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.