Amari and the Night Brothers

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Synopsis:

“New York Times bestseller! 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.”

Review:

I don’t think that you can write about a school for magical kids without referencing Harry Potter. So there’s my reference point. What I loved about this book, is that it doesn’t completely ignore the oblivious world of humans. In fact, Amari is still trying to sneak out of her apartment without her nosy neighbor seeing, trying to encourage a friend not to hang with the wrong crowd, and living with a secret that her mom doesn’t know about. It’s a lot to handle, and Amari only just found out about her magical abilities.

I also really love her relationship with her brother. Amari knows deep in her heart, she knows his disappearance is suspicious. And as you read, you find out that Amari will do just about anything to find her brother. Amari has to navigate this strange, new world without her mom or her brother and it forces her to learn who to trust, who to definitely not trust, and how to control this new power and use it to bring back her brother.

Verdict:

Don’t be put off by how long this one is! I read it as an eBook and never would have guessed it was over 400 pages. It has a quick-moving plot and I honestly couldn’t wait to see what happened next. This is a great suggestion for kids looking to add a little magic into their lives!

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Need to Know:

Title: Amari and the Night Brothers
Author: B. B. Alston
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: January 19, 2021
Page Number: 416 pgs.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.