“I sprint down the sidewalk, flying past designer boutiques, luxury shops, and a fancy art gallery. A few blocks ahead lies the sprawling downtown campus of Whitman Preparatory Academy. The main building’s all-glass exterior sparkles in the morning light, and a line of cars circles the large fountain out front, dropping off kids who—unlike me—might actually get to homeroom before the eight fifteen tardy bell.

Late or not, school is where I should be headed too.”

Amari and the Great Game opens with the protagonist and narrator, Amari, running toward an unspecified goal. This immediately creates tension to engage the reader, and later adds humor when it is revealed that the emergency was actually a friendly gathering.

“The Night Brothers—Vladimir and Moreau—are still who the supernatural world thinks of first whenever magicians are mentioned, and for good reason. Not only did those two start the Ancient War, but Moreau survived to commit horrible crimes for seven hundred years—until last summer, when he was betrayed by his magician protégé, Dylan Van Helsing. Someone I thought was my friend. Dylan managed to steal a powerful spell book for Moreau, only to turn on his mentor and keep it for himself. He offered to make me his new partner instead, but I refused. Our magic clashed and I won. Barely.”

This passage introduces crucial background information about the history of magicians in the Supernatural Investigations series, as well as an overview of the plot of Amari and the Night Brothers. This foreshadows Vladimir and Moreau’s indirect influence in the rest of the story and sets up Amari and Dylan’s rivalry, which culminates in their confrontation during the Great Game.

“Bear drops into the seat beside me, making sure to lean as far away from me as possible. As much as the supernatural world has started to accept magicians over the past year, there are still folks who will always hate me for being a magician like the Night Brothers. No matter what I do.”

Bear’s attitude toward Amari introduces the theme of The Fight for Social Justice. Amari, despite her own qualities, struggles to be accepted in the supernatural world due to the Night Brothers’ legacy. This parallels other prejudices and oppressive dynamics that occur in the real world, and that are symbolized by Amari’s magic in B. B. Alston’s novel.