Title: Cursed Fates (The Zodiac Academy #5)
Author(s): Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti 
Genre: Fantasy, fantasy romance, contemporary fantasy
Publisher: N/A- Independent
Publication Date:  2020
Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
Length: 886 pages

Read if you like: Contemporary fantasy, magic schools, enemies to lovers, fae, fated mates, elemental powers

Rating: 

I’ve described The Zodiac Academy before as a soap opera-style fantasy and Cursed Fates was no exception to this notion. It was dramatic, over-the-top at times, and outrageously spicy, but it also moved the plot forward an insane amount and left my heart completely shattered. I did feel like the pace of this book was a bit slow for a good portion of the story, which is why I’ve ranked it as a 4-star read, but the last 200 pages were non-stop action combined with soul-crushing events that had me so invested I literally could not put the book down.

If you’ve liked the Zodiac Academy books up until now, I don’t see a reason why Cursed Fates wouldn’t be for you. It was extremely consistent with the rest of the series and I’m thoroughly enjoying seeing everything continue to evolve while simultaneously wondering why Peckham and Valenti seem to hate happy endings.

Fair warning: It is impossible to review the fifth book in a series without having spoilers, so read at your own risk from here.

The Book: Cursed Fates by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

Cursed Fates throws us right back into the action at Zodiac Academy, immediately dealing with the fallout of Tory having refused Darius as her Elysian Mate. To Tory’s credit, she seems to have not understood the scope of the decision, but as the story begins to unfold it quickly becomes clear that her decision will mean that neither she nor Darius will ever be able to love another person again, and will spend the rest of their days pining for each other. It’s a fate neither of them wants, but are forced to face it nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Darcy is left to save Orion’s life, as in the previous book we left him bleeding out on the floor of a cave after his recently-recovered-from-the-shadows sister Clara drained all the blood from him in a savage attack before fleeing. To Darcy’s dismay, the only person she’s able to find is Seth, but Seth does everything in his power to save Orion. Darius shows up to assist just in time, but it’s a close call, and once they get him back to his house, they all agree that Clara needs to be stopped.

Unfortunately for everyone, Clara flees straight to Lionel, as it turns out she is his guardian. Lionel immediately welcomes her home and starts up a wildly inappropriate and creepy relationship with her, preventing anyone from putting an end to her through his protection.

As the story progresses, the Heirs see how miserable Darius is and decide to put their differences with the Vega twins aside in favour of finding a way to break the curse that the stars have put on Tory and Darius. They eventually team up with Orion, Darcy, and Geraldine, and as one, they all begin to move various plots forward to help Tory and Darius fall in love so that if they find a way to break the curse of the stars, they’ll be ready to be together. 

Most of the book centres around this goal until Orion and Darcy are caught together, which breaks Solarian law. Orion sacrifices himself for Darcy’s reputation and is convicted of his charges. He’s sentenced to 25 years in the most intense prison in Solaria, leaving Darcy completely broken in his absence. 

As the plot progresses, Tory and Darcy learn more critical information about how their parents died and Lionel’s role in it, and they vow alongside Darius and the Heirs to take Lionel down, but before they can, Lionel unleashes a plot to capture one of the twins to use for his means. This culminates in a massive battle between the Heirs, the Vegas, Lionel, and Clara, and leaves the group broken in seemingly irrevocable ways. 

The Review

This book was textbook Zodiac Academy, with all of my favourite aspects: conflict between the Vegas and the Heirs, new magic as they all progress in their schooling, and an explosive ending that shattered my heart. I did find that the pacing of this book was slower than the previous ones, and it took me a while to get into it, but I did get there and I’m so invested that there’s no way I wouldn’t continue the series from here.

I loved seeing Tory grow in this book since she’s probably the most hard-headed antihero/heroine I’ve encountered in a while. She’s so stubborn and determined to live on her terms that she often overlooks the bigger picture, but in this book, you finally see some of her vulnerability win out. Peckham and Valenti still keep her sharp as nails, and she has a twisted sense of justice, but it was nice to see her evolve to accept her feelings. 

The only challenge I have with these books at this point is just that it feels like no character will ever be happy. Whenever someone grabs even a modicum of joy or peace, it’s immediately blown to pieces in the most dramatic fashion possible. I was raging at the end of this book, so incredibly mad at how Tory ends up getting used against Darius and for Lionel, but at the same time, I’m still invested in needing to know if it stays that way, so I know the plot twist works, but DAMN. I still would like to see someone just get to enjoy themselves for a little while before everything goes to shit. 

While this wasn’t my favourite book of this series, that by no means insinuates I didn’t enjoy it. It was consistent with the rest of the series for me, which can be a little cringe-y, but is dear to my heart regardless. Once I’ve recovered a little from the heartbreak of the finale of this one I’ll pick up the next book but for right now I need a minute to recover.