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Series · fantasy romance

Zodiac Academy

by Caroline Peckham

The Zodiac Academy series by Caroline Peckham has 13 known books (13 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with The Awakening (2019). Restless Stars is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.

Books
13 known books (9 novels + 2 novellas + 1 short story + 1 companion)
Published
13
First published
2019
Status
completed
Shelved under
Fantasy , Romance
Start here: The Awakening (2019) — then read straight through in publication order.
Book one
Cover of The Awakening
The Awakening (2019)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. The Awakening

    Novel
    The Awakening (2019, 484 pages) opens Zodiac Academy, introducing twins Tory and Darcy Vega as they discover they're the lost Fae heirs to the throne of Solaria and collide with the four ruthless Celestial Heirs raised to inherit it. It sets the bully-romance tone -- astrology-flavored magic, brutal cliffhangers, warfare instead of rivalry -- that Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti carry through all nine main books.
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  2. Ruthless Fae

    Novel
    Ruthless Fae (2019, 538 pages) is the second Zodiac Academy novel, following The Awakening and preceding the prequel novella Origins of an Academy Bully in the reading order. The twins' war with the four Celestial Heirs escalates further, in keeping with the series' long, cliffhanger-heavy structure.
    View book

  3. Origins of an Academy Bully

    Novella
    Origins of an Academy Bully (2019, 127 pages) is a prequel novella slotting into Zodiac Academy between Ruthless Fae and The Reckoning, though it's best enjoyed later, once readers know the Celestial Heir it centers on -- Peckham and Valenti place it for context around book six or seven rather than as an early read.
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  4. The Reckoning

    Novel
    The Reckoning (2020, 528 pages) holds the third position in Zodiac Academy, continuing Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti's escalation from academy cruelty toward kingdom-level war between Tory and Darcy Vega and the Celestial Heirs.
    View book

  5. Shadow Princess

    Novel
    Shadow Princess (2020, 653 pages), written jointly by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, continues Zodiac Academy after The Reckoning as the fourth main novel, deepening the enemies-to-lovers arcs that take entire volumes to turn across the series.
    View book

  6. Cursed Fates

    Novel
    Running 704 pages, Cursed Fates (2020) continues Zodiac Academy after Shadow Princess as the fifth main novel, part of the series' sprawling, escalating structure between the twin heirs and the Celestial Heirs sent to destroy them.
    View book

  7. The Big A.S.S. Party

    Short story
    The Big A.S.S. Party (2020, 119 pages) is a short extra slotting into Zodiac Academy between Cursed Fates and Fated Throne, best read straight after Cursed Fates for maximum effect, in keeping with how the series' novellas are timed to land at specific emotional beats.
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  8. Fated Throne

    Novel
    Fated Throne (2020, 664 pages) is the sixth Zodiac Academy novel, sitting between the short piece The Big A.S.S. Party and the spin-off retelling The Awakening as Told by the Boys in the series' extras-inclusive reading order. The bully-romance stakes keep climbing toward kingdom-level conflict.
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  9. The Awakening as Told by the Boys

    Companion
    Running 560 pages, The Awakening as Told by the Boys (2021) continues Zodiac Academy after Fated Throne by retelling the events of the first novel from the point of view of the four Celestial Heirs -- one of several extras Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti wove into the main reading order.
    View book

  10. Heartless Sky

    Novel
    Heartless Sky (2021, 714 pages) is the seventh Zodiac Academy novel, arriving between the extra The Awakening as Told by the Boys and Sorrow and Starlight. It continues the sprawling cast and brutal cliffhangers that have made the series a BookTok staple, including its infamous mid-series twist.
    View book

  11. Sorrow and Starlight

    Novel
    Running 831 pages, Sorrow and Starlight (2022) continues Zodiac Academy after Heartless Sky as the eighth main novel, one of the longest entries in a series known for escalating length as the story moves from academy politics to full kingdom war.
    View book

  12. Beyond the Veil

    Novella
    Beyond the Veil (2023, 416 pages) is book 8.5 of Zodiac Academy, sitting between Sorrow and Starlight and the series finale Restless Stars. Like the other Zodiac Academy extras, it's positioned to be read only after its preceding main-line novel for full effect.
    View book

  13. Restless Stars

    Novel
    Restless Stars (2024, 910 pages), co-written by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, closes out Zodiac Academy's main nine-book arc, following the extra Beyond the Veil. It's the ending of the continuous, heavily cliffhung story that began with The Awakening in 2019.
    View book
The order the story's events happen in, novellas slotted where they belong.

  1. Origins of an Academy Bully

    Novella
    Origins of an Academy Bully (2019, 127 pages) is a prequel novella slotting into Zodiac Academy between Ruthless Fae and The Reckoning, though it's best enjoyed later, once readers know the Celestial Heir it centers on -- Peckham and Valenti place it for context around book six or seven rather than as an early read.
    View book

  2. The Awakening

    Novel
    The Awakening (2019, 484 pages) opens Zodiac Academy, introducing twins Tory and Darcy Vega as they discover they're the lost Fae heirs to the throne of Solaria and collide with the four ruthless Celestial Heirs raised to inherit it. It sets the bully-romance tone -- astrology-flavored magic, brutal cliffhangers, warfare instead of rivalry -- that Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti carry through all nine main books.
    View book

  3. The Awakening as Told by the Boys

    Companion
    Running 560 pages, The Awakening as Told by the Boys (2021) continues Zodiac Academy after Fated Throne by retelling the events of the first novel from the point of view of the four Celestial Heirs -- one of several extras Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti wove into the main reading order.
    View book

  4. Ruthless Fae

    Novel
    Ruthless Fae (2019, 538 pages) is the second Zodiac Academy novel, following The Awakening and preceding the prequel novella Origins of an Academy Bully in the reading order. The twins' war with the four Celestial Heirs escalates further, in keeping with the series' long, cliffhanger-heavy structure.
    View book

  5. The Reckoning

    Novel
    The Reckoning (2020, 528 pages) holds the third position in Zodiac Academy, continuing Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti's escalation from academy cruelty toward kingdom-level war between Tory and Darcy Vega and the Celestial Heirs.
    View book

  6. Shadow Princess

    Novel
    Shadow Princess (2020, 653 pages), written jointly by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, continues Zodiac Academy after The Reckoning as the fourth main novel, deepening the enemies-to-lovers arcs that take entire volumes to turn across the series.
    View book

  7. Cursed Fates

    Novel
    Running 704 pages, Cursed Fates (2020) continues Zodiac Academy after Shadow Princess as the fifth main novel, part of the series' sprawling, escalating structure between the twin heirs and the Celestial Heirs sent to destroy them.
    View book

  8. The Big A.S.S. Party

    Short story
    The Big A.S.S. Party (2020, 119 pages) is a short extra slotting into Zodiac Academy between Cursed Fates and Fated Throne, best read straight after Cursed Fates for maximum effect, in keeping with how the series' novellas are timed to land at specific emotional beats.
    View book

  9. Fated Throne

    Novel
    Fated Throne (2020, 664 pages) is the sixth Zodiac Academy novel, sitting between the short piece The Big A.S.S. Party and the spin-off retelling The Awakening as Told by the Boys in the series' extras-inclusive reading order. The bully-romance stakes keep climbing toward kingdom-level conflict.
    View book

  10. Heartless Sky

    Novel
    Heartless Sky (2021, 714 pages) is the seventh Zodiac Academy novel, arriving between the extra The Awakening as Told by the Boys and Sorrow and Starlight. It continues the sprawling cast and brutal cliffhangers that have made the series a BookTok staple, including its infamous mid-series twist.
    View book

  11. Sorrow and Starlight

    Novel
    Running 831 pages, Sorrow and Starlight (2022) continues Zodiac Academy after Heartless Sky as the eighth main novel, one of the longest entries in a series known for escalating length as the story moves from academy politics to full kingdom war.
    View book

  12. Beyond the Veil

    Novella
    Beyond the Veil (2023, 416 pages) is book 8.5 of Zodiac Academy, sitting between Sorrow and Starlight and the series finale Restless Stars. Like the other Zodiac Academy extras, it's positioned to be read only after its preceding main-line novel for full effect.
    View book

  13. Restless Stars

    Novel
    Restless Stars (2024, 910 pages), co-written by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, closes out Zodiac Academy's main nine-book arc, following the extra Beyond the Veil. It's the ending of the continuous, heavily cliffhung story that began with The Awakening in 2019.
    View book

Key facts about the Zodiac Academy series

The Zodiac Academy series has 13 books on our list. Since all 13 are out now, you can read the whole list today. 9 are novels, while the rest are 2 novellas, a short story and a companion book.

Start with The Awakening, since it opens the publication order in 2019. Ruthless Fae is book 2, from 2019. Origins of an Academy Bully is book 3, from 2019.

The Reckoning is book 4, from 2020. Shadow Princess is book 5, from 2020. Cursed Fates is book 6, from 2020.

The Big A.S.S. Party is book 7, from 2020, while Fated Throne is book 8, from 2020. The Awakening as Told by the Boys is book 9, from 2021.

Heartless Sky is book 10, from 2021, while Sorrow and Starlight is book 11, from 2022. Beyond the Veil is book 12, from 2023. Since the list above shows all 13, you can find the rest there.

However, the story's own timeline begins with Origins of an Academy Bully. Use the order switch above to see that timeline. We also give a recommended order, while noting it is our own advice. It is not publisher canon.

Restless Stars is the latest book with a full release date, out on 23 April 2024. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.

The books came out between 2019 and 2024, while their length runs from 119 to 910 pages. That is a run of 5 years.

Caroline Peckham has 46 books on our list. Additionally, they write Cage of Lies, Age of Vampires and The Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac, plus 6 more series. We shelve the books under fantasy romance.

About the Zodiac Academy series

Zodiac Academy follows twins Tory and Darcy Vega, broke and scraping by in the mortal world, who discover they are Fae — and not just any Fae, but the lost heirs to the throne of Solaria. Enrolled at Zodiac Academy, a school where power is everything and mercy is weakness, they immediately collide with the four Celestial Heirs: ruthless, privileged young men raised to inherit the throne the twins' existence now threatens. What the Heirs deliver is not rivalry but outright warfare, and the series never pretends otherwise.

This is bully romance at maximum voltage, wrapped in an astrology-flavored magic system where star signs and elemental Orders shape each Fae's power. Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti write long, escalating books that shift from academy cruelty to kingdom-level war, with a sprawling cast, brutal cliffhangers, and a willingness to hurt beloved characters that has become the series' calling card — one mid-series twist is infamous across BookTok.

Expect explicit content, dark themes, and enemies-to-lovers arcs that take entire volumes to turn. It suits readers who want their romantasy soapy, savage, and enormous: nine main books, several novellas, and a connected universe of spin-offs. Newcomers should commit to at least three books — the slow-burn structure is the point.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Zodiac Academy series?

Nine main books, from The Awakening (2019) to Restless Stars (2024), plus several extras: the prequel novella Origins of an Academy Bully, the companion The Awakening as Told by the Boys, the short The Big A.S.S. Party, and the novella Beyond the Veil.

What order should I read Zodiac Academy in?

Read the nine numbered books in order: The Awakening, Ruthless Fae, The Reckoning, Shadow Princess, Cursed Fates, Fated Throne, Heartless Sky, Sorrow and Starlight, Restless Stars. Slot the novellas in where their numbering suggests — most importantly, read Beyond the Veil (8.5) only after Sorrow and Starlight.

Is Zodiac Academy finished?

Yes — Restless Stars (2024) concluded the twins' story. The authors continue to publish in the same universe, including the Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac and Darkmore Penitentiary spin-off series.

Do I need to read the spin-off series too?

No. Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac and Darkmore Penitentiary enrich the world and share some characters, but the main nine books tell a complete story on their own. Many fans read Ruthless Boys alongside or after the main series.

Is Zodiac Academy YA?

No — despite the academy setting it is firmly adult, with explicit romance, violence, and dark bullying themes. It is generally recommended for readers 18+.

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