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A review by asreadbykat
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
5.0
In the last year, I've been buying the first book in any new series that involves either a magic boarding school or camp or society and the children invited to them. After Harry Potter dominating that particular area for so long, I'm excited to see others trying to bring it back and explore the niche.
Amari is a FANTASTIC addition to it. I bought this on a recommendation, and so far it's easily the best book I've read of 2023 so far.
Amari is a determined, clever, and caring girl, with some very understandable flaws. I loved reading her journey from looking down on herself due to the perceptions of others and constantly comparing herself to her brother, to her understanding that she's more than that and has so much worth.
My favorite part of this is that the writer doesn't only rely on allegory to discuss the problems Amari has faced because of being a young Black girl growing up in a "bad" neighborhood. Yes, her powers are illegal in the supernatural world and causes the same problems her Blackness does in the "normal" world. But Alston takes great care to show us those "normal" world problems and draw the very obvious comparisons between the two prejudices. While allegory can be put to good use in literature, I'm happy to see someone actually being open and honest about racism and classism WITHOUT hiding it behind the allegory.
I fell in love with Amari and this world, and I'm extremely excited to read the next book in the series.
Amari is a FANTASTIC addition to it. I bought this on a recommendation, and so far it's easily the best book I've read of 2023 so far.
Amari is a determined, clever, and caring girl, with some very understandable flaws. I loved reading her journey from looking down on herself due to the perceptions of others and constantly comparing herself to her brother, to her understanding that she's more than that and has so much worth.
My favorite part of this is that the writer doesn't only rely on allegory to discuss the problems Amari has faced because of being a young Black girl growing up in a "bad" neighborhood. Yes, her powers are illegal in the supernatural world and causes the same problems her Blackness does in the "normal" world. But Alston takes great care to show us those "normal" world problems and draw the very obvious comparisons between the two prejudices. While allegory can be put to good use in literature, I'm happy to see someone actually being open and honest about racism and classism WITHOUT hiding it behind the allegory.
I fell in love with Amari and this world, and I'm extremely excited to read the next book in the series.