Sorrow and Starlight by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

Series:
Zodiac Academy #8

Genre:
Magic, Astrology, the Fae, Romance, Paranormal, Supernatural, Academia, Fantasy, Dragons, Vampires, New Adult, Enemies to Lovers, Book Series, Bully Romance, Urban Fantasy, BookTok, Dark, Werewolves, Spicy Romance


Publication Date:
December 11, 2022

Read Date:
June 9th, 2023

Date Finished:
June 10th, 2023

Rating:
3.25/5

Blurb:

All stars must fall.

Bloody, lost, broken. We live to fight another day. But with so much stolen from us, can the fates ever twist in our favour again?

My sister and I have been torn apart by shadows and despair, and now we each stand alone.

Our sorrow is spun like a web, trapping us tight, and I fear our enemies will soon come to feast upon our souls.

But if I have my way, the merciless sky will have dealt us its final fortune. It’s time for us to take back the power that’s been ripped from our grasp and turn the tide of this war.

All stars must fall, and all Phoenixes must rise.

Long live the Savage Queens.

Review:

Why does this look this:

..their faces pale in death and still linked
hands telling me they had been together until the end.

Remind me of this:



Tell me am I wrong or right?

Now that I got that out of the way, I want to know why this story was so long. I get that we needed points of view from all over the place, especially during the battle of Hogwarts the Zodiac Academy. It is understandable that the authors wanted us to know exactly how things were fairing there. So really, I understood, but there were far too many views. A book like this, especially one with so many points of view, should have been told in a completely different view such as the third person. This way it could have been condensed down just a bit.

I am not going to lie that I did bawl like a baby in the beginning. The grief coming from Tory was tangible and filled with so much pain. I can understand the heartache of losing the one you love and hate in a battle such as the one she went through. To her, Darius was powerful and he had been in battle numerous times and come out unscathed. So, to her, why not this one?

Even the pain the Celestial Heirs had for Darius's death could be felt. They had lost their brother, leader, and best friend. To them, Darius had been one of the most powerful and they refused to believe that he would fall to his own father. Their grief was hard to not feel sorry for them, to not feel the pain they all shared between them from this loss.

I want to give props to Geraldine because even with her own loss, she still held onto the belief that the fight they were fighting held a future for them all. She went into battle to destroy everything in her path and she was never going to stop fighting. Geraldine's spirit is what made her one of the most fearsome of the twins' army. I love her. I absolutely love her and I love her interactions with Max, the Water Heir. Those two are freakin' hilarious together.

Darcy, I am proud of you. Despite your setbacks and the shadow beast, you still did not change yourself. You stayed you and that is what made you who you are. Girl, you deserved to be happy and I am glad it is Lance you bonded with.

As for the book itself, it had its moments that were enjoyable, the other moments where it could bore a person to tears because of the wayyyy too many pointless points of view, and still an anti-climatic ending. The soap opera was still there, still being the forefront of the book and I think that is the reason why I believe that the ending was made so meh.

I am going to bother with the upcoming new book. I don't know. This series held so many downs that it was really hard to enjoy it. The world-building did not seem so fleshed out, the characters were a bit boring and some of them even went backward in development, and the endings were always anti-climatic. I don't think I have read a series that I was excited about that left me with a taste in my mouth. This series will not be one that will be thought about in the months to come and certainly is not a favorite.

Heartless Sky by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

Series:
Zodiac Academy #7

Genre:
Magic, Astrology, the Fae, Romance, Paranormal, Supernatural, Academia, Fantasy, Dragons, Vampires, New Adult, Enemies to Lovers, Book Series, Bully Romance, Urban Fantasy, BookTok, Dark, Werewolves, Spicy Romance


Publication Date:
December 15, 2021

Read Date:
June 8th, 2023

Date Finished:
June 9th, 2023

Rating:
1.5/5

Blurb:

The winds of fate are shifting, and it finally seems like they’ve been twisted in our favour.

On the run and cast out from society, we’ve been forced to hide from the mad man who stole our throne. But as more secrets come to light and my sister and I work harder than ever before to reach our potential and claim our birth right, the end is finally drawing closer.

There is no turning from this path now. The curse chases on our heels as time rushes by and the blood drenched destiny of the man I love looms ever closer just like the monster who stole our throne.

We must prepare for the final battle, but three things are clear now.

The cards have already been dealt.

Blood will spill for a new future to rise.

And the stars themselves can’t help us.

The fight for the throne is upon us. All hail the heartless sky.

Review:

The more I read this book I am convinced that this series is just Harry Potter except with Astrology and elemental magic. I am not kidding at all about this. I mean, we have the BURROW. You know the same place that the WEASLEY'S live in. The exception is the home belongs to Luna Lovegood and her father Geraldine and her father, Hamish. You cannot change my mind on this.

Tory/Darcy - Harry Potter

Darius - Draco Malfoy

Orion - Professor Snape

The Celestial Heirs - Caleb/Seth - possibly the two always accompanying Draco around. Max - Blaise Zabini.

Geraldine Grus - Luna Lovegood

Hamish Grus - Xenophilius Lovegood

Lionel Acrux - a mix of Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort

Tyler Corbin/Xavier - possibly either the Weasley Twins (Tyler maybe) and Ron Weasley (Tyler fits this one too)

Sofia - Hermione Granger

Catalina - Narcissa Malfoy

Gabriel Nox - Remus

Clara Orion - Bellatrix Lestrange

Mildred Canopus - Pansy Parkinson

I cannot for the life of me remember the writer of nasty newspaper articles but nevertheless, we have Rita Skeeter.

With that out of the way, it is time to turn toward the review of this book. I don't even know where exactly to begin with this review. There were some parts that I really enjoyed in this book but at the same time, the entire book seemed slow, repetitive, and flat. And the climax to each book's ending is just meh. It is never exciting and never has a built-up. I am surmising because of all of the damn soap opera going on between all of the characters. Enemies to Lovers. Miscommunications in relationships. Characters coming between the romance. All this and everything in between.

All of these are soap opera tropes. Trust me, I used to watch a lot of soap operas growing up because of my Mom.

Even the romance between Darius and Tory feels soap operay. You cannot change my mind on this. They were enemies. Hated each other with a fiery passion. And became lovers only to be torn apart AGAIN.

I wish this story was exciting. I had heard so much praise for this series and I know I should stop listening to them because I have come across nothing but misses. I know I have one last book for now but I don't know if I am going to finish the next book. I just will have to see if it is going to be worth it.

Shadow Princess by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

Series:
Zodiac Academy #4

Genre:
Magic, Astrology, the Fae, Romance, Paranormal, Supernatural, Academia, Fantasy, Dragons, Vampires, New Adult, Enemies to Lovers, Book Series, Bully Romance, Urban Fantasy, BookTok, Dark, Werewolves, Spicy Romance


Publication Date:
January 13, 2020

Read Date:
June 5th, 2023

Date Finished:
June 7th, 2023

Rating:
1.5/5

Blurb:

After the events of the Lunar Eclipse, Tory and Darcy must learn to deal with the darkness which shadows their lives.

With a secret binding them to Darius and Orion, they must find a way to all work together for the greater good. But some things are easier said than done...

Review:

I never thought a day would come when I would nearly DNF'ed a series. This book was frustrating to me because Tory's backward character development, her bitchy attitude, and her pity party made me nearly decide that this book was not worth following the rest of the series. This book was the main reason I jumped to book 5.5 of the series because she was literally pissing me off.

Don't get me wrong I get why she was angry at Darius. He tried to kill her and he tried numerous times to humiliate her beyond measure, but at the same time, it was also becoming the same song and dance with her. I was growing tired of it and this book nearly caused the end of it.

Also, I am starting to believe that the whole Phoenix thing came from the X-Men Comics because Tory was following in the direction of the Dark Phoenix Saga and you cannot change my mind on this. The whole anger issue reminded me of Jean Grey's dissension into becoming the Dark Phoenix.

I am hoping that Tory's attitude changes but I know that it will be a long shot. So, we will see how long I will continue reading this series.

The Reckoning by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

Series:
Zodiac Academy #3

Genre:
Magic, Astrology, the Fae, Romance, Paranormal, Supernatural, Academia, Fantasy, Dragons, Vampires, New Adult, Enemies to Lovers, Book Series, Bully Romance, Urban Fantasy, BookTok, Dark, Werewolves, Spicy Romance


Publication Date:
October 4, 2019

Read Date:
June 4th, 2023

Date Finished:
June 5th, 2023

Rating:
4/5

Blurb:

The answer to your question will be revealed on the Lunar Eclipse.But when finding the truth, don't let the shadows take you.

The week of The Reckoning has begun. And senior students have been tasked with making the freshmen's lives pure hell as they prepare to take their fateful assessment.

With the Lunar Eclipse on the horizon, Tory and Darcy have more to worry about than just passing their exams. A dark plot is unfolding and the shadows are drawing closer...

Review:

Before I even dare begin this review, I want to say that I loved Tyler Corbin in this. He had some of the best zingers.

Tyler started laughing. "Kylie's got a glitter muff!" He shouted across at her and Orion smacked him over the head with a slap of air.

Those that weren't helped by Tyler who hollered, "Is that your girlfriend, sir? I hope she knows her way around your banana."

Orion folded his arms, moving to stand in front of the fruit selection, looking thoroughly amused, "With the coming Lunar Eclipse -"

"It's coming so hard!" Tyler cried out and Orion shot a blast of water at him that sent him crashing to the floor, his seat flipping over on him.

And though I do find Tyler amusing, I also think a lot of attention should go to Geraldine when she is around because that girl has become one of my favorite side characters. I love the way she talks and I love how she is able to put Max in his place several times over. She does not show any interest in him nor does she take kindly to his interest in her. She is just so badass and I am glad the twins have added her to their group.

This is book three in the Zodiac Academy series and in the final pages, we finally see exactly what Order the twins belong to. Now, I am not going to say I was surprised because really I wasn't. I was not surprised to find out what they were because honestly, I was expecting something like this. They had made mention of several extinct orders and I knew they would have to belong to at least one of them - and why not THAT one?

I will say that I am having a love/hate relationship with this series. Mainly because of how slow the storyline is moving and the whole relationship Tory has with Darius. There have been moments within the story that I think they are moving forward only to find that something has either halted progress or sent it back to the start. This can be a bit annoying but at the same time, I can also see why Tory is so distrusting of Darius. He did try to harm her in the first book and he has made no attempt to fix anything he or the others have done to them. So, this is understandable.

HOWEVER, I am not a fan of Caleb. I do not care for him. He is clingy. Doesn't seem to understand boundaries. Doesn't take into consideration that Tory has no fallible interest in him. I can't even really call them "fuck buddies". Yes, they have had sex here and there but that has been pretty much it. She has not initiated any of their interactions. Most of it has been from him. The only thing I liked is that Darius pisses him off whenever he is with Tory.

Personally, not my favorite series but I will finish it up.

The Awakening as Told by the Boys by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

Series:
Zodiac Academy #1.5

Genre:
Magic, Astrology, the Fae, Romance, Paranormal, Supernatural, Academia, Fantasy, Dragons, Vampires, New Adult, Enemies to Lovers, Book Series, Bully Romance, Urban Fantasy, BookTok, Dark, Werewolves, Spicy Romance


Publication Date:
August 29, 2021

Read Date:
June 3rd, 2023

Date Finished:
June 3rd, 2023

Rating:
2/5

Blurb:

**This is a retelling of book 1 of Zodiac Academy from the perspective of Orion, Darius, Caleb, Seth and Max**

The Vega twins are alive.

Those five words circle in my mind like an oncoming storm. They change everything about the future we thought had been set in stone. They challenge everything we were raised to be and the stability of the entire kingdom.

They’re coming to our academy looking for the life that was stolen from them, but we can’t let them take it back.

So much hangs in the balance and we can’t risk the arrival of two naïve princesses destroying everything we worked so hard for.

I have trained in dark magic, overcome all challenges and stood in the shadow of Lionel Acrux for far too long already. I won’t let them come between me and his downfall.

Which means they have to go before they discover how powerful they truly are.

Review:

I am trying to understand this - an author (or in this case authors) would think that beating a dead horse was necessary for their first book to be told from totally different points of view. These views are the Celestial Heirs and Lance. I get that they want us to understand what brought about a lot of their abuse toward the twins but couldn't all of this have been told in the first book? Do you know from either multiple points of view or just a third point of view? I just find all of this unnecessary and it does not change much of my views on the Celestial Heirs.

Yes, I understand they are under pressure and have no choice but to obey the orders of their parents, especially Darius. I get all of that but all of this does not change a wrong to a right. None of it and this has made me like any of the Celestial Heirs less.

As for Lance, I am not sure where to put him.

Maybe my opinion will change as I get further into the books but right now - I am on the fence with these books. I have come close to stopping but I have been told that the books seem to get a bit better as we go further into the story.

So, I guess we will see.

The Awakening by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

Series:
Zodiac Academy #1

Genre:
Magic, Astrology, the Fae, Romance, Paranormal, Supernatural, Academia, Fantasy, Dragons, Vampires, New Adult, Enemies to Lovers, Book Series, Bully Romance, Urban Fantasy, BookTok, Dark, Werewolves, Spicy Romance


Publication Date:
July 13, 2019

Read Date:
June 1st, 2023

Date Finished:
June 1st, 2023

Rating:
3.5/5

Blurb:

You have been selected to attend Zodiac Academy, where your star sign defines your destiny.

If you're one of the Fae, elemental magic is in your blood. And apparently it's in ours. As twins born in the month of Gemini, we're a rare breed even in this academy of supernatural a-holes.

Changelings were outlawed hundreds of years ago but I guess our birth parents didn't get the memo. Which means we're totally unprepared for the ruthless world of Fae.

Air. Fire. Water. Earth.

No one has ever harnessed all four of them, until we arrived. And it hasn't made us any friends so far.

As the rarest Elementals ever known, we're already a threat to the four celestial heirs; the popular, vindictive bullies who happen to be some of the hottest guys we've ever seen. It doesn't help that they're the most dangerous beasts in the Academy. And probably on earth too.

Our fates are intertwined, but they want us gone. They've only got until the lunar eclipse to force us out and they'll stop at nothing to succeed.

We never knew we had a birthright to live up to but now that we do, we intend to claim our throne.

We can't expect any help from the faculty when it comes to defending ourselves. So if the dragon shifters want some target practice, the werewolves want someone to hunt or the vampires fancy a snack then we have to be ready. But we've been looking after each other for a long time and fighting back is in our blood.

Today's horoscope: totally screwed.

Review:

Trounced as a cross between Harry Potter with a mix of astrology and spice, this book has been heavily campaigned on BookTok as the one book series you need to read or have on your TBR. There had been no negative views, at least not in the reviews I had seen. I had planned to read this book earlier in the year but I was distracted by other pretty books and other recommendations that came from BookTok. Of course, many were hits and misses but with so many misses that were offered as recommendations, I came into this book series with a lot of expectations.

At this moment, I am not sure where my expectations and rating for this book lie. I managed to devour this book pretty quickly. While Harry Potter seems to be the inspiration for the book, there seemed to be other books that were woven nicely into this tale. I am not sure which ones as it has probably been a long, long time since I last visited those realms that I am not sure my assessment is clearly right. I have seen people say that there seems to be a mix of Winx and Avatar: The Last Airbender. While I do somewhat agree with the latter of the realms, I don't quite see it being a complete part of the idea. I see more of Astrology being a bigger portion of the series. After all, we do see some forecasts for the twins' upcoming day, which often tend to come true.

Told from both twins' pov, Tory and Darcy have been pretty much living on their own. Recently, they have been tossed from their recent foster home and made to fend for themselves that is until one day, a professor named Orion appears and tells the girls that are part of a whole different filled with the fae and other creatures. The moment the twins step into the academy, they are made to feel they don't even belong. Even worse, the Celestial Heirs have begun to make their lives miserable. After all, each of their families has been controlling the throne since the death of the king and queen. It was even believed that the twins were supposed to be dead. Now Darcy and Tory have to navigate through this whole new world as well as try to learn about the power they contain within them. That is if the Celestial Heirs will just back off and let me be.

Much like the Harry Potterverse, there are four houses and each one is held by the Celestial Heirs who are the Prefects/Captains of their respective houses.

House Aqua - Max Rigel
House Terra - Caleb Altair
House Ignis - Darius Acrux
House Aer - Seth Capella

And each member of the fae within the academy fall into each category ranging from Vampire to Dragon to Minotaur and Medusa and even to the rarest like hydras and phoenixes. While most know what category they will fall in, many won't know until the Reckoning, I believe.

There are a lot of secrets going on in this first book and a lot makes way too much in the first book. The Nymphs are killing off other fae and have become the biggest threat to the school. On top of that, we get glimpses into the twins' parents. Not really enough to establish if the King truly was horrible as they are being told. Of course, there are pieces here and there that he was a tyrant but not much. Plus, someone in the shadows is controlling the whole scene.

I did manage to devour this book within a few short hours. It does have some room for improvement so I am hoping that with each book it does become a bit more enjoyable.