It’s been a while since I had 2 posts in a row on the blog! Welcome to my stop on the Ultimate Blog Tour for Amari and the Night Brothers!

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

I honestly haven’t had this much fun reading a book in a while. Things have been so intense this year, between pandemic and just being a human, that I never realised how the joy of a well written middle grade novel with magic, adventure and a main character with endless wit would actually boost my mood. What B.B Alston has achieved here is absolutely stunning. Imagine being informed you’re a demi god, who is magical but you’re missing brother is part of the magical equivalent of the X Files while struggling to be the Slayer. That’s only HALF the stuff Amari has to face and conquer.

The world Amari becomes part of would be any child’s dream come true, to escape the mundane and become part of one that is filled with magic and adventure. Amari isn’t your standard young girl though. From a poorer part of town, the odds seem always seem stacked against her. She is a victim of cyber bullying, as well as general bullying and general prejudice while attending a “good” school.

This is something I really enjoyed was how the writer managed to bring this discussion into the supernatural world as well. It can be a heavy topic but younger readers would definitely see it. But it’s handled so perfectly here, between kids from ‘legacy’ families (like the likes of the Van Helsing name) having a natural advantage over entry level students to the Bureau, I was so impressed.

Amari herself is every bit of the legend you would want from a book like this. She is tenacious and honestly a great person to read from. She is very well rounded in that we do get to see her vulnerabilities as well. She is so heaviluy dedicated to her family, but we do see her doubt herself in places too. When faced with the prospect that you’re the magical equivalent of a super villain template, I think it’s only fair to consider what potential you have. Both good and bad. What I also really loved about Amari was her secondary driver to not see others treated poorly or lose out on a chance at life because of their circumstances. I do hope to continue seeing her thrive on this in the following books.

Also its hard not to enjoy just how funny this book is. Honestly there are moments that are just genuinely made me smile or laugh. One example being where Amari is watching a man at a bus stop who’s head is on fire and he lights a cigarette off his own forehead. Or someone being sung out of a coma by a supernaturally trained medic. Definitely worth reading for some feel good moments as well.

Thank you to The Write Reads for having me on the tour as always and Egmont publishing for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review. Thanks for checking in guys, join Amari for her wonderful adventure on the 21st of January 2021!

★★★★★/5