Book Review | Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

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About the Book

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Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this exhilarating debut middle grade fantasy, the first in a trilogy filled with #blackgirlmagic. Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor.

Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good.

So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real.

Now she must compete for a spot against kids who’ve known about magic their whole lives. No matter how hard she tries, Amari can’t seem to escape their intense doubt and scrutiny—especially once her supernaturally enhanced talent is deemed “illegal.” With an evil magician threatening the supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she’s an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t stick it out and pass the tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.

Amari and the Night Brothers is a fun and insightful story exploring the injustices of being judged by an attribute you are born with, whether it’s your skin color or supernatural ability.

The premise of this story is great fun and highly captivating. A magical world within the ordinary world fuels the imagination of kids and adults alike. Don’t we all like to imagine a magical world that we might be invited to join one day? I know imagining it takes me away to a place where good triumphs over evil, and I can make things happen but just waving a wand.

I adore the main character Amari who is smart, sassy, determined, and focused. She lost her brother and has to deal with social bullying and prejudice because of her skin color and where she lives. She deals with her problems forcibly, and though understandable, it landed her in the principal’s office, where she lost her scholarship. A package from her brother shows up, and in it is a Nomination for Consideration for the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. This leads her to a supernatural world within our world where she again faces social bullying and prejudice, not for her skin color, but because she is a magician who wields the most feared magic in the supernatural world. I found Amari’s path toward dealing with prejudice very inspiring, and I enjoyed watching her grow and learn.

There is a bit of a mystery thread throughout the plot that delightfully builds the suspense. The twist is expected, but it does start a whole new twist for future novels to explore. And, it is the thread that pushes Amari forward in her quest to join the Bureau and find her brother, who disappeared during an top secret investigation for that Bureau.

I love the fantastical world of the “summer camp” with its different departments that are as interesting to read about as they would be to explore. It’s a very imaginative and creative world full of wonder, dangerous beasts, cool inventions, and many little details to hold the reader’s attention as they are revealed sometimes in small bits and other times in big chunks as the story progresses.

Amari and the Night Brothers is a new, fun, and socially educational world to fascinate and delight the MG reader and their adults.