Identity and Belonging in Amari and the Great Game

Thematic Claim: Identity as a Contested, Chosen Territory

In Amari and the Great Game, B.B. Alston argues that identity is never fixed by birth or public labels; belonging is a fragile achievement that must be continually re-earned through intentional action and the refusal to be defined by others’ fears. The novel traces how Amari Peters—celebrated as a “good magician” and simultaneously suspected as a threat—struggles to find her place in a supernatural world that both reveres and rejects her. Her journey reveals that belonging requires not only proving oneself to others but also accepting the loneliness that comes with being different.

Part One: The Shock of Exclusion – Uninvited and Unwanted

The story opens with Amari inhabiting an uncomfortable spotlight. She is famous across the supernatural world as “the good magician” who defeated Dylan Van Helsing, but fame does not equal acceptance. In Chapter 1, an article calls her “AMARI PETERS: THE GOOD MAGICIAN?” while reminding readers that magicians are “our world’s greatest villains.” This double message—hope and suspicion—sets the stage for her crisis of belonging.

When a massive time freeze traps most of Georgia and Amari is the only person unaffected, the Bureau immediately blames magicians. Director Van Helsing announces emergency measures, and the public—already primed by anti-magician rhetoric—treats Amari with fresh fear. On the bus home, an orc flees from her, and she reflects, “I’m the scary one in this situation.” The email uninviting her from summer camp is the ultimate rejection: “You are hereby UNINVITED to summer camp at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs.” Amari loses her link to the supernatural world, her brother Quinton’s care, and her budding friendships—all because of what she is, not what she has done.

In this first act, belonging is shown as conditional. Amari’s past heroism counts for nothing against the ancient stereotype of magician villains. She is simultaneously seen as a symbol of hope (“the girl wonder”) and a scapegoat for any unexplained disaster. The fortune cookies given by Elsie reinforce this tension: Amari asks for important information and receives “Beware of unseen dangers.” The cookie warns not only of external threats but of the invisible danger of being cast out.

Part Two: Fighting for a Place – The Bureau’s Double Standard

After Amari returns to the Bureau (with Elsie’s help), she faces not a warm welcome but a new series of tests. In Chapter 12’s Current Events class, the debate over UnWanteds—creations of magicians banished since the Ancient War—becomes a proxy war over her own value. Trainee Tristan calls magicians a threat; Bear accuses her of causing the time freeze. When Agent Addison invites Amari to speak, she says, “I didn’t choose to be a magician, I was born this way. … I haven’t done anything to anyone, but so many people and supernaturals have already made up their minds about me anyway. It’s not fair, and I don’t deserve it. And neither do any of the UnWanteds.”

This speech explicitly links Amari’s identity to the broader community of UnWanteds. She argues that belonging should be based on actions, not origins—a radical challenge to the Bureau’s hierarchy. Yet the class remains split. Tristan mocks her, and the lesson reveals that even within the supposedly progressive Bureau, the stain of magician identity can be overcome only by constant, exhausting proof.

Later, Director Harlowe manipulates Amari into betraying Maria Van Helsing (Chapter 19). To save Maria from the Sightless Depths, Amari must lie publicly, claiming she turned Maria in for practicing forbidden magic. This forced betrayal shows how identity can be weaponized: Harlowe uses Amari’s public image as a “good magician” to discredit Maria, while Amari’s actual sense of belonging crumbles. She becomes a puppet—praised as an Elite but stripped of authentic connection. The Crown of Vladimir and Victor’s Rings symbolize the power that others believe defines a magician, yet Amari’s struggle is precisely about not letting those symbols dictate her worth.

Part Three: Choosing Belonging Over Power

The Great Game itself forces Amari to confront the darkest version of magician identity. Dylan Van Helsing, now wielding foul magick, embodies the villainous path she rejected. In Chapter 35, Cozmo demands that one magician take the other’s magic. Amari fights Dylan and nearly loses herself to foul magick—only Elsie’s intervention stops her. She momentarily becomes what everyone fears: a magician consumed by power. This scene complicates the theme by suggesting that the line between hero and villain is dangerously thin, and that belonging to the “good” side requires constant vigilance.

The climax redefines identity as a matter of choice, not magic. When Elsie unexpectedly transforms into a dragon and drives Dylan away, and when Quinton awakens (courtesy of Dylan lifting the curse), Amari learns that her magic is gone. The Victor’s Ring has been taken; she is no longer a magician. Yet she declares she will keep fighting alongside her friends. This moment is the thematic core: belonging is not granted by having magic or being accepted by the Bureau. It is created by loyalty and action. Amari chooses to belong to her community of friends and family, even when she has lost the very power that defined her in their eyes.

The novel ends not with full acceptance but with a new kind of belonging—one that includes Quinton’s return, Jayden and Elsie by her side, and a war against bigger threats. The Time-Freeze Stone and other symbols fade into context; what matters is that Amari has reframed identity from a label imposed by others to a commitment she makes each day.

Complexity and Contradiction

The theme of identity and belonging is not resolved neatly. Amari never fully escapes the label “magician”; even after losing her magic, the public still sees her as one. Her fame on Eurg (1.73 million followers) contradicts her isolation—she is simultaneously known and unknown. Furthermore, her own actions sometimes feed the stereotype: using illusions to intimidate Bear, nearly succumbing to foul magick. The novel acknowledges that identity is not purely a personal choice; it is also shaped by systemic prejudice (the Bureau’s anti-UnWanted policies) and by the very real danger that magicians have historically posed.

Director Harlowe’s own origin—an adopted faun who fought to join the Bureau—parallels Amari’s struggle, yet Harlowe becomes a villain. This suggests that the desire to belong can corrupt if it means adopting the oppressor’s methods. Amari must walk a different path: accepting her difference without letting it define her, and building belonging through genuine relationships rather than by conforming to power.

Character arcs reinforce these contradictions. Lara Van Helsing, once a bully, becomes a victim of the same prejudice when her sister is arrested. Elsie leaves for Oxford, testing their friendship, yet returns transformed into a dragon—a symbol of hidden strength and loyalty. Jayden from the neighborhood provides a grounding presence, reminding Amari that belonging can be found in spaces outside the Bureau’s approval.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Amari’s identity as a magician affect her sense of belonging at the start of the novel?
At the story’s opening, Amari is global famous yet deeply isolated. The viral video of her defeating Dylan makes her a celebrity, but many still see her as a potential villain. The time freeze and the Bureau’s swift accusation—reflected in the email uninviting her from camp—show how quickly her identity can alienate her from the community she wants to join. She belongs nowhere: not fully to the human world, not trusted by the supernatural world.

2. In what ways does the Current Events classroom debate (Chapter 12) force Amari to confront her connection to UnWanteds?
Agent Addison asks Amari to speak on the issue of UnWanteds—creations of magicians who have been banned from society. Amari explicitly connects her own experience to theirs, arguing that she didn’t choose her birth any more than they did. The debate exposes the prejudice she faces daily and reveals that her belonging is contingent on constantly defending her existence. Tristan’s mockery shows that even inside the Bureau, acceptance is conditional.

3. How does the forced betrayal of Maria Van Helsing impact Amari’s sense of self?
Harlowe blackmails Amari into publicly claiming that she caught Maria practicing forbidden magic. Amari lies to protect Maria from a worse fate, but the act shatters her integrity. She becomes an instrument of Harlowe’s agenda, praised as an Elite while losing authentic connections. This event shows that belonging obtained through coercion is hollow—Amari’s identity is no longer her own, but a performance for power.

4. What does the loss of Amari’s magic in the final chapters reveal about the nature of identity?
After Dylan steals her magic, Amari no longer possesses the very trait that defined her as a magician. Yet she chooses to continue fighting and building relationships with Elsie, Jayden, and Quinton. The narrative suggests that identity is not rooted in supernatural abilities but in choices and loyalties. Belonging, for Amari, becomes an act of will rather than an inherited label.

5. How do the Victor’s Rings and the Crown of Vladimir symbolize the theme of belonging?
The Victor’s Rings represent the power and status that the supernatural world associates with magicians. The Crown of Vladimir is the ultimate symbol of magician legacy, offering control over the League of Magicians. Both objects tempt Amari to define herself by her heritage and power. By the end, she loses both but gains a deeper belonging through friendship and self-chosen purpose—rejecting the idea that identity is conferred by artifacts or titles.