Akarnae by Lynette Noni

This is a spoiler free review of Akarnae by Lynette Noni. This is the first book in the Medoran Chronicles and I gave it 3.75/5 stars.

This is a fantasy novel that takes place within a magical academy called Akarnae.

Plot

Embrace the wonder”

This novel follows Alexandra Jennings, a 16 year old student who’s about to go off to boarding school for the next eight months while her parents are away for work. After arriving at the boarding school, Alex walks through a doorway and is transported to the magical world of Medora. Her only chance of returning to her own world is with the help of Professor Marselle, the headmaster for the elite academy- Akarnae. The only problem is that Professor Marselle is missing.

While she waits for his return, she attends Akarnae Academy, a boarding school for students with extraordinary gifts. During her time at the Academy, strange things begin to take place, and Alex is the only one who can save the entire Medoran Race. The only problem is that saving Medora may stop her from ever returning home.

General Thoughts

I did not really like the way the book began because it was very slow paced and didn’t really hold my attention. As well, the beginning of Alex’s time in Medora felt quite unrealistic. The way she became acquainted to the world and her situation just seemed to happen too quickly. Furthermore, I would have liked a better explanation of the Medoran technology and their magic system. Whenever Alex inquired about this, many characters just said they didn’t know how anything in their world worked.

While I did have some issues with the book, there were many aspects that I enjoyed. I really liked the friendships Alex made during her time at Akarnae and the fact that there was no romance in the novel. I think a romance would have taken away from the main focus of the story and so I am glad that one was not included.

As well, I really liked the descriptions and stories that were told about The Library in Akarnae. The descriptions felt vivid and made The Library seem like such a magical place.

Characters

When Alex first enters Medora, she encounters two students of Akarnae Academy- Bear and Jordan. I absolutely loved both of these characters and their friendship with Alex. While I did find it hard sometimes to differentiate between the two of them, I found their relationships very realistic and I loved the humor they added to the story.

Final Thoughts

Overall, while I did have some issues with the story, I still enjoyed reading it and thought this was a pretty good start to the series.

Disclosure: I received a download of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own. 

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