Akarnae: The Medoran Chronicles (book 1)

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There are five age-based classes which include: Core Skills, Medical Science, Species Distinction, History and Studies of Society and Culture. Lynette Noni is an absolute powerhouse of Australian YA fantasy: young readers are in Harry Potter-level fervour about the Medoran series, and she engages with her community with such warmth and genuine enthusiasm. She's who I want to be when I grow up." — Steph Bowe, author of Girl Saves Boy and Night Swimming

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". The entire series is one of my favorite young adult fantasy series ever, the books aren't stand alone so starting here with the first book is wise. Its not quite right for the youngest listeners(there is a little bit of violence and war in this series) but its a series that would fit well as a family listen on a long road-trips or as a Sunday activity. Delivery with Standard Australia Post usually happens within 2-10 business days from time of dispatch. Please be aware that the delivery time frame may vary according to the area of delivery and due to various reasons, the delivery may take longer than the original estimated timeframe. Kaiden's appearance in Akarnae is that he has brown hair. His eye color is a striking blue, and he has tanned skin. He is built quite strongly and is quite tall.Still waiting for my map but hey, there’s time for it since The Medoran Chronicles is going to be a 5 books series. Yep, you heard me right. 5 books long. It’s Christmas all over again. Okay, now you know what you need, let me tease you with some of the many reasons you should give Akarnae a shot… Dreading her first day at a new school, Alex is stunned when she walks through a doorway and finds herself stranded in Medora, a fantasy world full of impossibilities. Desperate to return home, she learns that only a man named Professor Marselle can help her… but he’s missing. Bear was with Jordan when Alex first arrived in Medora. Instantly, the three become best friends and hang-out together all the time. Bear was always being the honest and less cheeky one of her friends. 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.

The characters here are both likable and well drawn. The book blew some readers’ expectations out of the water, as they completely devoured this whole entire book and each of the words. Lynette creates a world that she takes you too, completely immersing you in this fictional world. The book hooks you and ends up leaving you wanting more. It is filled with humor and totally magical, not to mention tough to put down. I adored the magical world of Medora with all it's magic and mystic, from the otherworldly Medorans and the detailed combat training of the Akarnae academy. Those fight scenes were so vivid and exhilirating and when there was magic involved, it was even more nail biting. It is all a pretty fun adventure, if I sound lukewarm in my description it is because there was just so much about this book that did not hold together for me... Mostly these things are... 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. 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.

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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. Lynette Noni is a creative powerhouse. Her books leave fans wanting more every time." — Gabrielle Tozer, award-winning author of Remind Me How This Ends and The Intern The bestselling “Medoran Chronicles” series is written by author Lynette Noni, and is a young adult fantasy series. The series began publication in the year 2015, when “Akarnae” (pronounced uh-car-neigh) was released. There's still way too many good looking people but these characters are so easy to fall for because of the dynamics they bring to the story. I love the friendships and particularly the teamwork, which gives our heroine a great support network instead of the 'only I can do this' complex so many teen fantasy heroes end up with.

What is the purpose of the school? What do they do once they finish? The subject taught are very... old-school and specific. I cannot see how they contribute to their advanced world. The series had me laughing at points, crying at others, and immediately after finishing the last book i HAD to start the series again and I've listened to it multiple times since.

Later, at Athora's lesson, he jokingly flirts with her, referring to "the night we almost kissed each other." After that, Alex reluctantly takes Kaiden to visit her parents, and her mother is particularly smitten with him. He reveals how his parents died and how he met Declan; and adds that Declan lost his favourite action figure at the hospital and still believes it is there. Alexandra Jennings was excited for her second year at Akarnae Academy and rejoining the friends she’d made the previous year. Little did she know the events which would unfold over that year – how much the hated Aven Dalmarta would dominate her thoughts. Let's not forget the swoony Kaiden who Alex shares a few sweet moments with (some which are completely hilarious). Looking forward to seeing the development of this in coming books! 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.

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! There’s not a lot of obvious diversity. While race is not explicitly stated on many occasions, there are no explicit queer characters and there are not enough female characters for my tastes. 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.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. A few weeks after the incident with Aven, Alex asks Kaideen a few questions about Medora's military and Wardens, and during the conversation sparks fly. The characters don't really have a goal. The whole plot happens to Alex, she makes little choices herself. It is only in the last 80%-90% where she makes some sort of decisions. Alex's first encounter with Jordan, is when she has just arrived in Medora. She becomes close friends with him and they go on all sorts of adventures.