Quinton Peters was the golden boy of the Rosewood low-income housing projects, receiving full scholarship offers to two different Ivy League schools. When he mysteriously goes missing, his little sister, 13-year-old Amari Peters, can’t understand why it’s not a bigger deal. Why isn’t his story all over the news? And why do the police automatically assume he was into something illegal?

Then Amari discovers a ticking briefcase in her brother’s old closet. A briefcase meant for her eyes only. There was far more to Quinton, it seems, than she ever knew. He’s left her a nomination for a summer tryout at the secretive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Amari is certain the answer to finding out what happened to him lies somewhere inside, if only she can get her head around the idea of mermaids, dwarves, yetis and magicians all being real things, something she has to instantly confront when she is given a weredragon as a roommate.

Amari must compete against some of the nation’s wealthiest kids — who’ve known about the supernatural world their whole lives and are able to easily answer questions like which two Great Beasts reside in the Atlantic Ocean and how old is Merlin? Just getting around the Bureau is a lesson alone for Amari with signs like ‘Department of Hidden Places this way, or is it?’ If that all wasn’t enough, every Bureau trainee has a talent enhanced to supernatural levels to help them do their jobs – but Amari is given an illegal ability. As if she needed something else to make her stand out.

With an evil magican threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t pass the three tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.

Published
January 2021
Where to find this book
External links open a book search at the selected retailer. Availability may vary.
Supernatural Investigations

The series

Full series details →

Beneath the polished surface of the everyday world lies something far stranger—a place where elevators open to other dimensions, time twists like fog, and magic isn’t just real, it’s heavily regulated. In the Supernatural Investigations series, the ordinary collides with the extraordinary through the eyes of a girl who was never meant to fit the mold.

Read full series description

At the heart of the story is Amari Peters, a fiercely determined Black girl from the projects who stumbles into a secret world of supernatural law enforcement while searching for her missing brother. But this isn’t a chosen-one tale wrapped in shiny fantasy tropes. It’s a raw, heart-thumping journey where social boundaries cut as deeply as magical ones, and bravery means standing tall even when the world refuses to see you.

The series blends urban fantasy with a deep sense of emotional gravity. Think magical bureaucracies with dark corners, shimmering artifacts with devastating power, and friendships forged under impossible pressure. There’s wonder here, yes—but it’s laced with danger, questions of justice, and the bittersweet realization that growing up means redefining who you are again and again.

What makes this world pulse is not just its imaginative depth, but how grounded it feels. The supernatural might be hidden behind secret doors and illusion spells, but its consequences echo in the real world—especially for those already fighting to be seen. With each book, the stakes grow, not just in spells or secrets, but in what Amari is willing to sacrifice to hold on to her identity, her family, and her sense of right and wrong.

Mysterious, emotionally rich, and laced with sharp humor, this fantasy series captures the kind of storytelling that lingers—where even the most magical elements feel rooted in truth. For readers who crave adventure that challenges norms and heroes who redefine what strength looks like, this world is waiting to be uncovered.

Risingshadow

Rating distribution

How reader ratings are distributed across the 1–10 scale.

107
92
85
75
62
50
40
30
20
11
Risingshadow

What did you think of this book?

Share your experience with other Risingshadow readers.

Risingshadow

Reader reviews

1 review

What Risingshadow readers think about this book

10/10

Hi! I LOVED it!! 
This is the most amazing book I’ve read in my life! It’s so well written, it have good characters, everything..

I loved the plot and I think everyone should read it. 10/10!!!!!

Risingshadow

Readers Also Enjoyed