Review: Futuristic Military Academy Gone Wild
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 20, 2012
The Royal Academy on Ares is considered the premiere academy to learn the skills necessary for placement in the elite intergalactic military space program. Parents know that graduating from this academy assures success for their sons future and Kris's father, an Admiral, makes it clear that he will won't tolerate failure from his own child. Little does the Academy know that Kris is hiding a secret, a secret that could leave the academy and its students with unexpected long term consequences.What a wonderful book. The author has really provided a futuristic plot that grabbed me from the start. The journey of Kris is magical as Kris dealt with the family dynamic issues requiring the decision to join the academy to the life changing experiences Kris had at the academy. I was totally sucked in page by page reading the ways Kris evolved from a naive 'newbie freshman' to a seasoned cadet.I also loved the futuristic world building this author created. Instead of using complicated names/games/novelties that I would have needed to repeatedly check against the appendix or score card the author integrated Greek mythology and 'old Earth' references that made sense for this book thus allowing me to enjoy the actual story and character dynamics as they played out. The main and secondary characters were also unique and shined with their individual personalities that gave them a life of their own while not detracting from the overall plot. And I do have to say that there is still a mystery fascination for me that remains about several of the characters, including Hicks and Wilkerson, that make me want to see follow-ups to this book. (hint hint wink wink, author)I do realize I haven't revealed very much about the actual story line or plot and that is simply because this is a truly wonderful book and I don't want to spoil the magic for anyone considering buying it. There are twists and turns and a suspense story line to this book that I don't want to comment on for fear of giving out a spoiler alert. This is truly one of the better YA books that I have ever read and would have paid twice what the price is for the privilege of reading it.