Review of “Academy Bound” by JC Mastro

Score: 91/100 (9.1 out of 10)

Zach Aurelian is a teenager dealing with persistent anxiety and trauma from his past, much of which relates to his mother’s disappearance during a civil war that wreaked havoc on the Earth System nearly a decade before. Since childhood, Zach has dreamed of joining the Earth Alliance Fleet Academy to follow in his mother’s footsteps. The book follows Zach as he enters the academy and encounters a number of obstacles. Some of these obstacles are very direct, such bullying by other cadets and even the commandant. Other obstacles hover in the background at all times, including his struggles with anxiety and his difficulty navigating the fact that the population is evenly split on whether his mother is a hero or a villain.

SPOILER WARNING
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The book reaches its climax when the ICW uses wormhole technology to launch an unprovoked attack against the Earth Alliance System in the orbit of Mars. The battle costs more than a thousand lives, and Zach is nearly forced out of the Academy by Trask when the leader of the ICW fleet is revealed to be Zach’s mother, now operating as “Captain Shane.” Zach is ultimately cleared of wrongdoing, but when the book ends, he is left with more questions than answers. He desperately wants to believe his mother is not a traitor—and Lt. Commander Briggs swore as much prior to his death—but that is hard to reconcile with what he has seen. As the book ends, Zach is determined to return to the Academy and find answers.

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The author does not shy away from showing the raw nature of anxiety and how it can impact everyday life. He took care to portray mental health seriously—and realistically—throughout the book. Given the intended audience (young adults), we found this especially refreshing.

Mastro clearly knew well the story he wanted to tell and the audience he wanted it to appeal to. This book is impressively cohesive and maintains a consistent tone throughout that matches up exceptionally well with what is expected from YA Science Fiction. He also navigates romantic plot-lines quite adeptly, which is a trait that is often lacking in stories that follow a male protagonist. In all, Mastro tells a captivating story that evokes real emotion because of how attached you (the reader) inevitably become to his characters.

It needs to be said that this book is incredibly similar to one very popular work: the Harry Potter series. Only, this time we're focused on a space academy rather than a school of witchcraft and wizardry. Zach experiences a lot of the same struggles as Harry: coming to a new school and being in a new environment. Hoverball takes the place of quidditch. Trask seems to take the place of Professor Snape as the needlessly jerkish, seemingly jealous leader.

Be warned that this isn't really a military science-fiction novel, although it does have some scenes of combat and some West Point talk. It's mostly a book about a young man and his endeavors in a military college full of crushes, drama with teachers and bullies, and even a lot of focus on the top team sport in the solar system. There's even a Space Army .vs. Space Navy game in here (essentially).

The book has its intrigue and a mystery which unfolds slowly. It takes its time, which could be a good thing or bad depending on the kind of reader you are. This isn't really the action-packed, fast-flying novel you'd expect. It's more of a drama or a space opera.

You can check it out on Amazon!