Amari and the Night Brothers
- Downloads：3400
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-04 04:31:34
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：B.B. Alston
- ISBN：B087CLFQXT
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this exhilarating debut middle grade fantasy， the first in a trilogy filled with #blackgirlmagic。 Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky， the Percy Jackson series， and Nevermoor。
Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother， Quinton， is alive。 Not even when the police told her otherwise， or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good。
So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet， containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs， she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians， fairies， aliens， and other supernatural creatures all being real。
Now she must compete for a spot against kids who’ve known about magic their whole lives。 No matter how hard she tries， Amari can’t seem to escape their intense doubt and scrutiny—especially once her supernaturally enhanced talent is deemed “illegal。” With an evil magician threatening the supernatural world， and her own classmates thinking she’s an enemy， Amari has never felt more alone。 But if she doesn’t stick it out and pass the tryouts， she may never find out what happened to Quinton。
Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother， Quinton， is alive。 Not even when the police told her otherwise， or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good。
So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet， containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs， she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians， fairies， aliens， and other supernatural creatures all being real。
Now she must compete for a spot against kids who’ve known about magic their whole lives。 No matter how hard she tries， Amari can’t seem to escape their intense doubt and scrutiny—especially once her supernaturally enhanced talent is deemed “illegal。” With an evil magician threatening the supernatural world， and her own classmates thinking she’s an enemy， Amari has never felt more alone。 But if she doesn’t stick it out and pass the tryouts， she may never find out what happened to Quinton。
Reviews
Kara
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3。5 stars。 Super cute story。 Great world building and bipoc rep。 If you enjoy middle grade， I would recommend！
Kat
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"In the end， we are all bound by our choices。 " WHAM！ This middle grade fantasy grabbed my attention and kept me turning pages as I followed Amari on her mission to find her missing brother Quinton。 I cannot wait to read the next book in this wonderfully fantastic series。 "The first lesson in the training of an illusionist is this: Never trust。 Take absolutely nothing at face value。 In viewing anything， assume its appearance is false until proven otherwise。" What I loved The friendships， especia "In the end， we are all bound by our choices。 " WHAM！ This middle grade fantasy grabbed my attention and kept me turning pages as I followed Amari on her mission to find her missing brother Quinton。 I cannot wait to read the next book in this wonderfully fantastic series。 "The first lesson in the training of an illusionist is this: Never trust。 Take absolutely nothing at face value。 In viewing anything， assume its appearance is false until proven otherwise。" What I loved The friendships， especially between Amari and Elise， were beautiful and felt realistic。 Amari is a complex， strong female lead who grows throughout the book。The world building was great， and avoided the middke grade/YA pitfall of overly explaining things， the audience is treated with respect 🙌 I really loved everything about this book！ Lots of adventure， interesting characters and realistic relationships， very well paced， interesting world and systems， great writing！ What I didn't loveThat I now have to wait to read the rest！ I typically do not read a series until all are published， but I'm so glad I read this because Amari's story was amazing。 "People assume stuff about you based on the things you can't change about yourself。" "Quite the temper。" Moreau smiles darkly。 "Don't be angry， child。 Be better。" 。。。more
Grecia
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Amazing book！！！I cried almost at the end of the story！Also everybody who did wrong to Amari can go to hell！
Samantha
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3。5
Faith
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Amari is the hero we all need right now。 This is a beautiful story， full of love， adventure， magic， betrayal and wonder。 I love how the author captured both the experiences of Amari in a human world and a supernatural world， and how her resilience was her greatest gift。 I’m not going to go into the plot - just read it now！ Yes， now！ I devoured this in one sitting and now I’m just trying to accept that I’ll have to wait a year for book 2。。。 I hope we get more than 3 books though。 This feels like Amari is the hero we all need right now。 This is a beautiful story， full of love， adventure， magic， betrayal and wonder。 I love how the author captured both the experiences of Amari in a human world and a supernatural world， and how her resilience was her greatest gift。 I’m not going to go into the plot - just read it now！ Yes， now！ I devoured this in one sitting and now I’m just trying to accept that I’ll have to wait a year for book 2。。。 I hope we get more than 3 books though。 This feels like an amazing series that will continue to grow ❤️ 。。。more
Delaney
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This was really cute and I look forward to the sequel！
Cece m。
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I'm emotional this is the best middle grade i have ever read I'm emotional this is the best middle grade i have ever read 。。。more
Penny
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Quite a bit Harry Potter， a little bit Men in Black， and lots of elements borrowed from other stories， but it's all put together in a good way and adds up to a very entertaining middle grade fantasy。 It deserves the buzz it's gotten。 Quite a bit Harry Potter， a little bit Men in Black， and lots of elements borrowed from other stories， but it's all put together in a good way and adds up to a very entertaining middle grade fantasy。 It deserves the buzz it's gotten。 。。。more
Eliot René-Corail
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Amari and the Night Brothers is a very good book， that can both be enjoyed by the young and the "less young" and honestly it is great to know that we have a generation of black kids who'll grow up around entertainment and art that represents them。 Whether you're used to middle grade or not give this series a shot， I really hope it will be as popular as it deserves because this book definitely surpasses others in the same vein that get way more attention。 😭I wrote in my updates a couple of times Amari and the Night Brothers is a very good book， that can both be enjoyed by the young and the "less young" and honestly it is great to know that we have a generation of black kids who'll grow up around entertainment and art that represents them。 Whether you're used to middle grade or not give this series a shot， I really hope it will be as popular as it deserves because this book definitely surpasses others in the same vein that get way more attention。 😭I wrote in my updates a couple of times that here race is not pushed on the agenda much， and let's be clear it isn't。 Amari is black but she could've been Latinx or Indian that it wouldn't have made much of a difference， she's a character of color that comes from a low socio-economic class， that's what is put forward。 This is great because it allows the main character to be relatable to a wide audience， often overlooked。This said， the book is far from perfect and I hope he will improve upon the story， characters， and world he presented to us with this debut。But before I talk about the shortcomings of this novel let me point out what's so great about it。First of all， the concept is a great one， Alston definitely wears his influences on his sleeve， and although the whole magician world hidden from the normal one isn't anything new， it works and will interest you because the idea of a world filled with oddities just hiding in plain sight does something to kid inside everybody。😖Also， everything from the interactions between the normal and supernatural world to the jokes and puns around the supernatural， which I believe was popularized by the Harry Potter series， really makes the world a cute and endearing one。 The characters were all likable even if the roster feels a bit sparse Amari and Dylan are the main attraction with Lara as the annoying rich white girl and Elsie as the main character sidekick。 Though there's already a level of development to the recurring cast， especially with that ending that makes me wonder how the relationship between them will continue to evolve throughout the series。Obviously， I have to point out my favorite characters， Jayden and Elsi， who are both so interesting and I hope will be fleshed out completely as the story progress because they deserve it and also， Elsie's black， fight me maybe light-skinned， loose curls kind of Afro-Latinx but I mean her last name Rodriguez so she can be from Cuba or the DR any day。👏🏾So overall what I loved about this book is that it is magical and extremely cute and it was such a pleasurable read that made my heart melt 🥰Now， this said， let's strive to be a little objective here because we have to face it， this story had undeniable shortcomings and some aspects could be improved upon。The biggest thing for me was the lack of tension and consequences， which is fine for a middle-grade book but I love this story and I want it to achieve it's potential a few examples to illustrate my point: #1: （view spoiler）[When Amari is face to face with Moreau at the end the strongest， illest villain is simply killed by Dylan in the snap of a finger， which doesn't make sense！ How can a magician who mastered and stole spells for centuries just get erased by a 13 y。o simply because he was born with it， we don't even if Dylan had practiced taking people magic away from people which would be highly unlikely anyway （hide spoiler）] #2: Nobody gets hurt when using magic even if you're just a kid who never practiced anything like this before， your fingers won't even get numb or nothing which makes it such a low stake aspect of the book， the only time magic is seen as draining is （view spoiler）[when Amari uses "Knights of the Round and passes out right after （hide spoiler）]。 It doesn't even seem like when a spell is cast you need to use your power to hold it， you just cast it， let it do its thing， and press the "Dispel！" button when you are done with it。 #3: Listen I can do with all that magic system being not physically or mentally taxing to the user but my nigga Jayden just got out of gang like that？！ not even the mention of him getting beat up or something？ This feels too easy 🤷🏾♂️， the point of having a character from a lower socio-economic class isn't simply to have them being discriminated against by other people but instead show the struggle it is to live in these conditions in the first place。In any case， this was the major problem I found in this book with the fact that the conclusion felt a bit rushed there a build-up from chapter 10 to 30， and then the final battle is decided from chapter 31 to 32。In conclusion， I just felt it lacks a little POP a little Humph， because of a lack of stakes and struggle。 Aside from that， Alston could use a little bit of more original and out of the box scenes and situation to make sure that the series doesn't feel like a run of the mill magic story， Elsie's dragon form being more pronounced and creating a quirky situation in her every daylife， or Amari just shooting magic out by accident when doing day to day activities is an example of things that make the world even more organic and allow you to feel like this world could live outside of the story and that could be a nice addition。This said the book is very enjoyable and all the flaws I'm finding here may reflect the fact that this book aims to please an audience that isn't mine even if I found a lot of enjoyment in it and I'm very excited for the next interation。 🙌🏾❤️A Magical 🧙🏾♀️8/10🧙🏾♀️ 。。。more
Rajie
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It was such a wonderful story！ Can't wait for the next one！ It was such a wonderful story！ Can't wait for the next one！ 。。。more
Bookish Jo
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Such a great middle-grade book！ A mix between Harry Potter and Nevermoor， I loved this new world and had so much fun experiencing it alongside of Amari。 I felt the characters were well thought out and unique。 Can’t wait till the next one！
Margaret Martin
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Heavily heavily influenced by Harry Potter。
Stacy
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I am already anxiously awaiting the second book！ I’m normally not a fan of fantasy books， but this was excellent。 My fifth graders will be so excited to read this！
Mary
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This was a quick， easy read for me， but I wouldn't describe it as one that I couldn't put down。。。 Enjoyable and just fine！ This was a quick， easy read for me， but I wouldn't describe it as one that I couldn't put down。。。 Enjoyable and just fine！ 。。。more
Caitlyn
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Honestly the best thing I've read in a while。 A fun cross between Harry Potter and Renegades， with some realistic fiction elements thrown in makes this a wonderful read！！！ Honestly the best thing I've read in a while。 A fun cross between Harry Potter and Renegades， with some realistic fiction elements thrown in makes this a wonderful read！！！ 。。。more
Rachel Grover
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Loved it。 One of the best books I've read in 2021 so far。 I love a badass Black girl main character， although she could have easily been older than 12 （maybe as old as 14 or 15） and resonated with older readers。 The characters were well developed and the world building was exceptional。 Looking forward to booktalking this with students - and also reading what's next for Amari！ Loved it。 One of the best books I've read in 2021 so far。 I love a badass Black girl main character， although she could have easily been older than 12 （maybe as old as 14 or 15） and resonated with older readers。 The characters were well developed and the world building was exceptional。 Looking forward to booktalking this with students - and also reading what's next for Amari！ 。。。more
Hannah
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Give this one to kids instead of HP！！
Sophiereadbooks
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I loved it！ It has been a while since I read a book that fast。 Amari is loveable， the universe is well built and I found myself surprised by the ending。It is an excellent middle grade book！
Barbara
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This one is a 3。5 for me， and while the ending is satisfying， it also keeps readers on the hook for the next installment in a new fantasy series featuring a Black female protagonist。 The story starts off fast and relatable as Amari Peters is in trouble for an encounter with a more affluent classmate。 Having grown up in a neighborhood that most folks try to avoid， Amari has learned to fend for herself and rely on her older brother Quinton for support。 But he's been missing for quite some time wit This one is a 3。5 for me， and while the ending is satisfying， it also keeps readers on the hook for the next installment in a new fantasy series featuring a Black female protagonist。 The story starts off fast and relatable as Amari Peters is in trouble for an encounter with a more affluent classmate。 Having grown up in a neighborhood that most folks try to avoid， Amari has learned to fend for herself and rely on her older brother Quinton for support。 But he's been missing for quite some time with no word or sign about his whereabouts。 Amari has issues with her classmates because they belittle her [calling her Charity Case and Free Lunch]， issues that will arise again once she is competing for a place in the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs。 When she loses her school scholarship， another opportunity comes her way， and she is invited to attend a summer tryout for would-be agents at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs。 Most of the competitors are legacies， having inherited the right to compete because of their ancestry or privilege， and as it turns out， Amari is a magician， something that isn't allowed in this world she's stumbled into while looking for her beloved older brother Quinton。 The world building here is interesting， and some of the characters are quite well developed--I loved her roommate Elsie with her mad inventor skills and Amari herself， who doubts herself at the start of the story and then gains confidence with every page turn--but somewhat predictable in its ending。 As most readers know， sometimes villains turn out to be heroes， and heroes turn out to be villains， and they might be able to guess how the plot will unfold。 It's encouraging that Amari has some adults who have her back while she sometimes seems to be battling against everyone else in her efforts to find her brother and redeem his reputation。 Perhaps those kernels concerning race， class， and SES are meant to be merely a small part of the whole story， but I'd have liked to have seen more of those themes explored even though I enjoyed the different materials and competitions introduced in this book。 I loved the talking elevators and Amari's growing confidence in herself and in her skills with magic。 The idea of a fight between those who use magic and those who employ supernatural elements is an interesting premise， which I would expect to see developed in Amari's next adventure。 She has more to learn and more to contribute。 It's a pretty hefty book， and while it held my interest for most of the time， there were points during which my attention wavered and I wanted the story to move on。 There are similarities between this one and the Harry Potter series， for sure， but this one has enough that is unique to make it worth reading。 。。。more
Leigh Gaddy
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Fun， imaginative， lots of action alongside good character development。 I sometimes wished for deeper world-related plot points but otherwise I adore this book。 Fingers crossed for another。
Brenda Kahn
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I enjoyed this despite the uneven narration on the audiobook。 I think I will read the sequel with my eyes。 The pace was a bit slow at first， but paid off with the surprises at the end。 I am so on board for the next installment！
Marie
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The past couple years I've felt like I've sadly outgrown middle grade， like I just couldn't fully feel the magic in it anymore。Never been happier to be wrong。 This was brilliant from start to finish and I can't wait for the next one！ The past couple years I've felt like I've sadly outgrown middle grade， like I just couldn't fully feel the magic in it anymore。Never been happier to be wrong。 This was brilliant from start to finish and I can't wait for the next one！ 。。。more
dawn
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This is a truly， magnificent book that hooked me on every single line！ It's a wonderful MG fantasy book and I'd highly rec it to everyone！ This is a truly， magnificent book that hooked me on every single line！ It's a wonderful MG fantasy book and I'd highly rec it to everyone！ 。。。more
Patricia Ange
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I thought long and hard about the things I loved and hated about this book。 The only way I can explain is to break it down into Pro's or Con's。Pros: 1） The world building was excellent。 The author created a world of fantasy， imagination and magic adjacent to our on mundane world where individuals were able to travel back and forth at will。2） The plot of the story （A rescue quest） while a common one from fairy tales of the past was updated and made modern with several twists。 Cons: 1） If not for I thought long and hard about the things I loved and hated about this book。 The only way I can explain is to break it down into Pro's or Con's。Pros: 1） The world building was excellent。 The author created a world of fantasy， imagination and magic adjacent to our on mundane world where individuals were able to travel back and forth at will。2） The plot of the story （A rescue quest） while a common one from fairy tales of the past was updated and made modern with several twists。 Cons: 1） If not for the fact that the story stated the sex and race of the lead character I would not have known because none of the other aspects of the story focused on her sex or race。 No physical limitations because of her sex， no problems or concerns with her fixing her hair putting on a dress， no puberty issues， and/or no crushing on boys。 2） The author also seemed to use the "inner city environment" as a prop to suggest that lead character and all characters in that environment were socio-economically disadvantage and "at-risk" and thus deserving of scorn， ridicule and fear （POVERTY PORN） just because they live within that environment。Some people would say that I'm being too critical but I just expect more of black authors。 In spite of it's faults I feel that the story is an excellent young adult/middle grade story and will be recommending it for my granddaughter to read。 。。。more
Lashette
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I had some issues with the world building but otherwise enjoyed myself。
Emily Burnett
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absolutely stunning。 If you like Harry Potter， you will like this。 There are great plot twists and incredible character development
Amanda F
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I read this book because I'm following a list about 100 books to read。 I didn't know what to expect when I started this book except I knew it involved magic。 I was blown away by how much I liked this book。 I had to do a lot of driving and I couldn't wait to get in the car and start listening again。 It was just so good。 Amari is looking for her brother who has disappeared。 Things aren't going great at school for Amari， and she gets expelled from school and doesn't really know what to do next beca I read this book because I'm following a list about 100 books to read。 I didn't know what to expect when I started this book except I knew it involved magic。 I was blown away by how much I liked this book。 I had to do a lot of driving and I couldn't wait to get in the car and start listening again。 It was just so good。 Amari is looking for her brother who has disappeared。 Things aren't going great at school for Amari， and she gets expelled from school and doesn't really know what to do next because all she can think about is finding her brother。 She gets an unexpected visitor one night and realizes that magic is real， that she's being accepted into a magic school to try out for admittance， and that her brother is some kind of superstar in this world。 She goes all in because she's hoping that she'll get some answers about his disappearance。 I'm not going to say more because I don't want to give anything away， but things don't go the way she expects， and wonderful writing and storytelling ensue。 I recommend this book for anyone and everyone。 。。。more
Erika
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I am in love with this book and am excited for more！ Just wow！ The adventure， mystery， other exciting events that happen that I cannot mention because it would spoil the book。 I love her unstoppable and fighting spirit。 Elsie， is the best， and I adore her。I do admire and empathize with Amari even though I am of a different race I can relate to being bullied for looking different and having to find my courage as well as prove to others that I am a person like them。 Amari is what is needed today a I am in love with this book and am excited for more！ Just wow！ The adventure， mystery， other exciting events that happen that I cannot mention because it would spoil the book。 I love her unstoppable and fighting spirit。 Elsie， is the best， and I adore her。I do admire and empathize with Amari even though I am of a different race I can relate to being bullied for looking different and having to find my courage as well as prove to others that I am a person like them。 Amari is what is needed today and should be on every school's list of reading。This was the adventure I needed and yes， we go into a supernatural world that I am eager to explore more of， where the elevators talk， and everyone has a special ability that gets enhanced。 I think one of the best parts was the ending， made me tear up， and that's why I implore everyone to read this book。 You will not be disappointed。 。。。more
Martha
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13-year-old Amari is going through a tough dilemma when the girls in her fancy prep school taunt her for her humble upbringing in the projects， a poor neighborhood in stark contrast to their wealthy homes。 Amari's brother Quinton also won a scholarship to the same prep school， he flourished distinguishing himself and even earning more scholarships to two Ivy League colleges。 Instead， he decides to take a secret job， and mysteriously disappears， leaving his mother and sister fearing the worst。 Ho 13-year-old Amari is going through a tough dilemma when the girls in her fancy prep school taunt her for her humble upbringing in the projects， a poor neighborhood in stark contrast to their wealthy homes。 Amari's brother Quinton also won a scholarship to the same prep school， he flourished distinguishing himself and even earning more scholarships to two Ivy League colleges。 Instead， he decides to take a secret job， and mysteriously disappears， leaving his mother and sister fearing the worst。 However unlike her brother， worried Amari doesn't fit in at this prestigous school， and gets in a physical fight with the meanest girl in the school。 Her scholarship to the prep school is then revoked， but an opportunity to join an elite summer camp propels her into another dazzling adventure。 The camp turns out to be full of supernatural creatures。 Steeped with intrigue and danger， this action packed fantasy adventure speeds along at breakneck speed。 Can Amari find her missing brother Quinton in this fantastical camp， and will she have the courage to perform the physical and mental feats necessary to remain there？ B。B。 Alston creates a convincing character in Amari， full of fear yet anxious to do anything to save her missing brother。 My favorite takeaway from this tale is the portrayal of Amari's moral compass vacilating as she bravely ponders her decisions， even when they might be the most difficult and dangerous。 Middle school students facing their own dilemmas will find much to admire in Amari's spirit。 。。。more
Andrea Da Silva Ferreira
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