Zodiac Academy: The Awakening (Supernatural Beasts and Bullies #1) By Caroline Peckham , Susanne Valenti [Review]

RELEASE DATE: August 02, 2019
AUTHORS: Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
GENRE:    New-Adult, Urban-Fantasy, Supernatural, Romance.
PUBLISHER: Independently Published
SUMMARY:

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.

 

Zodiac Academy: the awakening is the first book in the Supernatural beasts and bullies series. It’s my second series by Caroline Peckham and my first by Susanne Valenti. I loved Caroline’s vampire games trilogy and when I heard about her new series, I was freaking excited because I like bully romance(not the abusive type) and this book didn’t disappoint me. I really enjoyed the main characters, the magic, the world, and the whole boarding school atmosphere which kinda reminded me of house of night series.

This story is about twin orphan sisters who grew up jumping from one foster home to another, but suddenly their life takes a new turn when they’re dragged into a supernatural world because of their hidden heritage. They’re surprised to find that they’re both fae and their birth parents are actually the last King and Queen of Solaria, the world of fae.  They attend a new school but not everyone is happy about their return especially the four celestial heirs who swore to make their life a living hell in the academy. In order to inherit the money left by their birth parents, both the sisters needs to pass the academy but it’s not an easy task when they’re targeted by the entire academy who worship the four arrogant heirs.  If you’re wondering, this is not a reverse harem novel.

I loved both the twin sisters Tory and Darcy. They have opposite personalities but they care about each other very much. They’re vulnerable yet strong characters. I admired their strength and determination to fight back against the bullies. The four celestial heirs are arrogant jerks and manipulative a-holes. We have Darius, Caleb, Max, and Seth. My favorites were Darius, and professor Orion. Darius is an arrogant heir but unlike others he mostly keeps to himself. He’s quite a complex character. He doesn’t want the Vega Twins to win the throne and he warns them to go back to their world. Orion is the school professor and also a broody vampire who likes getting drunk. He’s a mysterious and intriguing character. He helps the Vega twins but he’s not their friend either. I’m really enjoying the forbidden relationship between Darcy and Orion and can’t wait to know how it progresses further. I’m totally shipping them. Darcy is a bit shy and calm, but Tory is bold and wild. I don’t want to spoil things for you guys but it is pretty easy to guess  to whom she’s going to end up with.

      The plot was interesting and very much entertaining. It’s the first part in the series, so not many secrets were unveiled. It’s just the introduction to the world, its magic, and the characters. It’s a pretty long book, but I never felt the need to skip the pages. The pace was good. The writing was great. The whole book was written in first person dual POV’s shifting between Tory and Darcy. The world building was amazing. There are so many elements that I loved in this book like the faebook, and the daily horoscope thing. The world of Solaria is fascinating but at the same time ruthless and dark. I really liked the magical system and the magical creatures. There are different kinds of supernatural beasts in this world such as vampires, werewolves, pixies, nymphs, dragons, and freaking unicorns.

Overall, I had fun reading this book! It was really a good start to a new series. The ending was shocking, but honestly I did expected something like that to happen. Anyways, I can’t wait to know what happens next.

Recommend it?
Yes

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a fun supernatural romance series with strong heroines, complex heroes, and enemies to lovers trope.

 

MY RATING:

[4/5 Stars]

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