Space City by Jared Austin (Space City Series #1)

Book 1 in the Space City series, a young adult science fiction series filled with aliens, space travel, adventure, mystery, humor, and romance with a diverse cast. Armed with only his grandfather’s coin and a fake ID, sixteen-year-old Neil Ericson is desperate to join the Air Force like his grandfather before him. A flip of that coin instead launches Neil into an academy onboard Space City beyond the moon. His first day on board, Neil befriends Riagan Byrne and together they take on the challenge of field exams set on desolate planets and the Academy Games, which are rife with serpent hawks capable of gutting them if they miss a step. One instructor has already remarked that in a few rare instances, particularly undesirable students are launched into outer space. A joke. Right?Despite the danger, Neil thinks he’s finally found a home and friends. Plus, he attracts the attention of the beautiful Maellyn Trevena, even though his ability to talk to girls consists of noting that th