Rating: 4 stars

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. 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?

With Ruthless Fae, I discovered I enjoyed this book in the series better than its predecessor, The Awakening for a number of reasons. What I enjoyed about reading this book in the series is that the twins decide to no longer take the Heirs shit lying down. Instead, they find little ways to enact revenge against them for what they’ve experienced without them ever suspecting either of them being involved. I love this because I feel like its exactly what I was hoping would happen at some point in this series. And I love the ways in which they get back at them because it definitely brings them down a peg even if it doesn’t end up making them fall apart completely.

What I also enjoyed when reading this second book in the Zodiac Academy series is getting to see even more points of view besides Tory and Darcy. We also get some of the story told through one of the professors at the school along with each of the Heirs, which I really enjoyed as I felt like these perspectives gave me a better understanding of them and the decisions/choices they made. I was happy to see it especially because I learned more about their characters and actually got to see their reactions to the things that happened to them because of the twins. It made me see them in a different light and understand why they’re acting the way they do. While I don’t at all excuse their behavior in The Awakening, I’m also a person who’s willing to give people another chance as long as the person actually puts in the work to show they are learning from their mistakes and won’t act the way they were before again. So seeing the Heirs characters actually develop and change in Ruthless Fae without them completely changing certain aspects of their character made me excited to see what more will happen with them and the twins as the series continues.

Another aspect of this book in the series I really enjoyed was seeing the relationship between Orion and Darius. You know there’s something story wise that’s going on between the two of them, but I feel like you learn what it is exactly in this book. I like seeing their relationship because it shows the connection between their two families and explains why we see them together as frequently as we do. Same with seeing the relationships between all of the Heirs, Darius included, and each of their families. Seeing the family dynamics between the Heirs and their relatives really helps explain why these boys are the way they are throughout Ruthless Fae and why they have to act the way they do towards the twins at the academy. You don’t see too much in the dynamics story wise except with Darius and his father Lionel who I have a feeling is going to be playing a major role as this series goes on.

I also loved how fast this book is in comparison to The Awakening. Yes, there was a lot that happened in the first book, but I feel like things really start developing story wise in Ruthless Fae. Especially with Tory and Darcy’s magic as I feel like near the end of the story they really start coming into their powers when the attack happens at their school. I feel like in this book in comparison to its predecessor Tory and Darcy are finally coming into their own with their powers and how they can use them.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Ruthless Fae, the second book in the Zodiac Academy series. I feel like while the story is still dark things are getting better for Tory and Darcy despite the threat of the Heirs and the enemies I’m sure they’ll encounter outside of the school. I also appreciate that the Heirs as characters are developing, and we get to see some of their perspective on what’s going on at the academy. I’m excited to continue reading the next book in this series The Reckoning to see where things go for Tory and Darcy and see how their relationship with the Heirs continues to develop as the series goes on.