Zodiac Academy: The Awakening Paperback – September 8, 2021

Great start to a series. Cant wait to read the second book. Book one was full of all the right suspensful moments to keep a reader engaged.

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.

While the main plot was really interesting and I will keep reading the series, there are several things that were bothersome and made this book drag for me.First of all I really did not like all the sexual implications between the two main female characters and the four main male characters, especially when most of the interactions were more like sexual harrassment. I found it off-putting that the girls seemed to like the abusive tendencies of the male characters all throughout the book. A hint of tension here and there is good, but it was constant and made the story redundant and unpleasant to read manytimes.I also found some of the writing shallow and downright cheesy, depending on the character. The supporting characters said so many cliche, cringey lines that further made the story less powerful.I really like the concept of the main characters finding themselves and their inner strength through all the obstacle thrown their way, but I was put off by how sexualized everything was, especially since a lot of that tension was boys constantly trying to dominate the girls and them liking the sexual harassment. The book seemed to focus more on that than the building of the girls’ powers and abilities.I hope the next book empowers the twins, as the end of this first book finally got to a point where they want to rise to the challenge of finding their inner strength and put an end to the bullying and domineering from the heirs. I want to see the girls empowered!

This book was so good! I am sad I waited so long to start this series, but I am so glad I finally did!It is about 2 twins that come from Squalor and they find out they are Far and come from a royal blood line. They are not interested in taking the crown but they interested in their inheritance. They attend Zodiac Academy to learn about their magic; where they meet “The Heirs” who do everything on their power to make the twins want to go back to the mortal realm to ensure their seat as head council when they graduate in 2 years. The Twins didn’t want anything to do with being rulers; just their inheritance, but did the Heirs listen? No, of course not. Will the twins be pushed for the crown by the Heirs bullying tactics?This book was so freaking good, and I cursed life for getting in my way so I couldn’t binge it! I am loving fantasy romance so much and this book is filled with it to the brim!!! Love love love!!! Can’t wait to start the next!!!!

Zodiac Academy: The Awakening pulls you straight into a brutal magical world where nothing comes easy—especially for the Vega twins. After discovering they’re the long-lost heirs to a powerful royal line, Darcy and Tory are thrown into the cutthroat halls of Zodiac Academy. But claiming their place isn’t just about learning spells—it’s about surviving the cruelty of the heirs who see them as threats.I loved the dynamic between the twins—Darcy is sweet and hopeful, while Tory is fiery and bold. Their bond is unbreakable, and watching them grow in power and confidence was one of my favorite parts of the story. The world-building is rich, the magic system is intriguing (hello, elemental powers!), and the mystery surrounding each character kept me turning the pages.Seeing familiar faces from the Ruthless Boys series made it even more fun, especially Lance Orion. I’m very curious to know what happened to him…Fair warning: the bullying is intense in this first installment, but if you love slow burns, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a strong underdog story, you’ll want to keep reading. This book sets the stage for an epic saga, and I can’t wait to see what Order the twins fall into—and how they’ll take back their throne.