I admit that I didn't expect to like this book. I had a lot of assumptions, mainly because I know a lot about astrology, and I find the bully romance concept quite inconceivable based on my experience. And yet I was surprised. Let's discuss it now!
Synopsis
Written by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, Zodiac Academy follows twin sisters Tory and Darcy Vega, who discover they are the long-lost Fae Princesses and heirs to the throne. They are brought to the prestigious Zodiac Academy to master their powers, but they immediately clash with the four powerful and popular Celestial Heirs (Darius, Seth, Caleb, and Max), who are determined to bully the twins out of the academy and prevent them from claiming their birthright.
Badass Tory surrounded by bland characters and insecure bullies
Tory is your favorite strong female character. Badass and compelling but relatable. Her twin sister, Darcy, might be less fleshed out but is also likable. However, I expected more of their relationship. You can see they love each other, but they don’t seem related. And even less so twins. They spend the whole time doing side quests alone and don’t particularly talk after the fact.
Those side quests were really annoying because spying on people or being alone when you’re actively bullied is quite dumb. I wouldn’t leave my twin if I were them. Obviously, they got assaulted each time they were alone, which was predictable and potentially avoidable. It was even more frustrating because we were told early on that these girls are resourceful, used to struggling in life, and having to find clever solutions.
Another thing that annoyed me is that they kept fancying their bullies. Trust me, I’ve been bullied for years, and I don’t want anything to do with those guys. Ever. Now that I think about it, it’s not the best representation you can find. The bullying never really impacts them. They are never hurt, really resentful, or phased by it. It just happens.
Concerning the male characters, I won't bother talking about them one by one. They're not distinct enough for that. There’s not much to say. Aside from the bullying, they are super bland and cliché. To be honest, I don’t find any of them hot, no matter how many times the twins say so. What’s sexy about a childish, petty, and insecure group of boys feeling threatened by two girls who barely know anything about their world?
Weak worldbuilding, rip-offs, and hilarious names
As advertised, it’s an « adult » version of Harry Potter. There are a lot of similarities such, as houses, house points, quidditch like sport, and Professor Snape doppelganger. I also found some resemblance to Divergent, mainly concerning the hazing.
As regards the worldbuilding, it was pretty weak in my opinion. We’re given the bare minimum in terms of information or magic system. Some of it is basic, the rest is confusing at best. Indeed, them being faes is kind of useless since they all act like their Order (they have another race such as vampire, werewolf, mermaid, etc.). The fae thing seems to be there just to bring them together, just like the astrology thing. The latter is not well-done, by the way. I studied astrology for a year and obviously won’t pretend I know everything about it, but I know enough to be certain Professor Orion cannot be a Libra. Not in a million years.
The « Fae » world doesn’t really feel magical. Even if it was, it’s barely described, just like the school, which is sadly not immersive. It could’ve happened in our world since the change isn’t noticeable when they get to the new one.
On a lighter note, the house and professor names were ridiculous and quite lazy (House Terra, Professor Pyro, etc.). So much so that it’s become funny.
Introduction of a long series
The beginning was rushed. As stated before, the world is not described at all, they just accept to go and end up in the school ceremony where they directly choose their element. By the end of the chapter, the twins already feel like they belong here and feel their powers. It felt convenient and underdevelopped.
The conspiracy plot is interesting, but we barely make any progress since the constant assaults are taking most of the page time. It felt repetitive, as well as the many « we don’t want your throne » and « you don’t know shit about our world » mentions.
However, I’m not mad at the lack of substantial progress because this is the first book in a long series, so it makes sense to be more introductive.
Final Thoughts & Rating
Rating: 2.59/5 stars
Zodiac Academy is highly entertaining, funny, and easy to read. However, if you’re looking for good worldbuilding, it might not be for you.
Have you read the book? If you want to read along with me, my fully annotated copy is available.
This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase a book through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
0 comments