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

Title: Zodiac Academy, The Reckoning
Authors: Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
Publisher: Nielsen
Publication Date: October 8, 2021
ISBN: 9781914425059

Synopsis:
The week of The Reckoning has begun. And senior students have been tasked with making the freshmen’s lives pure hell as we prepare to take the assessment that will decide whether we stay at zodiac academy or lose our places here forever.

With the Lunar Eclipse on the horizon, my sister and I have more to worry about than just passing of our exams. A dark plot is unfolding and the shadows are drawing closer. It looks like our enemies could be closer than we ever realised.

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Another book down in the Zodiac Academy series and I’m completely hooked. Thank goodness my library just acquired all of the audiobooks, but there are certainly not enough copies to go around. I’ll be waiting a few weeks for the next book in the series, and a few weeks is too long!

In this next book in the series, Tori and Darcy’s magic is beginning to blossom and more and more hints are dropped about their order form. They are coming into their power as more and more students are joining their side in the claim to the Solaria throne. Though neither twin wants to rule, they also don’t back down from a fight, and they deserve to be in Zodiac Academy as much as any other fae. Through The Reckoning, they learn to harness all four elements, take on the four heirs, and deepen their bonds with their love interests.

Still, there is darkness afoot. While the evil nymphs mostly take a backseat in this instalment, shadow magic begins to emerge. While not a lot of time is spent on exploring what this dark magic can truly do, what is conveyed is that it’s bad. I wish a bit more time was spent explaining to the readers what this type of magic is all about. Is it all bad? Are some characters using it for good? Or is using shadow magic inherently evil? There are a lot of unanswered questions that I hope are resolved as this series goes on. It’s enough to entice me to keep reading, but certainly not enough to satisfy my curiosity.

The romance gets more spicy in this book as relationships really start to take root. The characters are morally grey and some of the romantic twists are questionable, but the characters are mostly here for a good time, even if they’re all out to get each other. Some relationship bonds seem to be deeper than others. There were three very distinct soul bonds described in an earlier book, one of which is the protective bond that Darius and Lance share, and I wonder if we’re going to see some of the other bonds (one for enemies and one for lovers) form as the story goes on.

This continues to be an entertaining series, and I can see where it’s been an inspiration for some of the other romantasy authors out there. Can’t wait for my hold on the next book to come up.

Happy reading!