Shadow Princess by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti is the fourth book in the Zodiac Academy series. The Vega twins are Phoenixes, Lionel Acrux’s Dark Coercion can’t touch them anymore, and everything is about to get worse. Darcy and Lance Orion’s relationship faces unexpected challenges, the tension between Tory and the Heirs reaches its crescendo, and the twins have to fend off the shadows and the threat the Shadow Realm poses.
I was already hooked by Zodiac Academy, but Shadow Princess is where this series went from a fun, CW Gossip Girl-esque adventure to a romantasy must read. The secrets, the bonds between the characters and the twins, THE YEARNING, and the seriousness of this ending have me all but running to Cursed Fates. The character development in this book, while feeling like the plot just blew open for the rest of the series, is making me giddy with excitement to get to the fifth book.
Read our full summary, review and the list of spicy chapters for Shadow Princess below. This post contains spoilers.
Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess (4)
Description
The shadows are in my blood.
I can feel them crawling through me, slithering under my skin and taking me hostage.
But the darkness within me, isn’t nearly as bad as the darkness that lives around me.
The four heirs will stop at nothing to destroy the lives of me and my sister.
But they haven’t figured out yet, we’re the strongest creatures they’ve ever known…
Tropes
- Dark Academia
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fated Mates
- Bully Romance
- Slow Burn
- Royalty / Hidden Identity
Review
Overall Impressions 😊
I loved it. I’m also emotionally traumatized by it.
I think this is the book where Zodiac Academy goes from being a kind of cheesy, fun time to a romantasy staple. I am invested in the plot. I am invested in the characters. I’m interested in their character development and their relationships. I’m utterly sad and beyond excited to jump into the next book.
We read romantasy because we want to be transported into a magical world that lets us imagine an alternative reality, and Shadow Princess did that. Even though I found some of the dialogue occasionally over the top, I’m so hooked it didn’t even make me consider moving this down from a 5 star.
An utter banger. This series has me in a chokehold, and I cannot wait to get into Cursed Fates.
Perfect For Fans Of… 🌟
If you read the first few Zodiac Academy books and thought this was a lighthearted bully romance with no real stakes, Shadow Princess is the book that says “jokes on you, fun time’s over.”
This is where ZA stops being Gossip Girl with magic and starts feeling like a real fantasy series. If you loved Binding 13 and thought Zodiac Academy couldn’t hit that hard, think again. If Throne of Glass made you ugly cry and you’ve been waiting for ZA to earn that level of emotional damage, this is your book, or at least the start of it.
Shadow Princess is for readers who stuck with the series through the fun, meta fun parts and are about to be rewarded with emotional damage. The drama is still there, the banter is still there, but now the stakes are real and the consequences actually hurt.
The last 100 pages of this book had me clutching my face like I was watching a slow moving car crash. I couldn’t put my Kindle down. I actually had to take a few deep breaths because I was so overstimulated. If that sounds like your kind of reading experience, welcome home.
If you’re on the fence about Zodiac Academy, this is the book where it clicks. Get through the first three and let Shadow Princess have you in a chokehold.
Characters 👥
There is one and only one character in this book for me and it’s DARIUS ACRUX. What a fantastic, misunderstood, flawed antihero whose redemption and growth arc I’m very much going to enjoy watching. The Divine Moment was perfect. It’s the perfect depiction of the right place, right person, wrong time. He’s so confused, has so much room to grow, and I cannot wait to see him become the perfect king to one of our queens in the upcoming books.
Tory on the other hand was insufferable this book and gave me pick me. I’m kind of over her always angry, always playing hard to get, too cool for anything attitude. That being said, I think that’s going to be her growth arc where she learns to keep her edge but not be so “I’m not like the other girls.” I still like her, I just can’t wait for her to get better.
Darcy is the cool side to Tory’s fire and abruptness. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed her competitive side in Pitball. It’s nice for the “nice twin” to have an edge to her too.
Orion becoming more carefree and playful around the girls, the friendship he’s building with Tory, and bridging the gap between the Heirs and the Vega twins is EVERYTHING.
I loved Caleb and Seth, especially the direction they’re going. Geraldine and Max were hilarious and I can’t help rooting for them. Poor Xavier just needs a break, and Gabriel is a fantastic cameo post Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac.
Even Lionel is a compelling villain to read about and an even more interesting man to hate.
I think that’s one of the biggest strengths of this book. There is no character, no POV I don’t want to read about, which I’m sure will keep me going for the next five books.
Plot 🗺️
This is such a fun and engaging story to read from start to finish. Even the filler chapters are full of hilarious bits, almost like a comedy break while you’re being traumatized by the Twisted Sisters. I loved the main plot. Darcy and Tory finding their footing as Phoenixes, their increasing tension with the Heirs, the obviously doomed Shadow Princess plotline, the Divine Moment, and the Orion/Darcy/Seth arc.
The B-plots are sprinkled in so effortlessly. The Geraldine/Max storyline and Xavier’s progression as a Pegasus are all great bits while the greater good tries to defeat evil, and you don’t even realize 700 pages have gone by.
While I completely expected the Clara plotline to be a dumpster fire from the get go, I did not see Tory and Darius’s ending coming, and I’m GIDDY to read about their dynamic in the next book.
And something happened to Darcy in the Shadow Realm, right? They made it very clear she has no powers. I cannot wait to find out.
My Favorite Quote to Hook You 📣
“I live for every scrap of attention you offer me and suffer through every moment you spend ignoring me.”
Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti, Shadow Princess
Writing Style and Narration ✍️
I love the multi POVs. I love reading a story from multiple characters’ perspectives because you’re not as deterred by unreliable narrators. While I enjoy reading from Tory and Darcy’s perspective, I LOVE reading from any of the boys’ perspectives.
The way Darius yearns and Orion devotes himself to the girls is everything, and I am swooning every time we’re in their perspective. These men are down bad, and their POVs show that.
I will say, some of the love confessions and dialogue run a bit text heavy, and this is becoming a pet peeve of mine with this series. Some of these yearning monologues sound really cringe out loud. I’m all in regardless, but it’s worth calling out.
Geraldine is hilarious and as a society we are not ready to hear from her perspective, but that day cannot come soon enough.
Synopsis
Back From the Shadow Realm: Phoenixes, Secrets, and a New Element
Darius, Tory, Orion, and Darcy return from the Shadow Realm. Orion is wondering if the twins remember anything and how they’re going to manage the fact that they now have access to the shadow element.
It turns out, because the twins are Phoenixes, mind magic no longer works on them, including Lionel’s Dark Coercion. Tory ignores Darius the entire time and blames him for what happened to them.
Darcy and Tory spend the night at King’s Hollow trying to figure out what they’re going to do next. In the morning, they strategize to research Phoenixes. Darius tries to apologize to Tory in his own way, but Tory wants none of it. Orion leaves to do research.
Tory realizes that she and Darcy have access to shadows, but she doesn’t want to tell Orion or Darius because she doesn’t trust them.
Max sleeps with Geraldine, and he is obsessed with her, but Geraldine wants nothing to do with him.
Orion finishes his research and shares it with the twins and Darius. Phoenixes are resistant to all mind magic, Siren’s lure, and dragon fire. They replenish their fire with fire, they can harm dragons, and they can’t get hurt by fire themselves. They’re the strongest fire creature out there, and there haven’t been any Phoenixes in the last 1,000 years.
Gabriel Nox from the Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac arrives. He’s a Harpy, and Orion asks him to train the twins so they can pass as fire Harpies. Gabriel agrees, and the twins immediately trust him, hinting that they might be Nebula allies.
When the twins leave, Orion begins entertaining a thought: what if, instead of the throne being either Darcy or Tory’s, they also sat on the council with the Celestial Heirs?
The Shadows Won’t Let Tory Sleep
Tory has to drink herself to sleep because the shadows are keeping her awake. She hears the voice of a woman in her head calling her into the shadows.
Caleb comes by the cafeteria, jealous about what happened during the eclipse. He questions Tory, and she admits she was drawn to Darius. Caleb asks to be exclusive with her in secret, but Tory says if it’s not going to be long term, she doesn’t want to be exclusive. Darius interrupts them, and Caleb and Darius get into a pissing contest. Tory brushes Caleb off and goes to hang out with Geraldine.
They find out Geraldine slept with Max when he comes and hits on her. Geraldine just ignores him.
In Tarot class, Gabriel tells the twins he’s been receiving cards from the fallen stars, and he thinks them getting together is important. The girls are excited to get answers.
In Cardinal Magic, Darcy passes out while trying to cast a silencing bubble because of the call of the shadows. She convinces Tory that they have to tell Orion.
Orion signed Tory up for cheerleading and Darcy for Pitball, because they’re required to have an extracurricular activity.
Darcy convinces Tory to tell Orion about the shadows, even though Tory has reservations about trusting him and Darius. They tell Orion, and he’s devastated, but he agrees to help.
Tory leaves for dinner. Darcy and Orion linger, and he gives her a rose quartz and asks to be exclusive with her.
Later, all four of them go to the cave to learn how to control the shadows. They have to lure them in and then banish them. Tory draws on the shadows with Darcy as her anchor, and the shadows nearly pull her under, telling her to kill Darius. Tory manages to resist thanks to Darcy’s help, and their siblings’ bond pulls her back.
They take some turns, but Tory is hooked on the shadows and wants to do it again, despite knowing it’s wrong.
Xavier’s Prison, Diego’s Secret, and Learning to Fly
Xavier is at home, wanting to leave. He’s playing Xbox when Lionel comes in and gives him a beating. He begins texting Sofia under the name Philip, and they talk about being Pegasus.
Lance and Darius come by to practice shadows with Lionel and the rest of his group. Xavier uses Sofia as his anchor.
Darcy’s studying in her room when Orion comes by through the window and they hook up. Diego interrupts to apologize. He tells them he knows about the shadows. His family is involved in dark magic, his dad Alejandro works for Lionel Acrux, and he was initially sent to spy on the girls, but he’s never given Lionel anything useful. Darcy forgives him. Orion tries to forbid Darcy from hanging out with Diego, but Darcy says she’s not going to let a man tell her what she can do.
Tory’s been practicing with shadows on her own during her runs, and she likes it. She hooks up with Caleb on the beach and asks him to make the biting more consensual instead of him just doing it whenever he wants. Before their Order Enhancement class, she tells Darcy about the solo shadow practice because she doesn’t want to keep secrets from her.
They go to Order Enhancement and learn to fly.
It’s Lance’s birthday, and Darius invites him out to Celeste. Gabriel crashes the party. Turns out he had a vision of Orion and Darcy, but he doesn’t say anything, so he invites the Vega twins. Darius is annoyed at first that Tory’s there, but she looks really good and he has the biggest crush on her. She hates him though, so he’s frustrated. They start playing truth or dare and bantering.
Darius is just about to make the night about Tory when Darcy is called to Principal Nova’s office. Someone took a picture of them at the club with Darcy’s hand on Orion’s arm. Darcy claims she has a crush on Orion, and Orion brushes it off in front of the principal so they can play it off. Outside the office, Darcy tries to break it off, but Orion doesn’t let her. They promise to be more careful.
Tory is being hunted by Caleb and hides in Orion’s office. Orion realizes Caleb’s indulging in the hunt and tells Tory how dangerous that is, that Caleb can lose control.
The Heirs Crack and Darius Can’t Stop Thinking About Tory
At the Hollow, the Heirs are hanging out after Seth fought Darcy and kicked her out of his pack, breaking the Omega Bond. Caleb says the twins are never going to bow, but Max and Seth disagree and say they need to break them now. Darius doesn’t make a decision.
Gabriel tells Tory to go to Darius’s room and ask for stardust so they can practice. They bicker, Tory helps him stash his stardust somewhere better than under the mattress, and Darius seems on the verge of apologizing for everything, but he’s not there yet. Tory nearly gives in to the shadows when she’s angry at him. Darius snaps her back to reality. They share a quiet moment, and Tory storms off.
Darcy tries out for Pitball and makes it as a pitkeeper. She proves herself by fighting Seth on the field, something she shouldn’t be able to do with so little training, but she’s stronger than expected. Orion’s happy because it’s something they can share.
Orion literally throws Tory over his shoulder to join the cheer squad. The squad is all mean girls, but one of them is friendly and asks Tory to do a high air jump. Tory overdoes it, going 40 feet up instead of 20, and throws fireworks in the air. People love her for it.
Caleb takes Tory on a date. It goes catastrophically. He picks a fancy car when she wants a motorcycle, takes her to karaoke when she hates it, and orders sushi when she’s a vegetarian who just wants a hot burrito. They decide to just be friends with benefits.
Darcy sneaks into Orion’s room. Professor Washer shows up and she has to hide. Orion tells her he’s teaching Darius dark magic to eventually take Lionel down, the same kind of magic that took his father away. He power shares with Darcy, and says he suspects the two of them are Elysian mates, which is why he’s comfortable telling her about Darius.
“I’m Obsessed With You and I Don’t Get to Choose”
Tory’s struggling with the shadows, drinking too much, and barely making it to the Orb. Darius goads her, asks if she’s hungover or dabbling in shadows, and Tory just ignores him. That really pisses him off. They have a magical fight, and Darius tells her he’s not going to let her ignore him. When Tory asks why, he says he’s obsessed with her, and he doesn’t get to choose what he’s obsessed with. Tory’s so shocked she lowers her shields and Darius gets to attack her.
In their first Physical Enhancement class, Professor Prestos has them run an obstacle course using all their magic and Order forms. Tory and Darcy finish first, revealed as the physically strongest in the academy.
At King’s Hollow, Seth asks Caleb about his date with Tory. Darius audibly laughs in his face because he can tell it was a terrible idea. When Caleb asks what Darius would do, he spits out a perfect date idea for Tory without even thinking. He lets Max read his emotions, and it’s clear he’s paying way more attention to Tory than he lets on. Then he makes a dark comment about how there’s nothing he can offer her, so he’d never go for it.
The other Heirs try to figure out what’s going on with Darius. He lowers his shields for Max, and they realize he’s in a lot more pain than they thought. Max tells the others they gravely misjudged how Darius was holding it together. Since Lionel has Darius under Dark Coercion, he can’t tell them anything directly, but he lets Max feel his answers instead. They realize Lionel’s abuse is far worse than they knew.
Max goes to check on Darius alone and finds him staring at Tory’s naked picture on his phone. Max is shocked. Darius says nothing’s going on, but he’s really into her and can’t stop wanting her and hating her at the same time. Max tells him to shut it down. He can feel Darius’s heart break, but he doesn’t know what else they can do.
The Heirs do a secrecy oath so they’re not duty bound to report to their parents. Max tells them he’s a bastard. Caleb says the first time after he awakened, he nearly killed a girl. Darius tells them Xavier is a Pegasus and Lionel’s basically holding him prisoner, and might kill him. They swear to get strong enough to take Lionel down together.
Halloween, Hookups, and Seth’s Blackmail
It’s Halloween. Darcy dresses up as a vampire, Geraldine as a mermaid, and Tory as a Pegasus. Caleb practically loses his shit when he sees Tory.
Orion sneaks into the party wearing a mask. Him and Darcy have sex outside in the caverns, and Seth catches them. He decides they’re going to do whatever he wants, or he’ll tell. They reluctantly agree because Orion could go to prison for being with Darcy, the Solarian heir.
Seth’s first move is making Darcy tell everyone they slept together, to get revenge for her turning him down so many times. Nobody really believes it, but Seth tells the Heirs he’s got something on Darcy.
Then Seth gives Darcy a potion that causes hallucinations. She sees ravens, collapses, and starts losing magic. Seth realizes they’ve gone too far and gives her the antidote.
Someone slips something into Tory’s drink. Caleb refuses to be associated with it and leaves. Tory starts losing control, strips down to her underwear, and dances in glitter. Darius realizes they’ve gone too far. He gives her the antidote.
Tory says she wants to go swimming. She whips out her wings and shoots into the air. Darius follows. They end up in the pool, and Darius feels guilty because the last time they were there, he tried to drown her. They go to the diving board. Tory tells him she can’t control what he’ll do, but she can control not being ruled by the fear. They jump off. She tells him he needs to break some rules sometimes.
Darius flies Tory back to his room on his back as a dragon, which is against dragon law. They get close, but he can’t hook up with her knowing they filmed both her and Darcy. He messages Seth saying don’t send it to the press, but it’s already published. Tory falls asleep in his bed. Darius pulls her close, knowing this is the last time they’ll have peace.
Tory Goes to War Alone
The next morning, they see the news stories in the Orb. Tory’s ready to fight the Heirs back, but Darcy can’t because Seth knows about her and Orion. She can’t tell Tory why, so she just says she doesn’t want to fight them. Tory is disappointed and feels abandoned. She’s ready to go to war and Darcy won’t back her up, and she doesn’t understand why.
Darcy runs out of the Orb devastated. Marguerite and Kylie call her a whore for sleeping with Seth. She can’t correct the record, so she uses air magic to push past them and runs into the forest.
Orion finds her crying in a silencing bubble and comforts her behind a tree trunk. He tells her if he were a better man, he’d let her go. Darcy says she can’t do that. They promise each other they’re going to be together to whatever end. They shake hands, and accidentally strike a Star Bond.
Orion tells Darcy she could use Dark Coercion on Seth, but that’s the biggest crime she could commit against an Heir. He says if someone has to take the fall, she has to be okay with the fact that it’s him alone. Darcy can’t accept that.
Seth tells Darcy she’s not allowed to tell Tory anything because he’s enjoying the struggle between the twins. Darcy messages Orion to tell Darius, since she can’t.
Tory, devastated and feeling abandoned, decides to destroy Darius’s bike. She hotwires it and takes off, but it has magical protection. The Heirs chase her into the caves of the Shimmering Springs. The bike crashes and explodes.
Darius sends the other Heirs to look elsewhere, but he knows Tory’s in the springs. He tells her to come out and face him like a Fae. Tory goads him, tells him his fire can’t hurt her, she’s stronger than him. What is he going to do?
Darius kisses her. They hook up in the Shimmering Springs. It’s rough, almost violent, and it lasts a long time. When they’re done, they feel deeply connected, clearly Elysian mates even though neither of them realizes it. Tory tells him nothing’s changed. Darius storms off.
Darius and Lance’s First Real Fight
Darius gets back to his tower where Lance is waiting. Darius tells him he hooked up with Tory and now he hates her even more. When Lance asks why, Darius says he wants Tory more than he wants anything, he’s connected to her, and she just keeps throwing it in his face.
Lance tells him she’s probably pretending just like he is. He says this is a gift, and the Heirs should share the throne with the Vegas. It’s their best shot against Lionel.
Darius refuses. He’s convinced Tory’s never going to stop hating him. He accuses Lance of being a traitor, hiding behind his teacher badge. He’s lashing out, saying his father’s bound him and no one else matters.
Lance tells him that’s not true. He says he was never okay with the physical stuff they did to the twins, like cutting Darcy’s hair or nearly drowning Tory. That was the Heirs taking it too far. Darius asks what Lance is at the tower for, and Lance basically says never mind, since he’s a traitor. The two of them have their first ever fight.
The Shadow Princess Revealed
Gabriel visits Orion and makes him realize he’s in love with Darcy, even though Gabriel pretends not to know. Orion feels like love means hope, and he can’t promise Darcy that. He starts drinking.
Seth turns Darcy into a bunny and takes her Atlas. She goes to the library and runs into Diego. They call Orion to help turn her back.
When Darcy and Diego’s hands accidentally touch, their shadow powers merge, and Darcy falls into the Shadow Realm. She finds the girl who’s been calling to her. The girl is the Shadow Princess, begging for help to leave the Shadow Realm by building a bridge back to the Fae land.
Orion recognizes her. It’s Clara, his sister. He pulls Darcy out and tells her. Darcy says if Clara’s telling them there’s a way out, she’s still alive and they can help her. Orion promises to bring her back, and Darcy agrees to help.
Tory’s Shadow Encounter and the Twins Fall Apart
Tory’s lying in her room, sad that Darcy’s ignoring her. She’s been going deeper into the shadows. The floor of her room is covered in them. She dips in and becomes submerged.
In the Shadow Realm, she sees Clara, though she doesn’t know who she is. Clara tells her to come closer. Tory gives in, and it feels really good, until Clara touches her arm and Tory realizes she’s not just a girl. Sharp teeth, black pits for eyes. Tory yanks her hand free, her Phoenix burns her out, and she’s back in reality. But her arm is actually damaged.
Orion meets her and is furious. He helps heal her, but runs out of power. Shadow wounds are hard to heal. He tells her the girl is Clara, his sister. Tory says she’ll do anything to help and agrees to work with him.
Orion tells Tory he knows about her and Darius. Tory’s offended, thinking Darius was gossiping, but Orion says he confided in him and that Darius is a good man. Tory says Darius flew away from her, so she’s just going to move on. Orion is exasperated.
He tells her about Darcy and Seth. Tory is sad that Darcy didn’t tell her, just like Darcy was sad that Tory didn’t tell her about the interview.
In Cardinal Magic, the twins try to talk. Tory keeps asking what’s wrong, but Darcy can’t tell her because of Seth. Darcy starts crying. Tory’s angry that Darcy won’t explain, not realizing she can’t. The twins separate. Tory gives into the shadows a little to numb the pain.
The Twins’ PR Revenge and the Heirs Can’t Cope
The Heirs see the interviews the girls gave to the press. Darcy’s in the woods looking like an ethereal goddess, talking about animal shelters and speaking to injured birds, spinning the story the Heirs made about her. Tory gives a photo shoot surrounded by eight men, talking about her “sex addiction” and how she just wants to be loved. The comments are all supportive, encouraging them to take back the throne.
The boys are stumped. Caleb’s upset he let things go with Tory. Seth’s upset because the plan backfired. Darius is upset about pictures of Tory in her underwear, like a possessive boyfriend. They go to confront Tory about taking the pictures down. Tory ignores them completely.
Seth offers Caleb a hunt. They change the rules so Caleb can use all his gifts and fight rough. Caleb enjoys hunting Seth down even though he’s still sad about Tory.
Seth keeps torturing Darcy with increasingly ridiculous demands. Diego tells Darcy the shadows are eating Tory alive and she needs to do something. Darcy tries to talk to Tory, but Tory pushes her back, thinking Darcy’s lying to her.
Darcy finds Seth in the woods and confronts him. Seth says he’s torturing her because her existence alone tortures him. Max shows up and Darcy burns his eyebrows off.
Tory’s outside Pitball practice, watching Darcy and Darius enter the stadium, feeling lonely and falling further into the shadows. She feels like she’s too rude and abrasive for anyone to like her.
She runs into Darius. He asks if she’s fucking with the shadows. She eventually admits yes. Darius tells her to wait for him after practice.
Marguerite messes with Tory during cheer. Orion suggests two squads, and to Tory’s surprise, half the girls go with her.
After practice, Caleb asks to bite Tory. She agrees to stay his source. Darius shows up and says next time she dives into the shadows, he wants to be with her. He doesn’t want her to be alone. Tory’s surprised but reluctantly agrees, hopeful even though she won’t admit it.
Darius and Lance Make Up, and Orion Takes Darcy Home
Darius is on the phone with Xavier, who says their mother once came into his room while he was sleep-talking and said she wishes she could tell him something. It’s ominous. Xavier pesters Darius about hooking up with Tory. Lionel interrupts, says Darius has better things to do, and hangs up on them.
Darius realizes he was an asshole to Orion and rushes to Asteroid Palace. The Star Bond makes them spoon. They apologize for the fight, though Lance still can’t tell Darius about him and Darcy. Darius just pines about Tory all night.
Orion takes Darcy on a date to his childhood home. It’s very sweet and out of character for him, but he loves her. They sneak in because his mother’s away. In the basement, Darcy hears Clara’s voice and finds dark stardust. Clara whispers that it’s what they need to build the bridge.
On their way out, they hear Drusilla getting dark stardust from Stella. They almost get busted but manage to escape.
Back at Zodiac Academy, Orion accidentally grabs Tory thinking she’s Darcy and tries to make out with her. Darcy walks in and realizes she’s found a loophole in Seth’s conditions. Tory happened to walk in on them. She didn’t break the rules.
They tell Tory everything. She’s protective of Darcy at first because Orion’s older, but she sees he’s in love with her. Tory and Darcy make up.
Christmas at the Vega Palace: Their Parents’ Love Story
The A.S.S. club and Geraldine arrange for the twins to spend Christmas at the palace. They see their ancestral home for the first time and find a secret tarot card from Astrum: the truth about how they survived is hiding within the castle walls.
In their mother’s room, they touch a mirror in the closet. It shows a Hydra, a Harpy, and two Phoenixes aligned. Their mother knew what they were going to be.
The mirror shows visions of their parents’ love story. Their mother was cornered in the town square as their father, the Savage King, invaded her kingdom. When she sees him, she says, “It’s you.” She shows him their future together. She’s the one who took his worst edges and made him a good man.
The visions show their whole lives. The Savage King doing bad stuff but being a devoted husband. Eventually they had babies. Their mother saw visions of the babies dying, five total graves. She took them to the mortal world to protect them. She also saw a vision of Tory and Darcy on the throne, ruling Solaria, with darkness ahead.
They see another vision of a boy with black hair knocked out of the palace the night of the attack. They can’t tell who it is, but it’s clearly Gabriel.
Lionel’s Threats, the Throne Room, and the Nymph Attack
Christmas morning. The Councillors and their families arrive. The Heirs are being unusually nice and the girls are confused. During dinner, Lionel keeps trying to coerce them into abdicating the throne. Tory goads him. She slips away into a Seer’s room because both Caleb and Darius are feeling her up at the table.
Lionel follows her and threatens her. He coerces her to forget it, but Tory’s a Phoenix, so it doesn’t work.
Later, Tory finds Darius in the throne room, sad and angry. He all but admits he’s in love with her, says all the tension between them is killing him. They talk about how they both feel like they don’t deserve good things. They hook up in the throne room.
The day after Christmas, the Heirs want a snowball fight. They split into teams: Darcy, Orion, Xavier, and Darius versus Max, Seth, Tory, and Caleb. Before the fight, Darcy asks Xavier to shift since Lionel’s not around. Xavier is thrilled. He shifts and he’s so happy. Darcy’s team wins.
Back at the castle, Caleb and Orion hear something. The castle’s under a Nymph attack. Lionel and Melinda are nowhere to be found, and they’re losing ground. Darcy and Tory make the decision to shift into full Phoenix form, revealing what they are to everyone. They burn all the Nymphs to ashes.
The Fae are ecstatic that the Vega queens are Phoenixes. Lionel is infuriated. Orion immediately takes the twins back to Zodiac Academy to stay away from the press and from Lionel.
Darcy and Tory swear that when they’re ready, they’re going to fight Lionel. He’s the most dangerous Fae on the planet. Tory questions Orion’s loyalty a little, but Lance says they need to ally with the Heirs because Lionel Acrux is the worst enemy of the entire world.
The New Year’s Eve Plan to Save Clara
Tory falls asleep and Clara calls to her, cutting her arm and pulling her through the shadows. Darius finds her and drags her out. They make out. He’s angry she gave in again, but Tory says she has no idea what happened. Darius says he’ll help her.
He takes her to King’s Hollow because the Heirs want to know why the twins hid their identities. They lie and say they were just mortals who had no idea. Someone told them they were fire Harpies, so how were they supposed to know? The Heirs buy it.
Orion says New Year’s Eve is the time to build the bridge and bring Clara back. He wants to channel the shadows from Darius, Darcy, and Tory to form the spell. Everyone agrees. This lines up with Gabriel’s vision.
New Year’s Eve comes. Darcy meets Orion at the cave. Tory and Darius are nowhere to be found. Orion tells Darcy he’ll hide Clara because there would be too many questions. Darcy feels like something is off. Orion tries to make her promise to leave him in the shadows if things go south. Darcy swears she won’t.
Darius and Tory still haven’t shown. They have a limited window, so Darcy and Orion go ahead with the spell.
Zodiac Academy Shadow Princess Ending Explained
There’s a blizzard. Darius feels a pull unlike anything before. He goes out his window and finds himself in a clearing, safe from the storm like a bubble. He looks up and sees the Gemini and Leo stars aligning. This is Darius and Tory’s Divine Moment.
He knows, without even seeing her, that Tory is the one coming through. She walks into the clearing, just as undressed as him. She doesn’t know what’s happening because she didn’t grow up Fae, even though she’s learned about Elysian mates and Divine Moments.
Darius feels hopeful for the first time. Everything they’ve been through, it’s because the stars were testing them. He’s ready to give her his heart.
But Tory is not ready to forget what he’s done. When Darius confesses his love, she throws it in his face. She tells him it doesn’t matter who he could be for her in the future. It doesn’t change the fact that he’s been abusing, bullying, and hurting her all along. Darius keeps saying he’s different, that his father made him that way. Tory doesn’t accept his excuses.
They’re just about to kiss and seal the Elysian mate bond. Tory says no. Darius begs. Tory says she’d rather be alone.
Black pupils form around their eyes. They’re Star Crossed.
Tory runs. She wants to go to him, kiss him, make it better. But she feels like her soul is being split open. She knows Darius has a badly broken heart.
Darcy and Orion do the spell without the other two. They use the dark stardust and Darcy’s power to reach the Shadow Realm. They find Clara, and using Darcy’s power again, they bring her back across the bridge.
Clara is out of it, mentally gone from being in the shadows so long. She can’t believe she’s back. But the shadows are still speaking to her. She blames Orion for not looking for her, for leaving her to rot. Orion tries to explain he didn’t know she was alive. Clara is too far gone, and she attacks him.
Orion is weakened. Darcy is out of magic. They can’t fight Clara back. As Darcy tries to pull Clara off him, Clara stabs Orion, fatally wounding him. When Clara realizes what she’s done, she disappears into the darkness.
Orion is dying. He tells Darcy he wants her to be the last thing he sees. Darcy tells him she loves him. As he fades, he makes her promise to share the throne with Darius and the others. He makes her promise to get help. She puts a tourniquet on him, stumbles out of the cave, summons her Phoenix form even though she’s completely drained, and screams for help.
Spicy Chapters 🌶️
How Spicy is Zodiac Academy Shadow Princess? 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 40
The Vegas are still standing and the heirs are still feral, as they should be 👑🔱
I loved Shadow Princess with all my heart because I have a thing for books that emotionally damage me. I’m running, not walking, to Cursed Fates. I simply HAVE TO know what happens next. I would read anything by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. They have a lifelong reader in me.
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