Zodiac Academy: The Awakening

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2020

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-15

Chapters 16-20

Chapters 21-26

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Background

Author Context: Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti are sisters and co-authors whose works span the wider romance genre. Some of their explored subgenres include contemporary romance, fantasy romance, paranormal romance, and reverse harem (i.e., stories in which the woman lead has several love interests but never chooses between them). Reverse harem is somewhat explored in The Awakening, as both Darcy and Tory have several potential love interests, and they do not choose a single partner in this first installment.

In 2015, Peckham and Valenti drafted their first novels separately and self-published them on Amazon. After writing several series individually, they began co-writing. The sisters explore dark themes, explore the complexity of masculinity through relationships, and create formidable women characters. Their works are often categorized as darker romance due to their complex and mature themes. Zodiac Academy tackles dark and complex themes such as extreme bullying, sexual harassment, and misogyny.

The co-authored works by Peckham and Valenti include the Age of Vampires (2019), Forbidden Fairytales (2019), Boys of Sinners Bay (2020), Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac (2020-21), Harlequin Crew (2020-22), Darkmore Penitentiary (2021), Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep (2020-21), and Dead Men Walking (2021-22) series. Zodiac Academy remains the authors’ most popular series, having sold more than 2.8 million copies. The English sisters formed a UK-based publishing company called Dark Ink Publishing, which will distribute titles through the US via Simon & Schuster. Their upcoming release, Never Keep, a new series starter, will be published by Dark Ink Publishing in 2024.

Series Context: Zodiac Academy

Zodiac Academy is an Amazon and Wall Street Journal #1 best-selling dark fantasy romance series from Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. The series is a viral sensation on “BookTok”—a TikTok community focused on books and literature. The series, set in a magical Fae prep school called Zodiac Academy, follows royal twins Darcy and Tory Vega, who have grown up in the mortal world after their parents, the King and Queen of Solaria, were murdered. Their return places the fate of the throne in question and creates immediate enemies of the four Celestial Heirs—Max Rigel, Sam Capella, Caleb Altair, and Darius Acrux—set to inherit and share the throne. While the Celestial Heirs begin as the main antagonists, this is soon overshadowed by the mounting threat of the Fae’s ultimate enemy—the Nymphs.

The first installment sets up the magical world that Darcy and Tory transition to after leaving the mortal world. The novel’s exposition includes astrology and mythology to develop Fae society and magic. The Awakening’s slower pace is like many fantasy sagas: It includes a large cast of characters, sweeping worlds, and complex magic systems. The novel not only follows its own arc progression but also sets up the overall series arc. The first book explores the status quo at the Academy—an exploration of the static world that the protagonists inhabit before an inciting incident propels them into a new world or worldview. The betrayal by the Celestial Heirs and the cliffhanger at the end of the first novel acts as this inciting incident, convincing Darcy and Tory to alter their view of Solaria and the Academy to face the obstacles ahead.

The Zodiac Academy saga consists of nine books and several novellas and short stories. The main series includes The Awakening (2019), Ruthless Fae (2019), The Reckoning (2019), Shadow Princess (2020), Cursed Fates (2020), Fated Throne (2020), Heartless Sky (2021), Sorrow and Starlight (2022), and Restless Stars (2024). The novellas and short stories include Origins of an Academy Bully (2020), The Awakening as Told by the Boys (2021), Beyond the Veil (2023), and Live and Let Lionel (2024).