The Reckoning (Zodiac Academy 3)

The Zodiac Academy series from the Twisted Sisters and Amazon and Wall Street Journal #1 bestselling authors Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti is a Booktok phenomenon. This print re-issue includes an exclusive bonus chapter, brand new world map, and a new cover. As well as the stunning interior chapter pages which were included in the previous edition.

The answer to your question will be revealed on the Lunar Eclipse.
But when finding the truth, don't let the shadows take you.

The week of The Reckoning has begun.

And senior students have been tasked with making the freshmen's lives pure hell as we prepare to take the assessment that will decide whether we stay at zodiac academy or lose our places here forever.

With the Lunar Eclipse on the horizon, my sister and I have more to worry about than just passing of our exams.

A dark plot is unfolding and the shadows are drawing closer.

It looks like our enemies could be closer than we ever realised.

Perfect for fans of:
Slow burn romance
Dark Academia
Enemies to lovers
Found family
Elemental powers
Morally grey characters
Bully romance
Fated/Rejected mates
Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Sirens, Pegasus and more
Forbidden Love

Caroline Peckham is a #1 WSJ and Amazon bestselling author who co-writes with her sister, Susanne Valenti. Known to their fans as the ‘Twisted Sisters’, the duo has sold over 15 million books, building a reputation for heart-stopping cliffhangers, dark humour and ‘love to hate’ characters.

With over 50 novels spanning dark romance and fantasy, including the viral sensation Zodiac Academy and Ruthless Boys series, they are masters of the ‘happily ever after’ that makes you suffer first.

Based in the UK, the author duo co-own a publishing house called King's Hollow and are often cooking up twisted cliffhangers, fierce FMCs and dark, broody MMCs in their writing cave nestled in the English countryside.

Why not join the Twisted Sisters' mailing list for exclusive teasers at: kingshollow.co.uk

Or head over to their reader group where you can be the first to hear about all of their upcoming projects: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1969723189953113

TikTok: @carolinepeckham
Instagram: @carolinepeckham

Susanne Valenti is a #1 WSJ and Amazon bestselling author who co-writes with her sister, Caroline Peckham. Penned the ‘Twisted Sisters’ by their fans together, they have captivated a global audience with over 15 million books sold, earning a reputation for devious cliffhangers, razor-sharp dark humour and the kind of ‘love to hate’ characters that keep readers up all night.

With a 50 book legacy spanning fantasy and dark romance, including the viral sensation Zodiac Academy and Ruthless Boys series, they are the queens of making you fall in love with the characters just before they tear your heart out, only to piece it back together by the final page.

Based in the UK, the author duo co-own a publishing house called King's Hollow and are often cooking up twisted cliffhangers, fierce FMCs and dark, broody MMCs in their writing cave nestled in the English countryside.

Why not join the Twisted Sisters' mailing list for exclusive teasers at: kingshollow.co.uk

Or head over to their reader group where you can be the first to hear about all of their upcoming projects: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1969723189953113

TikTok: @susannevalenti
Instagram: @susanne_valenti

The Reckoning by Caroline Peckham is the third book in the Zodiac Academy series, and it continues the intense, chaotic story of the Vega twins, Tory and Darcy, as they try to survive life at a brutal magical academy where power, betrayal, and desire all collide. By this point in the series, the twins have already learned that Zodiac Academy is not just a school but a battlefield where students are ranked, tested, humiliated, and pushed to their limits based on their elemental powers and bloodline. In this installment, the pressure becomes even greater as the twins face a major magical trial called the Reckoning, a harsh rite of passage that determines whether they can truly claim their place in Solaria. The stakes are personal as well as political because the twins are still uncovering the truth about who they are, what happened to their parents, and why so many powerful people seem determined to keep them weak or under control.

Tory remains fiery, impulsive, and openly defiant, while Darcy is more cautious and emotionally reflective, but both sisters are becoming stronger in different ways. Their bond remains one of the most important things in the story, especially because the academy and the Fae world around them are full of people who want to split them apart. They are still dealing with the four heirs—Darius, Caleb, Seth, and Lance—whose relationships with the twins are complicated by rivalry, attraction, hostility, and shifting alliances. The heirs are not simply bullies anymore; each of them begins to reveal more layers, and the emotional tension between them and the twins becomes a central part of the book. Some moments are full of anger and power struggles, while others hint at deeper connections and unresolved feelings that neither side fully understands.

The Reckoning itself is one of the most dangerous parts of the story. It is designed to strip away weakness and force the students to confront fear, pain, and magical obstacles in ways that are both physically and psychologically brutal. For Tory and Darcy, the event becomes a test not only of strength but of survival, trust, and identity. They are forced to rely on each other, but they also have to navigate the hostility of classmates, the manipulation of authority figures, and the unpredictable consequences of their own powers. Because the twins are still relatively new to their magical abilities, the academy’s expectations often put them at a disadvantage, yet they continue to fight back in their own stubborn way. Their progress is not smooth or graceful; instead, it is messy, emotional, and hard-won, which makes their growth feel real.

The novel also digs deeper into the darker side of Solaria. Behind the academy’s competitive surface is a society shaped by cruelty, hierarchy, and old secrets. Powerful families, political agendas, and hidden histories all influence the twins’ lives in ways they are only beginning to understand. As the story unfolds, the twins learn more about their parents and the circumstances surrounding their deaths, and these discoveries make them question who they can trust. The truth is never simple in this world. Even people who seem helpful may have selfish motives, and even enemies may hold pieces of the truth. That uncertainty gives the book much of its tension, because every revelation changes the balance of power.

At the same time, the relationships between characters grow more intense and emotionally tangled. Tory’s chemistry with Darius, for example, is full of conflict, attraction, and stubborn resistance. Their connection is built on antagonism, but it also has a magnetic pull that neither of them can fully ignore. Darcy’s bond with Lance develops in its own quieter but equally important way, mixing tenderness with secrecy and emotional risk. Caleb and Seth bring different energies into the twins’ lives, creating a web of attraction, competition, and loyalty that makes the story feel constantly unstable. These dynamics are not just romantic side plots; they are tied to power, vulnerability, and the characters’ struggle to define themselves in a hostile environment.

One of the strongest themes in “The Reckoning” is transformation through suffering. The twins are not the same girls they were when they first arrived at Zodiac Academy. Each humiliation, fight, and betrayal forces them to adapt, and the Reckoning becomes a symbol of their transition from outsiders into people who can no longer be dismissed. Even when they lose, they learn. Even when they are hurt, they become harder to break. This is not a story where growth comes cleanly or gently. Instead, power must be earned through pain, and confidence is built through repeated survival. The twins begin to understand that claiming their place will require more than talent; it will require courage, cunning, and the willingness to challenge people far stronger than themselves.

The book also keeps a strong emotional core beneath all the action. Tory and Darcy’s relationship, their longing for answers about their past, and their hope that they can build a life of their own give the story its heart. Even when the world around them is cruel, they hold onto each other as a source of stability. Their sisterly loyalty becomes a quiet but powerful contrast to the selfishness and manipulation that dominate much of the academy. In a place built on competition, their bond is one of the few things that feels genuinely protective and real.

By the end of “The Reckoning,” the twins have survived another brutal step in their journey, but the world around them is still full of danger, secrets, and unresolved conflict. The book does not offer easy victories. Instead, it leaves the reader with the sense that Tory and Darcy are becoming stronger, but also that the cost of survival in Solaria is high. The Reckoning proves that Zodiac Academy is not simply about learning magic; it is about learning how to endure cruelty, navigate power, and decide what kind of people you will become when the world gives you every reason to break.