Amari and the Night Brothers – B.B. Alston

Thank you so much to the publisher and The Write Reads for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and allowing me to be a part of the blog tour!

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Quinton Peters was the golden boy of the Rosewood low-income housing projects, receiving full scholarship offers to two different Ivy League schools. When he mysteriously goes missing, his little sister, 13-year-old Amari Peters, can’t understand why it’s not a bigger deal. Why isn’t his story all over the news? And why do the police automatically assume he was into something illegal?

Then Amari discovers a ticking briefcase in her brother’s old closet. A briefcase meant for her eyes only. There was far more to Quinton, it seems, than she ever knew. He’s left her a nomination for a summer tryout at the secretive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Amari is certain the answer to finding out what happened to him lies somewhere inside, if only she can get her head around the idea of mermaids, dwarves, yetis and magicians all being real things, something she has to instantly confront when she is given a weredragon as a roommate.

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Amari and the Night Brothers surprised me in a way in which I was not prepared for. I did not know what to expect when I started reading this book and it is safe to say I was throughly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. 

This book is enthralling and is simply a delight packed full of detail and fun. It is a middle grade book that I would definitely market towards the more mature end of the genre whilst also being a lot of fun to read as an adult. The supernatural world and its ins and outs as well as the mystery surrounding Amari’s brother Quinton ensure that the book moves at a quick pace, whilst avoiding any slow moments that are often commonplace in this genre. There is never a dull moment throughout this book and I loved the feeling of escapism that every page gave me. 

For me, the highlight of the book is Amari herself. The entire book is told from her perspective and her character is captivating. There are moments throughout the book where she is forced to stand up for herself and make some incredibly tough decisions. Her heart and mind are always in the right place and she is incredibly selfless, yet Amari never loses sight of her main mission, which is finding her missing brother despite the fact that she has been thrown into a brand new world and given incredible magical abilities. 

The other characters in this book are excellent and well-rounded and I particularly adored Elsie who is Amari’s best friend. Elsie is understanding, smart and I liked her character from her first appearance. She is easy to understand and very simple in terms of her personality. In comparison, Dylan is quite possibly the most complex character in the book. There are multiple times throughout the book where I felt as though he was hiding a part of his personality. Similarly, Lara and her father were excellently crafted characters at the other end of the moral spectrum, as both were awful human beings and committed horrible acts in the story.

The narrative of this book is non-stop action as we follow Amari and her progress in the junior agent tryouts and her mission to locate her missing brother. the author does an excellent job of never allowing the reader to lose sight of the mystery that runs throughout this book and where it might lead. There are multiple hints throughout the books that give you an idea of the bigger picture without revealing too much at once.

This is B.B. Alston’s debut novel which are often difficult to complete successfully. However there are no obvious issues that I found. I throughly enjoyed the concept of the story, the writing and the characters that the author has created, and I believe It is an excellent debut novel!

Overall, this is an exhilarating and fun book that had me captivated throughout. It has so many fantasy elements that I’m sure will entice any young reader out there, whilst also grabbing an adults attention too. I cannot wait to see what happens next in this series and I’ll certainly be continuing to keep an eye on this series.

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