Review: Vardaesia and A Very Medoran Kaldoras Novella by Lynette Noni

Vardaesia ★★★★★ // A Very Medoran Kaldoras Novella ★★★★☆

Vardaesia

In this final instalment of The Medoran Chronicles by Lynette Noni, I was expecting heartache and incredibly high stakes and sadness and that is absolutely what I got. In this YA fantasy series we have been following Alex Jennings, a 16 year old girl from Earth who finds herself in a new world, Medora. Not only that, but she was chosen by the library at the school for gifted humans, Akarnae. In Medora there are humans, and there are also a bunch of other mortal races, there are immortal races, Draekons and even more world with even more immortal beings. Suffice to say, this series has absolutely everything you could want in a YA fantasy series. The first novel is definitely focussed on Akarnae and Alex settling in to her new world, finding friends and generally getting into trouble. As the books progress though, the plot deepens, the stories get more depth the characters get more fleshed out and it stops feeling like young YA. There is battles, tests and death but there is also banter, friendships and so much to make your heart warm.

There’s not a lot I can say about this book without spoiling something from the earlier books, so I’ll keep it short. This book takes us to a new world and introduces us to a new group of immortals. The challenges are at their most deadly for Alex, Bear, Jordan, DC, Kaiden and Declan and honestly, I couldn’t stop listening to this book. I was on the edge of my seat for 75% of this story, and so many things happened that I was unprepared for. This book and this series as a whole is fantastic, and it is up there with my favourite YA books/series of all time. I will definitely be reading this series and rereading it again and again for comfort and more self-inflicted heartache.

A Very Medoran Kaldoras

A Very Medoran Kaldoras is a bonus little novella that takes place just less than a year after the end of Vardaesia, and honestly, it’s just a little extra bonus scene to give us a glimpse into our favourite characters lives and how they’re spending the Kaldoras holidays. I have to warn you though - prior to reading this I saw something on Lynette Noni’s instagram saying that she had no plans to resolve the ending of this novella, so I truly think going into this little bonus story with the knowledge that it ends in a cliff hanger helps. I enjoyed it kore knowing that there was a potentially never to be mentioned again cliff hanger at the end of it. It’s still really cute and I would recommend reading it (it’s a free ebook!)

Have you read this series? If you have, please come and chat with me over on Instagram! I cannot stop gushing about it and I want to hear who your fave character is, your fave scene and your fave book from the series! ✨

November Wrap Up 2021

Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer and December! The final month of 2021 has terrifyingly arrived, but with constant stress brought on by the fact that it’s almost 2022, it is also a festive time for love, laughter and general merriment. So, lets have a look at what I read during the second last month of 2021!

★★★★☆

The first book I finished this month was Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb, the second booking the Farseer Trilogy (find my review for Assassin’s Apprentice here). Royal Assassin follows on from the end of Assassins Apprentice in the eyes of Fitz, a bastard son to one of the late kings-in-waiting to the throne of the Six Duchies. This second instalment of the series was not only a lot longer, but quite a lot more brutal too. Just when you think Fitz has been through enough for a boy so young, yet another event puts him in the thick of things. As the Six Duchies continue to be ravaged by the Red Ships, it is also being poisoned from within which makes Fitz even less safe than before. I loved the addition of Nighteyes the wolf, and getting to know more about the Wit, and the way it is received in the community. A wonderful continuation to the series and I am looking forward to seeing how this trilogy will end!

★★★★★

Book two for November was the audiobook of Graevale by Lynette Noni. Graevale is book 4 of the Medoran Chronicles, a YA fantasy series that just keeps getting better with each book. To think that some people had to wait between the end of this book and the beginning of the next stresses me out - I love having every single book available for me to devour as quickly as possible. This series is like a combination of Harry Potter, Covenant and something else I can’t put my finger on in the absolute best way possible, and this one really hit me in the feels. Graevale introduces us to a number of other mortal races in Medora and gives more time to some of the teachers which I loved. The ended absolutely ripped out my heart and I genuinely had no idea what to do with myself. If this series continues to be this wonderful, it will definitely become one on my favourite YA series, and most likely a comfort series that I will read over and over again.

★★★★★

The next book I finished in November was Lore Olympus (volume one) by Rachel Smythe. If you’re not already familiar with Lore Olympus, it’s a webtoon that is updated weekly by Rachel and can be found for free online. This graphic novel only covers the first 25 episodes or so of the ongoing tale, but it hooked me in so quick I then couldn’t help but binge read the rest of the story for the few days following my finishing volume one. Lore Olympus is a reimagining/retelling of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone which has unique artistic style and doesn't shy away from sensitive topics. This is a brilliant amalgamation of ancient and modern, with Olympus being a modern world, and the real world set in Ancient Greece. The graphic novel introduces all of your major Olympians (although some only feature later in the webtoon), and incorporates a number of myths and aspects of Greek mythology into the story, whilst still feeling like a brand new tale. It is truly wonderful, and I would recommend it for all lovers of Greek mythology.

★★★☆☆.5

The final book I finished this month was another audiobook, and that was We Three Heroes by Lynette Noni. This book is actually three novellas, one from D.C.’s point of view, one from Jordan’s perspective and one from Bear’s. It doesn’t follow on from Graevale but there were a few really important aspects from these novellas that you probably want to know about before jumping into Vardaesia (I know it’s hard but it’s worth it). I wasn’t as much of a fan of the three narrators for these stories, and D.C.’s novella was a bit repetitive and slow, but it was really redeemed with Jordan and Bear’s stories. Both of them had a lot of grief to work through, and being able to read some scenes from previous books but from their perspectives was truly wonderful, and it would be remiss of me to mention that there are SO MANY heartfelt scenes in these novellas. I literally couldn’t handle it sometimes, my emotions were all over the place! This book really got me ready for the final instalment of this series (even though I’m gonna be so sad when it’s over).

It was a tie between Lore Olympus and Graevale for my favourite read of this year, let me know what your favourite read of the month was in the comments or on my wrap up post on Instagram! ✨

Review: We Three Heroes by Lynette Noni

★★★☆☆.5 Do not read on if you haven’t read the first four books in the series! Although this won’t spoil We Three Heroes, it will spoil plot points from the first four books! If you’re thinking of skipping this before reading Vardaesia, don’t!

We Three Heroes by Lynette Nonis is book 4.5 in The Medoran Chronicles following Akarnae, Raelia, Draekora and Graevale. Once again, I’ve listened to the audiobook but I didn’t rate these narrators as much as I do the usual narrator (a reason for the lower rating since all of my ratings includes the book and my experience while reading it). Instead of following on from Graevale, We Three Heroes is comprised of three novellas, one from D.C.’s point of view, one from Jordan’s and one from Bears. I am a huge lover of multiple points of view, so getting an insight into each of these characters’ minds was such a gift! D.C.’s novella Crowns and Curses came first, and honestly, as much as I like her character, this novella is the reason I’ve rated this book less than the previous four. We get a good insight into D.C’s childhood, and why she was so unapproachable before she became friends with Alex and the boys at the end of Akarnae. I definitely enjoyed reading her character arc, and the events from her childhood that affected her time at Akarnae, but it was pretty long and became quite repetitive. Nevertheless, when her character gets to Akarnae the story picks up a bit, and you do get to understand that character a lot better, but it was definitely my least favourite novella of the three.

Jordan’s novella Scars and Silence gave me goosebumps more than once as I listened to how he deals with the absolute nightmare he had been living in. This story was raw and was focussed on Jordan’s healing process after being saved from Aven by Alex. It’s such a different experience reading some of the events we have read in previous books from the point of view of Jordan, but god this was a really lovely read. How Hunter was able to help Jordan start to deal with his experience, and the way he and D.C. worked towards becoming a couple was so beautiful, and also so heartwrenching to read. Truly a wonderful addition to the series.

The final novella Hearts and Headstones from Bear’s point of view was my favourite but also the one that was the most painful. Reading the events of Graevale from Bear’s point of view was painful - especially when you know what’s coming (if you’ve read it, you know what’s up). But, seeing a bit more of Declan was such a happy surprise, and once again, just getting to see events from previous books from the point of another character was wonderful - especially getting to learn more about how Bear was helping Fitz with his secret project. I just can’t seem to express my love for multiple POV’s but also, when authors give such loveable and dynamic supporting characters a chance to shine.