Title: Zodiac Academy: The Awakening
Author: Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham
Series: Zodiac Academy #1
Paperback, 434 pages
Publication: September 8th 2021
Source: Personal library
Buy|Amazon|
Buy|Amazon|
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?
MY THOUGHTS
This review is brought to you by another booktok recommendation: Zodiac Academy: The Awakening. I swear this book been the talk of last year… and still is. Seems like everybody has read it or is currently reading it. And as always curiosity got the best of me. I had to know what the hype was about! As the saying goes never judge a book by its cover and I am so glad I didn’t because the Zodiac Academy covers were are pretty awful. Also side note, has anyone noticed all the self-published Booktok trending books were all fae-related such as Zodiac Academy…what are the odds?
Having finished Zodiac Academy: The Awakening, I honestly don’t know how I feel about it. I’ve never had a book make me feel so conflicted before. It had everything I despise in a book and yet I kind of liked it? It kept me enthralled from page one and I breezed through the book easily. I swear, I devoured this book within a couple of days. The writing wasn’t like most novels where it was trying to be lyrical and poetic, it was pretty basic and easily digestible for the audience nowadays. They captured the typical Gen Z voice perfectly.
I’m going to start off with what I liked. I really liked the sisters, Tory and Darcy. The book was very character driven from the beginning to end. The cast of characters were many and yet everyone was well-written and developed. The plot wasn’t anything new but I was glued and invested in the girls’ journey as they navigated the dangerous water that is Zodiac Academy. Also the concept of using Astrology as the building block of the series was quite unique and the horoscope clues were clever. I loved it.
What I didn’t love was the torment and abuse afflicted upon the girls. And yessss, I know the book literally says supernatural bullies but this was leaning towards abuse via students and teachers. Tory and Darcy didn’t roll over and take the punches but they also didn’t put up a real fight or anything. Another thing I didn’t like was how all the love interest were douchebag assholes. None of them had any redeeming quality, save for being hot. I know it’s only the first book and we’ll eventually get the backstory to the guys, but man, so far they suck. And then the teacher! They were just as bad, if not worst than the students because they’re adults they should know better. The more I think about this book, the more it seems convoluted, chaotic and messy. And yet I couldn’t seem to stop reading this. There’s definitely something about the authors’ writing and the main characters that kept me going. I am curious to see where this series takes the Vega twins. I hope that there will be less bullying going forward. Or at least have the twins kick major ass. I can’t stand reading about the twins getting tortured chapter after chapter.
It makes me really wonder…is it disturbing that these authors, women, are writing books where females are the subject of violence and preyed upon for the Young Adult/New Adult audience or are WE disturbed for reading it…and kind of enjoying it? Both is slightly fucked up huh? This book isn’t for everyone. I’m not even sure if it’s for me. But I’m not going to lie. I want to continue to see what happens next. Is this the best literature out there? No way. Is it decent literature? Probably not. Is it a good form of escapism from reality? Yes, no doubt about it. If you’re like me and are curious about this book...give it a try! If you have Amazon Prime, you can read the first book for free.
Having finished Zodiac Academy: The Awakening, I honestly don’t know how I feel about it. I’ve never had a book make me feel so conflicted before. It had everything I despise in a book and yet I kind of liked it? It kept me enthralled from page one and I breezed through the book easily. I swear, I devoured this book within a couple of days. The writing wasn’t like most novels where it was trying to be lyrical and poetic, it was pretty basic and easily digestible for the audience nowadays. They captured the typical Gen Z voice perfectly.
I’m going to start off with what I liked. I really liked the sisters, Tory and Darcy. The book was very character driven from the beginning to end. The cast of characters were many and yet everyone was well-written and developed. The plot wasn’t anything new but I was glued and invested in the girls’ journey as they navigated the dangerous water that is Zodiac Academy. Also the concept of using Astrology as the building block of the series was quite unique and the horoscope clues were clever. I loved it.
What I didn’t love was the torment and abuse afflicted upon the girls. And yessss, I know the book literally says supernatural bullies but this was leaning towards abuse via students and teachers. Tory and Darcy didn’t roll over and take the punches but they also didn’t put up a real fight or anything. Another thing I didn’t like was how all the love interest were douchebag assholes. None of them had any redeeming quality, save for being hot. I know it’s only the first book and we’ll eventually get the backstory to the guys, but man, so far they suck. And then the teacher! They were just as bad, if not worst than the students because they’re adults they should know better. The more I think about this book, the more it seems convoluted, chaotic and messy. And yet I couldn’t seem to stop reading this. There’s definitely something about the authors’ writing and the main characters that kept me going. I am curious to see where this series takes the Vega twins. I hope that there will be less bullying going forward. Or at least have the twins kick major ass. I can’t stand reading about the twins getting tortured chapter after chapter.
It makes me really wonder…is it disturbing that these authors, women, are writing books where females are the subject of violence and preyed upon for the Young Adult/New Adult audience or are WE disturbed for reading it…and kind of enjoying it? Both is slightly fucked up huh? This book isn’t for everyone. I’m not even sure if it’s for me. But I’m not going to lie. I want to continue to see what happens next. Is this the best literature out there? No way. Is it decent literature? Probably not. Is it a good form of escapism from reality? Yes, no doubt about it. If you’re like me and are curious about this book...give it a try! If you have Amazon Prime, you can read the first book for free.
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