Zodiac Legacy

Descendants of the Zodiac #2

by Katie Zhao

Return to the hidden world of the cursed Descendants of the Zodiac, where magic intertwines with dark academia at a boarding school dedicated to restoring their glory. In this thrilling sequel, the Descendants must navigate the aftermath of a chaotic heist and rescue a fallen comrade—all while battling dark forces determined to tear them apart.

A vampire on the run. A shapeshifter with a haunting past. A mortal trapped in enemy territory. And a werewolf with a score to settle.

After the heist of a lifetime to reclaim the source of their magic—the twelve Chinese zodiac statues—Evangeline Long and her crew of supernatural beings are on the run. Something—or someone—is working against the Descendants of zodiac from the shadows, and despite Evangeline’s efforts, her people remain cursed as creatures of darkness.

However, not everyone wants to return to life before the curse. As factions begin to tear the Descendants apart, Evangeline must travel to London to finish her mission: break the curse and restore the Descendants to their former glory. But with one of her crew in enemy hands and longtime allies turning on her, Evangeline must barter with lives as she decides who to trust . . . and who to target.

And she’ll have to do it soon. There are whispers of monsters on the loose—longtime foes of the Descendants who have returned for blood—and as long as the Descendants remain cursed, they don’t stand a chance. Now more than ever, Evangeline’s crew must finish their mission and reclaim their powers, before there is nothing left of the Descendants to save. . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Vampires, Fiction, Audiobook, Dark Academia

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 2025

Reviews

[rina · Rating 3 out of 5]

finished: 03/26/26
this is a love letter to evangeline long <3 adore her to death!

‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ “ no, xiao jie. i will follow you to the ends of the earth. ”

pre read: 03/24/26
this series is soso fun despite the low avg rating. very excited to return to this universe!! 🤭

[Sofia (francis and noemi's version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy crap.

Zodiac Legacy by Katie Zhao was literally amazing. I really liked the first book, but this was just a different story altogether. These characters are so very dear to me, and the plot was so intriguing that I couldn't put it down.

I will NEVER forgive the author for that ending, though. Absolutely gut-wrenching.

The writing hooked me from the beginning, and I loved reading from almost all of the characters' points of view. I loved watching each of them grow and find their strength while trying to defeat Julius and the Collector, and I loved watching their relationships blossom or end.

My favorite character is and will always be Alice, especially in this book. She grew so much as a person, and as a Descendant, she found her own powers and fought back against Julius, and I was literally so proud of her for that. I wish she and Nicholas ended up together in the end, but I'll just say that the author had other plans...

Evangeline was a badass leader, but although her many moments of victory were amazing to read, I also loved it whenever she was down because it showed just how strong she was. Nicholas was my second favorite character. He overcame his fears and stood by what he believed in, which I thought was an amazing accomplishment after reading the first book. Tristan pissed me off so much, though, he literally could NOT STOP arguing with Nicholas, which threw the entire crew off.

Lei and Titus were an amazing couple, and I loved reading from their POVs as well. I absolutely detested Marcus, Max, Julius, and the Collector, though.

Overall, I really am happy with this series, and this was an amazing sequel to Zodiac Rising! If there are any more books to this series that are coming out in the foreseeable future, they will be devoured once they come out.

[ting · Rating 3 out of 5]

i had high hopes for the sequel of zodiac rising, which had me riveted, and while zodiac legacy came with higher stakes, the resolution was ultimately a letdown. the “final battle” was anticlimactic after the drawn-out first half of the book and i was left with many unanswered questions. it was fun being reunited with the main cast, especially evangeline and alice, but i won’t necessarily be thinking about this book after.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will never forgive Zhao for that ending. She knows what she did.

Other than the GREAT BETRAYAL OF MY HEART BY THE AUTHOR, this was a fun conclusion to the duology. The pacing wasn't perfect, as we were entering the last quarter I was certain we would need another book to wrap everything up, but despite that, I still got a satisfying ending. That made me cry.

The inclusion of the Chinese zodiac was interesting, but I do wish there was more time spent on the intricacies of it because some of it felt very glossed over.

The characters were fun, the relationships felt very appropriate to their older teen status, and the book moved along. Overall I had a good time!

Thank you to Random House Books for Young Readers for the free book!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

📕: Zodiac Legacy-Descendants of the Zodiac #2

✍🏾By: Katie Zhao-I read Zodiac Rising and gave it 5⭐

📃Page Count: 368 eBook

📅Publication Date: 10-7-25 | Read 10-3-25

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's| Random House Books for Young Readers, and Katie Zhao for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

🌎Setting: Manhattan, NY

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Tropes: dark academia, magic, supernatural creatures

☝🏾 POV: 3rd person, multiple

⚠️TW: kidnapping, murder, grief, death of loved ones

💭 Summary: Evangeline and her crew have fled Earthly Branch Academy and need to get the remaining fountainheads to break their cursed immortality. Julius faked his death, joined the opposition, and took Alice hostage. Evangeline questions who she can trust and who's lost faith as they confront Julius and The Collector in battle.

🎭The Cast:

• Evangeline "Eva" Long- a cursed vampire, wants to be leader of the Descendants

• Julius Long-Evangeline's older vampire brother, betrayed her for The Collector

*The Collector- the original Wrathling who wants to take over the academy and get the fountainheads.

• Nicholas Hu-a fox shifter, master of disguise, Eva's BFF

• Alice Jiang-a human mind reader and half faerie, kidnapped by Julius

• Tristan She- a werewolf who still blames Nicholas for his family's deaths. He's Evangeline's ex-boyfriend

• Cecil Long-Eva's vampire adopted sister, betrayed Eva for Julius

• Marcus Niu-the new Chancellor @ Earthly Branch Academy

• Lei- a shaman they rescued, has Prince Titus of Faerie w/ him as his lover

🤔 My Thoughts: This was a good end to the duology. A lot of action but sad moments too. Some of the repetition could have cut this book down 50 pages. I wish Alice and Nicholas' relationship had been explored more. I'm guessing the Faerie King has some scores to settle with them.

🔥: Spice 1/5 kissing
⭐: Rating 3.5/5

[M. K. French · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evangeline Long and her crew of supernatural beings just held a heist to steal the twelve Chinese zodiac statues that are the source of their power. The curse isn't broken, however, and not all of the Descendants are on the same page about returning to life before the curse. Evangeline must go to London to finish breaking the curse, but there are complications: one of her crew is in enemy hands, allies are turning on her, and monsters are coming for them all.

This is the second book of the Descendants of the Zodiac series. I didn't read the first one, but I felt like the opening chapters gave enough background to the supernatural element in New York City and who the characters were to each other. Monsters worked to destroy humanity and supernatural beings alike, led by the Collector. The Descendants are the warriors to protect the world, but selfishness and greed would weaken them and allow the Collector a foothold to return. The Descendants are now supernatural beings: vampires, werewolves, foxes, tigers, and the like. They have items that give each lineage its power, which had been stolen.

The Descendants are split into different factions, supporting Marcus, Evangeline, or Julius. Each has their own agendas and view of the future for the Descendants, though Marcus is a bully that's mostly interested in himself. Evangeline and Julius are siblings, and Julius betrayed Evangeline and his own allies in the first book. He's willing to betray Evangeline again, and she's already stressed trying to protect her remaining friends when the larger Descendant society refuses to believe in the dangers posed by the Collector and the Wrathlings. This means they're divided, with too many different plans going on at once. For us, that means it's a fast read once you get into the story. There are plenty of double crosses, dubious loyalties, and jockeying for power between the siblings to increase the tension and drama.

[Juanita Flores-Mejia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for ARC of Zodiac Legacy. I gave it 3.5 stars out of 5. I was really excited to read this novel because I really enjoyed the first novel in this duology, Zodiac Rising. Unfortunately the novel dragged a bit in the middle and then felt like it had a rushed wrapped up ending.
Things I liked about the novel were: Alice's growth was great! She does so much more in this book! The world building expansion into Europe was also well done. A lot of it was in London, but they also expand out a little more. The addition of new characters was also useful in getting ready for the big battle.
Things that made it hard to read: The love story between Evangeline and Tristan...It just wasn't good. It was hard to believe they even liked each other. The amount of time that was spent on explaining how smart Julius was...like EVERYONE was talking about it, ALL the time...and then he got defeated super quickly. Additionally, the way the leader of the Wrathilings was built up over the 2 books and how he was basically invincible...there was wrathlingsin every single groups...and then the way he just brings the fountainheads to the front of the battle so they could be taken back SO easily, just didn't even make sense! And then he too dies very quick. I was also disappointed that Nicolas got killed in the battle. He was one of my favorite characters in the first novel, but in the second novel, he was just a mopey mess that no one would listen to, so I think the author was trying to make him unlikeable so people wouldn't mind him dying. But I think he had a lot more potential. And finally the way the school has all these students with special talents and none of them did much in the story,
I will still recommend this duology to students, because overall they are interesting books, I just had higher hopes for it!

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains spoilers for book one. I was SO excited for this sequel to be released and devoured it in just over one day. This title is a continuation of the events in Zodiac Rising, but here, the reader gets to experience a great deal of character development whereas the first book seemed more plot-centric. While reading, I found myself rooting for characters I loved in the first title and even changing my opinions of others. There are quite a few loose ends that get addressed throughout the novel and a MASSIVE change to our main crew near the end. We find that Alice, the underdog Descendent, develops and discovers new pieces of her own fledgling powers while being imprisoned. Meanwhile, her friends work to save her, while also looking to defeat Evangaline’s brother (Alice’s captor), figure out how the Collector comes into play, and restore the fountainheads and in turn the Descendents’ powers and mortality. All the while, political upheaval rules the culture at their school, which leads to Evangaline having one more task to navigate on her list. This book is such a great read, and it reminds me of a much smaller scale version of The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
with neat Asian inspired elements incorporated throughout the series. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Alejandro Rico-Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

Look, I wanted to like this series so much. The theme is incredible, the cultural representation 10/10 and I feel there’s a lot of potential but I had a really hard time with it.

The characters seem tropey. The romances are forced and the descriptions are very repetitive and tend to focus on the same things over and over.

It also feels like a lot of the things from the first book were ignored for the second book, especially character growth. For example:
At the end of book one Nicholas realizes he misses Tristan and saves his life and wants to have their friendship back. There’s no mention of that on book 2 but Nicholas hates Tristan and they’re at each other throats. It felt like all the growth the characters did during the first book was ignored to create tension and make them both reliant on Evangeline who is a really unlikable main character.

Again there’s tons of potential here. I just wished the characters were allowed to develop naturally and not forced into things that just don’t make sense for them because that was the vision or what was “supposed to happen”.

The final battle is a lot better and I feel it starts to feel more intentional. There’s supposed to be a third assuming from the end and I will likely give it a shot buuuuut I definitely think I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did which is just a bummer.

[Gabby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this more than I did. The plot itself isn’t bad at all — the stakes are high, there’s a solid magical foundation, and I appreciated the expansion from New York to London — but I struggled with the writing almost the entire way through. It felt like a step down in tone and depth from the first book, and at times it was hard to stay engaged.

The characters are still fun in concept, and I did enjoy some of Alice’s growth, but the pacing felt off and the climax was both rushed and oddly predictable. The emotional weight I was hoping for just didn’t land, and some moments felt more middle grade than young adult, which pulled me out of the story.

That said, the bones of the duology are strong. The world Katie Zhao has built has so much potential, and younger readers might get a lot more out of this than I did. It just didn’t quite click for me in the way I hoped it would, especially after how much I was intrigued by the premise in book one.

Rounded up to 3 because I do think it will resonate more with its intended audience, but this was sadly a bit of a miss for me overall.

[Ashleigh the Book Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 but rounded to 3

I really wanted to like it because I LOVED book 1. I feel like the one thing I loved was Alice. Like she was 10/10 the badass. I also liked how she expanded the world building to Europe.
However, what made it hard was 1) Julian being the “smartest of everyone”. So many times he outsmarted people —including people with no Indication of turning. It just felt like it was too much. 2) of I had to listen to Tristan and Evangeline needing to “talk about the kiss” one more time I may flip a table. They just aren’t good for each other. They couldn’t even really get along with one another. And the last that bugged me the most…3) THE COLLECTOR. Like what was that?! Honestly what was that supposed to be. You’re telling me the most feared underground has a dumb plan AND gets killed off so easily.

There was so much potential from book 1. The characters were so well written, the twists, and the plot were great. But book 2 felt like it lost the plan and tried too hard to complete the story in unrealistic ways.

[Karen Cohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the first book, I was hoping that this one would rise above the high school romance of the first one, but it didn't. The magical basis is interesting, as is the plot, the fight to regain the lost Zodiac statues that have led to the Descendants to a powerful but stagnant immortality, but I struggled to work through the personalities of many of the characters. The Descendants are all over 100 years 0ld, and yet they still attend school like the high school students they resemble - and they have the emotional maturity to match, which is evident in their interactions. Only Alice, a Descendant of a remaining mortal line, shows any growth, perhaps because she is not immortal, and is growing into her power instead of growing tired of being a perpetual high school student, unable to age or, apparently, change. I am, I suspect, not the target audience for this series, although I generally enjoy young adult fantasy.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Annabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion of the Descendants of the Zodiac duology falls into the style of storytelling started in Zodiac Rising. We expand the world to travel beyond New York to London for part of the story, but keep mostly to the same central characters. The adventure plays out in a way that is perhaps predictable but also an easy read. I overall like the premise of this duology, but the one thought that strikes me about the execution is that the target audience feels to be on the lower side of YA, perhaps leaning toward middle grades. I was left curious by another detail, that though this book is described as the second of a duology, the end seems to leave a hook for a follow up.
I received advanced digital access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Children's, Random House Books for Young Readers) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this sequel really excited because I loved the first book and was curious to see what would happen next after that ending. The concept behind this duology is so solid, and I still love the mix of gothic magic, betrayal, and those found-family bonds under pressure. Unfortunately, the execution of this sequel just didn’t land for me the way I hoped.

The story takes the crew beyond New York to London, which I thought was a fun expansion of the world, but overall the plot followed a pretty familiar and predictable path. It made for an easy read, but it didn’t grip me in the same way the first book did. I also couldn’t shake the feeling that this installment leaned even younger than the first, more middle grade than YA, which threw me off a little since I generally enjoy YA stories.

I do still appreciate the premise of the series, and I liked seeing Evangeline struggle with the weight of keeping her cursed people together while enemies closed in from every side. But while I wanted to love this sequel as much as I loved book one, it just wasn’t the right fit for me in the end. That said, younger readers or fans of fast-paced, supernatural adventures might still have a great time with it.

My copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Rachael Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really hoping book 2 in this series would make more sense. I thought the first had potential and maybe book two would start to come together, but we are still having some of the same issues of too much going on, not a very clear understanding of the world building, and no one is very likeable for me to feel good cheering for one character or another. I would say Alice has some good growth in this book but so many other characters (Julian, Tristan, Evangeline) just drag me down a bit.

I do think there is good potential still in these books but I really think we need a more significant edit to remove some of the slow moments and smooth out some of the more confusing moments. I like when authors play on zodiacs, culture, or magic, but I think with the amount of things going on, there's too much. We have zodiac characters with supernatural beings and we have curses, and a magical school and a prophecy and... it's just a lot.

[Kelly Lindaas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zodiac Rising

I enjoyed the first book, though I didn’t love it. I was curious about what would happen next after the ending. I was given Zodiac Rising as an ARC and was excited to dive in and find out what happens next.

I made it to about 55% and just got bored. I found myself skimming more than reading. This book felt like it was geared towards even younger readers than the first one.

I wanted to enjoy this and have enjoyed many YA novels, so it’s not the target audience that causes my issue. This may be a great read for some, but for me, it just wasn’t the right fit.

I gave this 2 stars because the premise is good, the characters are fun, and it did keep my attention to about the 50% mark.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the opportunity to view this as an ARC. This review and opinions are solely that of my own.

[Ally Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to pick up this sequel after loving the first book, but it didn’t land for me the same way. While I enjoyed the expansion from New York to London and still appreciate the mix of magic, betrayal, and found-family bonds, the plot felt predictable and leaned more middle grade than YA. I missed the gripping spark of book one, though I did like seeing Evangeline wrestle with the weight of leadership. Overall, this wasn’t quite the right fit for me, but younger readers or fans of fast-paced supernatural adventures may still enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Yessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book is a big improvement over the previous book. A lot of the issues in the first book were either not needed in this book or were addressed and improved upon. The characters seem a bit stronger and the plot moves at a more brisk pace. There is more conflict and action which drives the story along. The ending was lackluster, but offers the possibility for more books in this world. If there are, I hope the world building is improved upon.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

High stakes battle for returning the decendants back to their full power with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. The duology concluded on a good note, but hopefully we could see some more out of the Fae.
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for access to the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephen Paul Chase, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love audiobooks on CD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[trishla ⚡ | YourLocalBookReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book was good, but I felt like the pacing was a little off by the end. So much happened in like the last 20% and I felt like too many of the bad guys arcs were over too quickly. It almost seems like this was meant to be the real ending to the book rather than book 2 in a trilogy.

[Remembering Ramiyan · Rating 3 out of 5]

good

[VENKATESAN]

nice book

[Karrthick · Rating 5 out of 5]

bhj

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Matt Kratz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book. I enjoyed reading

[Lauren | TransportedLFL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Get Underlined for the free book and to PRH Audio for the free audiobook. These opinions are my own.

This is the second book in the Descendants of the Zodiac series. They definitely need to be read in order. And I was so grateful this sequel started with strong reminders of who the characters were and what happened last time. I felt able to pick up right where I had left off in the fantasy story world.

The series highlights 12 zodiac statues and the hunt to gather them all back together. There's a reference to dark academia, but that doesn't really resonate with me. Very little takes place at the school, and many of the characters are centuries old. This series leans towards the eldest end of YA, I think.

While trying not to spoil the first book, I'll say that I quite enjoyed the character growth in this book. There was a lot of tension and guessing who would side with whom. And ultimately, the characters showed interesting nuance about their ethical dilemmas.

I found that magic and mystery quite well done. I wason constantly interested in what would happen next to the main characters and to the statues. The ending left a bit of room for another book while also being a satisfying ending to the primary conflict introduced in book one.

The audiobook featured multiple narrators: David Shih, Elaine Wang, and Eric Yang. With how their recordings were put together, some narrators ended up considerably louder than others. I found myself changing the volume too frequently while listening, so I was distracted from other parts of their performance.

[donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sequel fell flat to me