Cursed Fates (Zodiac Academy 5)

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.

After the devastating events at Zodiac Academy, we have to deal with this darker world we're faced with.

Lionel seeks to hurt us, the Nymphs seek to hurt the entire Fae race, and between all of it, we just have to try and survive each day as it comes.

I'm afraid of everything falling apart, but it looks like it already has.

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

Cursed Fates by Caroline Peckham (co written with Susanne Valenti as part of the Zodiac Academy series) is one of the most intense and emotionally brutal installments in the story of Tory and Darcy Vega, twin Fae heirs who have been dragged from an ordinary human life into a ruthless magical world. By this point in the series, the stakes are higher than ever: war is looming over Solaria, loyalties are knife thin, and the twins are no longer confused newcomers—they are powerful players who have to decide what kind of queens they’re going to be. The book is packed with betrayal, shifting alliances, heartbreak, violence, and dark humor, and it pushes almost every relationship and character to breaking point. More than anything, it shows that destiny always comes with a price, and the “cursed fate” in the title applies to more than just one person.

Tory and Darcy start this book far removed from the naive girls we met earlier in the series. They now understand the cruelty of the Fae world and the political game surrounding the throne of Solaria. They’ve claimed their power and their birthright as Vega heirs, but that doesn’t mean they’re in control. Orion is imprisoned and branded a traitor, the Council is fractured, and King Lionel Acrux continues to use fear and manipulation to maintain his grip on the kingdom. The twins are determined not to let him rule unchallenged, yet every move they make has consequences for their friends and for the people they’re trying to protect. The sense that they are at the center of a storm, desperately trying to hold everything together while it all threatens to fall apart, runs throughout the book.

One of the defining elements of “Cursed Fates” is how deeply it digs into the relationships between the twins and the Celestial Heirs—Caleb, Darius, Max, and Seth. These boys started the series as bullies and enemies, but by now the lines between enemy, lover, and ally are blurred beyond recognition. Darius, especially, carries a heavy burden: torn between duty to his tyrant father, Lionel, and his love for Tory, he makes choices that hurt them both. He sacrifices himself emotionally to protect her and those he cares about, often in ways she doesn’t fully understand at first. This creates some of the most painful scenes in the book, because the love between them is undeniable, yet constantly crushed under the weight of war, family control, and destiny. Similarly, Darcy and Orion’s relationship, already forbidden and scarred by secrets, faces relentless pressure. Orion’s imprisonment, the threat of execution, and the political danger of their bond force Darcy to confront what she’s willing to risk to save him.

The friendship group—Tory, Darcy, the Heirs, and their close allies like Geraldine, Xavier, and others—continues to be a core strength of the story, but “Cursed Fates” is ruthless in showing that even strong bonds can snap under pressure. Secrets pile up. People act out of fear, guilt, or desperation, and trust is tested repeatedly. Some characters break, some betray, and some grow sharper and more dangerous in response to trauma. The authors lean into the emotional chaos: it’s very much a book where you can love a character one chapter and be furious with them the next, because everyone is doing morally gray things in a morally gray war. This makes the world feel harsh but alive—no one gets to stay innocent.

Plot wise, the book drives the narrative toward open conflict. The twins and their allies work on building resistance against Lionel, uncovering hidden truths about his power and his plans, and trying to win over key factions. They’re not just students anymore; they’re leaders in training, forced to think strategically about armies, alliances, and the cost of rebellion. The Academy itself, which once felt like a brutal school setting, starts to resemble a battleground and a political stage. Classes and tests still exist, but they’re overshadowed by secret meetings, covert missions, and the constant threat of violence. Fae politics—houses, bloodlines, and power rankings—play a crucial role, but the authors keep the focus tightly on how those systems crush individuals and how the twins are determined to break them rather than simply rule within them.

Magic in Cursed Fates is not just decoration; it is a living, dangerous force that reflects the characters’ inner conflicts. The twins’ powers continue to grow more extreme, and their connection to their star sign magic feels increasingly significant. We see more of the ways magic can corrupt, twist, and tempt, especially in the hands of someone like Lionel. There are high stakes magical battles, savage punishments, and brutal confrontations where power is both weapon and curse. At the same time, magic is tied to emotion. The more the characters feel—rage, grief, love, despair—the more volatile and impressive their magic becomes. That means the book’s strongest emotional moments often coincide with dramatic displays of power, making the story feel big and cinematic even on the page.

The tone of the book is unapologetically dark. There is torture, mind games, threats, and scenes that make it clear the authors are not afraid to hurt their characters. Yet it isn’t relentlessly bleak. Humor—especially in the form of Geraldine’s over the top personality, banter between friends, and snarky dialogue—cuts through the tension. These lighter moments matter because they show why the characters keep fighting: for each other, for the small flashes of joy, and for the possibility of a life that isn’t ruled by fear. Romance also offers genuine warmth, even when it’s tangled and tragic. The push pull between love and duty, desire and survival, is central to almost every storyline and gives the darkness emotional depth rather than just shock value.

As the title suggests, fate itself is a major theme. The twins are told again and again that their destiny is written—that they’re meant to be queens, that certain bonds or sacrifices are inevitable, that prophecies dictate their path. “Cursed Fates” challenges that idea from multiple angles. Some characters try to fight destiny, others surrender to it, and a few attempt to twist it to serve their own ends. The question of whether the twins are truly free, or whether their lives are shaped by some cosmic design, hangs over the whole book. At the same time, the narrative stresses that choices still matter. Even when fate is involved, how they respond—to pain, to love, to power—changes everything.

The ending of Cursed Fates is brutal and game changing, setting up catastrophic consequences and shifting the entire series onto even darker territory. Without spoiling specific twists, the book does not tie things up neatly. Instead, it tears open wounds, breaks hearts, and leaves several characters in devastating situations. Alliances are shattered, sacrifices are made, and hope feels dangerously fragile. Yet that very devastation makes the next phase of the story feel urgent. By the time you reach the final pages, it’s clear that the twins and their friends can’t go back to being just students at Zodiac Academy. They are now rebels, leaders, and survivors in a war that has truly begun.

Overall, Cursed Fates is a turning point volume that takes everything Zodiac Academy has been building—romantic tension, friendship, rivalry, political intrigue, destiny—and throws it into a fire. It’s emotionally exhausting in the best way, because it makes you care deeply and then dares to crush your expectations. Tory and Darcy are no longer simply finding their place; they are fighting for the right to shape the future of Solaria itself. The book’s blend of romance, cruelty, magic, and messy human feeling makes it a powerful, addictive continuation of the series, and it leaves you with one clear impression: in this world, love and power are always tangled, and no one escapes their fate without paying for it.