I'm the first to admit that there was no reason at all for this book to exist BUT I had so much fun reading it godamnit. It was so good meeting all these characters I love (and have been missing for quite a while) so much again before the next and one last time to say goodbye to them.
SAVAGE
MERISSA, the woman that you are! I LOVE her. She’s charismatic, strong, determined and she knows what she wants. And Hail Vega—aka, the Savage King—is something lol. I love him though. He’s one of a kind, and even feeling lost, he never let the shadows fully run him, nor ruin his kingdom that he loved so much.
And I obviously have known their story for years, but it still gets me. I feel so sad for them, for thinking that Merissa could never be the mom her children, all three of whom she loved so dearly even before meeting them, deserved to have, and that she deserved to be. The same goes for Hail because he used to think he would never find, or even deserve, to find love or a partner, and when finally found this…well, we all already know how it ended.
And I’m always the first to complain about unnecessary books (although I’m always reading them) BUT if Caroline and Susanne ever decided to write a book to share their story, I’d be the first to support and buy it.
THE SHIMMERING SPRINGS
SO. Altaircapella’s first kiss, huh? I needed to read ever since Seth mentioned it happened. And damn. If they’re still pretending it didn't ever happen, I don’t want to know how long it’ll take for them to finally get together together in ZA9 (I’m betting 89% of the book).
Geraldine seeing the twins for the first time
She’s just like me for real! The way she thought they were entities and always treated both Tory and Vega as the owners of all the truths is so fun and funny. I love her idc.
Lance’s POV of the night Darcy showed up with her hair dyed blue and of the Fairy Fair
BLUELANCE I LOVE YOU! It’s so good to love them, to love their love and to always win when it comes to these two (Cursed Fates and Fated Throne event disconsidered)! I promise I can’t think of any other two characters I cheered so much for, and that I love so much both individually and as a couple.
I got very nostalgic re-reading these first moments of their relationship, but it was refreshing seeing them from Lance’s POV. Speaking of which, I always knew he was insecure about so many things (after everything he lost and was forced to do, who wouldn't be?) but it almost broke me to read how broke he was, not being able to trust himself as enough for Darcy, or thinking that he was so bad she’d dump and forget him so fast. But I’m also happy to read it as he started to overcome it, and how he found in what they were building something worth of him trying to improve and be a better fae and a better man for Darcy.
Darius’POV of the ‘Throne Room’ and ‘Stars’ scenes
For every ounce of happiness I’d had reading bluelance’s scenes, dariustorys’ ones drowned me a bit further into my depression. Like. WTF??? It’s really hard loving characters who only knew TORTURE for the longest time.
The first POV is reading in a refreshing way how Darius’ heart was breaking during Christmas Eve and Christmas day, and the second is a refreshing way of how broke both Darius and Tory were by the time the stars decided—for some very screwed reason—that it was time to know they were mated. I don’t even have the words to say anything about it, because I’d already cried and rumbled so much because of #them, that I’ll only think and be happy about their whatabouts by the end of Sorrow and Starlight.
NIGHT
I’m never ever reading Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac books BUT they amuse and entertain me so much. And I love Gabriel, so getting to see a bit of how his household dynamic works was fun.
SETH ON THE MOON
I swear I have read it before and it kind of grosses me out BUT I’ll never read it and not think about how cute it is that Caleb knows Seth so well and made it possible for him to accomplish a dream he’d had since he was a cub.
Seth’s POV on Sorrow and Starlight final battle
I guess I have no words to describe what I felt reading this chapter, because what happened in it will always feel so beautiful for me. I enjoyed seeing a bit of how everyone had a sense of thrusting between them, how they could look to everyone else around and know that they were fine as long as they were together, and that they knew how or when to act. And I loved learning from someone's perspective how every person on that field was feeling the importance of this moment and watching the Savage Queen as some sort of gods.
I can’t wait to have Zodiac Academy: Book 9 with me. And although I still can't quite figure out why this book even exists, I enjoyed it so much. I'm such a sucker for Bluelance and Dariustory AND to see the final scene from Seth's perspective really was something beautiful.