ALA Booklist (Fri May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

When 17-year-old Aerin Renning is accepted at Academy 7, an ultra-exclusive military school, she finds herself in fierce competition with the other top freshman, Dane Madousin. Their backgrounds could not be more different ne, as the son of a powerful general, grew up with wealth and privilege while Aerin spent a nomadic childhood with her renegade trader father, enduring six harsh years of slavery after his death. Character development and a budding romance between Dane and Aerin drive this fast-paced read. Osterlund establishes an intriguing world of Machiavellian plot twists, along with imaginative histories for the different planets the characters encounter. Fans of Tamora Pierce's Alanna series will find many of the same elements here: a competitive school environment, catty female students, motherless childhoods, and shared secrets. The unfortunate cover suggests a formulaic romance, but the story itself, with details of spacecraft, flight, and other worlds, will appeal to readers who crave adventure, and demands a sequel.

School Library Journal (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 8 Up-In this futuristic tale, two teens with mysterious and difficult pasts meet at the universe's most prestigious and demanding school: Academy 7. Aerin, a foreigner and fugitive slave, knows she does not belong here. Dane, the rebellious younger son of the Alliance's most powerful leader, enrolls partly to thwart his father's control over his life. From the beginning of the school term, Dane's cocky, contrary nature and Aerin's extraordinary combat and computer-savvy land them both in trouble with the school's administrator, a powerful member of the Alliance Council. Aerin, secretive and estranged from nearly all social contact, and Dane, bad-boy, rich-kid heartthrob, are unlikely allies. Each holds a key to information that could cause political repercussions throughout the Alliance, and an uneasy truce develops as they are repeatedly thrown together. The story's pacing, intrigue, and subtly romantic overtones are consistently engaging, but the use of pen and paper and easily hacked computer systems seem anachronistic, and a few futuristic details may need a strong visual imagination. Such effects hardly detract from Osterlund's impressionistic and evocative storytelling style, as the plot moves at light-speed, and the setting and characters are believable. Academy 7 is a satisfying, refreshing portrayal of two smart, desperate, and unhappy young people struggling to make sense ofand betterthe world their parents bequeathed them. Roxanne Myers Spencer, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green

Voice of Youth Advocates

After her father's death, seventeen-year-old Aerin Renning pilots their space craft until its systems fail, leaving her adrift in space. Once rescued, she gains entrance through the intervention of her rescuer to Academy 7, an elite Alliance school, and a chance to make her own way in the future. As the son of General Gregory Madousin, the head of the Allied Military, Dane Madousin's arrival at Academy 7 generates a celebrity welcome. Despite their disparate backgrounds, Dane and Aerin discover they share similar political views and a passion to succeed. They fall in love. When Dane takes Aerin home at Christmas, her presence sparks a violent confrontation, resulting in an irreparable rift between Dane and his father. Dane and Aerin return to school determined to uncover the dark secret that links the Rennings and the Madousins and the source of General Madousin's animosity. Skillfully grounding her science fiction in the familiar, the author tackles the struggle to fit in at school, explosive family issues, and love in the face of parental disapproval, creating a broad appeal that crosses genre lines. Aerin and Dane both seek an education to distance themselves from their pasts, but family ties continually undermine their goals. General Madousin, charming one moment and then beating his son unconscious the next, is a chilling character. Intriguing cover art, complex characters, and an innovative plot will send this book tumbling off library shelves. Readers can only hope for a sequel.ùNancy K. Wallace