Zodiac Academy: The Awakening takes guilty pleasure to the next level. The people who say it reads like fanfic aren’t wrong. There is a certain unpolished or amateurish quality to the book. In the first 100 pages I had an ongoing internal debate about whether or not I should abandon ship and cut my losses. But, I heard that the series improves dramatically in the next installment so I decided to power through and I am so glad I did. Once you hit the halfway point, Zodiac Academy really begins to take flight and it swiftly became ruthlessly unputdownable. Like it or not, I found myself hooked and I am here for the sequel.
The Awakening is about twin girls, Tory and Darcy, who spent their early years struggling to make ends meet, getting shuffled from foster home to foster home following the untimely death of their parents. Until one fated night they receive an unbelievable invitation to leave the mortal world behind and attend the infamous Zodiac Academy in the land of the Fae. The two Gemini sisters must learn to navigate formidable classroom politics, harness their considerable magical talents, face dark and shadowy foes and claim their royal birthright. Do they dare take their power back by challenging the four cruel and charismatic Heirs?
Zodiac Academy was such an intoxicating yet erratic mixed bag, it’s tough to sort out all of my feelings about it. Let’s make life easier with the SparkNotes version…
The Good:
- An immersive, imaginative world with a whole host of fantasy creatures- werewolves, sirens, pegasi, vampires, you name it!
- I liked the idea that each student had a different elemental potential which dictates which magical abilities they had.
- Nonstop action, especially in the latter half of the book- you will be captivated, clamoring to know what happens next.
- The thorny romantic chemistry and hot and cold attitude of the Heirs was equal parts frustrating and mesmerizing.
The Bad:
- The bullying inflicted by the Heirs crossed the line on more than a few occasions, landing itself in OTT super cringe territory that drove me bonkers and made me want to chuck my book.
- As someone well-versed in astrology and only a tiny bit familiar with tarot, I can honestly say the authors (plural) got a lot wrong and I have second-hand embarrassment for them. If you are going to call your book Zodiac Academy for heaven’s sake, at the very least do your homework. My eleven year old cousin knows more than you. </rant>
- The writing is clunky at times and the book would benefit from an editor.
One thing’s for sure, Zodiac Academy is a very polarizing book that manages to be breezy, spellbinding and emotionally intense all at once.
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
