A Dragonbird in the Fern

Written by Laura Rueckert

Narrated by Maria Liatis

When an assassin kills Princess Jiara’s older sister Scilla, her vengeful ghost is doomed to walk their city of glittering canals, tormenting loved ones until the murderer is brought to justice. While the entire kingdom mourns, Scilla’s betrothed arrives and requests that seventeen-year-old Jiara take her sister’s place as his bride to confirm the alliance between their countries.

Marrying the young king intended for her sister and traveling to his distant home is distressing enough, but with dyslexia and years of scholarly struggles, Jiara abandoned any hope of learning other languages long ago. She’s terrified of life in a foreign land where she’ll be unable to communicate.

Then Jiara discovers evidence that her sister’s assassin comes from the king’s own country. If she marries the king, Jiara can hunt the murderer and release her family from Scilla’s ghost, whose thirst for blood mounts every day. To save her family, Jiara must find her sister’s killer . . . before he murders her too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Productions
• Release date: Sep 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094429359

Laura Rueckert

Laura Rueckert is a card-carrying bookworm who manages projects by day. At night, fueled by European chocolate, she transforms into a writer of young adult science fiction and fantasy novels. Laura grew up in Michigan, but a whirlwind romance after college brought her to Europe. Today, she lives in Germany with her husband, two kids, and one fluffy dog.

Reviews for A Dragonbird in the Fern

[Whitney Sivill · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A worthy fantasy with interesting characters and a well paced plot. And dyslexia representation. Loved the main character and how she overcomes her cultural and linguistic disadvantages (not related to her dyslexia) in a realistic and admirable way.

[Daylene Peach · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story for young adults who are finding their confidence as readers. It is great to see people like myself and my family being represented in stories.

[meghan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this story! It kept me reading all weekend. :)

[Amanda Carpenter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next. This is one of the few books I've read recently that felt complete. The author is great at filling in holes in the story without making the chapters too wordy feeling. She paints a beautiful picture of a land where magic exists and the gods play a real part in the characters daily lives. The story had several lessons that I'll leave a secret for now so future readers can discover them on their own. I'd love a sequel but there isn't much room for one with this particular cast. Perhaps more novels in the same universe? I'll be watching.

[daniel saenz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A good read, kept you guessing until the end! Lgbtqia friendly

[doug · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not a bad story just not for me , I'm probably not the target audience for this

[brittsacrey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Unique and interesting! I particularly love the dyslexia representation in this story. This is a very character driven plot dealing with grief, loss, death, and language barriers. The world building is beautiful as well.


Content notes: murder, death, learning disability, lgbtq rep, closed door romance between man and woman

[Natale Michaud · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Different and enjoyable. I had a family member with dyslexia who was diagnosed early and received special education.

[Lucia Garcia · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was entertaining, had a good pace, magical elements and intrigue!
The fact that the author casually includes LGBTQ+ characters in this type of novel (young adult romance and magic) is different and very welcomed.

[Adalynn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was good but not great. The death was repetitive.

[Erick Cook Jr · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It wasn’t a bad book, just not great but still worth listening to

[Daniel Piché · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So much is great about this book. The main character is so endearing. Her story of constant doubt and her persistence are inspiring. I had lots of tears at her successes in the last few chapters. The sceneries and descriptions in the book provided lots of imagery for my mind. That’s a key for me to be engaged in a book. This book fulfilled that.

The narrator’s voice was nice to listen to.

A really super book and I enjoyed it tremendously.

[Gracelyn Blackledge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

10/10 absolutely amazing. I'd definitely read more from this author. And a part of me hopes for another edition to this universe she's created. ?

[obergelega · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is so incredibly magical yet realistic. It captured my imagination and interest so quickly that I read in 3 days! This is a beautiful story that emphasized modern beliefs like feminism yet still held a timeless sense!

[Rebecca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is such a beautiful story of growth, change, awe in the magic of the world, and the connection between people. The way this author navigates diversity astounds me and makes me want to absolutely come back for more. I can not wait to read/hear more from this author.

[Nancy David · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is such a beautiful and cute standalone!
An intriguing new world, with unique and beautiful cultures and lore. It has a captivating mystery plot and loveable characters
10/10 recommend!!
Also, love the dyslexia representation here and especially the authors note about it...

A wonderful debut!

[Abby R Holcomb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a lovely creation of countries, languages and beliefs. This is a story full of adventure and love. Highly recommend!

[J Plested · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved the way the author weaved the characters in a very different paranormal story. There's nothing like this story that I have listened to or read before. Great job in the narrative as well.

[Ruth Harris · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Game of thrones meets skins, love it , a wonderful fairy tale with topical realism

[Jenna Vaughn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author created an excellent well written world. I appreciated the MC's determination. I loved the idea of the watchers. It was a bit she to begin but got better and better as it went.

[Xixteel Serratos López · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent round and clean plot with exceptionally interesting characters. It has romance and adventure, the story flows nicely and it’s so empowering and inspiring. I strongly recommend it, you won’t be disappointed.

[Ashley Miller · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really really good! I hope this book is going to be apart of a series because there’s so much further it can go! Fantastic writing and very interesting! The only reason for 4 stars is because I think this is a stand alone novel which means that the reader will never get the character development/ world building this book deserves. Other than that, it’s really great!

[Giada Vancini · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is simply wonderful.
I adore it, the visual landscape pictured and the wonderful animals are dreamy.

I particularly loved and I will cherish forever the wedding ceremony, such a refreshing book.

[Dawni · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Easy listening. Story of love of family and loyalty. Well read. Good book to ɓe taken on an adventure without trauma.

[Emily Thomson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A really enjoyable read with a likeable protagonist. The countries, cultures and religions created were extremely interesting. This could have easily been extended to multiple books to explore the other countries and relationships - especially between the main character and her husband. Hopefully, this is the start of a series set in this world. Would love to read a book about Jonas.

[Samantha Johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The characters, the cultures, the political intrigue...a new favorite book!

[Vivien Lo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very well written story, likeable heroine, not too overdone, nice characters

[KC · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book. While I do wish it were made for a slightly older reader group it was a very enjoyable break from the mindless smutty escapism I’ve been indulging in lately.

While there was no real surprise about who the killer was I found the world that was built delightful and vivid. I liked the different cultures and diverse array of characters. The heroine was fantastic, strong, interesting, smart, realistic and likable.

The narrator did a great job with creating voices that felt unique to each character.

[Azeran Warrens · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book! Beautiful world building, a realistic main character, and plot that’s both easy to follow and fun to tag along with!

[Apps Simplified · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Intriguing! I enjoyed the creativity of this book and recommend it for adults, but not children or teens. The plot is refreshingly clever and unique.