Not really my cup of tea, sadly. I usually enjoy a good fantasy but this just didn't keep my interest.

I enjoyed this one enough. The premise was the most enticing part of this book. I do think that the character relationships could have been improved I think. Also, if it was a bit more fast-paced.

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.

The style of writing wasn't for me with the way the main character spoke/thought. Others may enjoy it but I DNF'd pretty soon into the book.

It has a Narnia essence to it and the characters are instantly lovable.
Despite some storytelling flaws I immensely enjoyed this book, it wasn't dense or too convulated . I flew right through it in few days.

Set in an alternative reality, Alex Jennings who is seemingly an ordinary kid being shipped off to boarding school by her parents but we quickly learn that she isn't the average teenage girl. This boarding school is for kids with above average abilities (much like that of magic, but magic is not how they describe it), gifted with super intelligence and the understanding of what they call 'technology'. Technology is composed of science and biology and apparently only a small percent of their world can actually do it. A lot of people have mentioned that this novel is reminiscent of a Harry Potter meets Narnia world, but for me it reminds me of the Xavier Institute from X-Men. The story line is an interesting one and I love the fact that in addition to the 'must save the world' plot, Noni has included the average adolescence issues as well i.e. peer pressure, making friends, and even crushes. I will admit it did take a while to get into, but once you get in a few chapters, you will start warming up to Alex, and all of her friends and their trying to navigate themselves through coming into their own power.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thoughts and Plot

When I heard the description of this I immediately thought Splintered or Narnia. Alex is on her way to her first day of school in a new school but is startled when she walks through a door and into Medora, a weird world with a school that screamed Xavier’s School for the Gifted to me (X-Men).

Who can help her? The headmaster, Marselle. Only he’s missing. So Alex is stuck in Medora until he returns and winds up taking a variety of classes (some potentially life threatening classes) at his school while she waits. But that’s okay because Medora is a strangely enchanting place and she makes friends among the students attending Akarnae Academy.

Strange things keep happening at Akarnae and Alex can’t ignore the feeling that something sinister is about to happen. Of course only she can save the Medorans and may have to sacrifice her ability to return home to do it. Because an awesome teen book just isn’t complete without the potential of a good classic teen cliché. Thank goodness the author went with friendship rather then the hated love-triangle. Kudos for that!!!


In Conclusion

I really enjoyed the friendship and adventure of this book. It’s refreshing to not have a love-triangle or anything like that within.

I really wanted to LOVE this book and there are many positives but I got a bit bored... alot. Story felt a bit slow. I do like my romance aswell which is probably why (there isn't any in the book in other words). But that just means male readers can enjoy the book too (don't be put off by the main character, Alex, being female! She's not very girly!). Speaking of Alex, I found her sarcasm too much. I think that's why I couldn't connect to her on an emotional level. She's cool though.

I could see it as an animated or live-action TV Series, it would probably be good as something you could watch rather than read,

Even if I didn't love it, it's still ok and I think there are people that will love it!
I give it 3 stars for the story, and an extra star to the Author for all the hard work. She is talented. I'll probably end up reading the next book, to 'embrace the wonder'

I really appreciate being given this by Netgalley but unfortunately my copy is completely unreadable and the text seems to be all over the place and it’s impossible to figure out what’s going on.
I’m giving this a neutral rating as I do truly like the idea of the plot and hope to pick up a copy of this soon!

I unfortunately was unable to read this because the words are all jumbled up and missing. I wish I could because I was excited to, but there's just no way.

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and I wasn't sure that I was going to. It is legitimately a mix of Narnia (with the whole parallel world thing), Harry Potter (except not quite as magical and the main protagonist is female), and it's own blend of fantasy and reality.

I'm loving the Akarnae world, it's cast of characters, the situations they find themselves in. I appreciate the fact that the author is hesitant to call people's gifts "magic" because not all of them are magical. Sometimes it's just all so simple that it works perfectly (aka Alex's gift). It's all very light and hopeful; I definitely felt good after reading it and I want to read more!
I was kicking myself because I noticed that all of the books were on Netgalley and then somehow I missed the request window. I did, however, manage to snag a copy of the last one so I'm really looking forward to that. In the meantime, I have requested that my local library purchase the entire series ...so fingers crossed! I need to get my Akarnae fix.

I was unable to read this ebook because text is all mixed up. Please disregard rating -- only there because I have to put something.

Following the great tradition of ya fantasy school adventures, our heroine finds herself not at the horrible boarding school her parents left her at in order to pursue their own adventure, but instead opens a doorway into a completely different realm. There Alexandra Jennings is enrolled in the Academy learning what to her seems like magic, but her teachers and fellow students call technology. Things are never how they seem and Alex soon learns that she is not there by mistake and she must decide if she is going to face the challenges ahead of her or go back home and try to forget about the world of Medora and the people she met.



A wonderful read for any age. A refreshing change from the school stories involving more romance than adventure. Lynnette Noni creates a captivating tale where boys and girls can be friends without the complications of love being thrown in at every turn. I look forward to the next books in this series and although there may be romance waiting for Alex down the road, I am glad it is not all that her character has been given.

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.

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I first picked up this book - I'd kind of expected a full-on fantasy world with dragons and elves and dwarves and stuff... and I was almost right! Akarnae is a story with a nice twist on the 'girl ends up in a different world' tale, there is 'magic' but it's explained it's more to do with science and biology rather than actual magic. I really liked Alex, though it took a bit for her to grow on me, and I loved her relationship with Jordan and Bear. Honestly, this story had some ups and downs, which is why I didn't give it a higher rating, but overall it's a nice story and I'll certainly check out the rest of the series!

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
This was an interesting YA with a really imaginative background full of wonders. The characters are quite three-dimensional and the plot complete. The thing I liked the most was that the rest of the saga is even better, so this is just a taste!

I am really upset. I was looking forward to this but I was unable to read it as there were so many words missing and it didn't make any sense. It's odd that it seems to work for some, yet not others. If this gets fixed please email me at wishingwings@hotmail.com and I'd love to give this another go once errors are corrected.

Akarnae really surprised me with how much I actually enjoyed this book. This has become one of my favorite books of all time. At first the book jumps into this world pretty quickly, and that threw me off at first, but once I got into it, I was thanking the author because I craved more and more from this amazingly interesting world. All of the characters were so well written, and I completely ship Bear and Jordan together. Also, Fletcher is probably one of the most adorable characters I have ever read in a book! I found myself laughing, and smiling throughout this entire story. I liked that, even though this is set in another world, with classes completely different than in real life, I found that I could relate to some of the situations that Alex was put through. I did predict one or two things that happened, but other than that, the plot kept me guessing, and I was so engrossed in the story I forgot I was in the Freya and not Medora! I want to continue learning about this world, and the characters, and I can not wait to continue this series because it is just so good.

I was pulled in right off the bat and could not put this book down!
This is my new favorite series, it's kind of a mix of Narnia meets the lunar chronicles mixed in with some Harry Potter.
I think this should be on everyone's wish list!

Alex is a girl who has been homeschooled and traveled the world with her parents for their job. But now that they have a new assignment in a dream location, the only downfall is Alex can't tag along. so she is sent to boarding school. So after a little miss hap and not looking forward to attending her new school, she is waiting in her headmasters when a bright light and door appear. She makes the choice and steps through. Alex is then thrown into a new world. one she falls quickly in love with. With new friends, fun adventures and a little suspense, this book had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next.

I can not wait to read the next book!

Whenever possible, put the good things about a book or author up front.
Criticize the book, not the author, if you don’t like what you’ve read. Explain why.

This book is amazing! I absolutely loved this book. Very well written, creative, it flows well, loved the characters and story. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.