Mood Readers Unite. discussion

New York Times bestseller! 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.

I flew through this one so I'll have to out in my thoughts retroactively.

First things first this book gives me exactly what the comp titles promised: Men in Black meets superpowers meets supercompetitive 'gifted' camp.

Amari is brilliant but an outcast at her school and we start off (view spoiler)[with the most irritating encounter at her school where the minority student is being punished for protecting themself from the white micro-aggressions. (hide spoiler)]

This one reads a bit younger but that doesn't take away from how strong Amari is, willing to stand up for herself in the face of oppression, no matter the consequences. The only time she truly tempers herself is (view spoiler)[when it could directly impact her ability to continue searching for her brother (hide spoiler)]

Up to ch 10 - Amari discovers (view spoiler)[that she is a magician and that essentially she is not meant to exist. The amount of fear she felt that this would mean that she could have her memory erased was palpable. I was so worried for her because these people did not seem flexible in the least (hide spoiler)]

Up to ch 22 - She's had her first two trials and she's allowed to (view spoiler)[talk to Moreau. Good of them to allow her to get some answers but also that didn't really give her much information aside from the fact that her brother was working on something that might not have been Bureau approved.

We discover who magiciangirl18 is but I don't trust him. He left the book in her possession knowing she's on thin ice and yet he won't reveal himself as a magician...so if anything goes wrong it's all Amari. Very sus. Especially after the stunt he pulled with the foul spell. (hide spoiler)]
Gah! So many emotions!

Up to ch 30 - There's been a (view spoiler)[break in at the Department and Maria seems to be the culprit. Amari was right to think that something was wrong there. Quinton had to have a reason to go to Agent Magnus for help. Also, there goes Amari covering for Dylan again, allowing him to continue to hide from the consequences. (hide spoiler)]

Finished - I just knew (view spoiler)[that Dylan was not to be trusted and he proved me right. I'm so pissed. Poor Amari, but at least she still had her roommate whose name I can't remember right now...oops. I'm also really glad that she was able to get to her brother before it was too late even if we don't know when or if he's going to wake up. (hide spoiler)]

This book felt so wholesome, like a hug from my favourite people after a long and stressful day. I can't wait for this to be adapted!