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Marshmallow reviews Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston

Last year, Marshmallow reviewed Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston. Today she reviews the second book in the series: Amari and the Great Game, first published in 2022. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, you have just finished this second book in the series. Was it what you were expecting?

Marshmallow: Well, yes and no. I liked the book very much, and I thought the plot was really good, but I was not expecting a cliffhanger for the end!

S: Hmm, so maybe that means we will have to get a hold of the third book when it comes out.

M: Yes.

S: Okay, let us go back to the beginning. Tell us a bit about this book.

M: Well, this is the second book of the Supernatural Investigations series, so readers need to have read the first book or at least my review of it. But the main character is still Amari Peters, but in this book she has some new enemies.

S: Okay, so maybe tell us a bit about the plot.

M: Amari is excited to continue her summer program in the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, which specializes in hiding and protecting the supernatural world from the rest of the human world. Kind of like the Ministry of Magic from the world of Harry Potter.

S: What you are saying reminds me a bit of The Menagerie, too.

M: Yes, a bit.

S: Alright. Tell me more.

M: So Amari is training to become an agent for the Department of Supernatural Investigations. And she is a junior in her second year, in this book. The book starts with her cracking open a fortune cookie which tells her to look out for unseen dangers. Then there is a time freeze, all of Georgia is frozen in time for a short period of time, everyone except Amari is affected. But then most but not all of Georgia unfreeze, and of course that is a problem.

S: Is that the main problem of the book?

M: Yes, the congress is stuck and the prime minister and the major leaders are all stuck in time. So of course in this power vacuum, some bad people take the lead. And then Amari gets kicked out of the Bureau.

S: So a lot happens all at once.

M: Yes. And so Amari and her friends will have to solve the mystery of who froze the congress in time and also try to avoid getting punished by the evil people who take over.

Marshmallow is reading Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston. — Marshmallow is reading *Amari and the Great Game* by B.B. Alston.

S: Sounds like a lot.

M: Yes, but Amari is smart and she is also a magician. She is the most magical person known in the history of the Bureau, so she has all that going for her.

S: So again, kind of like Harry Potter again, no?

M: Yes, but here being a magician is bad, and everyone blames the magicians for the time freeze.

S: So she has to hide her magic a bit?

M: Yes, and that is not the only issue. Her brother is still under a curse and is in a coma. And Amari wants to save him especially because his condition is worsening.

S: So tell me what the great game is in the title.

M: There is a hidden organization of magicians called the League of Magicians, and they are trying to use their powers for good despite the animosity that they face from others. The League wants Amari to be their leader and she declines because she is young and she does not want power of that sort, but then when the League makes the same proposal to a bad magician, Amari has to compete against him to make sure he does not get that power. That is the Great Game. The two magicians competing.

S: Kind of like the games in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire?

M: Yes, but this is not just a game between schoolchildren competing for a championship trophy. The winner gets more than just bragging rights. They get to lead the League of Magicians to war or to peace.

S: I see. So a lot more is at stake.

M: Yes. And Amari is not quite like Harry. Harry is impulsive and does not take advice really well. Amari does not have many adults to trust, so she does what she thinks is necessary.

S: So do you like her as a character?

M: Yes. She is smart and strong-willed. But I have to say this world is kind of limiting. I mean, your skills and your future are more or less determined from birth, and the moment you touch the crystal ball which determines your superpower. And if you have too much magic, then you are a magician, and that is viewed as bad by many people. People label the magicians the UnWanteds, along with some other people whose ancestors were on the wrong side in a long-ago war. Essentially the book world is mirroring our world, where some people are othered based on things they cannot control.

S: So even though this magical world is quite different from ours, it is also similar?

M: Yes.

S: That sounds like a good book to me.

M: Yes. I have to say though that I am disappointed that it ends in a cliffhanger. The next book is not coming out till the end of the summer!

S: Well, maybe you will just have to read other books till then.

M: Probably.

S: Okay, if you were to rate this book…

M: I’d rate it 100%.

S: Great! So let us wrap up this review then. What would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Amari and the Great Game* by B.B. Alston 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Today Marshmallow reviews Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, published in 2023.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about faeries and magic, or if you enjoy stories set in a different time period, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Despite being the youngest tenured professor at Cambridge, Emily Wilde is a rather curmudgeonly scholar. Her world is much like ours was during the 1800s, with one small difference: faeries are real. Emily Wilde studies these faeries and has spent many years of her life working on an encyclopedia about faeries from all over the world. The last area to finish is a small town, far up north, named Hrafnsvik. There, Emily is going to gather the evidence she needs to wrap up writing the world’s first encyclopedia about faeries.

Emily doesn’t particularly care for the townsfolk; she’s not a people person. She would rather sit alone, surrounded by books, than suffer through awkward social interactions. All she needs and wants is to complete her study of the natural fae of Hrafnsvik. Unfortunately, the arrival of Wendell Bambleby throws a wrench in her plan.

Emily’s relationship with Wendell is complicated. He annoys her for reasons she can’t explain, despite him never doing anything to upset her. Rather, Wendell is constantly trying to befriend Emily, who has no intention or use for friends. Additionally, Emily doesn’t trust Wendell. And she’s not going to let him impede her investigation of the faeries in the forest and the faery in a seemingly haunted house.

If there is one thing that is clear in this story world, it is that these faeries are not benevolent or friendly. Instead, they view humans as pets at best, and at worst, as worthless creatures to torture and torment. But Emily isn’t scared. With her knowledge and skills in the field of fae, her trusty dog Shadow, the occasional help of the villagers, and her annoying companion Wendell, Emily is ready to venture into the unknown.

Marshmallow is reading Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. — Marshmallow is reading *Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries* by Heather Fawcett.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries was a very intriguing book. I really liked the world-building. In particular I liked how the author built a world much like the 1800s, but added a sprinkle of fae magic. The surroundings felt very authentic and real, and the similarities with our world made the story more credible.

I think the characters were also interesting. The main character is a little bizarre, but seeing this world through her eyes added a lot to the story. The book is written as if it is the personal diary of Emily Wilde. The author includes many references to other scholars’ academic papers and past research on faeries (which, I think, are all fictional). That was cool and helped build on and add to the world the story is written in.

The author speaks through a very analytical and academic voice and uses a lot of big words. I would say that I have a fairly wide vocabulary, but some of these words stumped me, so I would suggest having a dictionary handy. However, these words are not frequent enough to impede the reader’s comprehension of the text.

I was a little confused on some parts of the plot and some of the narrative threads. However, I think everything all came together at the end in a cohesive and satisfying way. The story is overall quite fantastical and yet fulfilling.

Even though Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries does not end in a cliffhanger, there is apparently a second book with Emily and Wendell in it, and I am looking forward to reading it. If it is anywhere close to this one, I am sure I will enjoy it too.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Marshmallow rates Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries* by Heather Fawcett 95%.

Marshmallow reviews Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tọlá Okogwu

The book bunnies are back from their winter break and it is time for Marshmallow’s first review for 2024! For this review she chose to write about Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tọlá Okogwu, the first in Okogwu’s Onyeka series, first published in 2022.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about Nigerian culture and mythology, embracing yourself, exploring your abilities, friends, and family, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Onyeka’s most striking feature is her hair, of which she has a lot. Her hair is not very agreeable and is extremely hard to maintain and style, frustrating Onyeka and her overprotective mother to no end. While her best friend (Cheyenne) couldn’t care less about what people think, Onyeka would be perfectly happy to be more normal, more like everyone else. It doesn’t help that Onyeka’s mother is always reminding her that she has to be extra careful because she’s not like everyone else.

Onyeka’s mother has her wear a swimming cap to Cheyenne’s birthday pool party, which makes her feel even more different. But at the party, Cheyenne almost drowns until Onyeka’s hair becomes somehow animated and saves the two girls. Soon, the meaning of her mother’s warnings become clear to her: Onyeka really isn’t like other people because she is a Solari. The Solari are people who each have a superhuman or supernatural power (called an Ike) and who originate from Nigeria. (There are exceptions; some Solari have two powers.) These powers, Onyeka is told, come from an accident, from exposure to a leaked material.

There is a school named the Academy of the Sun, for Solari children so they can learn to control their powers. Onyeka and her mother travel to Nigeria so she can attend this school. They used to live there originally but left after Onyeka’s father disappeared when she was small. She and her mother fled after receiving a letter telling them to.

Now upon their return, Onyeka’s mother plans on finding answers. Meanwhile, Onyeka starts to attend the Academy. She receives instruction from teachers and pupils, making new friends and enemies. Unfortunately, every time she uses her Ike, she feels extremely unwell. Join Onyeka as she discovers the magic and danger of the new world of the Solari.

Marshmallow is reading Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tọlá Okogwu. — Marshmallow is reading *Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun* by Tọlá Okogwu.

Marshmallow’s Review: I really liked reading Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun. Onyeka is a very relatable character. She is not as rash as Harry Potter or as carefree as Percy Jackson, and she is definitely not perfect. Even though she is emotional, she is just as brave as those other famous heroes, and in the end, she manages to use her emotions in productive ways.

The magical world the author builds is fascinating in itself. Even though a lot of the story happens in Nigeria, just like in Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor that I reviewed earlier, this world was quite unique. The trope of a young person finding out they have superpowers is also well developed in a whole lot of books, but somehow the Solari add a totally new flavor to the genre.

There is a neat plot twist at the end of the book, which caught me by surprise. I enjoyed Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun very much and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tọlá Okogwu 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun* by Tọlá Okogwu 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

Today Marshmallow reviews Amari and the Night Brothers, the first book in B. B. Alston’s Supernatural Investigations series, first published in 2021.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about magic, family, and friendship, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Amari Peters’s brother, Quinton, disappeared six months ago, and since then, everything seems to be going downhill. People at her private school bully her. She’s Black, of low-income, and is attending private school on a scholarship. Her peers, who are mostly rich and white, view her as a good target. Eventually, after a particularly vile joke about her brother’s disappearance, Amari pushes one of the girls bullying her. She immediately loses her scholarship as a result.

Later at home, Amari receives a mysterious delivery, which according to the delivery person is supposed to appear in her brother’s closet. There, she finds a ticking briefcase, which holds a nomination for a summer tryout for the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Amari’s brother Quinton was a genius who disappeared soon after graduating high school and finding a promising job. The family did not know what this job was, but now Amari has her suspicions, that it had something to do with this Bureau. So she figures this invitation is the best chance she might have of finding her brother.

Eventually Amari figures out that the Bureau manages the humans’ interactions with the supernatural world. There are different departments handling different types of magic, and there is apparently a whole world that regular folks like us do not know about. Now that Amari is initiated to this world, she learns that she does not quite fit in here, either. At the beginning of her training, she learns that her specific supernatural ability is deemed illegal.

Still Amari is determined, against all odds, natural and supernatural, to find out what happened to her brother. But she has many enemies, like the Night Brother and his devious assistant, who will fight to stop her.

Marshmallow is reading Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston. — Marshmallow is reading *Amari and the Night Brothers* by B. B. Alston.

Marshmallow’s Review: Amari and the Night Brothers is a great book for fans of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. An unlikely hero, who finds her strength against all odds, in a world of magic that was unknown to her from the start, Amari is really a likeable character. What is more, the world B. B. Alston builds around her is very interesting. Even though some readers may indeed find parallels between this book and other popular series, the plot of this particular book is unique and most intriguing. I read it breathlessly and I was in the dark about the real explanations of some things until the very end. I kept having these “a-ha!” moments that kept turning out to be “oops!” moments. B. B. Alston seems to really know how to play with the reader’s mind.

I really enjoyed reading Amari and the Night Brothers, and I can’t wait to read the second book.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Amari and the Night Brothers* by B. B. Alston 100%.