Akarnae (The Medoran Chronicles, #1) (2024)

Review to come soon!

Full series re-read in November 2021 - so bizarre (but amazing) to be back in this world! I forgot how much I love these characters! <3

***Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

DNF at 24%...oops

This is the first review book I've received that I could not finish. I really, really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't happen.

My first qualm is with the writing. It is very juvenile and Alex's narration sounds more like a twelve year old's than a sixteen year old's. The portion of the book I completed in fact read much more like middle grade then young adult fiction. Don't get me wrong, middle grade fiction is great, but since this was marketed as young adult fiction I expected a more mature narrator. Additionally, the middle grade feel just didn't mesh well with a protagonist who is already sixteen at the start of her series.

The world building was problematic at best, completely nonsensical at worst. At this moment I'm learning towards completely nonsensical. Essentially, this book reads like a mash up of Harry Potter, the Chronicles of Narnia, and X-men without capturing the greatness of any of those stories. Pretty much if you take one part magical door to another world (Narnia), a boarding school for people with abilities you didn't even know existed (Harry Potter), and advanced technology plus people with special "gifts" (X-men) you get this book. While I am well aware that nothing is truly "original" anymore and that all new stories are derivations of existing stories, the author could have at least TRIED to make this story somewhat unique instead of a mess of other author's ideas. Plus, the fact that characters are continuously telling Alex to "just go with it" in regards to the various strange things occurring in their world exemplifies that the author had no idea how to make this world work logically. Also, the fact that this world's technology far surpasses Earth's, but the students at Akarnae take subjects such as combat and equestrian skills makes no sense.

The characters were all two dimensional. Alex's nonchalance at finding herself in a different world was super unbelievable, plus I never really understood what she was feeling or what her dreams, ambitions, and fears were prior to landing in a new world. Additionally, the rest of the golden trio Harry and Ron...oops! I meant Jordan and Bear were difficult to differentiate from each other. Alex, Jordan, and Bear also experience the most unbelievable, instantaneous friendship I have ever encountered. Think of the worst example of insta-love in young adult and then adjust for friendship rather than love and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Overall, this book had an interesting premise, but Noni's inability to make her world stand on its own two feet and the flatness of her characters made it impossible for me to enjoy this book or even to complete it.

**Re-read 01/19**

Reading this for a second time was such a fun experience. I was a little cynical the first time around because I'm wary of HP rip-offs, but there's so much sass in this series it's hard for me not to fall in love.

Alex is such a fantastic protagonist. She falls into this world of magic and takes it all in her stride, going along with it, and copping crap from her new BFFs, Jordan and Bear, whenever she starts to take the magic stuff too seriously. This is a book that's not afraid to poke fun at itself.

There aren't really any characters I don't like. They're all a bit different, and unusual, and psychotic. Karter is awesome. Finn ... nope. I would not want to do one of his classes at all, nuh-uh.

Kaiden James .... mmmm. I mean, he didn't properly steal my heart until book 2, so it was fun flirting with him a little in this one. He and Declan were far less intimidating this time around. Funny how that happens.

I really do love this series and I need more people to read it so I can fangirl over these characters more. Okay? Thanks friends!

**Original Review 12/16**

Hmm. A YA Fantasy novel set at a boarding school for 'gifted' kids. Where have I read this plot before??!

Yet there was something about it that really drew me in and this turned out to be a pretty enjoyable novel. It's slightly awkward in its introduction to the world, with blocks of information and some pretty thin explanations, however this does open things up nicely for greater depth in subsequent novels.

Alex's initial journey from her world to Akarnae feels quite out of place, but once it's out of the way the story flows quite naturally, and fast. I rather enjoyed the dynamics between the main trio, as well as the colourful supporting cast, though it was a little frustrating that everyone was 'unnaturally good-looking'. Mostly I enjoyed the humour and the ease of the interactions - and the absence of moodiness. It was light and fun, despite the inevitable dark thread destined to tie the conclusion to the remainder of the series.

It's painfully obvious that the author is a Harry Potter fan, but that hasn't prevented the production of an entertaining introduction to a new fantasy series, likely to be popularised by its own merits. An easy recommendation for YA fantasy lovers, but likely to be particularly enjoyable to HP fans looking for something new to sink their teeth into.

***

Review for Raelia (5★s) HERE
Review for Draekora (5★s) HERE
Review for Graevale (5★s) HERE
Review for We Three Heroes (4★s) HERE
Review for Vardaesia (5★s) HERE

I met Lynette when I was in Australia and she is by far the sweetest person I've ever met! We were on panels together and signings at SupaNova con, which is Australia's comic con. Every time she talked about her book, I was intrigued. I finally had a chance to read it.

This is a debut novel and the characters are really well drawn and likable. The main character, Alex is transported into another universe and she's stuck there at a boarding school called Akarnae until an expert in traveling through dimensions returns from a trip (basically for an entire school year). What I liked is the new world wasn't Narnia or some other medieval world, but one that has higher tech than Earth - that was different. I also like that Lynette took care of the "won't the parents be frantic their daughter is gone so long?" with the initial set up.

There were a few logic issues, but that's my writing teacher part of my brain coming out :) I would have liked more concentration on the main plot/problem of the stranger and not as much on the school and it's day to day. The ending was rushed, but that's a common complaint of mine for many books.

I'm looking forward to reading book 2!

I obviously enjoyed reading this one because I was very surprised to see it was 436 pages long. It seemed much shorter. Reading on Kindle can certainly fool you that way.

Anyway it was an entertaining story with likable characters and some pretty funny dialogue. I liked the world building, especially the sentient library, and was fooled totally about the identity of the Headmaster - although I did guess before Alex did. I would love to live in a world where medicine was as advanced as it was in this story!

I see that since this book was published it has grown into quite a lengthy series. I am looking forward to reading much more about Medora.

Read this for the book club at work and I ended up skim reading the last 100 pages because I just wasn't invested enough. If I was younger, I would have LOVED it, but there was a lot of telling instead of showing and so many things that were really similar to Harry Potter. I would definitely recommend this for younger teens! Great, funny characters and a cool idea!

Farewelling her parents was never easy and this time was worse than most. Heading into her new boarding school, sixteen-year-old Alexandra Jennings sighed with resignation as the tormenting began immediately. But when she went to the headmaster’s office to fulfill the enrolment, the room she entered had an instant impact – it wasn’t a room. How did that happen? How was she in Medora? And how was she going to return to her own world?

Befriending Jordan and Bear turned out to be a savior to her sanity – when she started at Akarnae Academy, the boarding school that was for teens with special gifts, the strangeness was helped by their presence. But as she accepted where she was, and participated in the classes she’d been assigned, Alex knew something wasn’t right - something terrifying was around the corner... Was it anything to do with the people of Medora?

Wow! Hard to believe I wasn’t a fantasy reader until I read Treespeaker by Katie W. Stewart back in 2012 – and shocked myself by loving it! Akarnae is the 1st in the Medoran Chronicles by Aussie author Lynette Noni and it was breathtaking. I thoroughly enjoyed every inch of this 436 page novel and am looking forward to the 2nd in the series, Raelia, soon. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Pantera Press for my copy to read and review.

DNF at 27%

Unlike the main character, whose name I have forgotten, I can absolutely find the door out of this world. It's there *points to return button in library app*

Vaarwel, Akarnae

I rather enjoyed this book.

Let's get the minor dislikes out of the way. When Alex stumbles from one doorway into a new land, I felt she was a bit slow to determine that this was something supernatural. It was also bizarre to me that the first person she meets is the very enemy that has been seeking her out for hundreds/thousands of years. One very minor pet peeve at the beginning: For a book that starts in Oregon, the author used the British spelling of the word enrol that was a bit distracting for me - "enrol"/"enrolment". But after that start for me, I began to fall into the story.

On with the review...

Alex immediately meets Jordan and Bear who happen to be best friends. They remind me a bit of these guys.


But probably look more like these guys...

They are fun, mischievous, loyal, and help Alex to adjust to their world throughout the book. The three take to each other readily and become fast friends.

And guess what? NO instalove, no love triangles or anything! These three best friends will just stay friends. What a breath of fresh air!

This is a world of high tech wormhole-like travel, Star Trek-like food replicators, interactive movies and such.

And yet they go to school at a castle surrounded by forest and countryside

where they learn things like combat,

equestrian skills, archery, PE,

chemistry, society and culture, Species distinction, Core skills (supernatural giftedness by the way), medical science, history, etc. With all the high tech, I wasn't sure where archery and equestrian skills came in, but the rest made sense.

The infinite, sentient library has a lot of hidden features that only allows some to know it's mysteries. Alex and the guys go on several adventures within it's walls encountering various characters within its walls.

The nemesis keeps showing up... and oh, he looks something like this according to the book...

Thank you Netgalley and Pantera Press for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

First Read: March 11th 2017
re-read January 20th 2018, March 3rd 2020

embrace the wonder

rating this book was an easy five stars for me because this book blew my expectations out of the water and i just devoured this book and every word on the pages. This story was a mix of Harry Potter meets x-men.

Lynette has created a world that is something that i haven't read in a long time and i was immersed in a world that i could see myself in. She has created this world thats full of detail and full of wonder that makes you want to know every inch of the place. Alexandra is the main character and she is immediately thrown into this new world after she learns she has been just accepted into its school, i feel it was information overload for the first 50 pages or so i did feel that i was overwhelmed but thats what the main character was feeling and everything soon started to make sense.

The school in the story was incredible and Lynette did a good job at creating such a place where it makes you want to go learn, i myself would love to live in Medora and attend Akarnae because the school seems so cool and the library is defiantly one place i'd spend most of my time for obvious reasons but i won't spoil anything so just read the book!

I loved so many characters in the book, Jordan and Bear were both funny and friends that i would love to have. From the moment we meet them in the story they were the kind of characters that everyone would love to have in there friend circles. I loved Alex's and D.C relationship in the book because i knew that they would become friends by the end of the first book, they both grew and i'm glad that they became friends by the end of the book. All of the teachers were all good characters to i enjoyed them very much, the doctor fletcher was a character i honestly wouldn't see in the school because he seems so cool.

theres so much potential for this story and i can't wait to see where it goes in the second book because i really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to get stuck into the second one.

this book would be good for younger audiences/ young adult readers it has a Harry Potter/ Percy jackson and X-men feel to it.

It's not often i get so hooked on a story that has left me wanting more and it was funny, magical and a book i couldn't put down. definitely met all my expectations and threw them all out the window.

Maybe let’s market this book as middle grade ?

DNF @ 30%
While lot has (finally) shown up; I feel there is nothing here to keep me interested. It feels pretty much exactly like a Harry Potter fan-fic. They just changed the names and made the lead a girl. I’m sure it would be fine to finish but I just couldn’t be bothered because, for me, it’s just meh.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

DNF at page 224.

Here I came into this book thinking that I would really like it, or in the least, enjoy it, but alas, it was not for me. I had enough of issues with the first half, that while I am semi-engaged, I have lots of other stuff that I want to read that I don’t want to be stuck on a book that I’m not liking so very much.

I did really want to actually like this, since I did like Whisper which I found to be a much better book and shows that the author has certainly gotten better at her craft. My primary problem that I have with this book is unfortunately the writing and not necessarily anything else. I really cannot connect with the writing the style and every time there is dialogue, it simply feels so forced and unnatural for someone to be saying that/having that reaction that it feels far too unrealistic for it to actually work. Another thing with this is that I do not like the character voice at all. Alex has so far been incredibly annoying and the third person perspective that largely focuses on her drives me a but nuts at what she says and instead of feeling like it’s a narrative, it can instead being stuck inside an annoying teenagers head.

The other two characters for some reason just don’t feel like actual people with their constant non stop jesting and bickering and sass that they are there more to just be Alex’s friends than anything else. I also disapprove of how fast their friendship progressed from I just found you in a forest to, your like a sister to us. It is completely unrealistic in how relationships actually work out.

One thing I respect is that Noni’s has created a more futuristic world rather than a medieval one, and maybe I’m just nitpicking here but her explanations for lots of things are very unsatisfactory. I found lots of the explanations on just about everything to be very vague and does not actually explain at how certain things work. An example is that English is spoken in Medora and when Alex asks how it is they speak English, the explanation is, what’s English? We just call it the common tongue. Like that does not explain anything, how are the two world’s interconnected, how has it developed? Or rather, if things are going to be under explained, don’t make your main character ask them and just accept it as it is, but look again, maybe I’m just nitpicking here.

The idea is loosely based on many other book series with the whole falling through a door into another world reminding me a lot of Narnia. Other aspects, like others have said is very similar to X-men and Harry Potter. There’s nothing wrong with this and authors always draw inspirations from other novels, but it felt a bit too blatantly obvious in this book and again, I found Whisper to be much more original of a novel to show that she has gotten much better at creating new stories.

Its not that it is a bad book exactly, but one that I could not really connect with so I’m dropping it as there’s no time to read books I’m not liking. 3/10

2023 re-read: My love for this book still stands strong. It's so good to be back in this world again!

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It's not very often that I get hooked on a book from the very first page, but this book definitely had me so. So much happened in just the first ten pages, and I found myself on the edge of my seat right from the get-go.

The story follows Alexandra 'Alex' Jennings, who is thrust into a world that is not quite her own. Alex is meant to be spending her school year at the International Exchange Academy, whilst her parents are abroad on an archeological dig. Instead, she passes through a magical doorway, and ends up in the world of Medora, and finds herself at Akarnae Academy - an educational facility for teenagers who are gifted with extraordinary powers and abilities, much like Hogwarts or Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

Alex's only hope of returning to her own world rests in the hands of Akarnae's headmaster, Marselle. But with him currently missing, she has no choice but to attend Akarnae until he returns. Based on her potential, she is placed in a range of classes, varying in difficulty, and so commences her education as she discovers this new and enchanting world.

Despite how difficult (and potentially life-threatening) her classes are, Alex quickly finds herself at home at Akarnae, and settles in nicely with the help of her new friends Jordan and Bear. I found it so refreshing that her relationship with the two boys blossomed and grew with ease, but without any sort of romantic involvement. The platonic relationship that the three share has got to be one of my favourite friendships that I've ever read about so far.

With these two friends, Alex goes on a number of amazing adventures, which mostly take part in The Library. For some, this might not sound all too exciting, but The Library is a sentient building from Medora's history, hiding in plain sight on Akarnae's grounds after it's "disappearance" a lifetime ago. Alex is a Chosen One - one who can access the many secrets and mysteries hiding inside The Library. With this title, though, brings many dangers, because there are some who bear ill-intent that wish to know The Library's secrets, too.

The world-building is so simple and easy to follow, despite Medora being quite a complex place in the grand-scheme of things. There's technology that makes food appear in front of you the second you order it, or magical doorways that transport you from one place to another in the blink of an eye, but everything is explained in such a way that is really easy to grasp.

Yes, the writing is not poetic, or lyrical, or anything fancy like that, but it's the kind that just flows off the page so beautifully, and is really easy to follow. For this, I think Akarnae would be the perfect choice for those who struggle with reading fantasy, but are wanting to give the genre a try anyway.

This novel is an enchanting one that is best suited for the younger teenage audience, but I'm sure that anyone who enjoys a fun Young Adult fantasy could get a real kick out of this one. I highly recommend this to fans of Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Percy Jackson.

DNF at 36%

I won’t judge the book on the story since I didn’t even finish it but the plot was nothing intriguing for me. There’s a doorway that led Alice into a new world which has been read and seen before (ahem, Narnia) but this supernatural occurrence fell absolutely flat when Alice came across as an illogical human being who didn’t even understand how weird this stepping into a new world is. I think she was living in a bubble, which could’ve been fine if her age was resonating with her thoughts; if she was much younger than a sixteen-year-old, I would’ve let that fact slide but unfortunately, she wasn’t.

Then there is a boarding school that’s basically a castle (ahem, Harry Potter) and this, again, could’ve been fun to read if the world wasn’t confusing me with the tech-y stuff that contradicted the good ol’ setting or combat training. Not only this, Alice meets these two boys who, again, are not bothered much about how or why this random teenager is in their world. But the peak for me to leave this book unfinished would be the writing—maybe it’s my personal preference but I need more descriptions especially if this world has so many things incorporated in it, but the writing came across as bland and a little too ‘telling’. Anyway, I’m well aware that I’m in the minority here so feel free to give this a shot and see if it’s something for you, because I can’t recommend something I didn’t even finish reading.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this via Netgalley but that in no way influences my rating and/or my opinions about it.Thank you Pantera Press and Lynette Noni!

Trigger warnings: violence, absent parents. That's about it??

So this series has been VERY hyped in the Australian YA community in the past few years and I've always kind of half meant to read it even though it didn't sound like my kind of thing. What tipped me over the edge was the fact that this has been doing the rounds of a book recommendation group I'm in on FB and it was ALWAYS being suggested to 10-11 year old girls as a good option. And given that I *know* it's marketed as YA and that the protagonist is 16, I was like "..................pls no".

So I figured I should finally read it. And...yeah, I didn't love this. Let's bullet point the reasons:
- The main character is 16, but it reads like middle grade (so at least it's fine to recommend to those 10-11 year old girls??)
- It's so freaking long
- It's just under 450 pages and the plot shows up at around the 400 page mark
- There is SO MUCH STUFF about Alex just...going to class and honestly? I didn't care
- It honestly feels more like sci-fi than fantasy a lot of the time because there's so much tech
- At no point does Alex question ANYTHING about the world she's stumbled into. And she never has any issues in terms of language or academics or even really more than one or two moments of "whoa, cool"
- She ends up with insta-friends for literally no reason other than that they were there when she showed up
- It honestly felt like Philosopher's Stone but if Harry just went "Oh, okay" to everything that happened and we spent three quarters of the book following him to classes and then right at the end someone was like "Wow that Voldemort's a bad dude, huh?" and Harry was all "Sorry, who?" and then Voldemort jumped out and yelled "BOO!".
- I call bullsh*t on a teenage girl wanting to be known as "Dix".
- It's pretty fast paced but I also didn't want to pick it up any time I stopped reading.
- I just... [insert shrug emoji here] It wasn't for me.

I love this series so much.

Story time: Picture mini Darcey, just chilling in Dymocks, trying to use a voucher before it expired. She's found a couple books but still has some money left on the voucher, and doesn't know what to buy... so she walks over to the 'sale' section, and there are some random books she's never heard of. 'Hmm,' she thinks, 'I like the covers and they sound interesting.' So she decides to buy the first two books in the series, and from there, she's led on the most wonderful journey...

This series changed my life. I read the first two books SO FAST and sacrificed so much sleep, and almost cried when I didn't have book #3 (the only reason it's 'almost' is because I was too sleep deprived to cry properly). The characters wormed their ways into my heart in record time, and Lynette Noni quickly made her way to the top of my 'favourites' list. Her books are so gorgeously addictive and entertaining and magical, I don't understand why they're not more popular!

This series is about a kick-ass, sassy, trouble-finding girl called Alex. When she goes to a boarding school she fails into the world of Akarnae. Here she finds incredibly friends, exciting adventure and plenty of magic, along with some of the greatest characters this world has ever experienced (would I die for the boys in the Epsilon combat class? Yes, yes I would). While Alex attempts to find a way home, she discovers that Akarnae needs more saving than Alex herself...

This series is a MUST READ. Full of brilliant characters and an extraordinary magical world, the Medoran Chronicles is one of the best series I've read! It may be written for a slighly younger audience than most YA books, but I honestly believe anyone of any age can read this, and I highly recommend that you all do just that!

Uuuuuggggghhhhhhhhh I loved this idea but THE STORY TELLING WAS SO PAINFUL I'M SORRY

What a fascinating story!

Stepping into different worlds - check
Discovering gifts - check
Awesome friends - check
Wonderfully stable MC - check
Intriguing plot - check, check, check

At first, my mind decided to do a Harry Potter comparison, but I was pleased when it turned out to be something more. It is a mix of everything I enjoy, and I really had a wonderful time reading it.

Alex, Jordan, and Bear's friendship and adventures were great. I didn't want to stop reading, nor did I want the book to end. Lynette Noni built a fantastic world and combined it with a kick-ass plot. She also gave every character a distinct "voice", which is something I really liked.

I recommend reading this book.. A definite must read.

Now, can we please get book #2? :D

*This arc was kindly provided by Pantera Press & Smith Publicity via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This novel blew me away. I was shocked. The synopsis does not, I repeat, DOES NOT do justice to the book. This is my first review, and I never intended to write one, but this book was too good of a book to miss the opportunity. Akarnae was set at a great pace, with amazing characters, in a perfect scenery. It was beautifully written and captivating the reader into the fantasy world of Medora; where there is advanced technology and gifted people. Alex; the sixteen year old protagonist, walks through a doorway and finds herself in a forest, and no idea how to get back to the academy she was enrolling at. She is even more surprised when a man, (Aven) sees her and talks about how together they will ‘rule Medora’, spoiler alert:his evil. Then two boys find her; Jordan and Bear. They later become her friends, and explain that the only person that might help her to get back home, to Freya, ‘Earth’, is the headmaster Marselle of Akarnae academy of gifted students.
This was a great way to start the book, especially since Alex was miraculously in a new world where everything was different. She adapted slowly to the change and enrolled at Akarnae as a third year, (only gifted can enrol, Alex had not found her power yet), while waiting for the headmaster to return in a few months, as his whereabouts were unknown.

OMG… Terrific scenes… Unbeatable… Lynette wrote with her heart and soul, needless to say it was a big shoe to fill for my future reads. (actually I had to stop two novels because they were nothing, compared to this, I am now reading the legend trilogy and pleased that it has taken my mind off this series, as all I could think about is:Book 3 of the Medoran Chronicles. I enjoyed reading about Alex’s classes, and of course how she became a kickbutt character; especially in combat….(Her classmates reactions... ).Likewise to Hogwarts, now I want to attend Akarnae, and attend their 'medieval' lessons such as archery and of course COMBAT. Such a captivating novel, that I wish there were more of.

There really isn’t much to say on negativity. I wish this book were more known, as I knew nothing about it and picked it off the library’s shelf. The only thing I need to say is perhaps it would’ve taken a more interesting turn if the combat classes were mentioned more; I didn’t get enough of that. I really can’t think of any negativity, maybe my mind is still racing from the twist of events in book two.

I rated this book five out of five, and have no need to change it. I recommend this series to all YA fantasy lovers. If you are not sure if you should read it, don’t judge your opinion on the blurb. This book met my expectations and above. If you enjoyed the Harry Potter series, then this series is definitely for you, as it carries similar concepts but with an older and female protagonist.
It all starts here, the Medoran Chronicles awaits you.

Embrace the wonder*

Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars

God, Lynette Noni is SO TALENTED!!! Aussie author love for lifeeeeee! This was SO GOOD!!!

THIRD READ 05/02/19 - 5 stars

I hit one of those dreaded reading slumps when I picked this up, which means that all I'm in the mood for is incredibly cheesy and angsty romance in a fast paced book. This book has an incredibly slow burning romance that is only lightly hinted at in this book, so sadly this took me a while to get through when I'd normally fly through it. I do not fault the book for this. However much I love my romantic subplots and would love for a certain ship to have started in this very first book, it's also refreshing to have a break from it, and I know other readers will appreciate this.

I'm leaving my rating at 5 stars because I know that if it weren't for bad timing, I would be a mess of feels that wildly fangirled at any poor soul that happened across me. As it is, I just rave about this book to my work colleagues every time I go to work.

SECOND READ 26/01/18 - 5 stars

Bumped up a star because holy f*ck I love this series. I am feeling the feels. I repeat: feeling all the feels. I'm still so f*cking salty that I can't actually visit Medora and go to Akarnae. I'd probably skewer myself on a sword in combat class, but hey! A sword! Also, I legit plan to go and study horsey stuff (their behaviour to be specific) so I'd be living for the equestrian studies class.

Ugh. Why can't this really exist??

FIRST READ 18/06/17 - 4 stars

Here is the honest to god truth as to why I picked up and bought this series: the third book has a really pretty cover and most importantly Dragons!!. Yes, that's right, I plan on buying a whole five book series simply because the third book has dragons in it. It does have an awesome premise and a close friend who's bookish advice I trust really loved them (the first three anyway, that's all that is out at this point in time) so that helped. But mainly I'm here for eventual dragons.

And then I read the book and now I'm totally here for everything else as well. Authors' need to stop writing about awesome worlds that I can't visit and schools that I'd actually want to attend. One of their subjects is purely about horses!! My

In the 'About the Author' bit it says that Lynette Noni is a huge fan of Harry Potter and Narnia and it shows in this book. I mean, a magical school that the protagonist attends after stepping through a door into another world?? Practically screams both series. However, this book totally managed to stand on its own. The world felt incredibly vivid to me and I can picture all the different places clearly in my head. And guys, it's gorgeous.

Do you know what I've always wanted in a fantasy novel? Technology. And this freaking had it. So many fantasy books seem to be set in historical (for us, i'm sure it's modern day for the characters in the novel) times, and it's just so nice to read something different. And it's still clearly a fantasy and not sci-fi. Love It!

My cheeks were literally hurting from how much I was smiling while reading this. The banter. The friendship. Everything! Alex could be a little stupid sometimes but I still love her. And her and Bear and Jordan's friendship!! And that it just stayed a friendship!! it was so nice. A guy (or two of them) and a girl can just be friends without it having to develop into a romance or unrequited love (for the love of god don't let this happen in the later books *gets on knees and prays even though I'm not religious*). There were hints of a future romance with another character - and yes, my little romantic heart is excited - but it was nice to read a YA book without it for once. That did play into it feeling even more like Harry Potter and Narnia in the fact that it nearly read as a middle-grade book, but I think it's going to do the Harry Potter thing and have every book be a school year passing and the protagonist get older and be maturer with it. And hey, I ain't complaining, we have seen the success of that in both Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.

I would have liked a little bit more work done on the characters, I feel like Bear and Jordan could be a little difficult to distinguish from one another, and it was predictable at times, but other than that I have no complaints. I thought this was an awesome book and finished it in less than 24 hours. It's even more amazing because this is Lynette Noni's debut novel, so her writing and characterisation can only go up from here! Hopefully...

I'm ending this review right here cause I can't wait any longer and have to start Raelia immediately. Do yourself a favour and check out this book. #LoveOzYA

Akarnae was wonderfully written and delightfully surprising, not to mention an incredibly enchanting fantasy. Alex's story begins with her parents abandonment in favour of their own adventure, leaving her at a new school without helping her settle in. Where most teens would be an emotional disaster, Alex takes it all in her stride but before she's had a chance to enroll, she's thrown into a world that is not her own.

Alex has no choice but to remain at Akarnae, with the only person who has the ability to return her to her world, now missing. Based on an age old method of sorting teens by their potential, Alex now finds herself within a multitude of advanced skill classes, including combat. With her two new friends in Jordan and Bear, Alex hides the secret of who she truly is from her peers. I loved The dynamic between Alex, Jordan and Bear. Their friendship wasn't complicated by a romance but it's undeniable that both Alex and Jordan share a connection. The two worlds of Medora which is where Akarnae is based and Freya, which is our own world where Alex was born and based were both very similar, apart from Medora being the magical plane on Earth. It made the storyline incredibly easy to follow even for non fantasy readers and kept the world building simple, making Akarnae perfect for fans who also enjoy middle grade reads.

Akarnae features shades of Harry Potter, a boarding school for magically inclined teens. With strong, friendship based relationships and a chosen one based storyline where Alex's world has been turned upside down. Each student enrolled at Akarnae is there on the basis of their unique magical abilities, except Alex who has yet to discover what her ability is. My only gripe was Alex's parents and how unprepared she was for this next stage in her life, even based on her attending the supposed International Exchange Academy alone.

It was well written and incredibly enchanting, but felt as though it may be more suited for a middle grade audience, where young teens can grow with each installment. The world building although lovely, fell a little flat at times and I wasn't able to grasp a sense of what Alex was experiencing around her. The renowned school library was magnificent. I loved the Wonderland type feel of the enchanted rooms and the history behind the building.

Akarnae was a wonderfully written, a mild fantasy that is not only entertaining but engaging. Reminiscent of Harry Potter, fans of light fantasy will enjoy this series, especially the younger teen audience. Looking forward to book two and seeing where debut author Lynette Noni takes the series. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2016/02/a...

WOW! I had high expectations of this book and it did not disappoint! Every single thing was perfect; from the drop dead gorgeous cover to the development of some druel-worthy characters!

For my full review, check out my bookblog: http://aussiebookworm.weebly.com/

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. It's got a few things that didn't quite work for me especially early on. Loved the last part though so that raised it up to 4 stars. It's been a while since I finished so I'll be a bit vague on the specifics. It's also one of those books you want to go in not knowing much about I think.

The world building was a bit so so for the most part but one particular aspect changed everything for me. That location was brilliantly written and very vivid but no spoilers here about that.

The characters are again a bit light on and one dimensional early on but they do grow and evolve as the book progresses. Alex is the main one but the support characters are quite good as are some of the teachers. DC though was my favourite though and was full of sass and sarcasm which worked really well.

The plot is standard YA fare and there's not many surprises in there. It was enjoyable anyway though which is a good effort. The pacing is also a bit slower but picks up later on. It's set in a magical school and while it has elements of a certain school for Wizards it's also got some nods to a certain school for gifted children in my opinion. For me that part worked well.

It was enjoyable and I did love the finish. I'm interested to see where the next one leads.
I would also think it's great for younger YAs looking to move onwards and upwards from Harry Potter. Not at that level certainly but quite a good start to this series.
Recommended.

This is now my third read-through of this series. I can't say exactly what it is that keeps me coming back other than I just love Alex as a protagonist and even though there's constant danger in this world, it's comforting to be in it.

this book was so magical and awesome!! review to come :D

Upon starting this book I felt a little...lost. I honestly didn't think that this book was for me and I was thinking, "How am I going to get through all 400+ pages?". It started off with the main character, Alex, on her way to a new school. Then she's thrown into this new world and it all got kind of confusing for a little bit. It all happened so quickly that I expected the rest of the book to be like this but I was surprisingly (and happily) mistaken.

Besides the original information overload that took place in the first 50 pages it got so much better. It was like a flower opening up really. The beginning (in my opinion) felt like something that the author didn't really care about. She needed a bit of backstory. So she told you about Alex's parents, moving around a lot, new school and then BAM. She was taken to another world unexpectedly. Then the flower opened it's petal and the sun shined down and it revealed just how beautiful it was.

The world of Medora is incredible. Lynette Noni described the settings, buildings and characters so well that the mental image of it all was real. I could see exactly what Akarnae was like and I was so envious because I wanted to be in that world and attending that school for people with abilities. Although there were some rough parts to the story that didn't flow too well she easily made up for it with her great range of characters, dialogue and imagination. My favourite part of this story is the Library. Without spoiling anything...it's the coolest library you're ever going to hear about!

THE CHARACTERS. Okay so I officially have a handful of members to go on my sweet-baby-characters-that-i-must-protect list. Jordan and Bear are like best friend goals. From the moment they appeared in this story I decided that I could listen to them two forever. Fletcher is just wonderful. Alex and D.C. both have some amazing character development and even secondary characters that are only there for small parts of the book like Monster or Sir Camden. You're just destined to fall in love with AT LEAST five of the characters.

I did find some parts predictable but still very enjoyable. I really can't wait for the next book in this trilogy. I'm already having character and world withdrawals. I wish I had a bubble door that could send me to Medora!

I would say this book is better for younger audiences. It definitely has a Harry Potter/Narnia/Percy Jackson feel to it and I loved it.

I give Akarnae by Lynette Noni 3.5 stars out of 5!

Thank you to Pantera Press for sending me out a review copy. I'm so grateful you introduced me into this world!

Before I will actually start the review I just wanted to say something. Do you remember the first time you read Harry Potter and you thought OMG, this how I feel about this book :) That it, just wanted to put it out there and now I can calmly go back to the review :)

Akarnae is like a great mix of Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia, all written in such a delightful way. I read this book 3 times now and each time I was screaming in my head “Omg… No way… Looove it.” That’s why it reminded me so much of the first time I’ve read Harry Potter and Narnia. This book has so much fantasy and wonder in it, that I just feel in love with it. I love that in this book there’s hardly any romance and this gives so much power to the story and makes the Alex (the protagonist) a much stronger character.

Lynette build a wonderful characters, but Alex is by far the best here. She is so strong, so well-balanced and even though her story begins in a bit of sadness, it still not tragic one but because the way she was brought up she can truly embrace the unusual and the surprising adventure, that she found herself in. This is a very refreshing writing style and I love it.

Like all good Fantasy Alex as well is very naturally gifted and like in the Harry Potter here as well Alex is standing out and becomes the chosen one. The one that can help the entire world. Beyond the wonderful characters there is a well written and magical world, a world that very fast become somewhat real to. I could see the world and the school so well, as if I was there with them.

In this story I fell in love with the library omg, the strong and sarcastic Alex and the way this world uses magic :)

For me the story was very fast paced reading and the only thing that tore my heart out is that I need to wait for the second book. Now that’s painful. This book is such an inspiration for me, the way Lynette writes the story so well and it seems so perfect and effortless, beautiful.

“Will Alex risk her entire world–and maybe even her life–to save Medora?“ Go find out!

Thank you so much for reading <3
Original review is at: Coffe n' Notes