Title: Cursed Fates (Zodiac Academy 5)
Authors: Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
Publisher: Independently published
Publication date: December 21, 2020
ISBN: 9798647484109
Synopsis:
After the devastating events at Zodiac Academy, we have to deal with this darker world we’re faced with.
Lionel seeks to hurt us, the Nymphs seek to hurt the entire Fae race, and between all of it, we just have to try and survive each day as it comes. I’m afraid of everything falling apart, but it looks like it already has.
Wow, these authors really know how to tear your heart out repeatedly, then stomp on it, then set it on fire. There’s so much wild drama unfolding in these books, it’d be almost laughable if it wasn’t so devastating. I am fully entrenched in this series, and while it’s not the most well-written series in the world, the magic, the character drama, and the world building are more than enough to keep you endlessly hooked. I can’t seem to get enough.
The relationship angst in this book is impossible to stomach. Just as you think everything is going to begin to resolve, the authors find a way to thrust a knife in your gut and make everything so much worse than before, and it’s ADDICTIVE. I keep waiting for that light to shine at the end of the tunnel, and it just never does, but is it ever keeping me hooked.
I’m quite heart-broken with the turn that Darcy and Orion’s storyline has taken. These characters deserve the world and more, so I hope as I keep reading that it comes for them. Same thing with Darius and Tory; things finally seemed to be making headway, but by the end of this book, the rug is pulled out from under us all and now I’m left wondering how any of the drama is going to be resolved in the end. One thing I will say is these authors certainly know how to write a cliffhanger that leaves the reader absolutely gutted.
I do love the way the characters are unfolding as this series goes on. The relationship between the Vegas and the heirs is fabulous, and I’m excited to see how it builds even further as the series continues. Honestly, I can’t imagine how we started this series with the characters at such odds and by book five, we’re rooting for them all to be together–I do think that’s a true testament to the authors’ ability to write and build strong characters.
I am really looking forward to when the Vegas and the heirs really reach their true powers. As a reader, the pacing is hard to comprehend. I’ve got to remember that though this is book five, it’s only the end of the Vegas’ first year at school. This many books in and it feels like their powers should be manifesting a lot more at this point, though realistically, they are still in their magical infancy. I can only hope that in the upcoming books they really start to make strides in harnessing and controlling the full extent of their powers, because their going to need it to get out of the mess at the end of this particular book.
Anyone else reading this series? Tell me there is hope to come, please!
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 