Alex is starting her first day at boarding school, her first day of school ever, and it's already not going well. Dripping wet from a trip into the fountain, she opens the door to the headmaster's office to find herself in the middle of a forest in Medora, a fantasy world parallel to her own. She's stranded until Professor Marselle returns to the Akarnae Academy to help her. While she waits, she is invited to attend the Academy and learn about the world. Along with new friends Jordan and Bear, she discovers things about herself she didn't know before and learns about her strange new world. But there is something dangerous brimming in Medora and it may be up to Alex to save an entire race, while risking her chances of returning home. 
 "Don't be ridiculous," Jordan said, his amusement clear. "There's no such thing as magic." 
 I enjoyed this from the first page. I found myself lured into the story and I really loved the journey from beginning to end. Alex was likeable but flawed and as readers we watch her grow and adapt as she settles into life in Medora. There is so much to learn, so much that is new to her and while overwhelming at times, she handles it all fairly well under all the pressure, although she does spend a fair bit of time falling and convinced she is facing certain death. And while she doesn't die, she does sustain a lot of injuries. She learns though, and I like that. One of the best part of this story is Alex's growth as a person and as a student of the Akarnae Academy. I particularly love when she decides she is sick of 'being manhandled by bullies' and learns to stand up for herself. 
 Alex's friends Jordan and Bear are the ones who find her wandering the forest and bring her to the Academy to wait for the elusive Professor - only where has he been and why? This only gets more confusing as he reveals himself at the end of the book. But I was talking about Jordan and Bear - such sweet guys, protective of Alex (but not too much!), fun and up for a laugh, coming out with gems like this: 
 "Hey now," Bear said, feigning hurt. "We prefer the term 'library folk'. It's much less derogatory." 
 And: 
 "I have too many virtues already. I don't think my personality could handle anymore." 
 Both Jordan and Bear develop as characters as well over the course of the novel and you won't believe but there is no romance here! Between anyone! It's fantastic and has been way too long since I read a book that didn't revolve around a romance. There is a hint of one towards the end, but it's not much and may not even be anything yet, plus it's not the usual suspect. It's just like FINALLY. I was so pleased! That is another aspect that puts Akarnae above other YA books I've read in the last year. 
 So was there anything I didn't like? Well Jordan and Bear drop the ball a couple of times, especially when Alex visits Bear's family over the Medoran equivalent of Christmas break she is woefully unprepared and uneducated about Medoran life to fit in where they don't know she's from Earth (oh yeah, they know about us but we don't know about them). What has she been doing at that Academy if not learning about Medora? That's the other thing - I want more Equestrian Skills class! We saw heaps of Combat but hardly any of Equestrian Skills, would love to see more than that. There is also a very similar relationship between Alex and Professor Marselle as there was between Harry and Dumbledore, but Professor Marselle is a lot less present than Dumbledore so it may be nothing. Speaking of which, are there any similarities between Harry Potter and Akarnae, you may be wondering - and look there are a few, but Akarnae stands easily on its own merits, not least their 'magic' being only an advanced form of technology. 
 There is a lot of promise in this novel and however it goes, I can't wait to see where this story heads next. 
 "...your adventures here in Medora are not yet near finished." 
 And I'm very glad about that!