiftly married and shipped off to her new home, she is unable to communicate with anyone, including her husband, without a translator, and she struggles to adjust to her new environs. All the while, her investigation continues, intrigues are uncovered, and her sister only gets more impatient for results.
There is so much to enjoy in this ya fantasy. Most important to me is always the characters. This bunch is so lively! There's just enough detail to make you feel you know everyone without slowing it all down. Plus, there's an unheard-of for the genre angst-free love story at the heart, and the language barrier made for some adorable miming and grand gestures to demonstrate feelings where words fail.
Jiara, in particular, merits mention as a credit to this story. She has a lot of anxiety and ingrained shame about her struggles to read. This contributes to her challenges with learning a new language, while her instructor powers forward with rote memorization and pronunciation drills. I was touched by the author's note about bringing dyslexia visibility to this story, and as a language teacher, I especially appreciate the way Rueckert spotlights Jiara's stress and misery under these less-than-satisfying learning conditions.
In terms of world-building, this book has a light touch. There isn't too much politics to keep track of or place names to squirrel away in your memory banks. Magic has a bit more of a spiritual angle here-- it's not a sword and sorcery approach, and I think that also contributed to the elegant simplicity. I also loved that the book has queernorm societies. In terms of representation, you can expect happy mlm and wlw partners among the side characters and casual, positive mentions of non-binary and trans individuals. The cultures here also normalize adoption as a natural, loving way to grow families, which was nice to see.
This fantasy welcomed me in, and I had trouble putting it down because it made me feel so at ease. It's a story about peace and selflessness, and I think it shed many of the harmful tropes of the genre to tell a really lovely story. Thanks to Flux and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, out 8/3.
There is so much to enjoy in this ya fantasy. Most important to me is always the characters. This bunch is so lively! There's just enough detail to make you feel you know everyone without slowing it all down. Plus, there's an unheard-of for the genre angst-free love story at the heart, and the language barrier made for some adorable miming and grand gestures to demonstrate feelings where words fail.
Jiara, in particular, merits mention as a credit to this story. She has a lot of anxiety and ingrained shame about her struggles to read. This contributes to her challenges with learning a new language, while her instructor powers forward with rote memorization and pronunciation drills. I was touched by the author's note about bringing dyslexia visibility to this story, and as a language teacher, I especially appreciate the way Rueckert spotlights Jiara's stress and misery under these less-than-satisfying learning conditions.
In terms of world-building, this book has a light touch. There isn't too much politics to keep track of or place names to squirrel away in your memory banks. Magic has a bit more of a spiritual angle here-- it's not a sword and sorcery approach, and I think that also contributed to the elegant simplicity. I also loved that the book has queernorm societies. In terms of representation, you can expect happy mlm and wlw partners among the side characters and casual, positive mentions of non-binary and trans individuals. The cultures here also normalize adoption as a natural, loving way to grow families, which was nice to see.
This fantasy welcomed me in, and I had trouble putting it down because it made me feel so at ease. It's a story about peace and selflessness, and I think it shed many of the harmful tropes of the genre to tell a really lovely story. Thanks to Flux and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, out 8/3.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Pregnancy, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
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