Review: Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (2021) @bb_alston @egmontbooksuk @The_WriteReads #UltimateBlogTour

Blurb

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 . . .

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!

Review

Firstly, a massive thank you to B.B. Alston, Egmont Books, and The Write Reads for my spot on this tour, and for providing me with a beautiful proof copy in exchange for an honest review. The warning on the proof didn’t put me off in the slightest (bring on the monsters!), and the author’s letter inside was such a moving introduction to this book. I love the fact that Amari’s voice popped into his head and refused to be ignored, and I am so glad he listened!

There is so much to love about this book, from Amari herself, who is just the coolest, bravest, most fun protagonist ever to follow around as she delves deeper and deeper into the world of the Bureau, to the hugely imaginative scope of B. B. Alston’s vision. Once the lid has been blown off the supernatural world, it seems as if the possibilities are limitless, and a dazzling display of magical, mythical, monstrous mayhem ensues. One of the most exciting things about starting a series like this is the feeling that this could grow and grow, that the author has opened a bottomless treasure chest.

It is difficult to say too much about Amari and the Night Brothers, as one of the pleasures of reading this story is joining Amari on her voyage of discovery, and being constantly surprised and amazed by the weird, wonderful, sometimes scary world that we enter alongside her. The plot, too, is deliciously twisty, and I definitely wouldn’t want to give away any spoilers! So I will just say that this is a book full of intriguing characters, well-plotted mysteries, and boundless imagination, and you NEED Amari in your life!

There is so much going on in this story, and Alston balances the different strands with skill. The ‘fun stuff’ is loads of fun, but it never overwhelms the emotional core of the story. There is so much heart in this book, so much wisdom: I kept thinking over and over again that it is exactly the sort of book I want my kids to read when they’re a bit older. And I am almost kind of jealous that they’ll get to grow up with books of this calibre, books which joyfully and proudly and non-didactically teach wonderful lessons about accepting difference and looking beneath the surface and diving into the world as non-judgementally as Amari does. The generation of kids who will grow up with Amari are very, very lucky indeed.

About the Author

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.

Twitter: @bb_alston