The Complete Guide to the Zodiac Academy Series

It’s no secret that we love the Zodiac Academy series by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. We discovered the series on Amazon earlier this year and immediately became addicted. We’re so excited that Zodiac Academy 8: Sorrow and Starlight releases in December, so we created a guide in preparation.

We did learn recently that book 8 will no longer be the final book in the series. There will be a Zodiac Academy 9, but we don’t have any details yet.

Warning: Spoilers if you haven’t read the series!

The Books

The Awakening

The Awakening starts with Tory and Darcy Vega, twin Gemini changelings, being brought to Solaria to attend Zodiac Academy. As heirs to the throne, a lot of people don’t want them to return, especially the Celestial Heirs, whose parents have run Solaria for the past 18 years. Darius, Caleb, Max and Seth will do anything to get rid of Tory and Darcy.

Ruthless Fae

While it hasn’t been easy, Tory and Darcy plan to stay at Zodiac Academy and the Celestial Heirs can’t stop them. It’s time to learn what they’re up against. Ruthless Fae introduces the reader to the politics of Solaria and gives more background history to the Vega parents.

The Reckoning

Tory and Darcy have to face The Reckoning, where they face tests to secure their spots at Zodiac Academy. Can the two past all four tests? The Celestial Heirs are hoping they fail and try to prevent their success every step of the way. Too bad the Vegas came for a fight.

Shadow Princess

Shadow Princess is a major turning point for the Vegas. They know their orders, but they also start to face real danger. While they get experience their first Halloween and Christmas Fae style, they also have to face a real threat to their lives. Lionel Acrux is getting stronger.

Cursed Fates

Cursed Fates picks up after two major cliff hangers, one about Darcy and the other regarding Tory. The two made some costly decisions, ones that change the fate of Solaria. At the same time, Lionel is growing his power and building alliances.

Fated Throne

A few weeks after the shocking events in Zodiac Academy 5: Cursed Fates, Darcy Vega and the Celestial Heirs are desperate to save Tory Vega from Lionel Acrux. It’s been a tough summer and the group is ready for another year at Zodiac Academy. But time is running out in Fated Throne. The longer Tory is held captive by Lionel and his minion Clara, the worse her mind gets. Lionel only continues to become more powerful and his PR campaign in Solaria is working. 

Heartless Sky

We left Tory Vega, Darcy Vega and the Heirs after they went to battle with Lionel Acrux. After everything that happened, none of them can go back to Zodiac Academy. Luckily Geraldine’s dad and other anti-Lionel Fae have set up a safe bunker far away from the palace. But everything has changed in Heartless Sky and there’s no going back to normal for anyone, especially the Heirs, who Lionel has stripped of their titles for standing against him. 

Sorrow and Starlight

Sorrow and Starlight picks up where Heartless Sky left off. After a brutal battle between Lionel Acrux’s army and the rebels, everyone is trying to pick up the pieces. Tory has no idea how she can lead the rebels on her own, while Darcy is trying to break a horrible curse that was placed on her. At the same time, Gabriel and Orion are trapped at the Palace of Souls and the Celestial Heirs are prisoners at the Acrux Manor.

Additional Reads

The Awakening as Told by the Boys

The Awakening as Told by the Boys is a retelling of book one, but from the points of views of Darius, Caleb, Max, Seth and Orion. Get ready to get the backstory we all craved.

Origins of an Academy Bully

Origins of an Academy Bully is a prequel that focuses on Lance Orion and Darius Acrux. Orion and Darius have been using dark magic to try to stop Lionel from gaining power.

The Big A.S.S Party

The Big A.S.S Party takes place during Cursed Fates. It’s mostly a feel-good fun short story told from Geraldine’s point of view. She plans a crazy birthday party for Tory and Darcy’s 19th!

Seth on the Moon

As the title explains, this short story is all about Seth Capella’s trip to the moon. We’re not the biggest Seth fans, which is why we haven’t read it yet. However, the cover is super cool.

The Characters

We didn’t list every single character in the series. However, we did list all of the characters who play a big role in the overall plot. Without giving away too much about each character, we wanted to provide a brief synopsis.

Tory Vega

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Air

House: Ignis

Order: Phoenix

Tory is known for her fiery personality, her love of food and her strength. Tory doesn’t take shit from anyone, especially the Heirs. From the start, it’s clear that Tory will have a love triangle with Darius and Caleb.

Darcy Vega

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Air

House: Aer

Order: Phoenix

While not as bold as her sister, Darcy has the same strength. Darcy is the quieter of the two sisters and you can recognize her because of her blue hair. She has instant chemistry with her professor, Lance Orion, even though the relationship is off limits.

Darius Acrux

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Elements: Fire, Water

House: Ignis

Order: Dragon

Darius, aka Dragon Boy, is supposed to be reserved, sexy and a total hot head. He can be a major asshole at times, but it’s clearly because of his horrible father. He has a crush on Tory right away, even if he can’t admit it.

Caleb Altair

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Elements: Earth, Fire

House: Terra

Order: Vampire

Caleb is the funniest and nicest of the Heirs. He’s cute, cheeky and always ready for a good time. Caleb also has a crush on Tory, but he’s not afraid to let his feelings and his lust be known. Who wouldn’t love this earth elemental?

Max Rigel

Zodiac Sign: Pieces

Elements: Water, Air

House: Aqua

Order: Siren

Max doesn’t have a big role in the first couple of books, but he’s known for his Siren powers and his huge crush on Geraldine Grus.

Seth Capella

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Elements: Air, Earth

House: Aer

Order: Wolf

Seth is the worst of the Celestial Heirs. He makes it his mission to torture Darcy and mess with her mind. While all the Heirs have their issues, Seth never redeems himself. He’s also obsessed with the moon.

Lance Orion

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Elements: Air, Water

House: N/A

Order: Vampire

Orion is a professor at Zodiac Academy, despite being in his early 20s. He’s Darius’s guardian and he was the one tasked with finding the Vegas in the human world. He’s known for being aloof and harsh, but it’s obvious he has a soft spot for Darcy.

Xavier Acrux

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Elements: Fire, Water, Earth

House: Ignis

Order: Pegasus

Xavier is Darius’s younger brother and gets a lot of shit from his father. He plays a minor role until he starts at Zodiac Academy, when he gets major character growth and romance.

Tyler Corbin

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Elements: Earth

House: Terra

Order: Pegasus

Tyler is known for his love of posting gossip on Faebook. He’s silly, creative and proud of his order. He also starts falling for Sofia in the third book of the series.

Sofia Cygnus

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Elements: Fire

House: Ignis

Order: Pegasus

Sofia is the twin’s best friend from the start. She’s quiet, kind, smart, but also attracts a lot of attention from men.

Lionel Acrux

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Elements: Fire, Air

House: N/A

Order: Dragon

Lionel is obviously the villain of the story. While we don’t want to spoil too much, we’ll tell you that he’s angry, violent and power hungry.

Catalina Acrux

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Elements: Earth, Fire

House: N/A

Order: Dragon

Catalina starts off the series as someone who is easy to glass over. But we felt so bad for her once we learned her tragic backstory. She cares about her sons more than anything else.

Gabriel Nox

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Elements: Water, Earth

House: N/A

Order: Harpy

Gabriel is Lance’s best friend. He’s also connected to the Vegas in an interesting way. We loved his character introduction in book four, which provides some much-needed back story for other characters.

Diego Polaris

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Elements: Air

House: Aer

Order: N/A

Diego is more complex than most of the other characters. In the first two books he blends in with his friend group, but his family is hiding some dark secrets. Ones that could change to fate of Solaria.

Geraldine Grus

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Elements: Earth, Water

House: Terra

Order: Cerberus

Easily the funniest character in the series, Geraldine knows what she wants and who she supports. She’s the founder of the A.S.S. and constantly championing the Vega twins.