5/5
Zodiac Academy : Shadow Princess by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
“I don’t want you on your knees. I want you fighting me and hating me and fucking me like you mean it. You’re Roxanya Vega and you weren’t built to bow to anyone,” – Darius Acrux
Shadow Princess kicks off where The Reckoning ended with Tory, Darcy, Darius and Orion dealing with the horrors they all endured at the hands of Lionel Acrux.
As the tale unfolds and stories from their past are unveiled, the Vega twins start to question everything – including each other.
Shadow Princess is most certainly the darkest of the books and lives up to its name with corruption seeping into relationships, magic and dreams.
It’s an honest look at the way different people tackle trauma, Tory especially reveals a darker side to her character we always knew was there but circumstances force it to tear through her cool demeanour.
A fresh new character is introduced and has a surprising impact on one of the more intriguing relationships. Not to mention everyones favourite Cerberus receives some much deserved attention.
Now that their orders have been revealed Darcy and Tory’s confidence builds and with it more enemies arise.
But for the first time The Heirs are forced to work along The Princesses and it’s a showdown like no other.
With the previous three Zodiac Academy books wickedness seemed to bubble and boil but within Shadow Princess it finally rises to the surfaces with heartbreaking consequences.
The supernatural isn’t the only aspect that darkens; the spice is rougher, hotter and achingly more desperate.
The cliffhanger of an ending left tears flowing and questions whirring, did they really just break our hearts?
Only time will tell but one thing is for certain; happy endings don’t seem to exist in Solaria.
By Emily
Emily Vierke 