Phuong ✯'s Reviews > The Reckoning

– 4.5 stars

SONG:
Love Me Like That – Ella Mai

Libra on the cover
Libra is Lance Orion's zodiac sign
Libra is my zodiac sign

This book being my favorite in the series so far, a coincidence or written in the stars?

Zodiac Academy: The Reckoning is actually the first book this year that I'm giving 5 stars. I was thinking about rounding down to 4 stars, because this book is far from perfect, but Darcy + Orion have me in a chokehold and I love them so much. All the stars for them and only them. 💫

Warning: I don't think I mentioned any big spoilers in this reviews that would affect your reading experience too much, but then I'm pretty bad at writing spoiler free reviews so here the spoiler warning.

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➵ PLOT
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After the events at the end of ZA: Ruthless Fae , everyone is still in shocked, but as a Fae you have to move on. One week until The Reckoning, also known at Zodiac Academy as Hell's week. The seniors are making the lives for the Juniors even harder, because they need to prepare them for the Reckoning.

Tory, Darcy and their friends are trying to survive Hell's week and going through the trials for each of their elements.

This book included the heirs + Orions POVs again, as well as Tory and Darcy's POV.

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➵ CHARACTERS & RELATIONSHIPS
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↠ TORY & DARCY VEGA.

We finally find out in this book what their Order is and I'm so happy about it!! Lemme just say that their Order ist fucking BADASS. The twins are already pretty badass, cause they hold all four elements, but I love love love their Order so much. From all mythicial creatures that one is by far my favorite.

I'm still liking both Tory and Darcy. Tory has more individual badass moments, but Darcy has the better romance imo lol.

When we were together, we were safe. Tory had been my only constant in life and no matter where we were or whatever happened to us, I knew I always had her.

↠ PROFESSOR LANCE ORION. This guy is so fucking dramatic and I love every second of it. Watch me open my own fanclub for him. I would be the Geraldine and bringing him food & drinks. It would be an honor to be his blood bag. Everything for you sir.
How he keeps being the biggest asshole to everyone (Tory included), his pep talk in his class–legendary stuff–but he is soft, jealous and possessive when it comes to Darcy. We love that. 💅

Okay ngl Orion had one jealous "WTF" moment in this book, when I was screaming at my screen what the hell he was thinking about??? But seriously I love this guy so much and sometime he is just such an asshole and dumbass that I'm looking the other way. Orion could go and kill every single character and I'd be like "my husband has a very valid reason for all the slaughtering".

"Mr Indus has something to say," Orion announced. Elijah cleared his throat. The class waited attentively and some people sniggered. "I'm pathethic."
"And?" Orion prompted.
"And a coward."
Orion cocked his head, still waiting. Elijah sighed. "And I'd like to apologise to you all for being an embarassement to the school. And to Solaria. And to the entire race of Fae."
"If you wak out again you're done." Orion snarled and I sensed he really meant that.

"Hungover, Miss Vega?" he growled and she sighed, realising her mistake.
"Yes, sir. If you fancy sending any of your healing magic this way, that would be swell."
Orion gave her one of his darkest smiles that said he definitely wasn't her friend right then. "Oh I won't be doing that. If you turn up to my class hungover you can deal with the consequences." He shot to her side at a fierce speed and bellowed, "CAN'T YOU?!" in her ear. It even made me flinch, but Tory winced with pure pain.

Pleasesseeeee DKFKSLFJFLDSFLS, can he get even more annoying? 😭🤚

↠ DARCY & ORION.


credits to yukitosan on twitter

My ride or die. These two are my favorite couple of this series no competition. A lot of people prefer Darius, because he has this intense bad boy aura, but it's always going to be Orion and Darcy for me. He cares so much for her and this book was peak Orion and Darcy moments. Every single scene was gold. Orion and Darcy the reason why I'm lowkey obsessed with this series. They are relationship goals and you can't change my mind. 😌

Lance:
I guess you're about to go radio silence so for what it's worth...
In Solario blue means royal. And to me, blue means you.

The reason behind Darcy's blue hair and every time Orion calls her 'Blue' it's hitting me right in the feels and then he goes and says this. 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Lance:
Seeing another guy's hands on you makes me want to rip out their eyes so they never get to look at you again.

I have so many highlights of them and it's so hard to chose quotes so I'm always inserting random ones.

"Hm... you're missing something though."
"What?" I frowned.
He reached behind his seat and produced the crown he'd won at the fair, placing it on my head. I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt.
"Better," he said, his eyes becoming hooded as he rested his hands on my thights and drew me closer.
"If you go around placing crowns on my head, you're going to be in trouble," I teased and his mouth skewed.
"Well let's not tell anyone then," he said, leaning in to kiss my neck.

That whole car sex scene is hot. 🥵

And one last text message between them, bc they are so cute. 😭

Lance:
I'll make it worth your while if you pass the Reckoning today. #motivation #seemeafterclass

Darcy:
I can't believe you just hashtagged me!

Lance:
I can't believe you're not in my bed right now. #missyourpeach

I want what they have! Orion and Darcy call me single on every level possible and I don't know if I should be sad or happy about that. 😭

↠ TORY & DARIUS.

I thought I have read slowburn before, but Tory and Darius give slowburn another meaning, cause we are already 3 books in a.k.a. almost 1700 pages into the series and these two haven't even had their first kiss yet. I'm starting to get annoyed at all the Tory & Caleb sex scenes, cause I really don't see a point in them. They are fuck 'buddies' (and I use that term losely, cause they are not really buddies) and everything is clearly hinting at Tory and Darius being endgame and I want to see more scenes of Tory & Darius together instead we get tons of Tory and Caleb having sex all over the academy. But at least the few scenes between Tory and Darius were good. I really love the scenes where she was going home with Darius and was bonding with his brother Xavier and then when they were racing with their motorbikes or when Darius took care of Tory when she was drunk and her magic was out of controll. Reading those scenes I'm always like "omg look how good you two could have been if you should only get your shit together" The motorbike racing scene was the first scene where I started to truly like them, cause they have the chemistry, but the push and pull is ehhh not my jam. Darius and Tory's whole dynamic is making one step forward and then 10 steps back.

She wasn't just a girl though. Not to me. She was the one girl I shouldn't want, the one I couldn't have, the one I didn't need. And yet I did. And everything in my life could be damaged so badly by that need that I'd fought it tooth and claw up until this point.

↠ THE HEIRS.

I hate myself a little, because I want to hold a grudge against them, after everything they pulled against the twins, but I'm actually starting to like them. 😩 I don't really care about Caleb and Max as much as individual, because Caleb is in the way of Tory and Darius. Upon my 2nd read of this series Caleb seems even more pathetic and clingy with Tory and he just doesn't get the hint that she is not interested in him. Whereas Max is not in the story enough to be relevant (his interactions w Geraldine are funny tho). But I actually like Seth. He is so clingy with his friends and needs so much affection and I feel so bad for him when no one wants to give him a hug. And Darius he is a FREAKING DRAGON and bc I love his relationship with his brother. But I also like their group dynamic (when they're not trying bully the twins)

Seth bounded out of the chair and leapt on Darius like he'd just declared his undying love for him instead of offering a consolation hug. He jumped into Darius' arms and knocked him back onto the bed where they fell on top of Cal who got dragged into the hug too. I laughed as the mood in the room switched dramatically and amusement, happiness and friendship filled the air. I got up and dove on top of them as well, earning myself more licks from Seth as he alternated between all of us.
"Come on, Orion," Seth called excitedly. "You can join my honorary pack for the night."
"Not a fucking chance," Orion replied, folding his arms as he stayed well away from us where we were all tangled on the bed.

↠ Orion & Darius.

I love the bromance between Orion and Darius so much. They are bonded together, it's part why they are so affectionate with e/a, but it's cute & hilarious as hell. The way Max described that Darius would drop the Heirs like a sack of shit once Orion was around.... I mean why hang out with any of them, when he can hang out with THE Orion. I would do the same.

I turned away from Darius and he jumped onto my back, locking his legs around my waist. "Giddy up pony."

↠ SIDE-CHARACTERS.

In this book Xavier has to be my favorite side characters. I love Darius' little brother so much and someone get him out of that abusive home asap!!!! I want to kill Xavier & Darius' father for a lot of things, but right now it's for the way he treats Xavier. My baby. 😭😭😭

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➵ CONCLUSION
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This series is so addictive!! It's really long, but the writing is good and I just fly though it without it getting boring, even though the plot is a bit slow.

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ZODIAC ACADEMY SERIES

#0.5 Zodiac Academy: Origin of an Academy Bully – 3.75 stars
#1 Zodiac Academy: The Awakening – 3.5 stars
#2 Zodiac Academy: Ruthless Fae – 3.75 stars
#3 Zodiac Academy: The Reckoning – 4.5 stars
#4 Zodiac Academy: Shadow Princess – 4.5 stars
#5 Zodiac Academy: Cursed Fates – 4.25 stars
#5.5 Zodiac Academy: The Big A.S.S. Party – 3.5 stars
#6 Zodiac Academy: Fated Throne – 4.25 stars
#7 Zodiac Academy: Heartless Sky – 3.75 stars
#8 Zodiac Academy: Sorrow and Starlight – tbr
#9 Zodiac Academy: tbd – tbr
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