Zodiac Academy 5: Cursed Fates

Darcy and Tory have finally started to uncover the truth about their past and their place in Solaria, but their lives are far from becoming easier. With Lionel becoming an increasingly dangerous threat and tensions between the students at Zodiac Academy continuing to rise, the twins have to navigate powerful enemies, complicated relationships and the consequences of their growing abilities. As more secrets about their destiny come to light, Darcy and Tory are forced to decide how far they are willing to go to take back what was stolen from them. After having some issues with the ending of the previous book, I hesitated to continue the series. But even though I didn’t immediately continue, I was right back in the story as soon as I picked up the fifth book. While the other books had a pretty intense pacing, this one felt a bit slower, especially in the first half of the book. I think this worked well for the story, as it gave more room for the relationships between the heirs and the twins to develop and for us to see more of the individual struggles each of the characters had to deal with. I especially enjoyed seeing them become more of a group and start to develop something like friendships with each other. The tension between Tory and Darius remains one of my favourite parts, even if it is sometimes incredibly frustrating because they just don’t seem able to truly admit their feelings. However, we get some first glimpses of Tory recognizing the good in Darius, even if she isn’t ready to admit it yet, which gives me hope for the next book. I also really enjoyed Darcy and Orion’s relationship. Their storyline definitely put me through some emotions, but it is great to see how devoted they are to each other. We also learn quite a bit more about Solaria and its history, as well as the twins’ destiny and all the predictions that have been made about them. While the first half was more focused on the characters and their relationships, the story really picks up towards the end and the last part was extremely hard to put down. There were definitely moments when I hated what was happening, but I still couldn’t stop reading. And once again, the book ends with a massive cliffhanger that I definitely did not see coming and that made me want to pick up the next book asap. All in all, Cursed Fates was another addictive and emotional addition to the series, with a slower start that gave more room for the characters and relationships to develop, but an ending that completely pulled me back in, so I’m giving it 4.5 stars.

This series just pulls me in deeper and deeper with every book, and this one might be my favorite so far. Every single storyline is packed with tension, intensity, deep emotions, and longing! Plot after plot keeps you completely hooked. I found myself crying, laughing, and screaming at this book all at once. The ending absolutely destroyed me—I haven’t been able to continue with book six since, and I’m more than just scared to do so. It’s incredible, it’s amazing, and it’s a rollercoaster of emotions that I’ll never forget.