A review by haynoelle96
Amari and the Night Brothers, by B.B. Alston
5.0
This book didn't quite hit that 5-star mark, and it was more of a 4.5, but this author deserves the rounded up 5 star. This is probably one of the best middle grades I've ever read, so if you are at all hesitant in reading this book, don't be. It's worth it, and more people should read it.
We follow Amari, a young girl who's having trouble at her school where her scholarship is in jeopardy due to some bullying from her classmates. When all hope seems lost, she receives a mysterious package from an even more mysterious stranger. And magic is at the center of it. With this being her only opportunity to find her missing brother, Amari takes a leap of faith to see if she can succeed at mastering her talents and finding her brother. With new friends and new enemies, Amari does her best to make her brother proud. And with the possibility of evil magicians, can she pass the tests that are thrown at her?
Right off the bat, you feel an instant connection with Amari. I've read a lot of middle-grade, and Amari is one of the most relatable characters that I've come across. Her attitude, her perspective, and her reactions are so natural and normal for kids her age that I absolutely loved it. Sometimes authors won't exactly know how to write kids who are around middle school age, but B.B. Alston can do like no other. He really knocked it out of the park with this one. Alston also gave the side characters actual depth and personality as opposed to them being flat and just... ya know... there. All the characters serve a purpose and you really get to know a lot of them.
My one complaint with this book is that it has the age-old trope of middle-grades that I literally cannot stand. It's that one character is actually the worst for absolutely no reason other than to give the character an antagonist to fight against during the majority of the book while the big bad guy is somewhere else. And when I say that there's practically no reason for this character to be as big of a jerk as they are, I really mean it. Why are they so annoying and mean??? I don't know! And not to spoil anything, but there's no comeuppance. No punishment! Bugs the crap out of me.
The plot moved at a steady pace and I was engaged the entire time. The author found the perfect balance between including information on the magical world, and including important scenes that move the plot forward. I cannot wait to read the next book or anything that this author wants to write. He could write a grocery list and I'd want to read it.
Another thing that I appreciated was the fact that our main character is a young black girl from a poorer neighborhood, and our author makes it a point to highlight that where someone is from doesn't matter. Poorer neighborhoods aren't bad or worse than rich neighborhoods, rich kids just get more chances than they do. They (people from the poorer neighborhoods) get judged without people trying to get to know them. They're judged unfairly by almost everyone around them and they have to swallow their anger and work to prove them wrong. I also liked how the history of Amari's ancestors is shown so that we know where she came from, but it's just as important as who she is now and where she's going to end up. The author handled that balance extremely well.
I really enjoyed the plot of the story and how it was written. This is probably one of the best books I've read this year and it was just SO GOOD. And I have a feeling it's going to get slept on because it's a middle-grade, but please don't!! Even if you don't usually read for that age group, give this book a try. Support this author! And it's his debut! And it was this good??? I almost couldn't believe it, having such a good debut is hard but this guy did it with style. Love this book and can't wait to see everyone else love it as much as I do! Happy Reading!!
We follow Amari, a young girl who's having trouble at her school where her scholarship is in jeopardy due to some bullying from her classmates. When all hope seems lost, she receives a mysterious package from an even more mysterious stranger. And magic is at the center of it. With this being her only opportunity to find her missing brother, Amari takes a leap of faith to see if she can succeed at mastering her talents and finding her brother. With new friends and new enemies, Amari does her best to make her brother proud. And with the possibility of evil magicians, can she pass the tests that are thrown at her?
Right off the bat, you feel an instant connection with Amari. I've read a lot of middle-grade, and Amari is one of the most relatable characters that I've come across. Her attitude, her perspective, and her reactions are so natural and normal for kids her age that I absolutely loved it. Sometimes authors won't exactly know how to write kids who are around middle school age, but B.B. Alston can do like no other. He really knocked it out of the park with this one. Alston also gave the side characters actual depth and personality as opposed to them being flat and just... ya know... there. All the characters serve a purpose and you really get to know a lot of them.
My one complaint with this book is that it has the age-old trope of middle-grades that I literally cannot stand. It's that one character is actually the worst for absolutely no reason other than to give the character an antagonist to fight against during the majority of the book while the big bad guy is somewhere else. And when I say that there's practically no reason for this character to be as big of a jerk as they are, I really mean it. Why are they so annoying and mean??? I don't know! And not to spoil anything, but there's no comeuppance. No punishment! Bugs the crap out of me.
The plot moved at a steady pace and I was engaged the entire time. The author found the perfect balance between including information on the magical world, and including important scenes that move the plot forward. I cannot wait to read the next book or anything that this author wants to write. He could write a grocery list and I'd want to read it.
Another thing that I appreciated was the fact that our main character is a young black girl from a poorer neighborhood, and our author makes it a point to highlight that where someone is from doesn't matter. Poorer neighborhoods aren't bad or worse than rich neighborhoods, rich kids just get more chances than they do. They (people from the poorer neighborhoods) get judged without people trying to get to know them. They're judged unfairly by almost everyone around them and they have to swallow their anger and work to prove them wrong. I also liked how the history of Amari's ancestors is shown so that we know where she came from, but it's just as important as who she is now and where she's going to end up. The author handled that balance extremely well.
I really enjoyed the plot of the story and how it was written. This is probably one of the best books I've read this year and it was just SO GOOD. And I have a feeling it's going to get slept on because it's a middle-grade, but please don't!! Even if you don't usually read for that age group, give this book a try. Support this author! And it's his debut! And it was this good??? I almost couldn't believe it, having such a good debut is hard but this guy did it with style. Love this book and can't wait to see everyone else love it as much as I do! Happy Reading!!