Customer Reviews

Academy 7

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Aerin Renning is a girl on the run. A fugitive. Who happens to be offered the chance to attend the most prestigious school in her galaxy: Academy 7. The catch? You need to be a citizen of the Alliance. Which is something that Aerin isn't.

Dane Madausin is the son of the Alliance's leading military officer, whose life should have been one of privilege and prestige, but has been that of a rebel. So, against his father's wishes, he is attending Academy 7.

Aerin wants to stay unnoticed, doing her assignments and attending her classes without drawing undue attention to herself or the little differences between her and the other students that could give her away. Dane doesn't care about his reputation and when he thinks that his father is going to order him home, he pulls a stupid prank that lands Aerin in serious trouble. Dane feels guilty for implicating Aerin in his offense and tries to apologize but even though they work together daily on chores as punishment, Aerin wants nothing at all to do with Dane. He is a troublemaker, which leads to attention, which she cannot afford; he got her into trouble and due to other earlier misunderstandings and misleading statements from other spiteful students, Aerin has a very poor opinion of Dane.

Still a tenuous friendship springs to life after Dane discovers that she is not a citizen and they form a bargain - Dane will coach Aerin on the Alliance and she'll teach him fighting, at which she excels. And as their friendship develops, surprising aspects of each character's history and personality are revealed. But is this friendship strong enough to overcome the scars that burden them, the walls that they have built to protect themselves, or the dark past that plagues both Aerin and Dane?

Aerin has been so hurt, so injured by life. She trusts no one, cares for no one. But she retains her courage and dignity. Dane is able to bring a part of her to life that was never allowed to exist before. Dane, as well, as been damaged by his past - abused physically, verbally and emotionally by his father (who could use a few anger management classes), set upon by his brother Paul who plays him against their father. He is furious, lashing out, recklessly endangering his life. But that changes when he meets Aerin. She is the one person who doesn't treat him like the son of the General. She doesn't show him the least bit of respect or deference. But as much as she intrigues him and as much as he admires her, he cannot let her in because that would be too painful.

The suspense and intrigue was overhyped. The big reveal, while certainly tragic, is not all that fraught with peril nor is it as immediately dark and dangerous and terrible as it is made to seem. I blame the cover blurb - don't overstate a matter to get me to read only to have me be disappointed by false advertising.

That said, the friendship story, as it progresses toward something more romantically inclined, is very well done. And for as short a book as this is, I felt that you get the feeling of a lot being done and you feel that sense of time passing and change. You can read 700 page books that get less done, so it is really a compliment when I say that it feels like the story accomplishes something and I honestly wish this book was longer. I never skimmed and did not feel like skipping ahead, a constant trouble with the majority of books I pick up. So a truly excellent blend of pacing, editing and development of character and dialogue that never left me wondering "Why is this here? What is the point? Get on with it already!" If anything, more conversations would have made this book better. And a little less ambiguity in sections.

But with all these secrets beginning to come out, I foresee many troubles ahead for Dane, and especially Aerin. So, please, please, let's see that sequel. Or two. I'll break my "no more trilogies" rule if I can just see their story completed!

I'm an adult who's been on a young adult kick for a while, and yes there are a lot of good books out there in this genre that adults as well as younger readers can enjoy and this is definitely one of them. I'm surprised it doesn't have a bigger following than it does honestly.

For me, characters are what makes a good book. The characters, Aerin and Dane and even a number of the supporting characters, are definitely compelling and I found myself very easily intrigued by and drawn into their world. I would also LOVE to see more of these characters in the future. The story flows and the only real problem I have with it is there could've been more. It is a short book and it really could've been longer.

All in all, it's a truly enjoyable read that doesn't leave you hanging at the end. It wraps up very nicely but still leaves you longing to hear more from this world.

Anne created a wonderful world with Academy 7. The characters are strong, independent and fun. I was so into the story that I almost read it in one day. I had to tell myself to put the book down and save it. I was sad when the story ended and wished for a sequel. Its a true delight to read.

"The principal's next words demanded an answer. `Why did you come to this school, Dane?' He struggled to speak, but the only words that came were the truth. `To get back at my father.' `And you Aerin?' asked Dr. Livinski. `I had nowhere else to go.'

On the surface, Aerin Renning and Dane Madousin could not be any less alike. Just a couple of months ago, Aerin was a fugitive, an orphan escaping a horrific past in a flawed and failing spaceship. She had no home, no family, and no future. Dane is the rebellious second son of the Alliance's most powerful - and visible - man. He's been given every privilege in life and rejected most of them. But Dane's life has not been as comfortable or as glittering as it appears to outsiders and his father's public mask hides a man who can be cold and cruel. Like Aerin, Dane has dark secrets that he holds close and shares with no one.

As the two highest scorers on the Academy Entrance Exam (given to 16 and 17 year olds throughout the many star systems of the Alliance) Aerin and Dane are amongst those chosen to attend Academy 7, the most prestigious and challenging school in the universe. Despite the disparity in their backgrounds and the extremely competitive nature they share, Aerin and Dane overcome initial mistrust to form an unexpectedly strong friendship, and perhaps something more. But it soon becomes clear that their own closely guarded secrets are not all that threaten Aerin and Dane's growing friendship. The pair find that they are catalysts for the resurrection of old conflicts and bitter rivalries within the Alliance.

This is the second novel I have read by Anne Osterlund (the first was Aurelia) and given how much I enjoyed both, I will make sure to read everything else she writes (in fact, I am eagerly awaiting Exile, the sequel to Aurelia). Ms. Osterlund's plotting is spot-on, her stories move ahead briskly without leaving the reader with a feeling that something important has been missed out or skimmed over. Characters are the most critical part of any novel, the real driving force, and Ms. Osterlund's are carefully developed and presented as fully three-dimensional people. Aerin and Dane are real, with strengths as well as weaknesses and the reader learns enough of their pasts to feel as if he or she truly knows them. I LOVED this book. It's futuristic without getting caught up in techno-geeky details, a coming of age story that manages to avoid emotion-laden angst, and romantic without becoming obsessed with the will they/won't they/when will they questions. In other words, Academy 7 is brilliant - don't miss it.

I picked this book up thinking that I'd slowly read it in my spare time, over the coming week. Little did I know that I would have trouble putting it down. I finished it the same day I started it. Anne Osterlund does a great job at hooking the reader. The book is an easy read that I will definitely be recommending to my high school students.

Anne Osterlund's Academy 7 surpassed my initial expectations of the book. She sets the stage for something greater yet to come and tells a story I'd like to hear until the end. Aerin and Dane's struggles to open up to each other and to the world was really cute and I hope to see a little bit more romance in the books yet to come. My only regret was that I felt the book was too short. I wanted to hear more and find out what lay in store for all the characters. Would Dane's father ever come around? Will Aerin try to finish the job her father left unfinished? Would she try to return to her mother's homeland of Mindowan? What will happen to the alliance? and finally what will their next year in academy 7 have in store for them? these are all questions that can be addressed in a sequel and can easily become a trilogy......

Aerrin Renning is orphaned and alone - adrift in her father's spaceship when the unexpected happens. She is rescued, tested, and sent to most elite school in the Alliance. Here she meets the famous Dane Madousin, the son of one of the most influential men in the Alliance. Both arrive with a big chip on their shoulders and with the feeling of needing to prove themselves. Aerrin is desperate to hide her past from her classmates, while Dane is struggling to prove he's not just like his father.

Thrown together in sparring class, the two find themselves in an unlikely friendship that pushes the rules to their limits. In and out of trouble, they find themselves relying on each other more and more every day. But will their relationship last when Aerrin discovers the truth about her past, and will Dane's father manage to use his influence to change the course of both their lives?

A fantastic story of discovering who you are and realizing that while your family and past can shape you, it's ultimately up to you to decide what to do with it. Aerrin and Dane are both fascinating and very deep characters. The layers of their personalities and lives are revealed slowly as the story develops and their friendship deepens. The story was engaging with just the right elements of surprise and foreshadowing.

4/5

Review written by 14 year old girl:

Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund is about a scarred orphan fugitive named Aerin Renning and a rebellious general's son named Dane Madousin. Both have been accepted into the school called Academy 7. Both are highly competitive. Dane always seems to trample Aerin at Debate and Aerin literally tramples Dane at Physical Combat. Both have secrets they are unwilling to share. Dane's father doesn't want him in the school and when Dane tries to go out with style he ends up getting himself and Aerin in trouble. They are put on cleaning duty and while Aerin attempts to punish him with silence, he succeeds in torturing her with complaining and laziness. One day frustration overcomes her silence and during an argument he discovers one of her secrets. To the chagrin of all the prettier girls at the school, Dane and Aerin build a relationship and become friends. During Christmas break she goes to his home planet and discovers way more secrets than he was enthusiastic about sharing. Dane and Aerin have to work together to discover the greatest secret of all at the risk of their place at Academy 7.

Academy 7 was a great romance novel that was fairly clean except for a few unexpected swear words. I personally felt that the happy ending note wasn't quite happy enough to make up for all the tragedy Dane and Aerin discovered was in their past, but I know I couldn`t have made anything nearly as amazing as the story Anne Osterlund created. I loved the story and found it irresistible.

Would I/Did I buy it? Yes
Would I read it again? Yes
Would I recommend it to friends? Yes

Academy 7 tells the story of Aerin Renning and Dane Madousin, two drastically different teens thrust into the lush and opulent world of Academy 7- a boarding school like no other. Aerin and Dane both view Academy 7 differently. For Aerin, Academy 7 means getting the chance at life she could only dream of; a life that may just be promising and fulfilling, For Dane, it's another way to rebel against his strict, no nonsense farther, who never wanted his son to attend such a school. And even though Dane and Aerin on opposite paths, they still end up in each others ways when several secrets coming spinning out of the wood work. But will they be able to overcome these long hidden away secrets, or will they let them take the best of them? And when forced to help each other, will they begin to fall for one another in a way the couldn't have possibly ever imagined? Only time will tell in this richly told romantic fantasy of two teens paths to finding out who they are among a world filled with people who want to ruin them once and for all.

My favorite aspect of Academy 7 would have to be Aerin and Dane, no doubt about. Because not only did I come to love them as individual people, but together they formed a bond I couldn't help but find admirable and interesting. Aerin, for one, was a girl who has never had the easy life full of riches Dane has but that has never stopped her for fighting for what she wants, no matter what the case, and I found that likable about her. Dane, on the other hand, is the typical "bad" boy with the heart of gold, but I didn't let the cliche get me down one bit. And while they are polar opposites, Aerin and Dane manage to find refugee in each other and eventually develop a sort of romance between them, but don't think that this book is just about romance, because it isn't at all.

For instance, the core of this book is filled with deep dark secrets, and not only did those secrets manage to be intriguing and spellbinding. I easily read in one sitting because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Better yet, I loved the world Anne Osterlund created within this book. I hope to see more of Academy 7. So please check it out. It also is about different world then ours. Many planets.

Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund
Speak, 2009
259 pages
YA; Science-Fiction; Romance
5/5 stars

Source: Library

Summary: Aerin is a fugitive from slavery; Dane is a privileged son. While these two seem to have little in common, they quickly become competitors and friends bonded by intellect and the mysteries of their past at the exclusive Academy 7.

I enjoyed Osterlund's Aurelia so I wanted to check out her other book. I liked the blurb that talked about what seemed like a boarding school plus romance is always good and a splash of mystery. However I did not realize it was sci-fi, which was a very pleasant surprise although for those who aren't big fans, it's not the biggest element.

I really liked both of the main characters. Dane is dark, broody, and hot! While a skilled pilot and debater, he also has a tortured family history that causes him to rebel and at times to waste his natural gifts. Aerin also has a dark backstory after spending years as a slave before managing to escape. She is so determined and worked harder than all of the other students in order to prove her worth. Additionally I loved their interactions together as neither holds back, whether zinging barbs or fighting in class.

One tiny quibble is that there is supposed to be "a secret as big as the entire universe" as teased on the back cover. I think that's hyperbolic but what they discover has very big consequences for Aerin and Dane's understanding of their respective families and themselves.

Overall: Highly Recommended! Hoping for a sequel!