The Nightjar's Promise Book Review & Book Tour Giveaway

I love mysteries and novels with supernatural themes--and I loved Barbara Casey's F.I.G. Mysteries.  I have read and reviewed The Wish Rider, The Cadence of Gypsies, and The Clockflower over the past few years. This is one of my favorite young adult, mystery series--and I was excited to have the opportunity to read and review the latest book in the series: The Nightjar's Promise. What did I think of The Nightjar's Promise by Barbara Casey? Read my thoughts, check out the other books and my reviews--and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Book Title:  The Nightjar's Promise (Book 4 of The F.I.G. Mysteries) by Barbara Casey
Category:  YA Fiction (Ages 13-17),  130 pages
Genre:  Mystery, Fantasy
Publisher:  Gauthier Publications (Hungry Goat Press)
Release date:   April, 2020
Content Rating:  PG. There are some themes that deal with the Jewish Holocaust and some frightening scenes appropriate for young adult and adult readers.

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About the Book

Jennifer Torres, one of the three FIGs (Females of Intellectual Genius) who is a genius in both music and art, is the last to leave the closed rehearsal for her upcoming performance over Thanksgiving break at Carnegie Hall when she hears something in the darkened Hall. Recognizing the tilt of the woman’s head and the slight limp of the man as they hurry out an exit door, she realizes it is her parents who were supposedly killed in a terrible car accident when she was 15 years old. Devastated and feeling betrayed, she sends a text to Carolina and the other two FIGs—THURGOOD. It is the code word they all agreed to use if ever one of them got into trouble or something happened that was too difficult to handle. They would all meet back at Carolina’s bungalow at Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women to figure it out.

As soon as they receive the text, because of their genius, Dara starts thinking of words in ancient Hebrew, German, and Yiddish, while Mackenzie’s visions of unique math formulae keep bringing up the date October 11, 1943. That is the date during World War II when the Nazis—the Kunstschutz—looted the paintings of targeted wealthy Jewish families and hid them away under Hitler’s orders. And as Carolina waits for the FIGs to return to Wood Rose, she hears warnings from Lyuba, her gypsy mother, to watch for the nightjar, the ancient name for the whip-poor-will.

As they search for “The Nightjar’s Promise” and the truth surrounding it, Carolina and the FIGs come face to face with the evil that threatens to destroy not only their genius but their very lives.

My Review

 

The Nightjar's Promise Brings Some Closure to Another F.I.G.'s Past. As with the other books of the series, this novel focuses on the life and past of one of the main characters. The book series to bring a little closure and clear up some of the mysteries of her past. This time, the focus is on art and music genius Jennifer as she learns more about her past and her own mysteries upbringing and the events that led her to life at the orphanage. The novel is a stand-alone story--and the author fills in a lot of details from the girls' varied pasts and previous adventures in this book. I would suggest that you read the other novels of the series first to avoid spoiling some of the mysteries faced by the main characters in those earlier books!

The Nightjar's Promise is Well-Developed and Offers Readers a Historical Glimpse into the Past.  As the girls put their systematic approach to mystery-solving to use in this book--the author takes us on a historical journey through the Holocaust and Nazi looting. Casey allows each of the F.I.G.s to contribute her unique abilities and gifts to piecing together the puzzles of Jennifer's past. The novel is fast-moving and packed with information and developments that blend perfectly as the characters resolve the storyline.  

I LOVE this series for Younger, Young Adult, Gifted Girls. As I have said before, being a gifted tween/teen girl brings some challenges to an already challenging age! The author shares characters with a variety of gifts--and shows the power of these gifts when allowed to blossom within a group of accepting, like-minded individuals. The F.I.G.s have wonderful gifts and talents that thrive when they work together--and are understanding of each other's personalities and "quirks." 

Would I recommend The Nightjar's Promise by Barbara Casey? I love the books of this series for tweens/teens. I enjoy the author's writing style and the research and development that went into the storyline. As a reader of the series, the first book is still my favorite. This book moved quickly, and the plot wrapped a bit abruptly for Jennifer's story while the other characters still seemed to have some loose ends dangling out there in the earlier books. I do recommend this series to mystery-loving families with gifted and talented students as it is an interesting portrayal of the social aspects of giftedness--and the story did take a look at one of history's mysteries as well. I am hopeful that there are future adventures in this series.

     

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Meet the Author

Originally from Carrollton, Illinois, author/agent/publisher Barbara Casey attended the University of North Carolina, N.C. State University, and N.C. Wesleyan College where she received a BA degree, summa cum laude, with a double major in English and history. In 1978 she left her position as Director of Public Relations and Vice President of Development at North Carolina Wesleyan College to write full time and develop her own manuscript evaluation and editorial service. In 1995 she established the Barbara Casey Agency and since that time has represented authors from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan. In 2014, she became a partner with Strategic Media Books, an independent nonfiction publisher of true crime, where she oversees acquisitions, day-to-day operations, and book production.

Ms. Casey has written over a dozen award-winning books of fiction and nonfiction for both young adults and adults. The awards include the National Association of University Women Literary Award, the Sir Walter Raleigh Literary Award, the Independent Publisher Book Award, the Dana Award for Outstanding Novel, the IP Best Book for Regional Fiction, among others. Two of her nonfiction books have been optioned for major films, one of which is under contract.

Her award-winning articles, short stories, and poetry for adults have appeared in both national and international publications including the North Carolina Christian Advocate Magazine, The New East Magazine, the Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer, the Rocky Mount (N.C.) Sunday Telegram, Dog Fancy, ByLine, The Christian Record, Skirt! Magazine, and True Story. A thirty-minute television special which Ms. Casey wrote and coordinated was broadcast on WRAL, Channel 5, in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also received special recognition for her editorial work on the English translations of Albanian children’s stories. Her award-winning science fiction short stories for adults are featured in The Cosmic Unicorn and CrossTime science fiction anthologies. Ms. Casey's essays and other works appear in The Chrysalis Reader, the an international literary journal of the Swedenborg Foundation, 221 One-Minute Monologues from Literature (Smith and Kraus Publishers), and A Cup of Comfort (Adams Media Corporation).

Ms. Casey is a former director of BookFest of the Palm Beaches, Florida, where she served as guest author and panelist. She has served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Florida, and was the Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 through 2003. In 2018 Ms. Casey received the prestigious Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and Top Professional Award for her extensive experience and notable accomplishments in the field of publishing and other areas. She makes her home on the top of a mountain in northwest Georgia with her husband and three cats who adopted her, Homer, Reese, and Earl Gray - Reese’s best friend.

​Connect with the author:  Website~ Goodreads ~ Facebook

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