The Zodiac Academy Ultimate Review

I was put through the wringer, chewed up, dusted off, and then stomped on after I finished that last book...

Let’s talk about what I read in September…

All my friends IRL know how much of a book-girlie I am, I typically read about 50-75 books a year, and have since 2017. To be honest, I want to make a little virtual log of everything I have been reading and put a little review that’s a bit more in-depth than the ones I submit on Goodreads. 

So in September 2024, I started and finished the book series ‘The Zodiac Academy’ by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti. This book series TOOK OVER my entire life in September, all I wanted to talk about was this series, and I genuinely have an obsession with Professor Lance Orion. 

Like that man? 

Yeah… I was sat.

What is the Zodiac Academy?

This book series takes place in the fictional world of Solaria where two twin sisters, Darcy and Tory, find out that they are the daughters of the deceased King Hail Vega, also known as the Savage King, and his wife Queen Merissa Vega. Darcy and Tory have grown up in the mortal world in Chicago, Illinois bouncing from foster home to foster home, and getting adopted and then “returned” due to their (mainly Tory’s) bad behavior. However, a few months after the girls turn 18 and move into a super tiny little studio apartment (with a pullout couch bed that they share btw) they get a knock on their door from a man, Lance Orion, who tells them their true origins and who their real biological parents are.

The only reason that they even decide to go with the Orion to Solaria is because he mentioned the “inheritance” that they would receive by going back to their home world. But of course, there is a catch, because there is always a catch when it comes to money. The twins can only collect their inheritance after attending, and graduating from, the prestigious Zodiac Academy where every Fae dreams to study and learn how to harness their elemental powers. But things are not easy for the sisters, because after living as no bodies for so long they are greeted with very mixed reactions to their return. A lot of people are shocked by the return of the, previously assumed, “dead twins,” some are extremely thrilled and even start a club to support them (The Almighty Sovereign Society… yes I know what the acronym spells at and it does get mentioned.) and then there is the 4 Heirs; Caleb Altaire, Darius Acrux, Seth Capella, and Max Rigel. They are the heirs to the Celestial Council that have been running Solaria since the death of the Savage King and they don’t plan on letting two girls come in and ruin everything they have worked for since they were born. Genuinely this is only just the tip of this series, and it becomes so much more.

Non-Spoiler Review and Thoughts…

This was the first fantasy-esque series that I have ever read, usually, I’m a guaranteed contemporary romance girl through and through, but I decided to break out of my box and dip my toe into this genre for a second and all I have to say is WHAT HAVE I BEEN MISSING ALL MY LIFE???? This series had my a** after the last 50 pages of book 1 Zodiac Academy: The Awakening and kept me so entertained through all 9 books and 3 novellas. I truly didn’t think I would like it as much as I did but I haven’t loved a series like this since I read the ‘Addicted/Calloway Series’ by Krista and Becca Ritchie in the summer of 2022. I think there were some filler chapters in some of the later books that could have not been included to cut the read times down because this series is truly an investment. The characters go through a hero’s journey of sorts and fully change into different people by the end. Dealing with what they had to do (some by force, some just chance encounters, and other fated instances of rebellion) and coming out on the other side was such a ride that I will think of for a very long time. I think that my best word of advice for going into it would be “Anything can happen” and “If you think this is bad? Just keep reading because it gets worse.” 

My Favorites

Let’s start with my Favorite Characters from the series… Lance Orion (who’s surprised? No one. The world kept spinning.) When I tell you this fictional man is like the embodiment of So High School by Taylor Swift. I was giggling and kicking my feet every time he was teaching in his Cardinal Magic classroom. What can I say, I love a sarcastic, dark-humored, dry-a** man. Also his love for books? Yeah, man sign me the f*ck up. His relationship with Blue was also my favorite of all the other couples! The two of them complement each other so well that you would think they were made for each other wink wink. Having to go through what they have pre-series and each of them learning how to love and un-learn some of their responses to their trauma was so heartwarming to see. It was so genuine and the tension was so palpable you could feel the heat coming off the page, I swear. By the end of the book I genuinely was so thrilled with how everything played out for the two of them because they had learned so much about themselves but also each other. 

My favorite moment would have to be a scene from book 8.5, and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read the series in full but I will explain it in 2 words… Unexpected Voyerism. Now, for someone who hasn’t read the book you’re probably like, Lanya… What the hell are you reading? And what I have to say is, you don’t get it until you get it. That chapter had me rolling on the ground laughing because I knew that the repercussions of that scene would have me laughing just as loud again in book 9 when it got addressed and I luckily was proven correct. Another cute moment would be at Lance’s impromptu birthday gathering in book 4. But specifically when he was drunk as a skunk and put his arm over Darius and said “You’re so lucky, man. You could just go and be with Tory Vega. Just go and be with her.” This man is the most uptight, doesn’t crack a smile, a**hole you can imagine and this is one of the few times in the entire series he “let’s go” in public and it was a time, let me tell you. Finally, I think another one of my favorite moments is the entirety of book 7 and I can say that because this is my review and I can do what I want. The entirety of book 7 was just fan service until the last 150 pages and then that was when I sobbed like a baby but that’s neither here nor there. Hahaha, I promise I’m fine (I’m not but shhhh.)

The Reading Order…

The first couple of books range from 400-500 ish pages and then it slowly increases, until you hit the 4th book and you start getting into the 700-800 page range… and if that didn’t deter you (here is where I lose people when I try to recommend these books), the last two books are both a little over 1,100 pages. (But also don’t forget the novellas that are about 200 pages each until 8.5 and that one is around 500 pages.) I didn’t see a huge problem with it, as I had nothing but time to spare since I am still looking for a post-college job (someone hire me! I’m begging,) and I genuinely loved the little escape I got when I read them. 

These books are super easy to read and will keep you entertained shocked and teary-eyed the entire time. I have never, EVER, cried during books because I don’t usually read sad books but when I do they never hit me that hard. Maybe I’ll get a bit existential and start staring at the wall and contemplating all my failures and wins I’ve experienced in my 22 years on earth but tears never really leave my eyes. This series though had me SOBBING. Like actually having to put the book down because I could not see through my tears/hiccuping crying. Let me preface, it only happened twice in the whole series and I didn’t cry longer than maybe 3-4 minutes. I’m still a bad b*tch. Honestly, it just shows how special and how connected people can get with words on a page. 

So from all the information that I have shoved down your throat, you can tell that this series is truly an investment, there are 9 main books, around 10,000 words in total, a prequel series, and post-epilogue series as well. But I’m not gonna talk about that here, I am going to give you a very beginner-friendly reading order that isn’t as intimidating as the ones you’ll find in other places online. 

1. Zodiac Academy #1: The Awakening

2. Zodiac Academy #2: Ruthless Fae

3. Zodiac Academy #3: The Reckoning

4. Zodiac Academy Novella #0.5: Origins of an Academy Bully

   1. Personally, I think this one is worth the read because it adds to the lore but it becomes important later…

5. Zodiac Academy #4: Shadow Princess

6. Zodiac Academy #5: Cursed Fates

7. Zodiac Academy Novella #5.5: Big A.S.S Party (to be honest you can skip this one but it’s cute)

8. Zodiac Academy #6: Fated Throne

9. Zodiac Academy #7: Heartless Sky

10. Zodiac Academy #8: Sorrows and Starlight & Zodiac Academy Novella #8.5: Beyond the Veil

    1. These two need to be read in tandem (Please trust me! They take place during the same timeline but from different perspectives. It adds a lot of lore and because of some of the events that happen at the end of S&S, you are not going to want to read it afterward so you can go straight into book 9. So save yourself and just read them together.) 

11. Zodiac Academy #9: Restless Sky

Final Thoughts…

Truly the person that I was before this series and after this series are completely different, I am a changed woman (I’m only slightly joking.) Fantasy was never my thing, like I said earlier, and after reading this series I definitely wanna start exploring more books like this in the future. I love books that you can fully immerse yourself in and feel every emotion under the sun. I want to be put through the wringer, chewed up, dusted off, and then stomped on after I finish that last book. Ya know? Not you? Oh…okay. This will be a series I will continue to talk about for a very long time but probably won’t read again until I have another opportunity to sit and do nothing for a month because these are not books you will want to put down once you get started. I’m telling you now because my sleeping schedule has not been this bad in a long time. I was staying up till 4 sometimes 9 am because I did not want to stop reading. 

If you are a book person, love romance, and are interested in fantasy or love to read fantasy. A good enemies-to-lovers, forbidden romance, magic-y vibe, with found family, and chosen family type of book with hints of trashy CW TV show energy then the Zodiac Academy is right up your alley. 

Genuinely, I have not been so entertained and then wrecked and then put back together with cheap dollar-store glue in a long time and I don’t regret a second of the time I spent on this series.