Nightingale, Sing

by Karsten Knight

To cure her dying sister, Sabra Tides must race to solve a web of riddles and find a mythical flower, while a ruthless gangster will stop at nothing to get there first. This powerful YA thriller is perfect for fans of The Raven Boys, Six of Crows, and The Conspiracy of Us.
*******
A STREETWISE VIGILANTE
who will do anything to cure her dying sister

A RUTHLESS GANGSTER
on a grisly quest to attain immortality

A DESPERATE FATHER
who crossed oceans to free his enslaved son

A TRAIL OF RIDDLES
and the mythical treasure they all seek:

THE SERENGETI SAPPHIRE

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Historical Fiction

308 pages, Paperback

First published February 23, 2016

About the author

Some say Karsten Knight’s writing career peaked at the age of six, when he completed a picture book about a sassy, adventurous worm. In the decades since, he’s tried in futility to live up to the high literary bar he set back during the first grade by publishing other novels such as:

• the mythological fantasy THIS ETERNITY OF MASKS AND SHADOWS
• the time-traveling thriller PATCHWORK
• the historical mystery NIGHTINGALE, SING
• the volcano goddess trilogy WILDEFIRE (Simon & Schuster)
• and the spooky BONEGARDEN series for young readers.

His books have been described as “exceptional” (San Diego Union-Tribune), “action-packed” (Publishers Weekly), “riveting” (VOYA), “sizzling” (Booklist), and “compelling” (School Library Journal)—but most critics would probably agree that it’s all been downhill since that worm book in ’91.

Karsten studied creative writing at College of the Holy Cross and earned an MFA in writing for children from Simmons College. A lifelong resident of Massachusetts, he lives for long walks in fall weather. For more information on Karsten and to keep up with his latest releases, please visit www.karstenknightbooks.com.

Reviews

[Sheila G · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Greeks had it all wrong, because in nature, it's only the male nightingale that sings. Don't you see, you moron? The female nightingale has no voice.

Sabra replies:

This one does.

And those were the words that Horace Nox regretted ever saying.

This book is GOOD. It just doesn't stop! If you want a face-paced, young adult (leaning towards adult novel), packed full of suspense, adventure, and even mythology(!) this is it.

Could you imagine if a gang controlled something like the fountain of youth, the book of life, or the holy grail? It'd be terrifying.

Sabra is a kick-butt protagonist who follows in the footsteps of her brother to stop at nothing to help her younger sister in her failing health. I'm not sure how she came to be so resourceful, but in the end, I didn't even care. She was fantastic.

Atlas is a great side-kick, so to speak. His name is perfect, since he's like a walking and talking encyclopedia.

Just remember, you may be the book smarts of this operation..." I tapped my temple. "...But I'm the street smarts."

Their blossoming relationship throughout the book is so appropriately executed. It's not overdone, or cliche, and their interactions were very entertaining.

"You," he replied, "are a panic attack personified."

Granted, there are other books out there following the same sort of premise: find the ancient/myth object that has magical powers in a race against the bad guy. But I really enjoyed this rendition of that plot line.

Cursing: moderate (I could have done without it.)
Sexual content: minimal
Gore: moderate

4.5 stars.

This review can also be viewed at my blog: She's Going Book Crazy

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A) Technically a 4.5...yes I removed half a star because I nearly launched myself out of my reading nook to strangle the author over the last chapter. Seriously. Don't mess with my HEA.

B) Technically this falls into the thriller category with a dash of medical science fiction and some mystical woo-woo. And history, since I definitely learned more American history here then I generally expect from my fictional books.

C) Pretty chapter header photos.

What does this all add up to you ask? Well enjoyment of a book outside my normal reading purview. Long time followers/readers of my reviews know that I'm steadfastly loyal to the author--his trilogy about Ashline Wilde, Polynesian Volcano Goddess reincarnate, had me waxing poetic. I've been waiting for further works by him and was taken by surprise at this release.

Sabra Tides is a resourceful, smart ass streetwise girl who doesn't really play by the rules at all and probably created as many issues for herself as she got away from. Her one driving motivation was to save Echo, her 8 year old younger sister dying of cancer. She broke every law, left a trail of bodies behind her and got mixed up in some shitty things to achieve that goal.

Damned if I wouldn't have done the same for my baby sister if I'd been put into that position.

Knight's wordplay here--riddles make up a big part of what moves the hunt along--likely will make sense to Boston residents more so then me. Without Atlas and Sabra talking it out I would have just blinked at the pages stupidly. The depth of knowledge is awe inspiring--both in its use and in the way he weaves the dual tales around it.

I will caution a little...violence abounds and no one in the book is playing for the silver halls. Sabra has to make tough decisions that don't end in hugs and the folk after her don't shoot tranqs. The collateral damage is kind of high actually.

While your milage may vary in how well you believe in what happens (over like a month or so), the ending is satisfying. Folk win, folk die, folk are lucky they're fictional because otherwise I'd wring their necks for putting me through heartache.

[Zoraida · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that has inspired me to go and keep writing.

The heroine, Sabra Tides, is fearless, bold, and gets shit done. The novel itself is entrenched with myth and magic, but remains grounded to a contemporary urban Boston setting. I find it refreshing when I can't guess an ending, and the last quarter of the books is nonstop action as Sabras epic scavenger hunt pushes forth. For fans of mystery, myth, and especially strong female characters.

READ IT.

[Anthonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrill ride of adventure. i enjoyed reading this book. A very well-written story about family to me. What someone would do for the people they love. A must read for any and all book lovers everywhere.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome book. Danger, adventure, riddles, a quest. Really, really bad guys. Great writing. A fantastic story. LOVED.

[Leah Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to find a book to read before bed, to savor in short bursts instead of one giant bite, but Nightingale, Sing was PERFECTION. Reading it became a reward I looked forward to each night. The action kept the story moving and yet I never felt lost. I loved piecing together the riddles and making guesses as to where the characters would be headed next. Sabra and Atlas were well drawn and believable and I rooted for them as the story progressed. Definitely recommend!

[Shannon Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, this is the first giveaway I have won on Goodreads, and I couldn't be more ecstatic about it. Thanks so much for picking me!

Also, since this book is set in Boston, and I happen to live there, I feel like it was meant for me to win.

Ok, sorry. On to actual review stuff.

This book is like a YA version of National Treasure, except with more heart, becasue the entire quest revolves around finding an old flower that will be a magical cure to the cancer that is ravaging Sabra's younger sister, Echo's, eight year old body and killing her.

So the whole story pretty much boils down to a really bad gangster, Horace Nox, who is also very sick, trying to find the flower before Sabra can find it and give it to her sister.
And to find said flower, Sabra must follow clues hidden in riddles that take her throughout historical New England.

Now generally I will say that I am not a fan of thrillers, mysteries, or historical novels. And even with the heavy elements of each of those present, this book managed to immediately grab my attention and hold it. The historical parts are easy to follow, even if you are someone who doesn't care much for history (and favors other subjects), and doesn't know much about it. You needn't be a history buff to keep up with and enjoy the book. And the mystery/thriller parts are well balanced with interesting action, that is incredibly paced, and will keep you turning page after page to find out what happens next.

Will she find the next clue? Is that sapphire even real? Can she keep eluding the vicious Mr. Nox? Will she save her sister?

I'm about halfway through, and I do not want to go to bed, I do not want to go to work tomorrow, I just want to finish this book, and then, in lieu of going to work, go on my own quest of tracking down the author (who apparently lives in Boston, hence why the settings are so accurately detailed), and make him sign my book, then proceed to chat about it with me for the next few hours.

But alas, I do have to go to work, so my stalking might have to be postponed until the weekend.

I ain't waitin' to finish this book though. I'ma stop typing out this review and go finish readin' this nonsense right now.

More later friends!

EDIT: well, work took up far too much of my time, because I didn't get to finish the book until now, which was just a crime. It was really good. I just adored the book.

Firstly, the history is pretty well-researched, especially in regards to Boston, and I got to learn a lot of history about the city that I live in. And let me just say that for anyone or anything to teach me history is quite a feat.
I generally find the subject dry and boring, and that makes it hard for to learn or retain. However, occasionally I will find mediums that can make history dynamic and interesting enough for me to want to know more, like the Assassin's Creed video games, or the National Treasure movies. This book is definitely among that class of entertainment, and I actually leaned things from this book.

Beyond that, despite the fact that I'm not generally a thriller sort of person either, this book was amazing. It was interesting and kept me flipping page after page to find out what would happen next. The book grabbed me from the first page and was compelling all the way though until the very end.

The parts that aren't actual history or actual reality, like Blyss, I thought those we well done too. Even though I knew that these certain elements were fictional, it felt like the story was plausible, completely realistic, and in fact, these fictional elements served their purpose to make the story more interesting.

Finally, regarding the very end of the book, I generally have issues with books that are anti-climactic, but the ending was pleasing and exciting, satisfying and fitting. And while I love a good proper HEA, I often find that my happy endings are cliched and generic. This book gave me a climactic and intense final battle, filled with triumph that came at a high cost. And I was content with the ending, because I got closure, and it seemed to fit, but then to make the very last bit so lovely and joyous, was a perfect, as well as unexpected finish to a story that I just loved. It all felt like a unique way to wrap things up instead of the usual, we completed the quest, fell in love while doing it, now get to live happily ever after with our spoils, which is great, because that gets old, and I appreciated that Nightingale Sing wasn't tired, it was unique and didn't disappoint.

[Piper M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost Dnfed but am so glad I did not HAPY ENDING SUCH A HAPPY ENDING PRAISE THE LORD

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nightingale, Sing kicks off with an intense and dynamic first chapter, setting the tone for the rest of the book. The story is a good balance of thrill and mystery, keeping just enough left unclear to create intrigue without too much confusion. Each chapter also has beautiful header images that indicate where the events of said chapter will take place, which was a nice touch and really brought something to the overall story and atmosphere it created.

The vast majority of the story was made up of telling rather than showing in the writing style, but I did feel like it worked here to some extent: it fit with the riddles and action scenes and Sabra had a strong voice in the prose. However, many moments that held emotional impact were lessened due to this, feeling strained and stiff, unlike in other scenes where the writing carried the action along at a quick but steady pace.

It was great to see a female character allowed to be morally ambiguous like Sabra in this book, but I wanted to see more of that, and more of her in general. Despite her being the main character, there was a distinctive lack of development and introspection on her character: and the rest of the cast too. I was also disappointed that the antagonist's motivations for his terrible actions were linked to him being disabled, due to the unfortunate connotations of that, and in general he felt quite flat and one-dimensional: especially when compared to Sabra.

Although I did not particularly dislike the romance and the characters had some nice interactions, it did feel somewhat forced. What I enjoyed the most was definitely the sibling relationship between Sabra, Jack and Echo, and how present it was throughout the story.

Despite my issues with the characters and writing, the plot itself was solid and there were parts of both the characterisation and the writing style that I did enjoy and overall found well worth reading.

[Erin Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

So NIGHTINGALE, SING by the uber talented and equally adorable Karsten Knight. I'm trying to think of something more substantial than I loved it but I'm coming up short. For me this book was original. I haven't read anything like it and it hooked me almost immediately. I have never been that interested in history, I'm a strictly right brained kind of girl but there are some exceptions for me and Boston has always been one of them. I got to visit once and to the disappointment of my born and raised New Yorker father I have been enchanted with the city ever since. Knight has an incredible brain and as I read this book I could see his immense intelligence throughout.

Sabra our main character has easily found a place on my list of favorite female characters. She was so unapologetically badass, a do now think later kind of chick and I absolutely adored her. I found myself wondering what the hell Sabra was thinking at some points but then I would remember that she's a teenager driven by love and revenge, dealing with some seriously ruthless people. Given the circumstances Sabra was bound to make some questionable decisions. Luckily with Sabra's street smarts and Atlas' book smarts they made a pretty formidable team.
I've been a fan of Karsten Knight's from the beginning and it's true that this book was not my typical kind of read but I loved it just the same. (even as a Yankees fan!)

[C.S. Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling, Page-Turning, Heart-Wrenching Mystery!

You, the reader, are taken on a fast-paced rollercoaster ride of emotion, action and mystery with the book Nightingale, Sing by Karsten Knight.

Sabra Tides must pick up where her brother left off and solve the mystery to achieve the goal they both are willing to sacrifice their life for: saving the life of their little sister.

Set within the history of New England, the well-defined characters will find the clues they need to succeed and achieve their ultimate goal, but they aren't the only ones set upon this path. Horace Nox, a notorious and deadly drug Lord seeks to steal their prize. He sends his human arsenal after them and only Sabra's street-smarts have a chance of keeping them alive and hopefully one step ahead of the vicious killer.

Mystery lovers, history buffs, and riddle-solvers will love this well-written book. It hides within its depths the tender blossoming of young romance, but also the more vicious underbelly of life.

[Katie Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters were charming, but I could never buy into the plot itself. It also falls prey to the Magical Negro trope (and then kills him off!)

It's the kind of book where I couldn't turn my brain off to completely enjoy it, and the more I think about it, the more problems I find. But I liked it enough to finish, and I do like badass female protagonists.

[Steffaney Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will time run out?

Don't get in Sabra Tides' way as she solves clues leading to a cure for her young sister's cancer. Boston history, Greek mythology, a Vermont escapade make this book timely and interesting for New England young adult readers. A romance weaves its way into Sabra's
quest putting more at stake than her own life.

[hpboy13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is quality fun! Knight tells an exciting quest story. There are likable heroes to root for, loathsome villains to hate, and a perfect splash of romance without it being overpowering. Most of all, this book truly reads like a love letter to Boston and its surrounding environs, with vivid descriptions and bits of history thrown in. It honestly makes me want to revisit Boston to take in more of its history and some of the sights that the book mentions. The author’s genuine interest and passion for the locale, which is a character as significant as any, leaps off the page.

The quest is for a magical MacGuffin, that Sabra is racing against a notorious gangster to get. I thought Knight hit a pitch-perfect level of badassery for Sabra – she certainly holds her own and begins to rack up a body count, but at no point is it completely unbelievable that a mortal teenager would pull off what she has. The odds stacked against her are considerable, as Knight certainly paints a portrait of a city wholly in thrall to a powerful crimelord. It’s only fair that she has a P.I. on her side with a savant-like ability to ferret out any and all information within hours, though I found it the most implausible part of the story.

Having been very impressed with the Wildefire series, this book confirmed that Knight has a gift for writing action and adventure with compelling characters – I’m very glad I managed to hunt down a copy of this book!

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than I expected

I had not read anything from this author before, but the description of the book sounded interesting so I gave it a try. I am glad I did because it is a good book. Suspense, treasure hunting, some good and evil, and the strength and determination that comes with love are explored in this exciting read.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I won a free copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways

This was actually a very intriguing book. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was easily pulled into the story and interested in what was coming next. The riddles and history were quite fascinating, and likely the very thing that got me hooked on the story. I rooted for Sabra the whole way, even when she was an idiot and didn't listen to Atlas :).

The ending left me with mixed feelings as I felt it was a bit far fetched in places and Knight messed with my heartstrings. I was ultimately satisfied with the ending and was glad that the loose ends were all tied up.

Overall I thought this was a very well done adventure book, perfect for fans of National Treasure and possibly those of The Da Vinci Code.

[Manal]

So what is this book about, in one sentence?
A teenage girl follows a trail of historical riddles around Boston in search of a mythical treasure that can cure her dying sister, while a murderous gangster competes to get there first.

https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...

[Annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't get enough! Fast-paced, intense, and yet somehow still relatable. Karsten doesn't patronize his young (ish) readers, but instead represents true villains and imperfect heroes you can't help but root for. Plus, as a local Bostonian, I LOVED how much the city itself was a character really... I still think of a certain big moment every time I walk across Fort Point Channel!

[Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been such a joy to watch Knight's writing evolve from the Wildefire trilogy to Nightingale, Sing. Sing is the most I've enjoyed a book in ages. Knight knows how to mix Spielberg-ian fun with some real emotion. His work gets my strongest recommendation!

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

A great book for all ages! The way the author writes is amazing and makes you keep on reading. A true page Turner.

[Stacie Haden · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're in the mood for a tale very much like "National Treasure", then here it is.

[Julie Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery, well done!

[Tara · Rating 1 out of 5]

unlikable main character and pointless riddles. Couldn't finish

[Janet C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it! Not your typical YA read.