The Awakening

The Awakening is the first instalment of the Zodiac Academy series by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti.

The Awakening follows two sisters, Tory and Darcy, who are forced to fend for themselves after their foster parent throws them out before their eighteenth birthday. Living a life of chaos and uncertainty, Tory and Darcy are slapped in the face by the revelation that they are the long-lost children of a celestial King and Queen, and they have been invited to attend Zodiac Academy with the hopes they will reclaim their right to the throne. Upon arrival, they are immediately hated and quickly become the targets of the other four celestial heirs who see the twins as a colossial threat to their own birthright.

I think a good indicator of how much I enjoy a book is based on how quickly I read it and I'm pretty sure I finished this within 24 hours — I couldn't put it down! I have already spoken about how repetitive and exhausted the romantasy genre has become recently, but considering that The Awakening was first published in 2019, it feels like it was ahead of its time. Tory and Darcy are brilliant as our FMCs because despite being twins, they are so different and their individual story arcs are so interesting to follow. Our MMCs are your stereotypical high school bullies but there is definitely character depth there to be explored.

The plot is so exciting and you want to see Tory and Darcy rise above all odds despite everyone seemingly praying for their downfall. Obviously, the fantastical elements in this book are not realistic, but the way Tory and Darcy deal with this new world they are thrust into definitely feels real as all they've known is their lives as regular teenage girls. Both girls stand up for themselves and don't allow themselves to be pushed over easily, which is great to see as a reader who is used to FMCs coming across as 'weak' and 'feeble' in romantasy books.

This is a lengthy series, so I am excited to embark on the next book and see where Zodiac Academy takes me next!