The Awakening

Zodiac Academy, Book #1

By Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

ISBN# 9781916926257

Author’s Website: https://www.kingshollow.co.uk/

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

Orphaned twins, Tory and Darcy, just turned 18 and were recently kicked out of their foster home.  They’ve been scraping by, just trying to keep a roof over their heads.

Then, a mysterious stranger follows Tory home.  He tells them that they are changelings, fae that were swapped into a human family when they were babies to hide them.  Their parents were the last king and queen of the fae and they were murdered.  He tells them to get their inheritance they must enroll and graduate from the best fae school, the Zodiac Academy.  They can then claim their throne, if they have the power to claim it.  The girls have no desire to rule, but they would like the comfort of their inheritance.  

They are whisked away to the school, not given much choice.  They are immediately taken to the awakening ceremony where all the freshmen’s magic is unlocked.  All fae have magic of one element, lucky ones may even have two.  Tory and Darcy have all four, which is unheard of.

Now they are in a school among all orders of fae; vampires, werewolves, sirens and more.  However, they are unsure what their own order is.  And, while they try to figure it out and learn how to wield their magic, they must stay afloat in a school, where they are not wanted.  And no one wants them gone as much as the four celestial heirs, the four men who are in line to claim the throne jointly.  

Can the twins survive in such a volatile environment, where there are dangers around every corner?  And, is it worth the risk?

I was a little hesitant to read this.  However, my love for mythology and all things regarding the zodiacs really won out.  I did enjoy it, even though the ending left me hurting for these girls.  I’m ready to watch them rise like the phoenix though.

I liked the twins. I found them relatable. I especially liked Tory who doesn’t backdown from anyone.

“Do you have a pirate fetish or something?” I blurted, eyeing the coins and gold with confusion.

“What?” he asked, his scowl somehow defying the laws of physics and finding a way to deepen.

“Well, you’re half naked in a bed full of coins so either you’re doing something with them or putting them somewhere…inaccessible while fully dressed or I missed the memo about your enrolment in Captain Silver’s new fleet.”

A beat of silence passed as his gaze dragged over me.

“You really don’t know anything do you?” he asked. “This is how my kind regenerate our power; from gold.”

“Oh.” I frowned at the coins again as I processed that. “So, are you Order of pirate then? Do you transform into a one-legged man with an eyepatch, a hankering for rum and a pet parrot?”

 I thought it was neat that they were twins born under the ‘twins’ star sign, Gemini.  I also found it interesting that the authors are sisters themselves.  Maybe they’re able to channel their sisterhood through these characters. 

The Zodiac academy seems to be a bit lawless though.  If you have the power to do something, you can do it.  Be that the vampires feeding from other unwilling students, or students killing with their magic.  Heck, even the teachers get involved in the shadiness.  And, the four celestial heirs definitely run the school.  And, the twins keep being forced to reach out to them for the help they are unwilling to give.  I’m unsure why the staff would expect the heirs to want to help the girls that are there to possibly keep them from the throne.

Tory and Darcy are bullied throughout this whole book.  And, right when you think they might be starting to get somewhere with the heirs, it leads up to the biggest heartbreak of all.  

“The most important thing I’d learned in life? You can’t trust people. And you especially can’t trust boys with wicked smiles and equally wicked intentions.”

I had started to like Seth too; I just wanted the heirs to have some kind of redeemable quality.  Then, they pulled this last stunt and crushed my heart along with Tory and Darcy’s.  My heart hurt so bad for the girls, at the end of this book.  You never think kids could be as cruel as they were in this book.  At least they found one person they can somewhat trust, that they didn’t think they could trust before.

I hated how this book ended, but I know I will need to continue the series to see what will happen.  And, to find out which order the twins belong to.  I hope the events in this book lead to them finally wanting to claim their throne to unseat the celestial heirs.  Those four don’t deserve to rule.  This book is full of cruel people that make life hell for our heroines, yet it’s so addicting.