I'm sorry it took me this long to finally read this book! I really liked the first one and I was glad to see the world get even more fleshed out as well as the characters. Going through a few trials, Alex comes out the other side more determined than ever to save both her new world and her old one (well current one). Her best friends with her and love in the air, the book was a nice blend of fun and adventure, with a bit of romance!

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I cannot contain my absolute love for this series and these characters! I get absorbed into this storyline and seriously dont want to return to real life because these characters are my people.

I have a huge spoiler statement I need to say, and since this book had been out since like 2016 I think I'm good. So if you don't want a huge spoiler, please don't read further...

I FREAKING KNEW JORDAN WAS CLAIMED!!!!! LIKE HOW COULD THEY NOT SEE IT!?!?! THE SECOND HE CAME BACK FROM HIS PARENTS, RED FLAGS!!!!! I was so angry about that and how they just kept brushing it aside. THAT WAS NOT JORDAN!!!! Ugh, I was screaming at them all through that scene and anything after that cause it was so obvious to me!

Also, my Harry Potter vibes was still strong in this book. So. Strong. And I literally laughed out loud when there was a HP reference in here!!!

I loved the little moments with Kaiden but I need things to move faster with these two. It's such a slow burn I can't handle the insane tension between these two. PLEASE let something happen in book 3?! Also i want to know all of Kaiden's secrets. That boy has so many.

I'm diving into the next book, but seriously, read this series. I'm loving every word of it!

Another fantasy sequel that gently suffers from the sophomore book syndrome. There wad more of what made the first book good but nothing to push it past that and make it great.

I received this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Ive read this book a few times now and I still like it, I'm looking forward to reading more from this author

Unfortunately this book has gone in my DNF pile. It just wasn't engaging me like it would have years ago when I first requested it. My reading tastes have changed a lot over the years as I've gotten older and unfortunately some of the books requested years ago have been affected by my reading tastes and the fact that a lot of books for younger audiences haven't been grasping my attention as of late. I thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book. I love this series and this book did not disappoint

Lynette Noni manages to build a whole, other, magical world while still giving readers the comforts of home. Readers get to return to the world we left in Akarnae and join Alex and her friends as they fight for Medora.

I will admit that I didn't know that this book was a sequel and so I had to find the sequel BUT I am glad that I had the opportunity to read this series because it is so imaginative. I know that the description describes it as a Harry Potter meets Narnia but it is so much more than that. I don't want to get into too much detail because, once again, it's a sequel but don't sleep on this series1

Well, my friend had to call me and sit there in silence while I made various pterodactyl noises so I think that adequately describes this book.

Great book! Had me not wanting to put it down. Could not wait to see how it was going to end.

"There's a great difference between knowing what's right and being able to hold onto it in the face of adversity." - Raelia by Lynette Noni

It's only after reading Raelia that I realise just how powerful Alex's power was and how magical the world is. Arkanae set the scene but Raelia delivered the story like no other and at the end I was really shocked! I can understand why a cliff-hanger like that could make the wait for the next book Draekora so difficult for fans. Another part that I loved about Raelia is that Lynette Noni has allowed platonic relationships to thrive in her fantasy world. It really sets this book apart from other YA novels for me and I feel that this book really made the characters compelling and loveable. I highly recommend this read if you loved Akarnae or even if Akarnae didn't float your boat, I still highly recommend giving Raelia a chance as it's really THAT good that will change your mind and convert you to this fantasy series!

Raelia, Lynette Noni’s follow up to her debut Akarnae, starts off almost too good to be true. Alex’s parents find out she’s been missing for the better part of a year because she was attending a magical school in a fantasy world and they’re just cool with it. In fact, they insist on accompanying her to this fantasy world for the next year so they can explore it themselves. A little bit of magical convenience, but I won’t question it – any chance I have to follow Alex back through that magical door, I will take it! I loved the world Noni created for us and couldn’t wait to continue exploring it.

As a whole, Raelia had a similar vibe to Akarnea and Noni gave us a chance to explore the world even more in depth, which is always my favourite part. I love the scenarios she came up with, she even created her own language for some characters, the world building is strong and even though there’s still elements familiar from other fantasy series, Noni still manages to put her own imaginative spin on things which, if nothing else, is just a whole lot of fun to read about.

What vibe didn’t seem the same, however, was my impression of Alex. I initially loved her sarcastic, don’t-understand-how-little-ol’-me-can-be-the-chosen-one attitude, but this time around it became a bit more gritting, like the pretty-girl-not-knowing-she’s-pretty trope, which has really started irritating me. She’s obviously brave and strong, she does many things to prove that, but I’m starting to get tired of characters not knowing their worth or lacking the confidence to live in these characteristics. I also noticed that she explained away situations, instead of us actually reading about her doing them, which I felt were missed opportunities.

Alex questions and fears every situation that is presented to her, she openly tries to avoid any challenge and she’s constantly claiming that she’s fine, that everything is fine, when it’s clearly not. I get that she’s growing into herself and being faced with some pretty crazy and defining things, but you can still show that hesitance and vulnerability without seeming like a frightened and sometimes immature child every time she turns a corner. The mixture of traits just wasn’t doing it for me this time around, unfortunately.

 Looking at characters, however, we’re introduced to a few more this time around as Alex joins an elite Sleuth and Subterfuge class. This adds a bit more variety to her crew, but also develops a bit of a love interest for her in Kaiden, who I actually really super adored. It wasn’t anything too over the top yet, but you could see a connection between the two and that’s one relationship I will definitely be rooting to see more of.

This wasn’t the most difficult book to follow, it was pretty easy to see where things were heading and even the twists and turns weren’t that surprising, except for the ending, which threw me for a total loop and flung me off that cliff, hanging, waiting to see what comes next. This book seemed to set up the scene a bit more and train Alex for a journey to come, but I think the next installment will be full of more adventure with the focus actually on destroying the big bad guy and returning things to their normal state.

Wow. That was a surprise ending and quite a twist.

Noni builds so much intrigue between the different factions that its hard to put the book down. Her characters are inspired and amusing. They have great chemistry and are a delight to read. The world is expanded in mystical ways, and I can't wait to explore more of in book 3.

While I remember the first book opened in America, there are a few references that do not fit with an American character like "mum" and "realised." This is a minor nitpick.

Like book 1, Noni successfully transports her readers to a wonderful world with multifaceted characters in both teens and adults in "Raelia." I'm quite excited for the next books in this series.

"Life is full of crossroads, Alex. Full of choices. There are many paths we can take. It's up to us to decide which ones lead in the right direction."

Kept hearing about the series via little book owl on YouTube. She recommended this series several times, I was not disappointed

This was a book that was hard for me to get into, and I found myself putting down several times. Wasn't able to follow to much through the book.

I love love LOVE this series! Lynette Noni has created a unique, wonderful and magical world that takes you though plot twists and spins and leaves you feeling breathless at the end for more. I thought the first book in the series 'Akarnae' was fabulous and I was hanging off the edge of my seat to get my hands on the second book, and thank goodness this book holds to the same pattern... more please!

Brilliant loved the first one couldnt wait for the 2nd and i wasent dissapointed.

I loved this book. I thought it was a great second book in the series and I am eagerly anticipating the third.

While I did love this book I felt like more happened in the first book than happened in this one, or this one just built up a little slower for me. I love that Alex gets more training in this one and that we get to see the training, I like that she isn't automatically the best and we get to see her working hard and earning everything she has. I love the friendships in this book and I love that her parents were brought back into this book and that wasn't just left open-ended like a lot of YA books do.

Overall I give it a 4/5 stars and must say that it left off at a perfect cliffhanger to keep me eagerly anticipating the third book.