Review: Academy 7

Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund

Synopsis (From Goodreads): With a past too terrible to speak of, and a bleak, lonely future ahead of her, Aerin Renning is shocked to find she has earned a place at the most exclusive school in the universe. Aerin excels at Academy 7 in all but debate, where Dane Madousin—son of one of the most powerful men in the Alliance— consistently outtalks her. Fortunately Aerin consistently outwits him at sparring. They are at the top of their class until Dane jeopardizes everything and Aerin is unintentionally dragged down with him. When the pair is given a joint punishment, an unexpected friendship—and romance—begins to form. But Dane and Aerin both harbor dangerous secrets, and the two are linked in ways neither of them could ever have imagined. . . .

Anne Osterlund creates a unique world full of intrigue and adventure, and lets the reader experience this world through the eyes of two fantastic characters, Aerin and Dane. Dane is the typical bad boy, always in trouble with the law and trying to escape his family. Aerin is a runaway slave trying to survive. The two gets accepted into the most prestigious school in the universe, Academy 7. At first the two promising students start off as rivals, but soon a friendship forms (and a romance follows). The more time they spend together they discover that they have a lot in common, and they put all their efforts behind finding the truth about their parents and their past.

I have to admit that this was the first sci-fi I've actually read, and osterlund did a fantastic job at painting a vivid image of the world. The story is told from both Dane and Aerin's perspectives and all the emotion and struggles is very clear and believable (which I especially like). I was hooked from beginning to end, I definitely hope this isn't the end of the adventure for Dane and Aerin.

Cover: The cover is absolutely beautiful. It paints a grand image of the romance between the two. What it doesn't show or suggest is that this is a space sci-fi (I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise, no offense), but it definitely does suggest the struggle and uncertainty that's in the novel through the expression on the girls face.

Plot: 5/5 stars
Ending: 5/5 stars
Cover: 5/5 stars
Overall: 5/5 stars
recommend:  For those that love strong female characters and romances