Title: The Awakening (The Zodiac Academy, Book 1)
Author(s): Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
Genre: Fantasy, fantasy romance
Publisher: N/A- Independent
Publication Date: 2019
Page count: 429

Rating:

I have so much respect for fantasy authors because it’s not just a good story that you’re building; it’s an entire universe. Every interaction must play out within the context of the world you’re creating for it to make sense, and I can’t imagine the time, effort, and imagination it takes to ensure that everything flows in a logical and exciting way.

The Zodiac Academy has all the things that I love in a fantasy series: a well-designed magic system, a magic school, magical creatures, and some romance. Add in the unique tie-in with astrology and the contemporary feel and I was hooked.

Because the writing was so fluid and the world-building so understandable, I found myself completely immersed in this book from the very first chapter and devoured it more quickly than any of the other books I’ve read this year. The story is a little soapy, but in a thoroughly entertaining way, and I loved the focus on the dynamics between characters. I’d review trigger warnings before diving in, but for me, just based on enjoyment of the reading experience alone, this book was a 5-star read.  

Fair warning: spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn’t read this book.

Book Review: The Zodiac Academy: The Awakening by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

The Zodiac Academy: The Awakening opens with 18 year old twins Darcy and Tory respectively running from law enforcement. Having been bounced around the foster system in Chicago their entire lives, they’ve had to be creative about how to survive. Each twin manages to successfully avoid the cops only to run into a man name Professor Orion, who informs them both that they’re Changelings, or Fae, whose magic began to bloom when they turned 18. As it turns out, they’re the long-lost daughters of the last reigning monarchs in the fae mirror world of Solaria, making them princesses and heirs to the Solaria throne. Orion has arrived to bring them back to Solaria, where they will need to complete their education and training at a school called The Zodiac Academy if they want to claim their inheritance and their thrones. As the twins have been struggling to survive their entire lives, they jump at the opportunity to come into a mysterious inheritance and leave immediately with Orion.

Upon arriving at Zodiac, Darcy and Tory quickly realize that they won’t be permitted to simply claim what’s theirs. At the Awakening, the ceremony that reveals which elemental magic one possesses, they both come to find they have the capacity to wield all four elements, a virtually unheard of level of power. As the fae govern most aspects of their lives based on power, they’re immediately threats to all those around them, particularly the four heirs to the ruling families who snatched control when their parents were murdered. This leaves them both in a precarious position. They may have the potential to wield massive amounts of power, but they aren’t yet able to do so without any training, which makes them vulnerable.  

Despite the administration’s welcome of the long-lost Vega twins, their peers and some of their instructors are openly hostile. Within their first week alone, they’re subjected to significant levels of hazing, humiliation and degradation as many try to put them in their place or force them to abandon their claim and leave Zodiac for good. As the girls embark on their journey to discover their past and attempt to harness the power they’ve been given in the present, they are swept up in plots and schemes that are much bigger than they are and that quickly become deadly. It’s clear that they won’t be allowed to officially join Zodiac without a fight, but it’s one they’re willing to take on.

I really liked the world that Peckham and Valenti constructed for Zodiac. It had some great variations in magic, combining elemental magic, magical creature orders, and astrology. By wrapping it up in a contemporary context that had aspects like cellphones, tablets, and social media, it felt really accessible and easy to understand, which helped the plot move at a quick pace without anything getting lost in translation.

In terms of plot, it was particularly meaty when you consider the whole span of the book actually only covers a few weeks. Between the start and end of the book, you only arrive at the end-of-first-week dance, but there’s so much build and set-up for the world itself, the characters, and the plot twists that it feels like longer. There’s a huge amount of potential established for the story to continue after this book, so much so that I was really wishing I already owned the second volume so that I could dive right in when I finished.

The other aspect of the writing that I really enjoyed was the dual perspectives between Tory and Darcy. While they’re twins, they’re like different sides of a coin. Darcy is a little more timid, more in her feelings, definitely more self-conscious and dedicated to her studies. Tory is more abrasive, quicker to anger, more reckless and willing to pick a fight. They’re forced to choose different houses, which gives us the opportunity not just to see how their different personalities interact with their new worlds, but also how their unique elements and circumstances impact them and those around them too. At the heart of it all, they’re both damaged young women with a lot to be self-conscious about and some serious trauma in their pasts, so their current circumstances are beyond overwhelming. I’m looking forward to seeing how they each grow, particularly in a world that seems determined to knock them down.

I found this book, as a whole, to be immensely enjoyable. It was easy to read and understand, it had compelling characters and relationship dynamics, and the world itself was fascinating. I’m excited to see where it goes and can’t wait to pick up the next instalment.