The main Zodiac Academy series starts with book 1, The Awakening (2019), and runs through nine novels to Restless Stars (2024), the final book. Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti number three of the extras, so the prequel novella Origins of an Academy Bully sits at 0.5, just before book 1, and Beyond the Veil comes after book 8; the other companions follow Goodreads’ placement. Darkmore Penitentiary, set five years later in the same world, can go before or after, since the authors say it can be read on its own without spoiling Zodiac Academy.
Written by Peckham and Valenti, who are sisters, Zodiac Academy is a nine-book dark fantasy romance series set in Solaria, the Fae world the sisters share across four series. Below are the main books with first publication years, where each numbered novella and companion book fits, the Darkmore Penitentiary reading order and the series’ status as of October 2026.
Zodiac Academy books in order
The nine numbered novels carry the main story. The years are first publication dates of each Kindle edition, which Amazon lists under King’s Hollow, the publishing company the sisters co-own, and they match Goodreads. Simon & Schuster’s Zodiac Academy page, which carries the current print editions, lists the novels in the same series order.
| Book | Title | First published |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Awakening | 2019 |
| 2 | Ruthless Fae | 2019 |
| 3 | The Reckoning | 2019 |
| 4 | Shadow Princess | 2020 |
| 5 | Cursed Fates | 2020 |
| 6 | Fated Throne | 2020 |
| 7 | Heartless Sky | 2021 |
| 8 | Sorrow and Starlight | 2022 |
| 9 | Restless Stars | 2024 |
Book 6 is titled Fated Throne, singular, on Amazon, Simon & Schuster and the authors’ own sites, though at least one listing in King’s Hollow’s shop spells it Fated Thrones.
Where the novellas and companion books fit
The authors and their publisher number three of the extras, 0.5, 5.5 and 8.5; the Christmas book is titled Zodiac Academy 10 by its publisher, and Goodreads numbers the other two.
- Origins of an Academy Bully (Book 0.5, 2019): A prequel novella that takes place at the academy five years before book 1. It came out on Kindle on July 10, 2019, about three weeks before The Awakening arrived on August 2.
- The Awakening As Told by the Boys (2021): Book 1 retold from the boys’ side, with more than 50,000 words of scenes not in the original. The authors say to read it once “the original story” is finished, which could mean book 1 or the whole series; Goodreads numbers it 1.5, while Amazon’s series listing puts it after Restless Stars.
- The Big A.S.S. Party (Book 5.5, 2020): A 25,000-word novella that unfolds during Cursed Fates. The authors recommend saving it until that book is done.
- Beyond the Veil (Book 8.5, 2023): A bridging book that runs alongside book 8. The authors advise reading it after Sorrow and Starlight to avoid spoilers, and its own description says it holds important clues to how the series ends.
- Live and Let Lionel (2024): A bonus book of about 100,000 words, released in February 2024 to mark the series’ close, that gathers short stories and alternate point-of-view chapters, several of them new. Goodreads places it at 8.6, between Beyond the Veil and Restless Stars, while Amazon’s series listing puts it after Restless Stars.
- On the Cursed Day of Christmas (due November 10, 2026): A hardcover advent-calendar book of 24 sealed chapters, one to open each day before Christmas, telling a new story that picks up after Restless Stars. Simon & Schuster lists it as Zodiac Academy 10.
Full Zodiac Academy reading order with the extras
- Origins of an Academy Bully (prequel novella, 0.5)
- The Awakening
- The Awakening As Told by the Boys (Goodreads 1.5; Amazon lists it after Restless Stars)
- Ruthless Fae
- The Reckoning
- Shadow Princess
- Cursed Fates
- The Big A.S.S. Party
- Fated Throne
- Heartless Sky
- Sorrow and Starlight
- Beyond the Veil
- Live and Let Lionel (Goodreads 8.6; Amazon lists it after Restless Stars)
- Restless Stars
- On the Cursed Day of Christmas (from November 10, 2026)
What The Awakening is about
Book 1 turns on an inheritance. Tory and Darcy Vega, twins who have only just found out they are Fae, are the daughters of the Savage King and so heirs to Solaria’s throne, which puts them in the way of four Heirs at Zodiac Academy who want that throne for themselves. That is the full setup; nothing past it is described here.
Darkmore Penitentiary reading order and the other Solaria series
The King’s Hollow Solaria page groups four series in this world: Zodiac Academy, Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac, Darkmore Penitentiary and Sins of the Zodiac. On the authors’ timeline, Ruthless Boys takes place five years before Zodiac Academy and Darkmore five years after it. Characters cross between series and each one hides hints about the others, but the authors say Zodiac Academy, Ruthless Boys and Darkmore can each be read independently, with no spoilers for the others.
Darkmore Penitentiary
The series swaps the academy for the prison of its title, and its lead is Rosalie Oscura, a Werewolf inmate. The King’s Hollow Darkmore page files the series under “why choose” fantasy romance. The four books are:
- Caged Wolf (2020), previously titled Darkmore Penitentiary
- Alpha Wolf (2020), previously titled Captive Fae
- Feral Wolf (2021)
- Wild Wolf (2024)
Simon & Schuster lists a new Caged Wolf paperback with illustrated character art on the cover for March 30, 2027.
Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac
This completed five-book series is set at a different school, Aurora Academy, and its lead is Elise Callisto, a Vampire.
- Dark Fae (2019)
- Savage Fae (2019)
- Vicious Fae (2020)
- Broken Fae (2020)
- Warrior Fae (2021)
Sins of the Zodiac
The newest Solaria series is a romantasy that the authors describe as sharing Zodiac Academy’s world while being “a dark and villainous tale of its own.” Book 1 is named for its setting, Never Keep, a fortress where young conscripts are sent to have their magic Awakened. As of October 2026, three books are out: Never Keep (2024), Echo Fort (2025) and Cinder Vale (2026). Simon & Schuster lists the fourth, Oracle Bay, for August 3, 2027.
Readers who came to Zodiac Academy from A Court of Thorns and Roses will find that series, along with the rest of Maas’s books, in the Sarah J. Maas reading order.
Is Zodiac Academy finished? Status as of October 2026
Yes. Restless Stars came out on April 23, 2024 as the ninth and final book, and Publishers Lunch reported that day that it launched as a trade paperback, with a print run of 80,000 copies announced. Still to come is the Christmas book due November 10, 2026, which Simon & Schuster and King’s Hollow both say is set after the finale.
The 2024 to 2026 trade reissues and new editions
The same report said Simon & Schuster was distributing Dark Ink Publishing, the sisters’ publishing venture, and that repackaged paperbacks of the early books, each with a new cover and a bonus chapter, would follow. Simon & Schuster’s current listings give the publisher as King’s Hollow, and its trade paperback reissues run from The Awakening on June 25, 2024 through Ruthless Fae (January 7, 2025), The Reckoning (February 18, 2025), Shadow Princess (April 1, 2025), Cursed Fates (May 13, 2025), Fated Throne (June 24, 2025), Heartless Sky (August 5, 2025), Sorrow and Starlight (September 16, 2025) and Beyond the Veil (October 28, 2025) to Restless Stars on March 3, 2026. Every listing promises a new cover and an exclusive bonus chapter, and from book 2 onward a new world map as well.
King’s Hollow’s shop is also taking preorders for most volumes of a limited hardcover Luxe Edition covering 14 Zodiac Academy books, with foiled covers, reversible dust jackets, sprayed edges, color illustrations and new bonus chapters; the full set and three volumes showed as sold out when checked on October 27, 2026. The shop’s own estimates for finishing the set range from the end of 2026 to summer 2027.
Content and age notes
The authors call Zodiac Academy a dark bully romance and warn readers not to expect a gentle school for magic, describing the academy as “a cutthroat school for students aged 18+.” Their King’s Hollow series page files it as dark fantasy romance. For the Darkmore spin-off they recommend readers aged 18 and over, citing violence and steamy scenes. Their series pages give no separate minimum reader age for Zodiac Academy, and Simon & Schuster files the reissues under fantasy romance in its fiction list rather than its teen and young adult section.
For other long series with prequels and side books, browse more reading orders.
Frequently asked questions
How many Zodiac Academy books are there?
There are nine main novels, published from 2019 to 2024. King’s Hollow’s Luxe Edition counts 14 Zodiac Academy books once five companions are added: Origins of an Academy Bully, The Awakening As Told by the Boys, The Big A.S.S. Party, Beyond the Veil and Live and Let Lionel. A holiday book, On the Cursed Day of Christmas, is due November 10, 2026.
Is Zodiac Academy finished?
Yes, as of October 2026. Restless Stars, the ninth book, was published in April 2024 as the final installment. The new Christmas book is a festive story set after the finale.
Should you read Darkmore before or after Zodiac Academy?
Either order works, and Darkmore does not need a slot in the Zodiac Academy reading order at all, since the authors say Darkmore and Zodiac Academy can each be read alone without spoiling the other. Darkmore takes place five years after Zodiac Academy, though, so reading Zodiac Academy first follows the timeline and makes the crossover characters familiar.
What age is Zodiac Academy for?
The authors describe it as a dark bully romance set at a school for students aged 18 and over, and they recommend the Darkmore spin-off for readers 18 and up. They state no separate reader age for Zodiac Academy itself.
Do you need to read the Zodiac Academy novellas?
The nine novels carry the main story, and the companion books sit around them. Beyond the Veil‘s own description says it holds important clues to how the series ends, so it is the companion most worth reading before Restless Stars.
Lead photo: The zodiac ring on the astronomical dial of the Prague astronomical clock. Photo: Godot13, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).
