A review by jessicamusch
Shadow Princess by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“Darius Acrux had set out to break me from the first moment he’d ever laid eyes on me. And he’d finally gotten his wish.”

“there is more to the world than power, no matter what society teaches us.”

I can now see why people say you’re in for a ride with Zodiac Academy. This book was a lot. 

When I first started the Zodiac Academy series, I thought ‘this is dumb’, but was peer pressured to persevere. 4 books in and I can say I still think it is a bit dumb, but I’m obsessed with it. Yes, the writing is often crass but the characters are complex and there is now a very tangled web of storylines converging.

Quick thoughts:

• Geraldine and Max!!! Still into this pairing!
• The blossoming friendship between Tory and Orion is sweet 
• I am almost more interested in how the other characters will react to the main characters love (or not so much ..) stories
• Seth and Caleb!!!
• The way the boys POV chapters are written doesn’t feel out of character with their actions. They think in the same way as the girls
• “I mean seriously, a fucking teacher Darcy?”
• When Seth says babe 🤮
• Tory “Making bad choices and owning them”
• The triple D: Darius’s Dragon Dick
• Very excited to see where rejecting the fate mates bond takes the narrative - I’ve never seen this explored in other books, so this is very refreshing and unpredictable!