Zodiac Academy: The Awakening

This is a great series! The authors do a wonderful job of making you laugh, cry, and want to throw the book across the room then set it on fire. I have personally never felt so much hatred towards book characters as I have throughout this series (currently on book 8/9). But the anger lets you enjoy the good stuff so much more. The plot twists continue to surprise me in the most infuriating ways and I can’t help but wonder if I hate the authors or desperately want to be friends with them.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I genuinely enjoyed The Awakening and found it hard to put down. The world-building was unique, the magic system was interesting, and Tory and Darcy were easy characters to root for. I loved watching them get thrown into a world they never knew existed and fight to find their place in it. That said, I am already exhausted by the bullying. I understand it's a major part of the story and is meant to establish the power dynamics at Zodiac Academy, but it felt relentless at times. Every time the sisters seemed to catch a break, another humiliation was waiting around the corner. It became frustrating to watch, especially when all I wanted was for them to get a win. Despite that, the story kept me invested. The mystery surrounding the sisters, the growing tension with the heirs, and the promise of future character development were enough to keep me turning pages. I'm definitely continuing the series, but I'm hoping the balance shifts soon because I'm more than ready to see the twins start fighting back. Overall, a strong start to a series with an addictive premise, compelling characters, and just enough frustration to leave me desperate to see what happens next.

The novel is a kind of Harry Potter for young adults – except here, vampires prowl, werewolves indulge in orgies under the full moon, and sirens manipulate emotions with their dark allure. It is certainly not a book for children, there are explicit erotic scenes. The narrative follows Tory and Darcy Vega, lost twin heirs of Solaria, a realm on the brink of collapse after the assassination of the Savage King. The Zodiac Academy they attend is less a place of learning than an arena of ruthless competition, where the law of survival eclipses both morality and intellect. Strength, cruelty, and manipulation define the institution’s hierarchy, and the five ruling heirs plot to eliminate the newcomers. The worldbuilding is schematic – more an offshoot of Earth than a self-contained universe – with a magic system that is barely explained. The inclusion of horoscopes is entertaining, and the use of social media in Solaria mirrors our own reality all too well: people will do anything for the smallest slice of attention, nude pictures included. The academy often feels like a contest to determine who can use magic and media in the most brainless way. The theme of degradation – of both women and men – is particularly strong. Taken together, these elements form the novel’s most interesting aspect: an extreme parody of everything that has gone wrong in our own society, though it is doubtful that the authors intended it as such. The main characters are so infuriatingly shallow that they become almost comical. Their story begins with a burglary, justified because they “needed money.” At the academy, they mostly drink, flaunt expensive clothes, and pursue intimate encounters with the very people who want them dead. The twin protagonists are virtually indistinguishable, their moral compass absent, and their choices governed by impulse and vanity, reinforcing the sense of “wish fulfillment” rather than growth. By the end, they remain as unformed and unreflective as they were at the beginning. Beneath the surface lies a world in decay – Solaria is divided by internal strife and threatened by the enigmatic Nymphs – but the reader is ultimately left questioning why this world, so debased and hollow, is worth saving at all. Viewed through a critical lens, the novel stands as an excellent unintentional parody. In its exaggerated portrayal of hedonism, vanity, and moral collapse, it mirrors with unnerving accuracy the very cultural malaise it seems to dramatize.

I started this one mainly because it just kept popping up and I was finally like okay I'll see what it's about and after reading the summary was like this might be good but it wasn't like what I've been into lately so I was like meh I'll just start it and see. Boy was I completely blown away! I was hooked. I haven't felt this emotionally attached to a book since the first time I read Twighlight. This one doesn't even compare. I couldn't wait to be able to read more and couldn't put it down. I felt so hopeful that the Heirs were going to change their minds and their ways and the hurt and betrayal I felt was so sad but the hero that comes in when they need it and the hope that something else could be there was so ecstatic! I think I finished this book in like 2 weeks or so. It has all things fantasy and supernatural that I just love.

This is a review of books 1-4 in this series, not just the first book. I liked book 1 but I love the next 3 so stick with it even if you are on the fence with the first book. Very addicting. Spoilers ahead: What I like: The twins, Darcy and Tory, are very different characters so you do get a unique perspective with each chapter. They are not clones of one another at all. The Heirs all have distinct voices too, as well as teachers and friends. The characters are very well developed in this series and if you put the book down and come back later in the middle of a chapter, it's easy to tell whose POV it is. Darcy and Tory are not instantly good at everything and nothing comes easy to them. They have to fight against a lot of adversity and also learn magic and explore their potential capabilities without being miraculously fantastic at everything, unlike many other book characters in other stories. The struggle is real, and fantastic to read about. The bullies are actual bullies. Super nasty. No false bullying, this is the real deal and you really feel for the girls and HATE the guys at certain points. The world building is great, and it is a dog eat dog world that isn't going to change to suit the needs of the main characters. They have to change perspective to navigate their surroundings as they are. Darcy and Orion. Hot hot hot! What I don't like: Darcy and Tory aren't very motivated to learn beyond what is being introduced to them by teachers despite being tormented every single day. If I was being harassed by more powerful beings but knew I was intrinsically more powerful, I would be spending every waking moment figuring out how to best them. Instead they are learning what first years learn and that's it. I wish they showed more initiative to practice and learn skills so they aren't so easy to bully. The hot and cold with Darius, Seth, Max, and Caleb can be tiring. One day they are besties with the girls and other days they are so cruel. It's not as consistent as it should be one way or another. This goes beyond their well laid plans to con the girls. That I understand with the hot/cold thing because they are planning horrible things that demand gaining a level of trust. But beyond that, they have days where they are friendly and days where they are absolute enemies so it's a little odd. Lack of critical thinking skills and cleverness. There are solutions to the issues between the Heirs and the Royals than just doing what the Heir parents want them to do. The Heirs don't even want to do half of what they do, but they can't seem to think their way out of the box. Orion is the only one who seems to troubleshoot in any way about how they could all make their situation work to everyone's advantage. Along these same lines, the Heirs do know that Darcy and Tory are going to be very powerful beings to reckon with, but they alienate them over and over again. Poking the bear so to speak doesn't seem like the best strategy when you know that your power will pale in comparison in the years to come. How do they think they will actually hold onto their seats as heirs when they will be outclassed in a short amount of time? Teamwork is the obvious best option. If they couldn't pull teamwork off, a long deception would be a better strategy than the inconsistent bullying. I have the feeling that the characters will get there eventually, but it is taking a long time for them to puzzle this all out. I don't want to give too much away but I highly recommend starting this series. I have lost sleep because I can't put down the books and I am so glad I gave it a chance. It has some issues, but you just have to roll with it and enjoy the story. All the drama! Definitely superbly entertaining.

I literally read this in less than a day!! I felt like a druggie that needed her next fix in the form of pages and pages and more chapters! I. AM. ADDICTED! And I’m not even ashamed to admit it. First of all, the world building in this series is phenomenal. Honestly, it is one of the best I have ever read. I am completely invested in all the different aspects of this world. I love these types of books that immerse me in a different world and convince me that it really does exist LOL, and this book does it spectacularly. We are introduced to both Darcy and Tory in a normal, human setting. They have been in foster homes, have been in the system, and have had to live extremely tough lives. Once they turn 18, their hidden powers arise and they are discovered by a different entity. They need to go into the world they should’ve lived in all their lives and claim the throne. The girls have no idea what’s going on, but they are thrust into it all anyway, even though they don’t want to be there. They are the heirs to the throne; their parents were murdered, but they were smart and did something to protect their twin daughters. They switched them with human daughters and tried to get their real daughters to live normal human lives, away from the danger that is lurking in their world. However, they were still murdered along with the infant babies that they switched with their daughters. In their human lives, Darcy and Tory also lost their parents. So they basically can only rely on each other. In this new world, they follow zodiac signs to the t. There are four different elements that people can draw from, earth, air, water, and fire. There are also different aspects to all of this. People come from different divisions. The ones that we get to know are sirens, werewolves, vampires, and fire shifters, but there are more. The girls have to learn about all of this and have to learn how to hone their power. On their first day, they discovered that they could draw from all four elements, which is something that no one has ever been able to do. Normally, people can draw from one, some can draw from two, rarely can they draw from three- we end up finding out that one of their parents could draw from three of them, but no one can do all four and both girls can. Because the girls didn’t exist, there were four other heirs that were ruling this world, and the four boys are their bullies. There is Darius, Caleb, Seth, and Max. And we also get to know the delicious Professor Orion. The four boys are powerful, being the lead in one of the elements. They feel threatened by the girls, which is why they bully them. In the meantime, the girls face both friends and foes left and right. Although we don’t see any sexy times, there is a lot of sexual chemistry that is going on in so much tension that I found myself fanning my face and reading faster LOL. The way that the book ended was crazy and I hope that I get to see the girls get into the pocket of their power more and get back at these bullies in book two, because I am going for blood now LOL. I highly, highly, highly, highly recommend this series!!!!!

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.

I love the twisted sisters and their writing but this is hands down my all time favorite series! The characters and the development throughout, the twists and turns, the heart racing scenes!! It’s amazing

Great read. I fully recommend it. The book arrived quickly. Excellent value.

🌟 Do NOT read this if you hate brutal bully academies... ​I am completely obsessed with this 4.5-star fantasy! If you love high-stakes, ruthless magical worlds, add this to your TBR immediately. 👑🔥 ​The Setup: Twin foster kids Tory and Darcy find out they are actually long-lost Fae princesses. They get dragged into Zodiac Academy, a magical college where everyone can control the elements. 🏛️✨ ​The Catch: The school is ruled by the four Celestial Heirs—the most powerful, ruthless pricks on campus who paint a massive target on the twins' backs to force them out. 🎯💀 ​Why it's completely unhinged: ​🪄 Zero Magic Skills: The twins have no idea how to use their powers, making them easy prey in a school with zero rules. ​❌ Next-Level Bullying: The heirs launch a vicious campaign to break them, but these sisters refuse to back down. ​🩸 Deadly Stakes: Students are turning up dead around campus from brutal Nymph attacks, and a dark mystery is brewing. ​The drama is addictive, the bullying is intense, and I am officially hooked. 🤯 ​⭐ Rating: 4.5/5 stars ​📌 Tropes: Bully Romance, Royal Fae, Magical Academy, Forced Proximity

This book was very well written and full of character depth. The buildup of each character and their relationship to eachother had me hooked from the start. The twins witty banter with the heirs has me often lol'ing. I found myself often pulled into the whole 'maybe they should be trusted' just as much as the girls. To start a series of so many books, you know the first book is going to be about building the story and the characters. Even with this in mind I did not find myself bored or struggle to keep going. Can't wait for book 2!!!

A Tory e a Darcy são maravilhosas, esse livro é incrível e eu estou apaixonada. Amei como elas não abaixaram a cabeça para os The Heirs e as personalidades de ambas são maravilhosas, amei muito elas. Os The Heirs são 4 garotos famintos por poder e enigmático ao ponto de incomodarem bastante as VegaTwins mas eu gostei de como eles foram abordados, achei a construção deles muito boa e o professor Orion também é um personagem cativante. A escrita faz a gente se sentir dentro da Zodiac Academy então leia.

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