Review: ‘Zodiac Academy: The Reckoning’ by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
The Reckoning
by Caroline Peckham, Susanne ValentiSeries: Zodiac Academy #3
Published by Self-Published on October 4, 2019
SubGenres: Paranormal Romance, New Adult Romance
Format: eBook
Pages: 635
Source: Kindle Unlimited
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The answer to your question will be revealed on the Lunar Eclipse.But when finding the truth, don't let the shadows take you.
The week of The Reckoning has begun. And senior students have been tasked with making the freshmen's lives pure hell as they prepare to take their fateful assessment.
With the Lunar Eclipse on the horizon, Tory and Darcy have more to worry about than just passing their exams. A dark plot is unfolding and the shadows are drawing closer...
By the time I type up this review of The Reckoning, I’ve already finished Shadow Princess. Each book in this dang series makes my blood pressure boil. I’m not sure if that is a good thing, but I can’t get enough of these books. Friggin’ Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti! (Trying not to curse, since Amazon hates when I swear in my reviews.) I’m so glad I finally read the Zodiac Academy books, even if they tend to piss me off.
Storyline/My Thoughts: Each book leaves the readers with a cliffhanger, and The Reckoning picks up from the previous book. Tory and Darcy, though, can’t catch a break. It’s time for the Reckoning, but before that happens, it’s hell’s week, and all the newbies at the Academy are going to be put through hell by the Seniors. It’s bad enough that Tory and Darcy are dealing with the Heirs, but now the seniors will make life difficult for a week. Tory and Darcy are determined to get through it and pass their Reckoning. They still don’t know what Order they are in, but they finally find out in this book. (Believe me, their Order does appear in this book, and it’s friggin’ epic! I already had figured when they were going to be, but Caroline Peckham and Susanne confirmed it.) The two Vega sisters have four elements and the most epic f**king Order.
The Heirs and the Vega Twins are still at it in this book. The Heirs will find out what the twins did to them from the last book, and they will not be happy about it. They deserved it, though. They also will make life difficult for the twins since they don’t want them to pass the Reckoning.
I adored two people in this book over all others, and that is Darcy and Orion. I have been rooting for these two to be together since book two. Orion is a jerk at times, but he has his reasoning due to being bound to Darius and siding with the Heirs, but things are about to change. There’s also the issue of their relationship being forbidden since Orion is Darcy’s Professor. (but, f**k that, these are meant for each other.)
Let’s also talk about Tory and Darius. There is so much tension between these two that it’s driving me crazy about how they treat each other. I’m not too fond of slow burns, and these two are those types of people. I did like getting both Darius and Tory’s points of view. They did have a couple of scenes together that made my heart skip a beat, but I needed more from them. The ending with these two is what broke my heart.
Don’t even get me started with Caleb and Tory’s relationship, or should I say weird relationship. Tory is Caleb’s source, but Caleb is obsessed with Tory and won’t leave her alone. Caleb almost hurts in this book, though, which made me upset with him.
Max and Seth are the other heirs, but I’m not fond of them at this moment. I did feel bad for Seth since his pack doesn’t want anything to do with him due to what Darcy did to him to get back for him cutting her hair. I may have other opinions of them in the next book.
Another character I liked in this book was Darius’s little brother, Xavier. He finally finds out his order, and it’s not something that everyone was expecting. I feel terrible for him, especially since his father is a friggin’ a-hole and abusive. I could understand why Darius is very protective of him and why he chose what he did at the end of the book. That doesn’t mean I have to like it, though. I did like how Tory treated Xavier in this book. She wouldn’t want to hurt him anyway, even if his brother is a jerk to her.
The ending ticked me off so much, especially when I thought there were going to be some happy moments between certain characters, but NOPE! Caroline and Susanne did make up for it when Tory and Darcy’s Orders emerged.
Overall, this book gets 4.5 stars from me. I loved how Darcy and Tory are fighting back against the Heirs, and I love how they will protect each other until the end. They are inseparable in this book.
These types of books feed my reading addiction, even though I know Caroline and Susanne will eventually shatter my heart into pieces. I’m falling hard for some of these characters, and I just want them happy.
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Zodiac Academy series and I recommend reading in order.
Steaminess:⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫
Cliffhanger: Friggin’ Yes!!!
Trope(s): Bully Romance, I Hate You, but Love You Secretly, Forbidden Romance (Teacher/Student), Slow Burn Romance, Love Triangle.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you can handle Dark Paranormal Bully Romances, I recommend this book. If you can’t handle bully romances, then these books may not be for you. These books will leave you happy, angry, and heartbroken.
Content Warning(s): This is a Bully Romance, so the Heirs will harass emotionally and physically with the female protagonists. There’s also abuse in the book (father and son – Father is an A-HOLE!)
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About Caroline Peckham
I'm a #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Zodiac Academy series. I write all things dark romance, from fantasy to contemporary, high school bully to mafia, there's bound to be a book for you!
Me and my sister Susanne Valenti now write books together and we've built the most amazing, fun, crazy reader group on Facebook which we would LOVE you to join. Be the first to get teasers of upcoming books, plus interact with us daily, asks us questions, make friends with other book junkies and find your reader home.
About Susanne Valenti
I am Susanne Valenti and I write all kinds of Romance with my sister and co-author Caroline Peckham and you’ve just looked at a bunch of pictures of our faces 🖤
I live in England with the Queen and the red buses and all that jazz. We’re down in the south east, kinda near London but far enough out to be able to look at fields all wistfully and shit if the mood takes me.
I’m married to a dude I met when I was 17 who seemed like a keeper so I held on tight. We have two gorgeous kiddies, a girl and a boy who are in that mental toddler stage so that keeps me busy a lot with jumping in muddy puddles and cutting and sticking and roll playing as a monster (why do I always have to be the t-rex?? But also, why do I always volunteer for the roll? 🤔)
I like to run (alright, like is a bit strong, but I do get my ass out of the house and run while pushing a running buggy with a little boy on board who likes to shout at me to go faster because Daddy is getting away – rude, right?)
My parents are the best, they are super supportive with all of this writing madness me and Caroline have embarked upon and also dive in five hundred percent when my kids demand fairy hunts in the garden, an imaginary tea party or even a millionth rendition of Old McDonald Had A Farm and it’s thanks to them that I get the time to get any writing done at all 💖
I’ve got two cats who are always up to something and a few fish in a tank who seem to be living their best lives…and I think I’m out of interesting facts there….
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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