Amari Peters knows three things. Her big brother Quinton has gone missing. Noone 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 know 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...
Amari and the Nightbrothers is a truly magnificent addition to the middle grade world of fantasy fiction. Think Harry Potter-style revelations coupled with Nevermoor-style trials and magic. B.B. Alston delivers an action-driven adventure filled with mysterious creatures, dragons and magic.
Amari is our fierce and humble main character. Following the disappearance of her older brother Quinton, she has been determined to discover the circumstances behind his mysterious disappearance but is forever being prevented from finding the truth. When a strange suitcase suddenly appears in his old bedroom with her name attached, it opens up a whole new world as she is invited to become part of the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Although brand new to the supernatural world, Amari is determined to find out her brother's true fate, but first she must try to fit in and pass her junior agent trials, which is pretty tricky when you find out you have a supernatural ability that everyone else believes to be the most dangerous threat to the supernatural world...
B.B Alston's world of the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs is certainly one to keep you hooked throughout this wonderful debut. From yetis roaming loose, people who can sing victims out of comas and lifts that all have their own individual personalities, it is certainly a magical world built with epic imagination. As a reader you are taken on the same journey as Amari, having never stepped foot inside the Bureau before every meeting with a supernatural is slightly terrifying and you are never quite sure what to expect.
Although the world of the Bureau is very different from the world Amari feels comfortable in, there are also many similarities that begin to reveal themselves. In her old private school, Amari was continually bullied for being different, for being black and for being the poor kid with the scholarship. The Bureau was her chance for escape, yet even there she finds herself the outcast after revealing her illegal supernatural abilities - much to the horror of her fellow pupils and staff members. Her arch-enemy Lara Van Helsing (yes even the famous Van Helsing name pops up - Alston really has embedded all arcs of magic into his world), is the perfect contrast to Amari, with her stuck-up attitude and constant taunts towards the girl she sees as her biggest threat.
Every great story needs great characters to pull of their superb plotlines and Amari is certainly impressive for a 13-year-old girl. She is fierce, headstrong and determined all whilst simultaneously doubting her own abilities in the shadow of her brother's hero-like status in the supernatural world. Each character introduced has their own supernatural ability and traits and I loved seeing how these became an integral part to each characters' story arc. Elsie the weredragon, Amari's new best friend at the Bureau, was my particular favourite with her ability to read emotions and her constant support for our heroine as she searches for the truth.
B.B Alston has created an adventure that is not for the faint-hearted. It's hard to keep the magic all to myself without revealing too much but this is a brilliant, action-packed, supernatural adventure to keep you reading right to the end. I devoured this in just two sittings and although I had my suspicions, the twists and turns, especially towards the end of the book, successfully kept me gripped and wanting more. I sincerely hope there is a sequel as I think this could be the start of a wonderful new fantasy series for middle-grade fiction!
A supernatural adventure with a fierce heroine determined to find the truth.
A big thank you to the Egmont Books and the Write Reads for my magical advanced copy of this book.
Fabulous review! I agree with everything you said. I'm so excited for the world to experience that is the amazing Amari Peters 🥰 Can't wait to come back to the Bureau in the next book already!
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