• Review: Zodiac Academy Sorrow & Starlight •
Not gonna lie – I find it extremely hard to review these books because I love the series and characters and world so much.
This book was both exactly and nothing like I expected. I figured it would be emotionally heavy and would take the main cast of characters to new lows, but never expected how thoroughly grief would be explored. The theme was smartly, devastatingly, effectively managed through the (many) character POVs offered by the sister writing duo as they showed the many different ways people cope with grief and trauma, from the graceful and healthy to ragged guilt and rage-induced toxicity to attempts at normality interrupted by crippling waves of pain. Was it fun to read? Not particularly. But it was well-done and an important emotional journey for this entire cast of characters.
I also admired how the dual, but separate journeys that Tory and Darcy undertook were executed, with each sister tackling challenges that ultimately helped them gain qualities they initially lacked and had always relied on the other twin for. Plus, it was extremely cool to see the sisters putting their own creative spins on tried-and-true classic hero storytelling arcs.
Now. Did the book *need* to be 1,244 pages? Did we *need* all those extra character POVs? No. Do I wish we had been given a little bit more time to breathe into the spots of joy and humor in this book (*especially* one in the last 5%)? I do.
But despite that and definitely because of all the places this book went that subverted my expectations or surprised me, I loved this book.
Yes, I sobbed until I thought I was having a panic attack, gasped in complete shock, yelled in frustration, and laughed myself silly.
Yes, it’s long and heavy and takes a toll.
Yes, some parts were maddening and horrifying and wobbly.
Yes, it feels like the plot only moved a little bit forward.
But by the end of this book, our characters are vastly different – and I can’t wait to see where they all go from here.