Akarnae (The Medoran Chronicles, #1) in Aussie Book Club

Jan 18, 2016 Kelly (Diva Booknerd) rated it really liked it

Shelves: loveozya, pantera, middle-grade

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 ab 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... ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

May 04, 2016 Rachael rated it it was amazing

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

12 likes · Like · see review

Jan 20, 2016 Jeann (Happy Indulgence) rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, love-oz-ya

Actual Rating: 3.5

What a fun magical adventure! Akarnae is like a combination of Harry Potter and Xmen, where Alex stumbles into a magical school where everyone has powers. All of the magical elements in this novel were absolutely delightful, and my favourite part was the magical library filled with secrets, which only Alex could navigate safely as the chosen one. The snarky banter and her close friendship with Bear and Jordan was also really fun to read.

While Alex was fun, snarky and hilarious, ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Dec 04, 2014 Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: i-own, for-review, simon-and-schuster-sent, publisher-sent

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Thank you to both Simon & Schuster Australia and Pantera Press who send me copies of this book to read in exchange for an honest review!

Find this review and more on my blog The Rest Is Still Unwritten!

Akarnae is Harry Potter meets the Chronicles of Narnia in the first novel of Australian author Lynette Noni's debut series The Medoran Chronicles! A whimsical fantasy tale full of adventure and friendship, Akarnae is vividly descriptive, exciting and will leave you raring for more!

Akarnae follow's Thank you to both Simon & Schuster Australia and Pantera Press who send me copies of this book to read in exchange for an honest review!

Find this review and more on my blog The Rest Is Still Unwritten!

Akarnae is Harry Potter meets the Chronicles of Narnia in the first novel of Australian author Lynette Noni's debut series The Medoran Chronicles! A whimsical fantasy tale full of adventure and friendship, Akarnae is vividly descriptive, exciting and will leave you raring for more!

Akarnae follow's sixteen year old Alexandra Jennings whose life takes a interesting turn when she walks through a doorway on the first day at her new boarding school and finds herself literally in another world. Landing in the world of Medora, Alex discovers that there are more wonders and possibilities out there than she could ever have imagined, and the one person who could possibly help get her home is missing. Forced to wait until his return, Alex begins attending Akarnae Academy, a boarding school for Medorian's with amazing gifts; a school that will push and challenge her more mentally, physically and emotionally than ever before.

As she begins to embrace Akarnae Academy and find a home within the strange new world she could never have imagined existed, Alex makes begins to make powerful friendships and starts to discover just what she is capable of. And yet as Alex finds her place within Akarnae Academy, a mysterious individual finds her repeatedly along the way, and Alex can't help but realize something sinister is lurking behind his pretty face and beautiful eyes.....he has a plan to destroy Medora and he'll use Alex to do so, whether she wants him to or not.....

Akarnae was a very impressive debut! As the first novel in a new series, this story has been perfectly written, explored and planned. Author Lynette Noni has already established such a strong and well rounded world within the pages of this book. There's so much texture and layers to the story that I can't even imagine what Noni will do next, even though it's evidently clear that Alex's journey is only just beginning.

Alex's world literally changes when she walks through a doorway to Medora. She's stranded far from her world and her parents and everything she's ever know, and her only hope of getting back is a man who no one can seem to find. It'd be understandable if Alex gave into her fears and worry about being in Medora but instead she chooses to embrace her new life her and manages to pass the weeks and months by attending classes and honing her skills. Alex is quite down to earth and normal, but in true fantasy style, she's the kind of heroine who steps up when she needs to, even if she is Medora's only hope. Personally I really enjoyed following Alex and throught she was a worthy main character.

To be perfectly honest, the thing that manages to make Akarnae so great is that Noni weaves together so many different elements to make a fantastic story. Her writing is solid, and in the tradition of worlds like Harry Potter, Medora is vivid and fun and endlessly surprising. Akarnae Academy features different classes on the most different of subjects, all tasked with testing it's students, and Alex and her friends manage to get up to tones of trouble during the school year, managing to have more than one unexpected adventure.

I was thrilled with the friendship's and relationships Alex builds during this first book. Akarnae students Jordan and Bear are two of the first people Alex meets upon her arrival in Medora and they welcome her into their fold with open arms. Both boys are cheeky and entertaining and come to care deeply about Alex as a friend; making for some endearing moments between the three as their friendship becomes as solid as humanly possible.

Alex does struggle to connect with many of her other classmates at first but towards the end of the novel makes some serious strides with her roommate D.C. and her Combat classmates; particularly Declan, a big burly guy and Kaiden, a charming young man who unexpectedly makes Alex's heart race. Alex also manages to interact wonderfully with her professors and Akarnae staff, including Fletcher, the head of the Med Ward and the person Alex sees when she is injured. Sporting more than her fair share of injuries over the course of her stay in Medora, Fletcher is more than good to his most frequent patient. Honestly I could go on and go.....

From mysterious new friends, to talking suits of armor, and even a Library that's quite literally alive, Akarnae has it all. Lynette Noni sets up her fantasy world perfectly and will without a doubt sweep you up into the world of Medora. Leaving you begging to join Alex on her next advendure in Medora, Akarnae is sure to be a hit with fantasy and adventure lovers alike!

...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 20, 2015 Jenna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015, 2017, australian-author, the-ya-circle, authors-i-have-met, signed-copy, 2019

Reread March 2017
Love. This. Book. More. Than. Life. Itself.

Reread September 2016
THIS BOOK GETS BETTER THE MORE TIMES YOU READ IT! I mean honestly I have now read three books with these characters and while rereading Akarnae it was easy to see how I fell in love with them in the first place. Alex is one of the best protagonists I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. I lost count of how many times she tripped or fell over but I swear she spent half the book on the ground! (Especially when ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Apr 18, 2018 Mary-ellen rated it really liked it

This is a YA fantasy series by Lynette Noni. It’s a light, fun read.

Alexandra Jennings steps through the door to another world. With no way home she makes the most of her time at Arkanae, a school for gifted teens. That’s just the start of her adventure. Alex is a great character, although at times in this first book she came across as a bit slow. The friendship between her Jordan and Bear was a bit overworked, but still nice. I loved the insane PE teacher, Finn, such a great character, as was ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Sep 22, 2023 Bec (Aussie Book Dragon) rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, read-2023

why oh why did I not read this YEARS ago?

3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2015 Kate rated it liked it

Shelves: magic, first-in-series, horrible-heroine, debut-author, boarding-school, aussie-author

Akarnae has been described as Narnia meets Harry Potter meets X-Men and I can see why. Doorways which serve as magical portals to mystical worlds. People who are more than what they seem and castles with secrets of their own serving as home for all those who attend Akarnae Academy - a boarding school for teens with magical gifts.

And whilst Akarnae may be reminiscent of other stories you may have read before - Noni delivers a great story which is different than other fantasy series which have com Akarnae has been described as Narnia meets Harry Potter meets X-Men and I can see why. Doorways which serve as magical portals to mystical worlds. People who are more than what they seem and castles with secrets of their own serving as home for all those who attend Akarnae Academy - a boarding school for teens with magical gifts.

And whilst Akarnae may be reminiscent of other stories you may have read before - Noni delivers a great story which is different than other fantasy series which have come before it. Alexandra Jennings is an good choice of character to follow as she explores Medora - a world she was unknowingly thrust into and oddly enough was expecting her arrival. Her naivety regarding the way of the Medorians was believable and, lucky for her, new best friends Jordan and Bear were around to help explain the customs of the odd and magical world. One of the strengths of this novel was how vividly the settings were described. I could picture all the places Alex visited with such clarity!

The library is amazing! I loved the idea of the library being a living entity. I also loved many of the 'magical' aspects of this book (the food delivery system was rather awesome and I'm a little jealous of athe Akarnae attendees for having this particular piece of nanotechnology). The plot is interesting. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series to see what happens to Alex and co. next.

Alex herself is somewhat a typical heroine for this type of story. She's "the chosen one" for lack of a better phrase but her adventures over the course of the novel are entertaining despite her non-apparent super specialness. Bear and Jordan were great sidekicks for her. I loved how they interacted with each other and the lack of either being a love interest for Alex was a huge plus. I think that with time the characters will become more well rounded and three dimensional.

I can see readers who are older middle grade/younger side of young adult really getting into this book. Despite the characters being 16, there is a younger vibe throughout (I consider the target audience being very similar to that of Percy Jackson).

Akarnae is an interesting debut and a great start to what promises to be an exciting series by Aussie author, Lynette Noni.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.

Note: This is a rewritten review previously published earlier this year. I think it must have been erased in the Great Accidental Blog Delete of 2015. Since that time I have reread the novel and this is a new review. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 29, 2017 Emily Mead rated it liked it

I wanted to love this one, but the pacing and the plot were just a bit lacklustre for me.

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2015 Anika Claire rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, reviewed, aussie-authors, ya, cover-love

Alex turns up to start the year at her new boarding school, only to step through a doorway into the Akarnae Academy – a school in the world of Medora. It’s not long before there’s a strange threat to the school and Alex must use her knowledge of the ancient and enigmatic Library to save more than one world.

With its doorway to another world, advanced technology and gifted students, Akarnae is like some kind of three-way cross between Harry Potter, X-Men and The Chronicles of Narnia.

I wanted so ba Alex turns up to start the year at her new boarding school, only to step through a doorway into the Akarnae Academy – a school in the world of Medora. It’s not long before there’s a strange threat to the school and Alex must use her knowledge of the ancient and enigmatic Library to save more than one world.

With its doorway to another world, advanced technology and gifted students, Akarnae is like some kind of three-way cross between Harry Potter, X-Men and The Chronicles of Narnia.

I wanted so badly to enjoy this book, since it’s by a local author and sounded so amazing. The settings themselves are rich and fascinating (and, let’s be honest, it has an amazing cover), but unfortunately the characters felt a little two-dimensional to me. Add to that the fact that this first book in the series is almost entirely world-building and I really didn’t enjoy this book as much as I hoped to, although it did keep me engaged all the way through.

The main problems I had with the story were all character related. For example, Alex. Chosen, Called (which is a slightly different chosen one trope), has a special (unknown) power and is sought after by the baddy. She’s special and she knows it. I really hate to use the term Mary-Sue, but if there is an example of one, here she is.

Then there’s Bear and Jordan, who find her in the woods after she arrives in Medora and are instantly her besties. There supposedly hasn’t been anyone in Medora from Freya (Alex’s Earth) for hundreds, even thousands of years, but somehow Bear and Jordan know all about Freya and instantly know that Alex is from there. Bear says to Alex, “We’re very technologically advanced”. What? No-one would say that – wouldn’t they just think that other worlds were backwards? Also, I don’t believe for a second that these two aren’t a couple. They’re inseparable, practically finish each others sentences and are not interested in Alex “in that way” (at least, not yet). They’re caring, considerate and concerned about Alex. Sixteen year old boys just don’t work that way, at least not any that I know!

I should mention at this point that by the end of the story I did actually really enjoy Jordan and Bear’s banter and they were fleshed out as characters, but they were just kind of indistinguishable for a while there. There is a lot of very funny writing here which gives the book an overall younger feeling than its YA label. I’d put it more in an older middle-grade, teen bucket.

What kept me reading this book was that I was actually very interested in the story. The Library in the Academy is sentient, and Alex is one of the few who can access it and control its strange mazes and magical rooms. I was fascinated by the idea and will happily keep reading just to hear more about the Library!

3.5 Stars – While this debut by Aussie author Lynette Noni didn’t quite tick all my boxes, she has created a fascinating world that is well worth checking out. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next for Alex.

Originally posted on Tea in the Treetops blog in March 2015. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 14, 2016 Jessrussellthenerd rated it really liked it

I've heard a lot of reviews saying "a cross between X-Men and Harry Potter" and it's spot on in a really fun way. A perfect YA adventure, it's a coming of age story about belonging, believing in yourself and friendship. Abit cheesy at times but well worth the ride. It holds so much hope and happiness, I couldn't help but be swept along by Lynette's enthusiastic writing, you can tell she loves this story.

Alexandra Jennings finds herself hurtled to another universe and enrolled in a school for th ...more

Like · see review

Sep 30, 2015 Steph Cuthbert added it

Shelves: dnf

DNF. At page 61
I can't get into it. It would definitely be better suited to an MG audience. The writing is basic, the characters are one-dimensional and the pacing is off. It's not what I'd expected tbh. It's not bad, just not for me. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 06, 2024 Jessica G rated it really liked it

I’ve had Akarnae sitting on my shelf since about 2016, so I thought it was about time I got started on the series!
It being school holidays means I’ve got to make my way through a series, and my chosen one for this holidays is the Medoran Chronicles. The only book I don’t have is 4.5, We Three Heroes, so I might have to do a cheeky order to get it, or I might just read the main series. Hmmm, I’ll think about it.
Akarnae was really fun! I don’t read much fantasy, but this was my sort of fantasy. I ...more

Like · see review

Feb 13, 2016 Elly rated it it was ok

Shelves: australian-author, lets-be-magical, other-worlds

I've got friends who adore this book but I was a little disappointed with it. I didn't take note of everything that bothered me but while I liked a lot of the ideas on the whole it felt more like a collection of those ideas rather than a structured novel.

Also the Special Snowflake (tm) protag got on my nerves. ...more

Like · see review