I’m a Gemini. Impulsive. Curious. Headstrong. A twin. Heir to a throne I know nothing about. And it turns out, I’m Fae.
But of course there’s a catch – all I have to do to claim my birth right is prove that I’m the most powerful supernatural in the whole of Solaria. And sure, technically that’s true as I’m the daughter of the Savage King. But the bit they didn’t put in the brochure was that every single Fae in this Kingdom would claim my throne if they could.
The school they’ve sent me to is both dangerous as sh*t and one helluva party. Vampires bite weaker students in the corridors, the Werewolf pack has orgies in the Wailing Wood at every full moon and don’t even get me started on the dark and twisted ways the Sirens use their powers on people’s emotions, or how my sinfully tempting Cardinal Magic teacher hosts detentions that leave people needing therapy.
Classes are totally interesting if you manage to live through them. And that Gemini star sign I mentioned? It now determines my elemental magic and affects my destiny, so learning astrology is essential if I’m going to beat down my classmates – which is actively encouraged by the way.
My biggest problem is the drool worthy Dragon shifter who has his eyes on my throne. He and his three psycho friends are determined to make my time here hell.
All I’ve got to do is survive. But fate might have other ideas.
Dammit, why couldn’t I have gotten a letter to Hogwarts?
Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae
They tried to break us.
They almost did.
But we’re not going anywhere.
The Celestial Heirs think the stars are on their side.
But they don’t know what’s coming. We have to be smart.
Fighting them one on one isn’t an option so we need to be cunning.
Remaining under the radar won’t be easy, but if we pull it off, they’ll never suspect our involvement when their lives start falling apart.
Besides, they’ve already taken us to the brink of hell, what more can they really do?
Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning
Hell Week has begun.
Senior students have been tasked with making the freshmen’s lives pure torture as we prepare to face The Reckoning – the assessment that will decide whether we stay at Zodiac Academy or lose our places here forever.
With the Lunar Eclipse on the horizon, my sister and I have more to worry about than just passing our exams.
A dark plot is unfolding and the shadows are drawing closer. It looks like our enemies could be more powerful than we ever realised.
Damn, who would have thought being a princess would be this hard?
Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess
The shadows are in my blood.
I can feel them crawling through me, slithering under my skin and taking me hostage. But the darkness within me isn’t nearly as bad as the darkness that lives around me.
The four Celestial Heirs will stop at nothing to destroy the lives of me and my sister. But they haven’t figured out yet, that we’re the strongest creatures they’ve ever known.
And when that secret comes out, we need to be ready to face them as well as any other cruel Fae who rises against us.
It’s us or them. And it damn well won’t be us.
My Review
I have heard so much about this series that I finally decided I had to read it. I can say the introduction blurb has me hooked already.
Darcy and her sister Tory are in Chicago. They are foster kids who have aged out of the system and are now on their own.
They find out there is more to them than what they seem, and the astrological reference is intriguing.
They find out they are paranormal, twins, and rich, which is a lot to take in. There is always a catch, and in this case, Zodiac Academy is it. However, I’m not used to there being two main characters. So they are both very elemental and filled with rare powers.
Ah, the celestial heir, in other words, the bad boys of the academy. Caleb, Max, Darius, and Seth aren’t ready to be dethroned. The sisters get separated, having to choose different elemental houses to be part of. Of course, there is some hazing.
The academic setting in the story is excellent, but it is slow and has lots of political and clique build-up. This academy has its own set of rules, and the twins are struggling to adapt to the changes. It is dark, gritty, and socially challenging.
As the story goes on, I start to see a change in some of the bullying behavior from certain characters, but it doesn’t last. Darcy and Tory are finally starting to fit in and make friends. Still, they are also on the periphery, not knowing which order they belong to.
This is basically their journey of finding their powers and understanding the Fae academy they are now a part of, with a side of bullying and young adult politics. The world we are dropped into is disorganized, the school is a joke, and the students are pretty much all out to get our main characters.
The end of this book is no surprise, but it wasn’t that amazing. Maybe if one of the heirs had changed and been more romantic, I would have enjoyed it more, but I’ll read the next book and see what the hype is about.
Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae
We begin this story with a nice different perspective. Caleb’s pov is intriguing. It seems this vampire might have a heart after all. The insight into how the heirs act is interesting, to say the least.
Darcy and Tory may have just lost all their spirit and hope, but it seems they haven’t lost their impish qualities for trouble.
The lore in this book is slightly complicated, with all the students being Fae but then having different orders they belong to and different elemental powers and abilities, as well as strengths and different ways to recharge their power.
We get more info on Darius and the professors’ connection, and things get a bit more braided with the connection they share. We also get more info on Max. It is a change that Darius and Professor Orion are playing nicely, and even Caleb is less aggravating than in the first book. Darcy and Tory are starting to get a handle on this new school, new magic, and all that comes with it.
This book has more pranks than bullying, with Darcy and Tory not being the victims of the heir but finally getting them back for the embarrassment they caused before. It is a more enjoyable read with the female MCs being stronger.
This book gets steamy as one attraction finally ignites. This story has some editing errors, with a sentence being repeated later on in the book. I guess the Pitball game excited the author as well. I admit this made-up sport is the best part of this book thus far.
The end of this book is exhilarating, but what does it all mean? We don’t get a lot of answers, but we sure get action-packed sequences of intense heroics. Darcy and Tory are heroines after all and not just magical misfits.
This story read and ended far better than the last, but the slow start and strong finish writing style are predictable.
Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning
We begin this book with our favorite vampire teacher. A recount of the attack on Zodiac Academy. Sinister things still lurk in the shadows, and there is still a power play going on between the Heirs and the Vega Twins. Orion is, of course, stuck in the middle of it all.
This is hell week, and well,l now all the upperclassmen are after the freshmen in different ways. It seems every interaction is a battle.
Darcy and Tory both seem to be confused about romance and what order they are, but the final tests are coming up as well. This story is an extremely slow burn, but there are moments in it that keep stringing you along in the series despite wanting to Dnf it, I can’t seem to as I want to know more.
The fruit education in this book may be mature, but it had me cackling while reading it. This author’s writing is getting better and better as I read through the series.
The story finally gets steamy, but not with whom I thought it would. The forbidden romance persists with the teacher/student and seems to be more endearing than the other twin.
Unexpectedly, this book starts to delve into dark magic, not just elemental. From love and steamy and the start of a friendship back to hate, I guess they just couldn’t keep their teenage emotions in check. Although the heir is more volatile than most of their kind.
Darcy starts up the teenage drama again with jealousy and immature behavior directed at her teacher and using another student to do it. Tory, on the other hand, is playing fast and troublesome with a vampire, and not the protective kind.
Of course, right at the end, we get a glimmer of hope again, and then it is crushed by yet another action-packed ending. I want to love this series, but I find it to be dragging on till the end of the book, so I can’t give it a higher rating, as honestly, sixty percent of the story is immature nonsense that builds up to something amazing.
However, this story finally gives us some answers as to their order, and I’m thankful we know what the twins are their power over all the elements makes more sense.
I’m struggling to believe this is such a long series if each book is like these. I will probably end up reading them slowly, but then again, I’m still undecided.
Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess
We begin the book with Darius, Mr. angsty dragon. This book picks up where the last ended, and the grumpy dragon and Professor Vampire are safe with the twins, Roxy and Darcy, back on the academy campus.
Some things have changed for the four of them as now they seem to pair off a little, but still have the enemies-to-lovers thing going on, and shadows as well as their order forms.
I find the new groups interesting in the storyline, but obviously, Darius is pining for Tory, but being a jerk still, and Orion and Darcy are doing the forbidden love thing. The book does get steamy as Tory and Caleb hook up.
The relationship with Orion finally gets a terminology like fated mate, as I seem to understand, although I wasn’t surprised by this, and some answers get laid out in a most helpful conversation.
I see where back to destroy the Vega plot again as the Hiers decide they are just too distracting. The young adult maturity in this book is apparent, and while it is an angsty will they won’t they story with magic and another great storyline item, the predominant one is the immaturity and random action that strings you along. I won’t say this is well written. But it is addictive.
The contradictions between the bully and the bad boy cinnamon roll to the girls are mind-boggling. They don’t seem to keep their convictions about them; they mess with them and then care too much. It is very juvenile. It seems finally Darius and Tory finally combust, and it is the process of melting my device, but we shall see if it changes anything, probably not.
Despite the tension between the Princesses and the Hiers, part of this story is comical. And like that, we’re back to the love/hate relationships. However, the ending of this is going to be epic or a major disaster.
But of course, at the most inopportune moment, the fated mates come back into play. But now, instead of happy, we get broken and star-crossed. Ugh, Tory and Darius are on a rollercoaster of Will they or won’t they?
“I think the stars picked you for me, Blue. I think you’re my Elysian Mate.” – Darius
The book ends in action, but the continuity and bad choices they all make lead this story into a saga, not a series. I would rate this higher if it didn’t take me forever to read it, and while I’m addicted and love the story, I don’t like the slow start, strong finish cliffhangers, and the overall young adult immaturity and non-progressive storyline. I won’t be reading further in this series. In my opinion, this series isn’t worth the hype unless it gets better by some random miracle.
P.s. They also completely lost me with the denial of fated mates and the teacher/student trope.
If you would like to read Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham, there is a recommended reading order to fully understand the series, or you can jump into it like I did.
If you like this series, you may enjoy books with these tags and categories: Fae, Academy, and Romantasy.
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