Amari and the Night Brothers

Dylan Van Helsing is Amari’s partner at the Bureau and foil throughout the narrative. The two bond over their shared magician identity and develop a friendship. In a plot twist at the end, it’s revealed that Dylan was Moreau’s true apprentice all along.

Like Amari, Dylan is a born magician. He can manipulate technology, though he is also proficient with illusions. Amari initially assumes he is as stuck up as his twin sister, Lara, but when Dylan partners with Amari during classes, he treats her far more respectfully than Lara does. Although it’s slow in coming, Dylan gradually begins to stand up to Lara for Amari, openly choosing to sit with Amari and going against Lara’s campaign to exclude her. Dylan shares the information he gets about the investigation into VanQuish—the team name of Quinton and Maria Van Helsing, Dylan’s older sister—with Amari and fully embraces her as his partner, and she views him as a friend in turn. Unlike Lara, Dylan does not crave to be the center of attention, although he proves himself to be ambitious. Dylan is smart and observant and with the plot twist at the end of the novel, it’s revealed that he is also quite manipulative.

While Amari is committed to only using light magic, Dylan favors foul magic. The reveal at the end also reveals the difference in their ideologies: Amari does not believe that it’s okay to hurt others so that she can feel vindicated in the face of all she’s suffered, while Dylan wants to bring non-magicians to heel to compensate for the hateful treatment they’ve experienced. Their relationship relates to the Hope in the Face of Prejudice theme—Amari chooses to hope that she can open people’s minds, while Dylan chooses violence and hate and, ironically, exemplifies the worst stereotypes people have come to believe about magicians.

In their final climactic confrontation, Dylan emphasizes that he and Amari have a shared connection as the two born magicians of this age. This parallels them to the Night Brothers; Dylan is determined that he and Amari take up these roles together. The betrayal he feels at her refusal to join him demonstrates his deep feelings of friendship for her, despite their ultimate conflict. At the end of the novel, Dylan is arrested for his crimes, but it is implied that his role in Amari’s life is not over.

Moreau is the main antagonist. He is a figure shrouded in mystery; most of the information Amari learns about him is told to her by others. Moreau is in large part the reason why magicians are so heavily associated with death and war; in the ancient times, Moreau was part of a powerful magician duo made up of himself and another magician named Vladimir. They called themselves the Night Brothers and used the blood of innocents to achieve immortality.

When the novel begins, Moreau has been captured by VanQuish and is being held at the Bureau’s Blackstone Prison; however, Chapter 30 reveals that Moreau was never captive and that he used an illusion to disguise one of his apprentices as him. Nevertheless, his beliefs hold the same: He thinks that magicians should rule, and that those who have wronged them should be made to suffer. His introduction in Chapter 15 establishes a core conflict for Amari. She reflects on how tempting it would be to punish those who have wronged her, but she immediately chooses Hope in the Face of Prejudice and consistently does so throughout the story.

Amari meets the real Moreau in Chapter 32 at the Key Holder’s residence. There, he is dressed in “blood-red robes” and exudes a powerful aura Amari can only describe as “something old and very dark” (383). His description establishes an ominous mood around his character. Moreau attempts to persuade Amari to join his cause, but quickly grows disdainful of her when it’s clear that she’s horrified by his beliefs. He is prepared to take her magic when Dylan intercedes and takes Moreau’s instead, killing the ancient magician. 

Elsie is Amari’s roommate and first friend at the Bureau. She is a weredragon, a human who can turn into a dragon, but hasn’t had her first shift yet. Elsie thirsts for knowledge and uses her Mastermind Inventor supernatural ability to brainstorm creative solutions to the obstacles that she and Amari face. Elsie is tenacious and a loyal friend who is always ready to help Amari without question. Elsie is also empathetic; her weredragon blood gives her the ability to read others’ auras, and she is very tuned in to Amari’s emotions. Her compassion makes her a great emotional support when Amari needs it, such as in Chapter 21 when Elsie encourages Amari to remain at the Bureau despite the challenges she faces there. Elsie’s friendship, particularly as one of the first people Amari meets at the Bureau, is very important to Amari as it shows her that not everyone will react to her with prejudice and hostility.

At Madame Violet’s in Chapter 26, Elsie confesses to Amari that she is a coward, and this is why she hasn’t shifted. This is a significant moment for both girls; it deepens the trust between them and rounds out Elsie’s character. Up until this point, Elsie has more or less had the same goals Amari has had, and has existed mostly as a support for Amari’s conflicts and evolutions. After this moment, however, Elsie gains her own conflicts and goals. In Chapter 30, Elsie helps Dylan and Amari make their escape and breathes fire, signifying that she’s committed a great act of courage and has taken her first steps towards shifting into a weredragon. Although Amari draws much of her strength from Bonds of Family Loyalty, her relationship with Elsie demonstrates that bonds of friendship can also be powerful sources of support.

Lara is the twin sister of Dylan, and Amari’s fellow trainee in the Junior Agent training program. As a key antagonist, Lara is spoiled, stuck up, and cruel. She often takes an entitled attitude and bullies Amari mercilessly throughout much of the novel. Lara’s stated motivation for doing so is because she blames Quinton for her sister Maria’s disappearance, as Quinton and Maria were partners; since Quinton is also missing, Lara takes her fear and rage out on Amari. Lara is a parallel to the rich girls Amari faced back at Jefferson Academy, who were classist and racist toward Amari. Just like those girls, Lara uses her privilege to make Amari feel inferior. She is also a key exponent of the anti-magician rhetoric, and calls Amari “ghetto” and “disgusting magician.” She embarrasses Amari whenever she can, such as in Chapter 17, when she points out in front of a visiting boogeyperson that magicians like Amari used to be the “masters” of boogeypeople.

The dynamic between Amari and Lara shifts in Chapter 26 when Amari casts Magna Fobia on Lara, and again in Chapter 33 when Amari rescues Maria. After she casts Magna Fobia, Amari sees that Lara’s worst fear is losing Maria for good, just like Amari’s worst fear is losing Quinton for good. Despite all the cruelty she’s endured at Lara’s hands, Amari still feels compassion for her and realizes they’re both driven by Bonds of Family Loyalty. Lara gives Amari a hug after Amari brings Quinton and Maria home, suggesting that Amari’s actions have thawed even Lara’s prejudice towards her; however, while their dynamic appears to soften, there is no clear indication as to how it will develop in the future.

Quinton is Amari’s older brother and a member of VanQuish, along with Maria. Both are missing at the outset of the novel, and the plot begins with Amari’s need to find him. Amari and Quinton have always been close; she admires the impact he had on the neighborhood as a genius scholarship student who tutored kids and took on a secret, successful job after high school. Once she enters the supernatural world, Amari discovers that her brother was actually a Special Agent there. Quinton is an important character in the Bonds of Family Loyalty theme; his life-long support of Amari helps her find confidence in herself, and Amari’s love for her brother drives her to make good choices throughout the novel. Quinton is also the one to introduce Amari into the supernatural world because he wants her to broaden her horizons, indicating the care and concern that he has for her. The theme of Self-Confidence and Discovering Identity also revolves around their relationship, as it pertains to Amari’s insecurities about failing to be as good and talented as Quinton.

Maria Van Helsing is the daughter of Director Van Helsing and the older sibling of Dylan and Lara. Amari only learns about her secondhand until the end of the novel, when Quinton and Maria are rescued and Maria is revived from her coma. Amari meets her in Chapter 33, when Maria uses her blood magic to allow Amari and Mama to communicate with Quinton, who is still in a coma. Like Amari, Maria is a magician; she is also a member of the International League of Magicians. She gives Amari their card and promises Amari that she won’t have to face being a magician alone.

Although she’s lost Dylan, Amari gains Maria, suggesting that there’s hope that Amari will have someone to show her the way to being a good magician in the future.

While at the Bureau, Amari encounters mixed reactions to her magicianship. Among her allies, however, are Agents Magnus and Fiona. Agent Magnus was a friend and mentor to VanQuish, and makes it his self-appointed duty to look out for Amari while she’s at the Bureau. Magnus is “a bulky, bearded guy in a cowboy hat” who speaks with a pronounced Southern accent (54). He stands up for Amari against adults who would do her harm and attempts to keep her out of trouble. In Chapter 30, he trusts Amari with the secrets of Quinton’s briefcase and the Key Holder’s identity. Agent Magnus never wavers in his support of Amari, signifying that there are those in the Bureau who are not prejudiced against her.

Agent Fiona is Agent Magnus’s partner, and like Magnus, she is supportive and protective of Amari. Fiona’s supernatural ability is the ability to read others’ intentions by looking deep in their eyes, but even without this ability, Agent Fiona is kind and discerning. At times she is stern, but she nevertheless always has an encouraging word for Amari and doesn’t treat her differently than the other trainees. She challenges Amari in front of the group the first day of training camp in Chapter 13, but uses it to remind Amari of her courage (132). With Agent Fiona’s encouragement, Amari is empowered to feel that she can progress through Junior Agent training and handle what is thrown at her.

Director Van Helsing, on the other hand, is a major source of hostility towards Amari. He is the father of Maria, Lara, and Dylan, and he openly opposes magicians. He is one of the first adults to suggest expelling Amari from the Bureau and repeatedly clashes with her. He is described as “a tall, stern-faced white guy” (88) and constantly sabotages Amari’s chances at remaining in the Bureau. He represents the prejudiced side of the Bureau and the prevalent anti-magician attitudes that Amari comes up against there. Amari proves herself against him during the final tryouts, showing the gathered audience that magic can be used for good by creating beautiful illusions to entertain them. Director Van Helsing last appears in Chapter 31, when he accuses Agent Magnus of being a traitor and an ally to Moreau; this creates the narrative opportunity for Amari and Dylan to go after the Black Book. Director Van Helsing’s potential role in later books is left unclear.