Another spectacular fantasy novel by B.B.! Book two continues Amari’s journey in figuring out how to use her magic and her time at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs.

Some new characters, some returning characters, twists and turns and of course lots of magic- Amari and the Great Game will get you wishing that the third book was out already!

Let me start this review by saying that I LOVED Amari and the Night Brothers. I couldn't wait for the sequel to come out and was saddened when the publication date got pushed from February to August. After reading Amari and the Great Game, I understand why publication might have been pushed. For me, this new book had little of what made its predecessor so good. I liken Amari and the Great Game to the second Back to the Future movie. The first movie was outstanding, the third was good, but the second was just a meh placeholder.

Where was the spunky Amari we all fell in love with in the first book? She is so incredibly whiny in the Great Game. For most of the book, she's also incredibly selfish. All she cared about was doing whatever she needed to do to get her brother to wake up. I was sick of hearing her whine about Quinton. For 58% (thank you Kindle for keeping track) of the book, I was bored and truly couldn't stand the character of Amari and didn't like the story. The premise was ridiculous-- Cozmo, the League, offering a crown to a thirteen year old. Huh???

I will wait for the third Amari and hope that, like the third Back to the Future, it redeems itself. Fingers crossed.

This is the second book in the Amari series and it is just as great as the first. Amari is a strong young black female magician. I love how even when she doubts her abilities, she does not back down from doing the right thing. The story is full of action right up until the last page.

I'm not sure it's possible to say enough about this series. As an adult who grew up with a certain fantasy series meaning a lot to me, who also no longer wants to suggest said series, it brings me such joy to see Amari break in and sweep the hearts of kids and adults. Amari is determined, scared, smart, naive, and everything else you'd expect of an adventurous teenager. The fantasy world is detailed enough that you want to fall into it. Cannot recommend enough.

After the first book , Amari and the Night Brothers, I was excited to read the next one in the series. Amari is back and it's better then ever! It jumps right into the action with all of our favorite characters from the first book. I can't wait for the third book to be released!

Amari and the Great Game is the sequel Amari and the Night Brothers needed. Not only is this book middle grade fantasy genius, it also teaches important life lessons along the way without being overbearing. From the very first chapter where Amari is uninvited from her second summer at the Bureau to the very last scene, this book races through one twist after another. The worst part is now having to wait for book 3. Thank you for the ARC provided by NetGalley - opinions are all my own.

Reading a series you love that is still in process is always a hard thing, because it’s so exciting to get the next installment, but then you have to wait another year or two to find out what happens next.

After finishing Amari and The Night Brothers (yesterday), I dove right into book 2 and could *not* put it down (to the point where I finished it in less than a day)! I’m already excited about rereading both of these before book 3 comes out someday, and Amari has been officially added to my list of favorite juvenile/middle grade series.

Some of my favorite aspects:
🔥 Character growth from so many people, and coming to terms with evolving friendships.
🔥 Exploration of other departments in the bureau.
🔥 Lessons involving supporting each other’s successes, how easily society is swayed by the media, and the importance of second chances.
🔥 An ending that was unique and already has me ready for the next installment!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for this advanced e-copy! I’m definitely going to be purchasing a physical copy later on down the road.

This book is an Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black but for Middle-Grade. Amari has finally found her brother and thinks the rest of the year will be smooth. Amari is a junior agent and I think young readers will resonate with Amari.

This is a much anticipated sequel to Amari and the Night Brothers. A massive time freeze happens and the entire Supernatural World Congress remains frozen. Amari becomes an UnWanted and told not to return to camp. Luckily, Elsie and Laura jump into action and Amari is able to come back. Elsie and Amari work together to figure out who froze the Congress and how to unfreeze them. Amari is suddenly put in a Great Game with Dylan to see who will be crowned the head of the magic world.

This books has many twist and turns. It is action pack, much like the first book. Unfortunately this book leave you hanging. I hate having to wait at least another year (or more) to see what happens with everyone. I really enjoyed this book. It’s going to be a long wait for the third book!!

It’s taken me a couple of days to process this book fully. Amari and the Great Game takes place a year after her confrontation with (SPOILER ALERT) Dylan Van Helsing. Amari is excited to go back to the Bureau for her summer internship. She is not happy to hear that her BFF Elsie will be heading off to Oxford in the fall, leaving her behind for a whole year but she is happy for her. She is excited to be a junior agent and to learn how to control her magic. Just when it seems like everything is going her way; it all goes to pots. Someone freezes time all across all of Georgia! Most of the state is able to escape but a larger number of school and supernatural officials are still frozen and unable to continue with their duties. Naturally, everyone blames magicians (and Amari specifically) for this and the new temporary heads of the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs is bigoted against magicians like her. To top it all off, her refusal to lead a group of secret underground magicians allows someone else to step forward, a magician with dangerous plans. This of course leads to her and the other challenger taking part in a competition to determine the future of magickind.
As is common in MG fiction, there are twists and turns abound. Almost every chapter ends on a cliffhanger. In a good way and there are enough places you can take a break. The character growth in the book is amazing (save for the villainous government agents who grow about as much as you’d expect a bigot to grow in real life so I guess that’s reasonable). I adore Amari and even some of her less friendly classmates. As an adult, I had a pretty decent idea of where the basic story was going but I enjoyed the ride. Kids are going to be more surprised/on the edge of their seats and I think the combination of magic and realism is just right. I especially liked the bit about the witches playing Spades with magic deck. This fantasy series is fantastic and challenging. Other than being slightly predictable and Amari being a tad whiny (what middle grade narrator isn’t?) I can’t think of a single complaint for the whole book. Excellent read. Full stars.

Amari and The Great Game by B B Alston

This middle grade fantasy series' second book is EVEN BETTER than the first. Amari is dealing with the fallout of her magical ability being discovered. As she and her friends try to keep the magicians and the rest of the world from a real war, she is forced to participate in a crazy game designed to see who will lead the magicians and who will be the enemy.

This Harry Potter meets Men In Black mashup is a complete delight and it's perfect for everyone who thinks Hogwarts needed more smart girls and a more diverse cast of characters!
Kids ages 9 and up will not be able to get enough, this 45 year old is also anxiously awaiting the next installment!

I really like the characters in this series. We are seeing them evolve slowly.

In this story Amari is faced with many things from the very beginning, and also has additional privileges now that it's no longer her first year. Will she and the magical world survive what is coming?

Amari and the Great Game is the sequel to Amari and the Night Brothers. In this installment, Amari is a Junior Agent. She gets put to the test right away as the Head Minister sets a strict anti-magician agenda, her brother's condition is quickly deteriorating, and she is faced with many rivalries. While this is going on, Amari was asked to be the leader for the League of Magicians. After she declines, someone she doesn't like steps up for the position. This leads to the Great Game, a competition to decide who will become the Night Brothers' successor. I enjoyed getting to know Amari even more in this book. This story is filled with action and suspense. This was a strong second book of the series. I can't wait to read what is in store for Amari next.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

My students will gobble this up and will be drooling for book 3 at the end! Amari continues to thrill us and keep us at the edge of our seat through another action packed book. I’ve become her biggest cheerleader! Teachers and students will live reading this book!

B.B. Alston is back with a new sequel to the popular Amari and the Night Brothers novel
for middle graders. In this book, Amari is navigating her newfound fame and school
simultaneously. She receives a mysterious omen to “Beware of unseen dangers” and
then is caught in a time freeze. Now, she must call about her powers as a Magician to
save mankind by participating in the Great Game, a series of obstacles to test her wit,
intelligence, and loyalties. Amari is an amazing character who brings much needed
Black representation to fantasy books for kids. A riveting, action-packed novel that will
have readers turning the pages as fast as they can and wanting even more when they
close the final page

Such a great sequel! I’m not going to give anything away here, so I’ll just say that Amari’s first full summer as a Junior Agent is a little too action-packed. Once again Amari and her friends (including one she didn’t think was a friend at all) are trying to save the entire supernatural world. Now I’ll have to eagerly await the THIRD book in this series!

Amari is pure magic. This was not the sophomore slump I feared it would be. I loved Amari through her ups and downs, and I love how real she feels despite being a super powerful magician. She's brave and loyal, but flawed in a way that makes her relatable.

We pick up with Amari a year after the events of the first book. After a mysterious time-freeze, she finds herself and other so-called UnWanteds shut out of the supernatural world. Worse than not being able to attend summer camp is the thought of never seeing Quentin again. When his recovery suddenly reverses, she's forced to enter a deadly game to save him and the supernatural world -- again. But who can she trust now that the bureau is being controlled by a new, magician hating minister?

I'm so excited to give this to kids once it's published. It's sure to be a big hit at my library.

I really enjoyed reading Amari and the Great Game. As I sit down to review the book, I start to compare it to the first title in the series, Amari and the Night Brothers. That story was full of action and suspense. It was a rocking rollercoaster of a story. Amari and the Great Game has action, magic and a little suspense, but I was left wishing for more intensity in the storytelling. I am looking forward to reading the third title in the series. Thank you to Netgalley for providing this digital arc. I will definitely be adding this title to our collection and talking it up among the magic loving patrons at our library.

Amari and the Great Game was an exceptional read. Young Amari is trying her best to save her family and friends. The supernatural world has taken her by storm, literally. It is a fast-paced read with nonstop adventure. It is very relatable for teens, as it mentions social media throughout the story. Readers of all ages would enjoy!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

5/5 stars. Absolutely loved it!

I'm an Amari megafan and the second book in the series does not disappoint. I've purchased/recommended Amari and the Night Brothers to many readers in my life and I'll be doing the same for Amari and the Great Game.

Amari is ready to return for her first summer as a Junior Agent. A mysterious occurrence the day before she goes sets forth a series of events that derails all of her plans and threatens to fracture the supernatural world. What follows are twists, turns, betrayals, and a roller coaster of surprises as she has to prove magicians aren't all "bad" and once again has the fate of the supernatural world in her hands. The ending is so suspenseful and shocking and I can't wait to see where B.B. Alston goes with the series.

I'm eagerly awaiting Book 3!