Ruthless Fae (Zodiac Academy 2)

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.

They tried to break us.
They almost did.
But we're not going anywhere.

The Celestial Heirs think the stars are on their side. But they don't know what's coming. We have to be smart. Fighting them one on one isn't an option so we have to be stealthy. Remaining under the radar won't be easy, but if we pull it off, they'll never suspect our involvement when their lives start falling apart.

Besides, they've already taken us to the brink of hell, what more can they really do?

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

Hello! I am Caroline Peckham and I write with my sister Susanne Valenti! We're best selling co-authors of all things dark romance - fantasy and contemporary, M/F and RHs, there’s something for everyone, as long as you love characters who will break your heart, stomp on it and laugh over the pieces before putting them all back together in the end.

We live in the South East of England, kinda near London but far enough out to be able to look at fields all wistfully and shit if the mood takes us. We work together from our countryside office through the week, writing down most of the madness that exists in our heads on paper, so that you can come and escape to our imaginary worlds for a little bit too. We don’t shy away from twisted cliffhangers, and love an Alpha asshole, but our leading women are of the badass, take no shit lying down variety, so it’s always a rollercoaster of a ride. We can’t wait for you to buckle up with us!

Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae by Caroline Peckham continues the dark, emotionally intense story of Tory and Darcy Vega as they struggle to survive in the brutal magical world of Solaria. After the events of the first book, the twins are no longer completely unaware of who they are or the danger surrounding them. They now know they are the lost heirs to the throne, and they understand that Zodiac Academy is not just a school where they can quietly study magic. It is a battleground where power is tested constantly, where bloodlines matter, and where weakness invites cruelty. If The Awakening was about shock and discovery, Ruthless Fae is about resistance. The Vega twins begin to fight back more directly, and that shift gives the novel a stronger sense of momentum and purpose.

Tory and Darcy enter this second stage of their journey with more knowledge but not much more safety. The Celestial Heirs, who see the twins as a threat to their future and their families’ control, continue to make life miserable for them. The bullying, manipulation, and hostility that defined much of the first book are still central here, but the emotional balance begins to change. The twins are no longer only reacting to what is done to them. They are learning how to play the game, how to use their own power, and how to stop being easy targets. This makes the story feel more satisfying because their anger and resilience begin turning into action. They are still outnumbered and often outmatched, but they are no longer simply enduring. They are adapting.

One of the most important developments in Ruthless Fae is the growth of Tory and Darcy as distinct individuals. Their bond remains the heart of the series, but the book gives each sister more room to develop her own emotional arc, desires, and style of strength. Tory remains fierce, impulsive, and defiant, often charging into conflict with a kind of raw instinct that can be both powerful and dangerous. She is deeply unwilling to submit, and that makes her both compelling and vulnerable. Darcy, meanwhile, continues to be more reflective and emotionally aware, but she is far from passive. Her strength lies in observation, endurance, and a quieter form of courage that becomes increasingly important as the political and personal tensions around them deepen. Together they are strongest, but the novel makes it clear that each sister is becoming formidable in her own right.

The magical world also opens up more in this book. Solaria’s system of power, elemental magic, and Fae hierarchy becomes richer as the twins train harder and begin unlocking more of their abilities. Their education at Zodiac Academy is still harsh and often dangerous, but it now carries more excitement because they are starting to understand how much potential they actually have. The idea that they could become powerful enough to challenge the established order no longer feels distant or theoretical. That possibility starts to feel real, even if it remains difficult and dangerous. The academy itself continues to function less like a nurturing school and more like a social battlefield where magic, intimidation, and status are constantly intertwined.

A major part of the novel’s intensity comes from the continuing relationships between the Vega twins and the Celestial Heirs. These dynamics remain charged with hostility, competition, attraction, and emotional confusion. The Heirs are still cruel, still shaped by privilege and fear, but they begin to show more complexity in this installment. Rather than remaining one-dimensional tormentors, they start to reveal cracks in their loyalty, their certainty, and their understanding of the twins. There is still a strong enemies-to-lovers energy running through many of these interactions, but it is tangled up with resentment, mistrust, and power imbalance. This creates much of the addictive tension the series is known for. The emotional atmosphere is rarely calm. Relationships feel dangerous, unstable, and full of shifting motives.

Tory’s storyline in particular carries a fierce emotional charge as her rebellious nature collides with both attraction and danger. She is often drawn toward situations that are risky, emotionally volatile, or difficult to control, and this gives her arc a raw intensity. Darcy’s relationships, by contrast, often develop with more emotional shading and internal conflict, though they are no less complicated. In both cases, romance is never simple or soft in this world. Desire is mixed with rivalry, pride, and uncertainty, making every connection feel unstable. This may frustrate some readers, but for fans of dark academy romance, it is part of the series’ appeal. Love is not a refuge here. It is another battlefield.

The theme of power remains central throughout the novel. Everyone in Solaria seems to understand power in terms of dominance, control, and hierarchy, and the twins are forced to confront what it means to claim their place in such a system. They are the rightful heirs, but that title alone gives them no practical protection. If anything, it paints a target on them. To survive, they must become stronger not only in magic but in strategy, confidence, and emotional toughness. The book repeatedly shows that inheritance means little without the ability to defend it. This is one of the harsher truths of the world the authors have built: justice does not come automatically, and legitimacy does not guarantee victory.

Friendship and alliance also begin to matter more in Ruthless Fae. While the twins remain isolated in many ways, they start to find cracks in the social structure around them. Not everyone is entirely loyal to the old order, and not everyone sees them only as enemies. These shifts are subtle, but they matter because they suggest the twins may not have to fight completely alone forever. In a world built on cruelty and competition, even small moments of loyalty or understanding feel significant. The novel uses these moments carefully, balancing them against betrayal and mistrust so that the reader is never allowed to feel too secure.

The writing style remains dramatic, fast-moving, and emotionally heightened. Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti lean fully into the series’ dark tone, intense character interactions, and addictive cliffhanger energy. The book is not subtle in its emotions. It is full of rage, desire, humiliation, triumph, and revenge, often turned up to a very high level. For readers who enjoy grounded fantasy realism, this may feel excessive, but for readers drawn to dramatic dark fantasy romance, it is exactly what gives the series its force. The emotional stakes are always immediate, and the characters’ reactions are designed to pull the reader into their turmoil.

By the end of Ruthless Fae, the Vega twins have changed in important ways. They are still under threat, still surrounded by enemies, and still far from safe, but they are no longer the same girls who first stumbled into Solaria confused and unprepared. They are beginning to understand their strength, their enemies, and the harsh rules of the world they were born into. The second book does not offer peace or full victory. Instead, it deepens the conflict and sharpens the sense that the twins are heading toward something much larger than school rivalries. The personal and political tensions are becoming more entangled, and the stakes are clearly rising.

Overall, Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae is a darker, stronger, and more emotionally charged continuation of the series. It builds on the first book by giving Tory and Darcy more agency, more magical growth, and more complicated relationships, while keeping the same atmosphere of danger and tension that defines the world of Solaria. It is a story about fighting back in a place designed to break you, about discovering strength through pain, and about refusing to disappear even when everyone around you wants you to. The novel leaves the reader with the sense that the real war for the Vega twins’ future has only just begun.