Mysteries and Space School: My Unsound Theory Review

It's no secret that I love the Aurora Cycle by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. But as cool as the squad of space cadets in the Aurora books are, I was a little bummed that I didn’t get to see them training at their academy before they launched off on an adventure. So I've been on the lookout for something to scratch that space academy itch.

Well, y'all ... I finally found it! So if you too have been wanting to go to school in space, buckle your seatbelt and join me as we blast off to STAR Academy :D


Book Title: The Unsound Theory
Author: Emilia Zeeland
Year: 2018
Genre: Science Fiction
Number of Pages (According to Goodreads): 251
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Book description (from Goodreads):

Yalena Russo, your STAR Academy invitation has arrived. 
Unlike other teenagers across the near worlds, Yalena isn't space-crazed. But a surprise invitation to join the exclusive STAR Academy opens a window to her unknown origins, making her ponder… What if space is where she belongs?

Mystified by the leadership trio known as the O'Donnells, as well as the reason they brought her on board, Yalena stumbles onto an alarming secret. Pulled deeper into the mystery by the commander's son, she will find that some riddles can be hard to walk away from—especially if she is the one holding the answers.

Take a plunge into the not-so-near future, where travel is interplanetary, competition is a rush, and even the elite don't always play by the rules.


Everything is More Fun in Space

Y’all, I’m not only a sucker for space academy books — I’m a sucker for mystery-in-space books, and this one TOTALLY delivered! The twists kept me sailing through the pages like a rocket in a vacuum. The plot reminded me a little of the Arrival movie due to the code Yalena has to crack (though it's much less complicated than Arrival, which my exhausted brain appreciated!).

There’s also some lovely juicy romantic drama to keep any fan of high school settings entertained. I mean, when you have a bunch of attractive 18-19 year olds cooped up on a space station together, there's bound to be plenty of shipping potential! So if you're more into reading about relationships than cool sci-fi tech, there'll still be plenty for you to enjoy.

But What About the Squad??

Of course, everyone loves Squad 312 in the Aurora Cycle books, so I knew that an awesome squad was a must for my dream space academy book. That's why I was delighted to meet the awesome cast of this book!

There were quite a lot of characters to learn about, which was a little overwhelming at first, but by the end I was rooting hard for the Squad. My favorite character was Nico, the cute genius hacker boi, but I also loved ace pilot Heidi, himbo Alec, and even the deliciously horrible Natalia. You know a book is good when you even love the mean girl!

Trigger and Content Warnings for The Unsound Theory

The Unsound Theory might not be for you if you're sensitive to mentions/depictions of violence, blood, and bullying.

Final Thoughts

Basically, if you like quick reads, twisty conundrums, and/or books set in space, definitely check this one out! While the initial mystery is more or less solved by the end of the book, there are definitely more enigmas for Yalena and her friends to unravel — which is why I’m picking up the sequel to find out what happens next ASAP!

If this book sounds like your kind of thing, check out the links below to swipe your copy or add it to Goodreads! (Psst, it's only 99 cents on Kindle ...)

Amazon | Goodreads

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