Amari and the Night Brothers Review

Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston

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I was sent a copy of this novel by the publishers to review, however this has no bearing on my rating or 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 . . .

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Amari and the Night Brothers is an explosive first novel in an exciting new middlegrade series by B. B. Alston. I’ve only just finished this novel and I already can’t wait for the sequal, which is always a sign of a good book! Amari and the Night Brothers is one of the much needed diverse middlegrade novels we need on our shelves, inspiring the imaginations of all young children but particularly Black children. I love how powerful the cover of this book is, Amari is front and centre and she looks ready for an adventure!

This novel delivers an action packed plot whilst also dealing with themes of loss, privilege and race. I felt empathy for Amari from the very first page, her brother is missing, she’s bullied at school and she feels as though she doesn’t fit in. I was rooting for her throughout the story as she’s swept up in a world of supernatural beings and magical powers, B. B. Alston did not shy away from any details of the supernatural world he’s created, I loved discovering everything there was to know alongside Amari.

B. B. Alston’s children’s novel is compared to Men in Black, and if you picture Men in Black as a middlegrade adventure with a young Black girl protagonist, that is exactly what you get and it is brilliant! This novel includes all your favourite themes and tropes from your favourite middlegrade adventure series’ while adding in individuality and uniqueness to create a new and exciting story that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Amari and the Night Brothers is out in January, so make sure you pre-order a copy, this is an adventure you don’t want to miss out on!

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