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wasauthor's review
5.0
I received an advance reader copy of Academy Bound for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Set in a future where the Earth Alliance has been fighting a war against the Independent Colony Worlds, this tells the story of sixteen-year-old Zachariah Aurelian who joins the Earth Alliance’s Fleet Academy, dreaming of fighting for his planet and discovering his mother, after disappearing in action when he was a child, after fighting for the Earth Alliance herself. This is a sci-fi title aimed at YA audiences: part coming of age story, part school drama, part military thriller, part mystery, part action adventure. All these parts form an amazing whole.
While geared to the YA market, this is told with a level of maturity often missing from the genre. The characters all act their age: sixteen-year-olds with the level of maturity you expect from kids that age. They aren’t perfect, and on a number of occasions, Zach makes mistakes and acts immaturely. This is acknowledged not just through his behaviour, but also the first person narration articulating his thoughts and feelings. Readers of a similar age will see themselves, and older readers will recollect how it felt to be that age.
The book features Zach’s battle with his anxiety, and while it doesn’t dwell on this, it plays an important part of the narrative. It is presented beautifully, and completely honestly.
Thanks in no small part to its charm and emotional realism, Academy Bound charmed me from the outset. Zach’s narration draws the reader in and keeps them smiling. The paragraphs are digestible and keep everything moving at a speedy pace. It is a testament to the author that he has kept this pace while articulating everything the reader needs to know, be it about events, Zach’s thoughts, world building or exposition. At no point did it feel like anything was sacrificed to balance the story requirements with easy readability.
Academy Bound is deftly plotted as it weaves a coming of age story, military intrigue and its ongoing mystery. While the author doesn’t entirely avoid genre tropes and some of the plot twists played out entirely as expected, it engaged me thoroughly.
The book questions the morality of war and the nature of assuming we are on the “right” side of conflict, and though it doesn’t delve deeply into these matters, it plants some great seeds which can be elaborated on in subsequent entries. And yes, this is the first part of a series, but it is perfectly self-contained.
The characters are a delight to read. The protagonist and his friends are a joy, and the antagonists all have their motivations. Each character is fully realised, work with the plot and vice versa.
From start to finish, Academy Bound is an absolute joy. If you’re a YA, sci-fi, mystery or military fan, or just enjoy well-plotted books with great characters, there is so much to love.
To read my full review (and reviews for a host of other books), click here.
Set in a future where the Earth Alliance has been fighting a war against the Independent Colony Worlds, this tells the story of sixteen-year-old Zachariah Aurelian who joins the Earth Alliance’s Fleet Academy, dreaming of fighting for his planet and discovering his mother, after disappearing in action when he was a child, after fighting for the Earth Alliance herself. This is a sci-fi title aimed at YA audiences: part coming of age story, part school drama, part military thriller, part mystery, part action adventure. All these parts form an amazing whole.
While geared to the YA market, this is told with a level of maturity often missing from the genre. The characters all act their age: sixteen-year-olds with the level of maturity you expect from kids that age. They aren’t perfect, and on a number of occasions, Zach makes mistakes and acts immaturely. This is acknowledged not just through his behaviour, but also the first person narration articulating his thoughts and feelings. Readers of a similar age will see themselves, and older readers will recollect how it felt to be that age.
The book features Zach’s battle with his anxiety, and while it doesn’t dwell on this, it plays an important part of the narrative. It is presented beautifully, and completely honestly.
Thanks in no small part to its charm and emotional realism, Academy Bound charmed me from the outset. Zach’s narration draws the reader in and keeps them smiling. The paragraphs are digestible and keep everything moving at a speedy pace. It is a testament to the author that he has kept this pace while articulating everything the reader needs to know, be it about events, Zach’s thoughts, world building or exposition. At no point did it feel like anything was sacrificed to balance the story requirements with easy readability.
Academy Bound is deftly plotted as it weaves a coming of age story, military intrigue and its ongoing mystery. While the author doesn’t entirely avoid genre tropes and some of the plot twists played out entirely as expected, it engaged me thoroughly.
The book questions the morality of war and the nature of assuming we are on the “right” side of conflict, and though it doesn’t delve deeply into these matters, it plants some great seeds which can be elaborated on in subsequent entries. And yes, this is the first part of a series, but it is perfectly self-contained.
The characters are a delight to read. The protagonist and his friends are a joy, and the antagonists all have their motivations. Each character is fully realised, work with the plot and vice versa.
From start to finish, Academy Bound is an absolute joy. If you’re a YA, sci-fi, mystery or military fan, or just enjoy well-plotted books with great characters, there is so much to love.
To read my full review (and reviews for a host of other books), click here.
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