Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B Alston
Another @TheWriteReads blog tour, this time its for the wonderful Amari and the Night Brothers. This middlegrade novel follows the story of Amari whos grown up in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in a single parent family, she is also singled out at school for being the only black student. When Amaris brother Quinton goes missing Amari receives a mysterious briefcase with instructions to attend an interview at the elusive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, Amaris world is turned upside down when she finds out that theres supernatural beings living amongst regular humans.
Amari is thrust into the world of supernatural affairs which is disguised as a summer leadership camp. She must pick a speciality and go through 3 trials in order to determine her eligibility for that role within the organisation. Her main goal is to get far enough to get enough information to try and find her missing brother.
The friendships she makes along the way with Elsie her weredragon roommate and Dylan Van Hesling were heartwarming to read about. Elsie is such a kind and understanding friend and she always had Amaris back. Amari's relationship with her brother Quinton was so lovely, a real highlight in the book for me! There are a few trigger warnings for bullying and micro aggressions but nothing too major. Amari as a character is so easy to root for, you immediatley are on her side as shes constantly picked on and has a general hard time of it. I loved how she handled the trials with honesty and integrity- this alone will send such a positive message to younger readers. The trials in general were really fun and fast paced to read, i couldnt put this book down. I dont read too much middle grade but this book really reminded me how wholesome reading it is. Another thing i really enjoyed (amongst the other million things) was how well thought out and imaginative the Bureau was, all the departments were so clever and the social media and tech elements were really well done.
I wont say too much about the twist as i want to keep this review as spoiler free as possible but i did not see it coming and was so shocked! Brilliant writing and misdirection Mr Alston!
This book is very reminiscent of the Nevermoor series and also Keepers of the Lost Cities which i loved both of but its also great in its own right. 13 year old Amari is the exact character i would have loved to have read at that age, shes fearless, brave and never gives up. This book is a beautiful story of family, friends and finding where you belong. A massive thank you as always to Dave (@TheWriteReads, netgalley, the publishers Egmont and to the lovely author B.B. Alston who has been so engaging and lovely to his readers on Twitter, the book is a triumph and i am so glad everyone has been enjoying it as much as i did. It truly deserves the hype. The world building was really wonderful, cant wait to see where the next book takes us!
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