The Awakening

The AwakeningZodiac AcademyCaroline PeckhamSusanne Valenti

May 2

Written By Ally Talley

Zodiac Academy #1

By Caroline Peckham and Suzanne Valenti

TheStory

Tory and Darcy, 18 year old identical twins, are brought to the Fae world to attend Zodiac Academy to harness their magic.

After being told they are the true heirs to the Fae throne, they catch the eyes of the current heirs. It is the heirs mission to make sure they don’t harness their magic, let alone lay claim to the throne.

In a school full of bullies, and mythical creatures, the twins might not be able to overcome all the odds against them.

TheReview

While the writing seems a little juvenile, the world building was still phenomenal. I’m shocked I could follow fairly easily with how MUCH is going on. Since the twins grew up mortal, it gave a good reason to reveal the world bit by bit and we learned right alongside them.

The twins are well balanced for young MCs. They’re strong willed but their personalities don’t seem unrealistic. They seem like legit 18 year olds figuring their junk out.

First and foremost, this is a BULLY ROMANCE. The bullying is a large part of the book. I saw so many reviews about it being really assault-y and non-consensual. But there is literally none of that. Any romance is completely consensual.

Throughout the book, there are redeeming qualities in some of the MMCs - that’s the romance part. And of course some humor thrown in for good measure.

I do have a problem with the twins not being SO suspicious when the heirs are suddenly nice to them. They just went along with it?? Dumb.

And that last scene was rough! Personally, I wouldn’t be coming back from that BUT that’s why it’s a fantasy and I’m not the MC.

I loved reading this book. I had to go slower than normal to make sure I was understanding everything since I’m embarking on a nine book series here. The writing was a little funky sometimes but I was fully able to get past it for the storyline. I also have my suspicions about where some romances are going but nothing solid - which is good… give me a sloooooow burn.