Book Review: Zodiac Academy, Ruthless Fae by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

Title: Zodiac Academy, Ruthless Fae
Authors: Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
Publisher: Nielsen
Publication Date: September 8, 2021
ISBN: 9781914425035

Synopsis:
The Celestial Heirs think the stars are on their side. But they don’t know what’s coming. We have to be smart. Fighting them one on one isn’t an option so we have to be stealthy. Remaining under the radar won’t be easy, but if we pull it off, they’ll never suspect our involvement when their lives start falling apart. Besides, they’ve already taken us to the brink of hell, what more can they really do?

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While I wasn’t sold on the first book in the Zodiac Academy series, now that I’ve made it to the end of the second novel, I can safely say I’m absolutely hooked. Where I found the two female protagonists hard to stomach in the first book, in the second book they’re starting to come into their own and to blossom as fae as they learn to navigate the savage world of the fae and to embrace themselves for who they truly are.

This book sees the characters grow backbones, develop some questionable romantic interests, end up in heart-stopping near-death situations repeatedly, and begin to discover more about themselves and their mysterious heritage. The first two books would have really benefitted from being combined into one, to really highlight the FMCs’ character arcs. Now that the story is moving, I can’t wait to discover more.

While my feelings towards the Vega twins are shifting into a positive light, those towards the Celestial Heirs are mixed. In Ruthless Fae, the MMCs all begin to show a bit more of their personalities. It seems like redemption is possible for Caleb and Darius, with moments of softness shining through, the jury is still out on Seth and Max. For Caleb and Darius, their respect for the Vega twins is building behind the scenes, as perhaps are some romantic feelings, but they are held back by their family expectations and their position amongst the Heirs. I cannot wait to burn through this series and see how these relationship grow throughout the upcoming books.

Keep an eye out for the next review in this series! I’ll be making my way through this one as I can get my hands on some copies.

Happy reading!