Raelia and why I love this series

May contain spoilers for book one Akarnae, See my review here

Raelia The Medoran Chronicles Book Two
Written by Lynette Noni
Fantasy, Magic
Published March 23rd 2016
Thank you to Pantera Press
Add to Goodreads
★★★★☆
Returning for a second year at Akarnae Academy with her gifted friends, Alexandra Jennings steps back through a doorway into Medora, the fantasy world that is full of impossibilities.

Despite the magical wonder of Medora, Alex’s life remains threatened by Aven Dalmarta, the banished prince from the Lost City of Meya who is out for her blood.

To protect the Medorans from Aven’s quest to reclaim his birthright, Alex and her friends seek out the Meyarin city and what remains of its ancient race.

Not sure who, or perhaps what, she is anymore, all Alex knows is that if she fails to keep Aven from reaching Meya, the lives of countless Medorans will be in danger. Can she protect them, or will all be lost?
Alex is now entering her second year as a student at Akarnae, a boarding school for gifted teens to nurtured and to fight against the darkness of their world. With her parents having returned from their expedition, they both agree that Akarnae is the best environment for Alex to continue learning about her new world and have agreed to join her to explore Medora, the magical plane here on Earth.

With the banished Mayarin prince Aven being able to access the hallowed grounds, Alex's training has intensified and is now facing her toughest challenge, taking the fight to Aven with the Mayarin's overseeing her progress. But nothing can prepare her for what's to come. A life will hang in the balance as one of her own will unknowingly betray her trust. Aven is desperate to gain access to the portal home that only Alex can open, Alex will need to fight against the banished prince with the weight of both worlds now resting on her shoulders.

Kelly's Thoughts

Raelia is a wonderful edition to The Medoran Chronicles, engaging and delightfully surprising. The storyline resumes shortly after Akarnae, after coming close to losing her freedom at the hands of Aven. Now Alex is back with a vengeance, her training has increased in order to protect the institute and the portal that Aven is so desperate to find.

After the revelations of the first book in the series, Alex's character growth was immense. She's always been resilient, but has taken her place at the Akarnae in her stride and is relishing in her new found role as a protector of the library and the institution itself. Old characters and friends return, while readers are introduced to new characters in the mystical kingdom of Meya. I enjoyed seeing characters such as the dashing Kaiden and roommate in D.C become part of the core character group, with much stronger storylines and interactions with Alex, Bear and Jordan. 

One of the most appealing aspects of The Medoran Chronicles is the adventure. Comparable to the Harry Potter series, it appeals to young adult and mature middle grade readers as the storyline is morally uncomplicated and doesn't rely on a romance to develop characters or further the storyline. It's a breath of fresh air. I loved the attraction blooming between Kaiden and Alex and hoping the third book in the series explores a potential romance between the two. 

Once again Lynette Noni's writing is a mixture of sass and humour. The series is perfect for non fantasy reader such as myself as it offers a lighter take on the genre, making it easy for young teens to engage with and relate to well written and it's depth of characters. 

I love a well written villain and I need more Aven. Aven is mysterious, sinister and delicious. He's single minded in his determination to find the doorway back to Meya, where he is now the exiled prince. I needed him to ignite and his cunning surprised and delighted me, even as villainous as he's portrayed. Be warned, Raelia ends with a heart wrenching revelation. The fate of one character rests upon Alex and her strength to fight.

The Final Verdict

Raelia is an wonderful installment in The Medoran Chronicles. First time author Lynette Noni is a magnificent storyteller, crafting a beautifully written, engaging and enchanting new young adult series with a touch of Australian charm and warmth.

My only gripe is that all the characters seem to mumble. Speak clearly children.

11 comments

  1. Gaaaahhhh! Kelly!! You need to stop with making me want to read every Australian book that I can't afford to buy at the moment! Anyways, this sounds like a really good book. I love that it has more of an adventurous feel to it! And sass and humor?? I'm in! I'm glad you found such a great series, Kelly!
    Lovely review! :)

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    1. Thanks Nick. It was such an entertaining read. I find the series to me more mature middle grade, as it's a very clean young adult that will appeal to a wide range of readers too. Can't wait for book three!

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  2. Might I just say how much I LURVE THAT FREAKIN' COVER?? Like, I feel like I'm legit there with the girl on the cover. It's so pretayyyy. <3 Okay, enough about the cover ! <3 I'm glad you loved this one, lovely Kels and I'm happy to hear that you found that it was kind of similar to Harry Porter in some ways (which now oddly makes me want to start reading HP all over again... huh.)

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    1. It's so much prettier in your hands too, it's metallic and so, so lovely. It has the same feel as the Harry Potter series, but the details are enough to make it a more unique read. It's such a brilliant series, you should definitely give it a try. Would love to see what you think of it.

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  3. I haven't heard of this series but I can't resist stories that take place in schools/academies like this. It's so good to know that the main character develops much more, I've noticed that in second books the characters kind of get thrown aside. Plus it doesn't rely on romance, I'm definitely interested! Great review :)

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    1. Me too Alise. I love boarding school type stories. I think that's what drew me into book one, the lack of romance. Often it seems to be relied on to further the storyline, but this is not only clean but uncomplicated and makes it an easy and entertaining read as well.

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  4. Haha - the characters mumble. I enjoy a good YA fantasy. And gotta love those Australian authors. :D

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    1. Definitely Aussie authors for the win Christy.

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  5. I love this series so much!!! It is well built and it is full of actions and tough decisions but it is ultimately so much fun and the characters are so relatable and hilarious!

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    1. Frannie! How have you been? I haven't seen you around in a while poppet. I love the series too and knew how much after seeing your rating in Goodreads actually. I can't wait for book three as well, it's going to be epic! So good to see you again!

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  6. I have book one in this series! It sounds amazing and I read an article that compared author Lynette Noni to JK Rowling! Wow! That's a huge compliment don't you think?

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