The Zodiac Academy reading order can get confusing fast because Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti didn’t stop with one academy romance series. They built a much bigger Solaria world with the main Zodiac Academy books, prequel spin-offs, sequel spin-offs, companion stories, alternate POV books, and newer same-world series.
Most new readers should start with Zodiac Academy: The Awakening. That’s where Tory and Darcy Vega discover Solaria, meet the Celestial Heirs, learn about Orders and Elements, and get thrown into the brutal Fae world that makes this series such a wild ride.
From there, you can keep things simple and read the main Zodiac Academy books, or you can fold in the larger Solaria universe for the character crossovers and bigger timeline. Both work. It just depends on whether you want the cleanest path or the full chaos.
Jump to:
- Where to Start?
- Zodiac Academy Books in Order by Series
- Best Complete Solaria Reading Order
- About Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
- Looking for More Books in Order?
Where to Start?
Start with Zodiac Academy: The Awakening. Even though Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac takes place earlier in the Solaria timeline, The Awakening is still the better first book for most readers because it lets you learn the world through Tory and Darcy’s eyes.
The Vega twins know nothing about Solaria when the story begins, which makes them the easiest entry point. You learn the academy, the magic system, the Fae hierarchy, the Orders, the Houses, and the vicious social rules right alongside them.
If you only want the main story, read the Zodiac Academy books first. If you already know you want the full Solaria experience, read the first three Zodiac Academy books, then loop back for Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac before continuing deeper into the main series.
Zodiac Academy Books in Order by Series
Here are the Solaria books grouped by series. I’ve arranged the sections by the publication year of each series’ first book, so the original series comes first and the newer spin-offs come later.
Zodiac Academy Books
Zodiac Academy is the main series and the best starting point for most readers. It follows Tory and Darcy Vega after they discover they’re Fae, heirs to a throne, and very much not welcome at Zodiac Academy.
- Zodiac Academy: Origins of an Academy Bully (2019) (Prequel Novella)
- Zodiac Academy: The Awakening (2019)
- Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae (2019)
- Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning (2019)
- Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess (2020)
- Zodiac Academy 5: Cursed Fates (2020)
- Zodiac Academy: The Big A.S.S. Party (2020) (Novella)
- Zodiac Academy 6: Fated Throne (2020)
- Zodiac Academy: The Awakening As Told By The Boys (2021) (Alternate POV)
- Zodiac Academy 7: Heartless Sky (2021)
- Zodiac Academy 8: Sorrow and Starlight (2022)
- Zodiac Academy 8.5: Beyond The Veil (2023) (Bridging Book)
- Zodiac Academy: Live And Let Lionel (2024) (Bonus Stories)
- Zodiac Academy 9: Restless Stars (2024)
- Zodiac Academy 10: On the Cursed Day of Christmas (2026)
Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac Books
Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac takes place before Zodiac Academy and follows Elise Callisto at Aurora Academy. This is a darker why choose paranormal romance series, and it adds extra weight to some of the character connections that show up later in Solaria.
- Dark Fae (2019)
- Savage Fae (2019)
- Vicious Fae (2020)
- Broken Fae (2020)
- Warrior Fae (2021)
Darkmore Penitentiary Books
Darkmore Penitentiary is set after Zodiac Academy. This is Rosalie Oscura’s series, so it’s better saved until after Tory and Darcy’s main story because it sits later in the Solaria timeline.
- Caged Wolf (2020)
- Alpha Wolf (2020)
- Feral Wolf (2021)
- Wild Wolf (2024)
Sins of the Zodiac Books
Sins of the Zodiac is a newer spin-off set in the same world as Zodiac Academy. It isn’t needed for Tory and Darcy’s story, but it’s the next place to go if you finish the main Solaria books and still want more dark romantasy from this universe.
- Never Keep (2024)
- Echo Fort (2025)
- Cinder Vale (2026)
- Oracle Bay (2027)
Best Complete Solaria Reading Order
This is the order I’d use for the full Solaria experience. It starts with the first three Zodiac Academy books, then brings in Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac before the bigger crossover moments start to matter more.
- Zodiac Academy: The Awakening
- Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae
- Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning
- Dark Fae
- Savage Fae
- Vicious Fae
- Broken Fae
- Warrior Fae
- Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess
- Zodiac Academy: Origins of an Academy Bully
- Zodiac Academy 5: Cursed Fates
- Zodiac Academy: The Big A.S.S. Party
- Zodiac Academy 6: Fated Throne
- Zodiac Academy: The Awakening As Told By The Boys
- Zodiac Academy 7: Heartless Sky
- Zodiac Academy 8: Sorrow and Starlight
- Zodiac Academy 8.5: Beyond The Veil
- Zodiac Academy: Live And Let Lionel
- Zodiac Academy 9: Restless Stars
- Zodiac Academy 10: On the Cursed Day of Christmas
- Caged Wolf
- Alpha Wolf
- Feral Wolf
- Wild Wolf
- Never Keep
- Echo Fort
- Cinder Vale
- Oracle Bay
This order gives you Tory and Darcy’s setup first, adds Ruthless Boys before the crossover details become more meaningful, then finishes the main Zodiac Academy arc before moving into the later Solaria spin-offs.
You don’t need to read every spin-off to understand Zodiac Academy. But if you want every character connection, cameo, and Solaria payoff, this is the route I’d take.
Do You Have to Read Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac?
No, you don’t have to read Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac to understand the main Zodiac Academy plot. You can follow Tory and Darcy’s story without stopping for a five-book prequel series.
That said, Ruthless Boys makes Solaria feel much bigger. Some later appearances, jokes, references, and emotional beats land better if you already know Elise and her guys.
My recommendation is simple: skip Ruthless Boys only if you want to stay locked on the Vega twins. Read it if you already know you’re invested in Solaria and want the crossovers to hit harder.
Where Does Darkmore Penitentiary Fit?
Darkmore Penitentiary fits after the main Zodiac Academy series. It takes place later in the timeline, so I wouldn’t read it before finishing Tory and Darcy’s story.
You can read it as its own series, but it works better once you already understand Solaria, the Orders, the politics, and the character connections from the earlier books.
What About Sins of the Zodiac?
Sins of the Zodiac is set in the same world as Zodiac Academy, but I wouldn’t mix it into a first-time Zodiac Academy read.
Save it for after the main Solaria arc. It has a new cast, a new setup, and its own darker flavor, so it makes more sense once you’re ready for a fresh story in the same world.
What About Zodiac Academy 10?
Zodiac Academy 10: On the Cursed Day of Christmas is a return to Solaria after Restless Stars. I’d treat it as a festive bonus adventure rather than part of the original core arc.
Read it after Restless Stars, not before. The nine-book arc is still the main priority if you’re reading Zodiac Academy for the first time.
About Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti are sisters who co-write dark romance, fantasy romance, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance together. Their readers often call them the Twisted Sisters, which is honestly a pretty accurate warning label for the cliffhangers, messy relationships, and emotional damage waiting in their books.
Zodiac Academy is their breakout world for a reason. It combines academy fantasy, bully romance, elemental magic, shifters, vampires, sirens, dragons, royal politics, and a whole lot of Fae drama.
The good news is that once Solaria clicks for you, there’s a ton to read. The dangerous part is that one series can turn into three spin-offs and a very full Kindle library before you realize what happened.
Looking for More Books in Order?
If you want more fantasy authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Fantasy Books in Order index.