Lucie V.'s Reviews > The Reckoning

✅ Awesome main characters
✅ Sweet and awesome secondary characters
✅ Romance and sexual tension (and some smut)
✅ Multiple POVs
✅ World-building
✅ Pace
✅ Villains that we hate
✅ Plot
✅ Magic and faes
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: bullying and child abuse

4.5 stars

Yep. I am officially hooked. 😅
While the plot is objectively not the best, this series is addictive. It took me a few days to post my review because I couldn’t take the time to sit down and write it, I had to read the next book ASAP. The pace felt slower at times, and there were a lot of details added that were not always relevant, yet there is so much happening that it didn’t feel like an over-500-pages novel.

After the nymphs’ attack on the academy, the students don’t have time to mourn and deal with their emotions. With the Reckoning fast approaching, they need to remain strong and show no weakness. Before the Reckoning, the freshmen have to go through Hell Week, where all the older students are allowed and encouraged to make their life a living hell. After all, only the strongest deserve to remain at Zodiac Academy. Hell week is not that different from the usual for Darcy and Tory, but the nymphs are still circling, and the Celestial Council is not done with the twins, meaning their life might be in danger because Lionel Arcrux will stop at nothing to protect his position and power.

I have to admit that now that the mean-girl jealous drama has been toned down, I am enjoying the magical academy vibe of this series. It’s just so ruthless, students have to survive on their own and it’s just normal if a few of them do not make it out unscathed because you know, that’s the way of faes. Survival of the strongest and the fittest.

Tory and Darcy Vega💧🌱💨🔥
We finally know Darcy and Tory’s order, and it is so badass and awesome!! I love those two and I love how strong they remain despite everything that happened to them. They always bounce back and they have each other’s back no matter what. Their sisterly bond is so, so, so beautiful and it’s one of my favorite aspects of this series.

Geraldine Grus 🐕💧🌱
Geraldine becomes even more important in this book, and I get the feeling that she is underappreciated..? I knew about the twins, Orion, and the Heirs before I even started the first book, but I’d never heard about Geraldine and I don’t understand why?! She is so awesome and funny with her silly expressions. She is much stronger than I thought when I read the first book, and she actually can kick asses when she wants. I really like her and I would LOVE to have some chapters in her POV in the future. Please and thank you.

“We have a serious fucking problem. Corbin, tell me what it is.” He pointed at Tyler who remained dead silent, shrugging his shoulders.
“Polaris?” Orion asked Diego who shook his head. His eyes skipped onto me.
“Miss Vega?”
“That our Cardinal Magic teacher is a psycho?” I offered, rage still simmering in me from him attacking my sister. His jaw ticked in a deadly way and my heart thumped out of rhythm.
“I prefer the term unbalanced and frankly it's the least of your problems.” His mouth twitched with amusement as he looked away.

Lance Orion 🧛💨💧
That’s it.
I am in love with Lance Orion. I mean… I was already half in love with him after reading the Ruthless Boys series, but I was not that impressed with him in the first book. Sure, I loved his “I don’t give a shit” attitude and I found it funny how he was just brutal and abusive with his students, but I like it even more when he interacts with them and there is a kind of sassy banter going on. It makes him more likable, while still keeping the “badass teacher that doesn’t give a crap” vibe. The fact that he had to teach that specific lesson was also the cherry on the cake. I was cackling. 😂

Caleb appeared between us in the blink of an eye, perching on the edge of our table and inspecting his fingernails. “We have a problem, sweetheart,” he said to me, though he continued to inspect his nails.
“I know. There’s a Vampire sitting on our dinner,” I replied and Darcy giggled in response.

Caleb Altair 🧛🌱🔥
I don’t know exactly how I feel about Caleb’s obsession with Tory. On one hand, I find it funny to see how desperate he is for her attention and how she has him wrapped around her finger, but on the other hand, I find him obnoxious and he just doesn’t fit with Tory at all. Then again, it adds some romantic drama to the plot, because Tory will inevitably end up stuck between him and Darius, and I’m fine with the extra drama. 😈

Max Rigel 🧜🏽‍♂️💧💨
He was not as bad as I thought he would be, but he was still not present enough for me to like or dislike him. I am waiting to see how his character will develop in the next book because for now, he lacks depth, to be honest. Not that the character is not developed, but we just don’t know much about him, or see much of him in general.

Seth Capella 🐺💨🌱
Meh. I still hate him. He has this goofy and cuddly side that comes out when his wolf is more in control, which is kind of cute I’ll admit, but under the light and smiley appearance, he is dark, cruel, and twisted, and the fact that he pretends to be nice makes it even worse. I want to like parts of him, but it is just so hard because he is the one that seems to enjoy torturing the twins the most. He’s a cold bastard.

“And most of all I was sick of wanting her and hating her all at once.”


“There are countless people who would say I’m not allowed to want you,” Darius breathed. “But you make me want to burn the whole world down so that I can claim you for my own.”
“Then we should burn it down,” I agreed.

Darius Acrux 🐉🔥💧
I really liked him in this book. He has much more depth and personality than in the other books, and he is becoming very interesting. He is so much more than a cold, power-hungry jerk, and we can see it more with each book. The ending with the Eclipse night, the scene on the beach, and the aftermath of Lionel’s shitshow showed how intense and protective he could be, and I can’t wait to see more of his sweeter side.

I am much more involved in Tory and Darius’ potential romance after this book than I was after book 2. In this one, we could feel the sexual tension between them. But we were also able to see how well they would fit together. They like the same things, and complete and understand each other so easily. There is still much work to do for them to come even close to admitting their attraction and feelings, but I hope we’ll get there sometime in the next books.

Darcy and Orion are so cute together, I will honestly cry if anything happens to them and they can’t end up together and have their happily ever after. They both deserve to be happy and I hope they will be able to live their love “for real” soon instead of being forced to sneak around and hide their feelings… But I admit that the fact that they have to be sneaky adds some tension to their romance, and I am not disliking it…

I am so excited to finally know the twin’s order, and I loved Geraldine and Xavier so much as secondary characters, I want more of them. This series is really addictive, and I am going to go continue the 4th book now (I am almost done with it already 😅). I also can’t wait for Lionel, and also the Heirs, to get what they deserve… but mostly Lionel. He needs to suffer and dies a slow painful death.


0.5 Origins of an Academy Bully ⭐⭐⭐
1. The Awakening ⭐⭐⭐
1.5 The Awakening as Told by the Boys ⭐⭐
2. Ruthless Fae ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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