Zodiac Academy 6: Fated Throne

After the events of the previous book, Darcy and Tory are more separated than ever, while Lionel's plans for Solaria are becoming increasingly dangerous. With the threat of war getting closer, their friends and the Heirs have to find a way to bring everyone back together and stop Lionel before he can take control of the kingdom. At the same time, they have to deal with the consequences of the choices they have already made and the difficult paths the stars seem to have planned for them. The sixth book picks up right where the fifth one left us off and so I was right back in the story. Throughout the entire series, the twins have always been by each other's side and this has now truly changed for the first time. While Tory has fully given into the shadows and remains at Lionel's side, Darcy promises to do everything in her power to free her sister. The chapters from Tory's perspective are therefore quite dark, but they also give us the opportunity to learn more about Lionel and what’s going on on their side, as well as what is happening in Solaria. At the same time, it was great to see Tory slowly start to fight her way back from the shadows as the story progressed. On the other hand, Darcy has basically lost everything all at once. Not only is her sister lost to the shadows, but Orion still remains in prison and seems to have given up on their love. Instead of crumbling under this situation, Darcy rises up to the challenge. Her character development in this book is amazing and it's great to see what she can do when given the opportunity. It was especially fascinating how close she and the Heirs grew throughout the book and how the first glimpses of friendship in the last book turned into something real. The Heirs really stepped up and supported Darcy through everything that was going on, and they truly became a team. It showed that Darcy wasn’t the only one who had a growth in character throughout the book. While the beginning was again a bit slower and focused more on the character developments, the pacing picked up towards the end and it seemed like everything was happening at once. There were definitely moments when I hated what was happening, especially in the beginning of the book, but I still couldn’t stop reading. And once again, the book ends with a massive cliffhanger that finally let me feel some kind of hope for the future. All in all, Fated Throne was another emotional and addictive addition to the series, with some great character development and a slower start that eventually led into a much more intense second half, so I’m giving it 4.5 stars.