Solaria is a realm that mirrors the mortal world — the same geography, a different population. It is governed by the celestial Fae, a species defined by elemental magic, star signs, and inherited power. The Academy sits within Solaria and draws from the wider world’s Fae-born students. Until several years ago, Solaria was ruled by a king and queen; both were murdered in an attack officially attributed to Nymphs, a separate creature species capable of stabbing Fae through the heart and absorbing their magic. With the royal line believed extinct, four powerful Celestial families — Acrux, Rigel, Altair, and Capella — divided the throne between them and have ruled jointly through the Celestial Council ever since. Their heirs are currently students at Zodiac Academy.
Zodiac Academy is the most prestigious school in Solaria. Students are placed by elemental affiliation into houses: Aer (air), Ignis (fire), Terra (earth), and Aqua (water). Magic and power rankings are determined by star sign and Order — the creature form a Fae can shift into, ranging from Werewolves and Dragons to Harpies and Hydras. Vampires, a Taenia Order, replenish their power by feeding from willing Sources, other Fae who allow them to draw energy through a bite. New students must pass a mid-year assessment called The Reckoning or be expelled. All students are issued an Atlas, a tablet device with social media, timetabling, and a daily horoscope.
Books in Series
Book 0.5: Origins of an Academy Bully
Book 1: The Awakening
Book 1.5: The Awakening As Told By The Boys
Book 2: Ruthless Fae
Book 3: The Reckoning
Book 4: Shadow Princess
Book 5: Cursed Fates
Book 5.5: The Big A.S.S. Party
Book 6: Fated Throne
Book 7: Heartless Sky
Book 8: Sorrow and Starlight
Book 8.5: Beyond the Veil
Book 9: Restless Stars
Bonus Companion: Live and Let Lionel
Main Characters
Darcy Vega: One half of the Vega twins; placed in House Aer. Identifies with the blue-tipped ends of her dark hair.
Tory (Roxanya) Vega: Darcy’s twin; placed in House Ignis. The more combative of the two.
Professor Lance Orion: Vampire, Libra, Head of Year and Darcy’s assigned Liaison.
Darius Acrux: Celestial Heir of House Acrux; Dragon Order. The most powerful and hostile of the four Heirs.
Supporting Characters
Caleb Altair: Celestial Heir of House Altair; Vampire Order.
Seth Capella: Celestial Heir of House Capella; Werewolf Order.
Max Rigel: Celestial Heir of House Rigel; Siren Order.
Sofia: First-year student, friendly to the twins from the first night.
Diego: First-year student, Aer house; befriends Darcy and Tory in Cardinal Magic.
Geraldine Grus: First-year student and devoted royalist; self-appointed leader of the A.S.S. (Almighty Sovereign Society), a group of students loyal to the Vega bloodline.
Professor Astrum: Astrology professor.
Principal Nova: Head of Zodiac Academy.
Recap Summary
Orion appears at the twins’ Chicago apartment and transports them to Zodiac Academy without context. At the Awakening ceremony, both Darcy and Tory respond to all four Elements when called — a reaction Nova confirms is essentially unprecedented. Nova tells them directly that night: their birth parents were the last King and Queen of Solaria, both dead, and Darcy and Tory are joint heirs to a throne that four Celestial families have held since the royal family was murdered. The four Celestial Heirs — Darius Acrux (Dragon), Caleb Altair (Vampire), Seth Capella (Werewolf), Max Rigel (Siren) — stand to lose everything if the twins graduate.
Orion is assigned as the twins’ Head of Year and Liaison and feeds from Darcy during private sessions. In one of these, having been drinking, he reads her palm and reveals exceptional rankings across all four Elements, with a ten in air. He tells her their birth father was a Hydra and their mother a Harpy, then adds that he believes the royal family was murdered, that their return is dangerous, and that powerful families have been dying. He names no suspects but makes clear the Heirs’ families had motive.
The Heirs run a campaign of intimidation from the first week — FaeBook posts, Coercion in corridors, and escalating pranks. Caleb corners Tory and declares her his Source; Seth positions himself close to Darcy through his Werewolf nature. During one freshman hazing, Ignis initiates strip Tory naked in the common room and a photo circulates on FaeBook.
An anonymous FaeBook user called “Falling Star” sends the twins a private message warning them against anyone in allegiance with the Acrux family, and links to a news report: the official account places the King and Queen’s deaths as a Nymph attack, with Lionel Acrux among the first to arrive at the scene. The Celestial Council assumed the throne when no surviving heirs were found.
At the Academy Formal, Seth tricks Darcy outside, kisses her, and cuts off a section of her hair while Kylie films it. Orion finds Darcy on the ground in the aftermath and stays with her. The same night, Darius tells Tory it is her last chance to leave Solaria, and when she refuses, he uses Coercion to force her inside and pins her against the wall of the Lunar building’s pool room with water. She begins to drown while the other Heirs watch. Orion finds them, pulls her out, issues detention for all four Heirs, and warns them that the next incident means expulsion.
The twins attend a freshers’ party in town with Sofia, Diego, and Geraldine. Geraldine is found outside, attacked and drained of magic; Orion is at the scene, covered in her blood, having given her enough of his own power to save her life. He bites Darcy in the street to replenish himself. Darius was at the bar earlier, but is not at the scene.
After the formal, a body burns outside The Orb. Diego identifies it as Dragon fire; Orion douses the flames. The body’s hand opens, and a tarot card shoots to Tory’s chest. The card is Death, and the message on the back is signed: Falling Star is Professor Astrum. He warns the Shadow has found the twins, gives a location — between Leo and Libra — where answers about their parents are hidden, and ends: “Don’t trust the flames. Claim your throne.”
Next in Series
The Reckoning is approaching, and the Heirs are not finished. Astrum’s message points to a location between Leo and Libra where answers about the twins’ parents are hidden, with no one left alive to explain what it means.
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