Amari and the Night Brothers is a magical Middle Grade adventure filled with mystery, fantasy and wonderful characters.
Title: Amari and the Night Brothers
Author: B.B. Alston
Series: Supernatural Investigations #1
First Published: January 19, 2021
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genres: Children’s Fiction, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy
Acquired: via The Write Reads blog tour organiser
*** Thank you to The Write Reads blog tour organiser, for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
Amari Peters knows three things.
Her big brother Quinton has gone missing.
No one will talk about it.
His mysterious job holds the secret . . .
So when Amari gets an invitation to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain this is her chance to find Quinton. But first she has to get her head around the new world of the Bureau, where mermaids, aliens and magicians are real, and her roommate is a weredragon.
Amari must compete against kids who’ve known about the supernatural world their whole lives, and when each trainee is awarded a special supernatural talent, Amari is given an illegal talent – one that the Bureau views as dangerous.
With an evil magician threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is the enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t pass the three tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton . . .
A world of magic and fantasy to discover
At first, there seems to be a lot of parallels to other magical worlds – especially one in which a young child who knows nothing about magic is thrown into a magical world (one that operates alongside the non-magical one) and has to interact with other children who have known about magic their whole lives. But honestly, this story is so fresh and different that you’ll forget about the similarities as you’re drawn into Amari’s world.
And while this magical world is full of incredible inventions and fantastical beasts, one thing that it does have in common with the non-magical world is racism and prejudices, where people are judged (and feared) based on the colour of their skin and their magical abilities.
We follow our protagonist, Amari, into this newly-discovered world where we learn all about magic and the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs and meet some wonderful (and wonderfully evil) creatures. Alston has laid the foundations for a beautiful, magical universe and it will be a pleasure to learn more about this universe in future books.
A strong and well-written protagonist
One of my favourite things about this book is the main character, Amari. She is truly one of the most likeable characters I have come across. Amari is smart and determined and written with a wonderful sense of realism.
What Amari goes through during the course of this book, both in terms of learning about magic, meeting new friends (and enemies), finding her brother and dealing with racism, makes her an easy protagonist to root for. Following Amari’s journey of growth and discovery is a treat and I’m looking forward to more books in this series.
Overall, the book is well-written and action packed. I think it’s a great choice for Middle Graders (and honestly, any age group) who enjoy adventure, magic and fantasy stories. The lessons contained in the story about racism and prejudice are very timely and, while done with a light and subtle hand, are still meaningful and impactful.
Read Amari and the Night Brothers for yourself
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Wonderful review, Stephanie! I agree with all the points you make, it is very original and imaginative, and Amari is a superb protagonist. I’m so glad you enjoyed this 🥰