Academy 7

A wonderful blend of science fiction, adventure, and romance.

Aerin Renning and Dane Madousin are both seventeen-year-old freshmen at the universe's most exclusive school, Academy 7. But aside from that, they couldn't be more different. Aerin has had a very hard life. She has never known her mother, and her father died when she was just eleven, after which Aerin was captured and forced into slavery for six long years, until she finally was able to escape. Dane Madousin was born to privilege, the son of an esteemed general. But the only thing he really wanted was his father's love, which no matter how hard he tried, he never seemed to be able to earn.

When Dane, in an attempt to rebel against his father, plays a prank at school, he gets Aerin in trouble as well. Resenting him for his easy life and for causing her to be punished as well, at first she resolves that she will have nothing to do with him. But against her better judgment, they become close friends, and she shares the secrets of her past with him. And soon Aerin and Dane begin to suspect that an even bigger secret is being hidden at the school.

Academy 7 is one of my favorite teen fiction reads so far this year. Aerin and Dane, although they live in a futuristic world, are easy to relate to and have many of the same problems teens today face - Aerin with her struggle to blend in, and Dane's longing for acceptance from his father. Throughout the novel they grow both as individuals and in their growing relationship with each other. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy teen fiction. It honestly has something in it for everyone - science fiction, fantasy, adventure, and a story of friendship and romance.

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Great book, Quick read!

This book was a little different then I expected. I didn't realize it was a futuristic, space travel kind of book. I am not usually into that sort of thing so I almost put it down after the first couple chapters but then it pulled me in. I found myself wanting to know what the two characters were going to discover about their pasts. I wish that the love story aspect would have been explored more but other then that it was an entertaining book and I would recommend it others.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Reviewed by Karin Librarian for TeensReadToo.com

Every young citizen of the Alliance between the ages of sixteen and seventeen is given the Academy Entrance Exam. The results of the test determines which Academy the student will attend. Academy 7 is the most prestigious school in all of the Alliance, and only the students with the top 50 scores are invited to attend each year.

Aerin Renning and Dane Madousin both receive invitations to Academy 7, and both decide to accept for their own, very different, reasons. Aerin has some deep, dark secrets that could ruin her chances at the Academy and guards herself against exposure by isolating herself from others. She spends her time studying about the politics and history of the Alliance in order to excel in her classes so she can secure a return invitation the next year.

Dane is the son of a very powerful man. Not only is his father a successful General, but he is also on the Council, the small group of people who governs the Alliance. Attending Academy 7 isn't Dane's dream, but in order to spite his father, he decides to make the most of his time there. Dane soon excels in his studies and holds the number one position in every class except one - Personal Combat. There is one person that bests him in Combat on a daily basis - Aerin.

After disciplinary action forces Aerin and Dane to work together, he tries to break through the wall that she has created. Slowly, as they learn more about each other, their secrets come out and, together, they come to terms with their problems.

Anne Osterlund has created an interesting science fiction world for ACADEMY 7. Both Aerin and Dane change and grow throughout the course of the story and witnessing their failures and triumphs is interesting.

The story has a satisfying ending and could easily be a stand-alone novel, but on the other hand, there are story lines that could definitely continue. We'll have to wait and see what the author has in mind.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Academy 7

This book is about two people who don't think they have anything in common. There's Aerin (Erin) a girl who doesn't have any family. She watched her father die and never knew who her mother was. She has a past that she'd rather forget. She was lost at space for quite sometime. Then she sent out a signal and a ship found her and gave her a test so that they could put her into a school. She gets sent to Academy 7, one of the most prestigious schools out there. Only the top fifty make it. One of those people is Dane. Dane is the guy who doesn't really follow the rules. He does things on his own time/term. He doesn't know why, but Aerin is amusing to him. He doesn't get her, she's so closed off that he can't even begin to think about how he will talk to her.

Aerin tries her hardest in the classes and is number one in all of them, but debate. Dane is not trying in any of them except Defense, but he's still behind Aerin, who is his partner and always seems to get him to loose. He decides that he will strike a deal with her. He will help her with debate, if and only if, she will help him with defense. They then start on the journey of becoming friends and eventually they might become more then friends? Maybe or Maybe not.

This book is really good and it makes you take a look at what really happens in countries other than the one you were born on or are a part of. You think about what could really be out there. Not just in you own little spot of the world.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pretty Good

This book all together was okay. The beginning was a little confusing because i wasn't expecting the setting to be in the future or on a different world completely but it got better after chapter 2 and after that it got really interesting and it picked up a lot. The characters were really well developed and I would recomend this book to anybody.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Zzz.....

When writing a book and then letting ppl have a free sample of it, be more generous or else the book is meaningless to the person trying to decide whether or not to buy the book.

Perfect

Love this. A must read wheather you want to or not. Buy it!!! : )

Awesome

This is one awesome book

One of my favorite books ever! Dane is like my dream guy!!!

ACADEMY 7

This book was amazing Its filled with mystery, action, and everyones favroite, romance

Thrilling, romantic, and creative!

Academy 7 is everything a reader can hope. It has adventure, romance, and a story that thrills the reader to the point that it is difficult to put the book down. Aside from the creative plot line, the two main characters, Aerin and Dane, carry heavy burdens because of their complicated pasts, but it is this that make these complex characters relatable to many people who read this book. Their conviction, courage, and determination during difficult times inspired me to continue overcoming any obstacles that come in my way. I am positive that this book will move anyone who reads it. Anne Osterlund is truly an astounding writer, and Academy 7 convinced me to read her other books.

Sweet, thought-provoking, and adventurous

Sweet, thought-provoking, and adventurous; that's how I would describe Academy 7. Recommended to me by Megan from Posey Sessions (thank you!), Academy 7 has been one of the best books I have read this year. I was mislead by the cover, into thinking this would be a novel with romance as the basic plot point...but it's not. It goes so much deeper, by dealing with social issues of the future, and presenting multi-layered characters. In fact, there is very little romance in this book, just a few short and sweet moments, that both tantalize and satisfy.

The character development is good. Really good. It's what drives the story, allowing the reader to see deeper and deeper into each character as it goes along. Both main characters (Aerin and Dane) have their own share of troubles, and it is very interesting to see how they react to each situation. They seem like real people, acting in ways that are consistent with what knowledge the reader has been given about them.

The world Osterlund built is similar to other science fiction stories set in the future; there is space travel, unrest between planets, and a government that is trying to keep the peace between other planets by bringing them all under their power. There are good guys and bad guys. What is unique, is that we find out about the politics of the government by listening to the students arguing in Debate class at the Academy. This is the class that is mentioned the most in the book, and through their arguments, the reader is able to learn more about the book's current events, than in any other way. It also shows a lot about the characters, if you pay attention to the way each of them argues.

I could not put this book down. I loved it. The only thing that makes me sad, is that it is a stand alone novel. I am now extremely interested in the world and characters, and am dying for a sequel!

Loved It

Romantic, fast paced, and told in a unique and fascinating voice you can't help but get lost in, Academy 7 managed to work its way not only into my heart but also on to my favorite books of all time list.

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 other's 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 but it also lead to this book being un-put-down-able- a book 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 loved the idea of the different planets and how they each had their own purpose so to say, and when mixed together with the secrets, it became one epic plot line. Though, I have to say, I really would love if Anne did another book in this world to further explain a few more things about it...

Lush and fascinating, Academy 7 is a book I highly, highly suggest you all pick up, because in all honesty I couldn't ask for a better fantasy type read.

Grade: A+

Great%21

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Really Liked...

I don't have a witty review here but I just wanted to say I was surprised how much I liked this book and these characters. It was a really enjoyable read!

Academy 7

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

Excellent read

I enjoyed this book so much that upon finishing it I went to check Barnes and Nobles website for the next book by Anne Osterlund! I enjoyed the characters and appreciated that they weren't impractically hindered in interpersonal relations. This is a fast paced book that a reader of 11 or 12 to adult will enjoy. It is modest and sweetly romantic.

accesible YA sci-fi/futuristic

The two protagonists, not the plot, make ACADEMY 7 a masterpiece. Neither are stock in any way, and each compliments and contrasts the other brilliantly. Aerin, once a chattel slave, has known nothing in life but violence and suffering. Dane, the son of the Alliance's most powerful and famous leader, has known more of abuse than he has of fame and fortune.
On a side note, this is not your typical romance. In fact, for the most part, it isn't a romance at all. Aerin and Dane's relationship is one of the most realistic developments I've ever read. It is a beautiful arc that is entirely based on friendship, and the friendship is born of vulnerability and trust. It's a long, rocky road, and it makes their eventual love so much sweeter.
As you can see, I could go on and on about these characters, but I'll just let you discover them for yourselves.
FINAL VERDICT: Quick and easy read, clean writing, dazzling characters, thought-provoking in terms of friendship (as opposed to in terms of evil government plots or rushed romances). Well worth 5 hours of your life.

add this to your bucket list.

one of my all time faves, and i've read plently of books. be sure to read this before you die, you wont regret it (:

Great Read!!!

Anne Osterlund is in my opinion a great up and coming author! I had previously read Aurelia (another good one from Anne)and knew I had to read Academy 7. I fell inlove with both characters Dane and Aerin. They are both so complex and at the same time simple. Their complicated pasts brought them together at Academy 7. Anne mixed mystery, action, comedy, and romance into this novel. It was hard to put down. I can't wait for her to write more books to read!