Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations, #1)

by B.B. Alston

"Sharp, funny and brightly imaginative - a big adventure filled with magic and heart"
Jessica Townsend, New York Times bestselling author of the Nevermoor series

An epic middle grade supernatural adventure series, soon to be a major movie starring Marsai Martin. Perfect for readers aged 8+ and fans of Percy Jackson, Nevermoor and Men in Black!

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 ...

Cover artwork by Brittany Jackson

B. B. Alston lives in Lexington, SC. Amari and the Night Brothers is his debut middle grade novel. When not writing, he can be found eating too many sweets and exploring country roads to see where they lead.

Cover illustrations from rising star artist Brittany Jackson.

• ISBN10: 0062975161
• ISBN13: 9780062975164
• Publish Date: 19 January 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[CrowNoYami]

4.5 stars

 

I love the idea behind this book, magic and supernatural creatures living in our world behind a secret society; an underdog character who is trying to prove herself and follow in the footsteps of her older sibling, and secrets within secrets that are slowly becoming unveiled.

 

The only reason this doesn't have a full 5 stars is that I found it a long read. I could easily put the book down and not touch it for weeks at a time without feeling the need to go back until I noticed on Goodreads that I haven't updated it in a while.

 

The setting was perfect, the characters engaging and you want to know what happened to Quinten, but more importantly, you want to see Amari change the opinion of those who think her lesser because of something she can't control. I'm looking forward to whenever the second book of this series is released and I plan on buying it right away!

 

I hope this book is the first of many! 

[writehollydavis]

Fantastic and addictive, I finished this story in 2 days!! The characters, plot, worldbuilding, voice, it was all amazing and drew me into this richly imagined tale. I'm sad I have to wait for the sequel because I need more of BB's writing stat!!

[mrs_mander_reads]

Hands-down, the best MG fantasy I've read since Nevermoor came out. I loved all of this. The characters were charming and the storyline flowed beautifully. Definitely recommend for readers who like fantasy, contemporary fantasy, and magical realism. Perfect for readers of Nevermoon and Harry Potter.

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

Okay; I was absolutely ENCHANTED BY/ ENTHRALLED WITH THIS BOOK!
Fast paced, action packed, & thrilling? Check!
Magical, fantastical, whimsical, & a little dark? Check!
Such an amazing MC, a Black girl named Amari, who is underprivileged & thrown into the competitive world of the supernatural by way of The Bureau of Supernatural Affairs with no prior knowledge of its existence. She is nominated for a tryout for the Bureau's summer junior agent training program by her missing brother & she says yes without hesitation so that she can find out what happened to her brother, but she ends up finding out a WHOLE LOT about herself, before anything else, & then this fantastical adventure REALLY begins. It is full of humor & wit, and I just couldn't get enough of all of the magical creatures & such ! I couldn't get enough of ALL of it! Amari's first friend she makes at the school is a WERE-DRAGON, MMMMKKKK?! This book is amazing in every way! Such a fun time!

(GR decided to delete my review agggghhh! That's what you get for not backing your review up somewhere else, Ashley! *Sighs* now i'm talking to myself? *facepalms*

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

Oh, how I loved Amari and the Night Brothers! This rollicking supernatural adventure book rivals Harry Potter for excellent world-building, and it has an infinitely more likeable main character. Amari is spunky, intelligent, and wholly original.

When the book opens, Amari is trying to succeed in a school where she’s not wanted while learning to cope with the fact that everyone thinks her missing brother is dead. She refuses to believe it, and when she gets invited to try out for a spot at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she finds herself entering a world she didn’t even know existed in an effort to find him.

And what a world! Were-dragons, illusionists, and even escalators with personalities make appearances. There is never a dull moment, and I loved seeing what new surprise would pop up next. This is a world that I’d love to see more of (luckily, this is a series, so I’ll get to).

The characters were phenomenal. Among the many awesome people, my favorites were Magnus, whose prickly demeanor hides a heart of gold, and Amari herself. She’s the kind of main character that I love to see my children reading about. She is moral, smart, and resourceful. And she persists, no matter what.

The plot is fantastic, with the mystery of Amari’s brother framing a coming-of-age story. There’s adventure galore, but the book also deals with themes that are a little more real-world, like feelings of not fitting in, and the ugly things people see (such as racism). It’s done in a way that is not too much for the intended age group, while also not dumbing things down.

Amari and the Night Brothers is a fantastic fantasy, one that older elementary kids and middle-graders will love. I loved it too. It’s an adventure of the best kind, one that will capture the imagination of anyone who reads it. I was immediately sucked in and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2020/12/29/amari-and-the-night-brothers-by-b-b-alston/