With just one step, sixteen-year-old Alexandra Jennings's world changes—literally.
Dreading her first day at a new school, Alex is stunned when she walks through a doorway and finds herself stranded in Medora, a fantasy world full of impossibilities. Desperate to return home, she learns that only a man named Professor Marselle can help her... but he's missing.
While waiting for him to reappear, Alex attends Akarnae Academy, Medora's boarding school for teenagers with extraordinary gifts. She soon starts to enjoy her bizarre new world and the friends who embrace her as one of their own, but strange things are happening at Akarnae, and Alex can't ignore her fear that something unexpected... something sinister... is looming.
An unwilling pawn in a deadly game, Alex's shoulders bear the crushing weight of an entire race's survival. Only she can save the Medorans, but what if doing so prevents her from ever returning home?
Will Alex risk her entire world—and maybe even her life—to save Medora?
You know that special feeling you get, when you're halfway through a first book in a series, and you just know you found a new fave - a series so good you'll binge the whole thing in days, a series that you'll constantly rave about in each new "fave books of all time" post? I had that feeling reading this.
Just like The Lunar Chronicles, Illuminae, The Poison Healer, and Gallagher Girls...this series will probably be my downfall.
From the first few scenes, you can already tell it's gonna be a magical experience - a girl goes through an enchanting doorway and ends up at an academy for "gifted" students. She meets wonderful new people and creates a tight-knit group of friends. She slowly trains and gets better at most subjects - not through "main character energy," but by actually spending time studying and practicing her skills.
There is absolutely ZERO romance in this, which I greatly appreciated. The friendships take the main focus, as well as Alex becoming a badass. When she's not studying or training, she goes on adventures with her friends in the magical library that offers various puzzles, shenanigans and wonders to discover.
Not only that, there's also an intriguing villain that will probably become even more evil and powerful as the series progresses. I'm truly wondering where the story will go and how all of those mysterious events that happened connect in the end.
There's also one more thing about this book that made me fall in love with it - the inclusion of so many adults. There are teachers, the headmaster, administrator and others who are a core part of the story and don't just "disappear so the kids can go on adventures." They offer great advice, help when necessary and generally support Alex and the band in their activities. All of them are also loving and caring in their own way - some offer practical help, some encourage you to be the best version of yourself, and some offer emotional assistance. Basically, I loved every single character in this book.
It's truly a masterpiece ♥
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