Title: Ruthless Fae (The Zodiac Academy #2)
Author: Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
Genre: Fantasy, fantasy romance
Publisher: N/A- Independent
Publication Date: 2019
Page count: 533
Rating:

I am absolutely loving the Zodiac Academy books. They’re soapy, dramatic, and angsty in all the best ways, with a vibe and feel that makes them like the fantasy equivalent of Gossip Girl. The characters can be a little over the top and the plot takes some wild twists and turns which make for extremely entertaining stories. I ripped through book one in just a couple of days and book two was no different. This series just has an addicting, binge-able quality to it that makes me want to sit down and power through all the books in one long marathon.

Ruthless Fae specifically was a really nice sequel to The Awakening. I loved the incorporation of the perspectives of the Heirs and Orion, it added more depth to the characters and to the plot, and for a book that only covered a few weeks of time, the story moved at a great cadence. I also feel like this book struck a really good balance of action and magic vs. romance. It’s so easy when romance enters a book for it to be the entire focus, but I love that in ZA so far, it’s been more of a supplement. It’s there and there’s often an undercurrent of romantic tension, but there’s a lot else happening as well.

Once I picked this one up, I just couldn’t put it down until it was finished, and now I’m wishing I already had book three so that I could dive right in. I said for the first book that I rated it five stars out of sheer enjoyment, and that’s how I feel about this book as well.

Fair warning: spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn’t read this or the other books in this series.

Book Review: Ruthless Fae (Zodiac Academy 2) by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

Ruthless Fae picks up right after Tory and Darcy have been seriously traumatized at the first school formal. Darcy is recovering from the shame of having had all of her hair chopped off and videoed for the whole school, and Tory is trying to bounce back from her near-drowning. The girls are so rattled that they briefly consider leaving Zodiac Academy and heading back to Chicago, even going so far as to steal the resources that they need in order to make it happen, but quickly decide that Zodiac has come to feel like home and that they refuse to be chased away. Instead, they grit their teeth and attempt to continue their studies.

While Darcy and Tory are now well aware of what the Heirs are capable of, they’re still keen on inflicting some revenge. Knowing that they can’t beat the Heirs in any kind of one on one combat, they instead craft plans to isolate and humiliate them socially, in ways that can’t be traced back to them. As the school year progresses, they find unique (and hilarious) ways to grate on each and every nerve that the Heirs have. The result is a series of pranks and attacks that leave the Heirs feeling wounded and, possibly for the first time ever, like they aren’t invincible.

While the girls are working towards their revenge, several subplots are unfolding, including an investigation related to the murder of Professor Astrum, or Falling Star, who had been attempting to help Darcy and Tory learn more about their heritage and a dangerous plot that was targeting them. They’re also introduced and promptly put in their place by the Celestial Council, who seem increasingly on edge about the prospect of Darcy and Tory potentially claiming their right to the throne.

Despite their best efforts to remain on the outside of political maneuvering and away from the Heirs, they’re continuously pulled towards both. To their dismay, they also begin to feel a degree of sympathy for the Heirs as their plans to wreak havoc on their egos and reputations begin to work. While they come across as invincible, heartless jerks most of the time, they’re still people, and seeing them begin to crumble is equal parts gratifying and disconcerting for Tory and Darcy.

After much posturing on both sides and more and more attempts to put Tory and Darcy in their place, the plot reaches a massive crescendo of chaos at the end that provides the girls with an instinctual opportunity to embrace their powers. What they’re capable of, and how they use their abilities, have immediate impacts on everyone around them and it’s clear that as the book comes to an end, everything is about to change.

For such a brief window of time, so much happens in this book. The plot moves forward significantly, there’s a fair bit of character growth (or at least shadows of it), and a lot more depth is added through multiple points of view.

I loved seeing Darcy and Tory slowly begin to gain more and more control of their powers and take down Heir after Heir in unique and hilarious ways, but it was extra enjoyable to then immediately see the Heir perspective as the fruits of their labour unfolded. I also appreciated that through the perspective of the heirs, we finally get to see some of what’s happening on the other side of the plot. In book one, it just feels like the world against Darcy and Tory, and that’s fine, but it’s obvious there’s a lot of underlying tension and plot aspects that the girls just aren’t aware of. Getting glimpses into Darius, Orion, and even Max and Seth helps provide a lot more context into why things are the way they are, and where things may go from here.

The setting, the drama, the romance, and the relationships all give the book that soapy, dramatic quality that, to me, makes it so addictive. I loved seeing the dynamics between the characters play out throughout the school and the broader fae world, and while sometimes I’m shaking my head at a choice that a character is making, it’s always in one of those “but I also can’t wait to see how this shakes out” ways.

These books are immensely enjoyable. My only complaint is how little actual time passes over the course of the book, and that’s only because I’m desperate to see how some of the bigger aspects of the plot will pan out. What is the reckoning? What order are Darcy and Tory? Who the hell is killing people and why? So many things that I can’t wait to see come to fruition in the next books.

Ruthless Fae is a solid 5-stars for me. I loved it, found it super entertaining, and can’t wait to read book three.