Amari and the Night Brothers

What worked:
Amari is an underdog character, as the book opens with her being kicked out of a private school. Her scholarship is revoked when the parents of more-privileged bullies complain about her not belonging. Then, at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she discovers her body possesses 100% magical power, and that much magic in one person is illegal. She manages to avoid staying out of prison, but most of the other characters think she’s dangerous and expect her to become evil. She’s the only student not allowed to practice and improve her enhanced talent, although an anonymous person offers her help.
The main conflict, and Amari’s sole motivation, is uncovering the mystery of what happened to her brother, Quinton. He’s a hero to everyone at the bureau since along with his partner, Maria, they captured one of the evil-magician Night Brothers. The bureau isn’t sharing information about their disappearances, so rumors abound. Amari investigates, and readers collect clues along with her. Even so, the climax will probably surprise you, and the resolution leads into the sequel, Amari and the Great Game, set to publish in August 2022.
The story includes the importance and value of friendship. Amari’s roommate Elsie is her closest friend and has the ability to see emotions through colors. Elsie is a weredragon, although she hasn’t been able to transform yet, and her creativity is enhanced to make her a super-inventor. She immediately trusts Amari and offers her support toward uncovering the truth about Quinton. Not being able to transform into a dragon is an issue for Elsie, but her intelligence and research skills are helpful to Amari. Their faith and support for each other grow throughout the book.
What didn’t work as well:
The format of the story is similar to many other middle-grade books. An outcast character discovers she possesses immense power and is determined to save someone else. However, the author’s development of Amari’s character and the mystery surrounding her brother make this book special. The selflessness in her resolve to find her brother establishes Amari as a praiseworthy character.
The Final Verdict: This book is a finalist for the 2021 Cybils Award in Elementary and Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction and a finalist for a Goodreads book of the year. Amari’s character and the captivating mystery surrounding her brother make this book a must-read. I highly recommend you give it a shot.

This was such a fun story. I’m really glad that it didn’t take long for Amari to get into the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Alston did the right amount of background story before Amari ended up there and it worked perfectly. I absolutely loved the flow of this story and it held my interest right from the beginning. I thought that everything was very well thought out and planned. Amari and the Night Brothers is meant for Middle Grade readers and it fits this audience amazingly. I really wish I had a book like this growing up. It was so much fun and it was really easy to follow along. Alston blended the real and supernatural world in such a unique way, I loved learning which supernaturals made the story! I think my favorite was about the Boogey’s. And then the ending?! I can honestly say that I was not expecting that and it was such a great twist. Even though it made me a little sad, it was very well orchestrated.

Even though this was such a fun story to read, it really was the characters that captured this story. I think for a Middle Grade book, having a character to really stand behind is what connects to the readers. I know I’m personally a more character driven reader, and this hit the spot. Amari was such an easy character to get behind and root for her. All she wants is to find Quinton and she’ll stop at nothing to find out what has happened to him. What I liked most about Amari’s character, and made it really easy to relate to her, is that she never really didn’t do anything extraordinary. She didn’t automatically become smarter or stronger just because she was the heroine of our story, but she worked hard and all the choices she made was within her reach. I loved this because it made me root for her even more to succeed. Ellie was such a great roommate and I’m so glad that Amari had someone like her on her side. Laura was a bit obvious of how she was going to end up, which in an adult novel would have bothered me, but her villainess was perfect for this story.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston was a great Middle Grade read! Even as an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure of Amari’s and how it’s just the beginning. For the intended audience, it is definitely a must read. If I had something like this at that age, I would have been all over it. The story is fun and super easy to engage in. Amari is such a fantastic main character and I know that the audience will fall in love with her and root endlessly for her victory. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy fantasy and the supernatural world. Even as an adult, you’ll enjoy what this story has to bring. I know I’ll be following along and seeing what else Amari has to offer.

Amari has struggled in the private school she attends on scholarship because the other students are mean to her, and since her brother Quinton's disappearance, things have gotten worse. She ends up pushing another student, and due to the school's zero tolerance policy, she looses her scholarship. Her mother, a hard working single mother and nurse, doesn't know how to help Amari, so she is thrilled when Amari gets a scholarship to the same leadership camp that Quinton attended. The only catch-- Quinton has left a briefcase for Amari showing her the magical organization he was really part of, and Amari is following in his footsteps. The front for the school is the Vanderbilt Hotel, but behind the facade there is the school associate with the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Amari's roommate, Elise is nice to her, since she (as the last weredragon in existence) knows what it is like to be singled out because you are different. However, the other students at the Bureau are mainly legacies, and their families have been attached to the organization for generations. Amari finds out that her brother was a celebrity, and along with Maria VanHelsing, was part of team VanQuish. Maria has gone missing as well, and her brother, Dylan, is a student in Amari's class. Amari also finds out that she is assigned the highest badge level, but doesn't have a talent-- she is a magician. Magicians are illegal. At first, Amari thinks Dylan hates her as much as his twin sister, Lara, does, but the two soon team up to try to find out what happened to their siblings. They are also paired as a team in the elimination exams, and Dylan shares some of the same secrets that Amari has. Will they be able to pass their exams, find their siblings, and vanguish the evil powers threatening the entire bureau? The scene has been set for book two, with Jayden, a friend of Quinton's, being recommended for the Bureau's summer program.