What do a heartless Dragon Shifter, a cold-blooded Basilisk, an arrogant Lion Shifter and a brooding, tattooed Harpy have in common…?
Me.
Elise Callisto. Vampire. Angel of vengeance. And a girl on a mission to destroy one of them for murdering my brother. I just don’t know which one did it yet.
When I interrogated/accidentally killed a Werewolf who was high on a new and dangerous drug called Killblaze, his final words painted a dark reality for me. The King of Aurora Academy killed my brother. The trouble is, there’s four kings at the academy and each of them have motive and bloodthirsty natures.
Aurora Academy isn’t a place for the faint of heart. To put it lightly, my town is the cesspit of Solaria where the most cutthroat Fae in the kingdom reside. The school itself is divided by the two gangs who run this city. The Lunar Brotherhood and the Oscura Clan. And guess what? Two of the kings run the gangs at the academy, their hatred for each other so fierce I hear a day doesn’t go by without blood being spilled in the halls.
I might be a petite, lilac-haired girl who looks like I couldn’t hurt a fly, but they haven’t been introduced to my fangs yet. And they don’t know why I’m really here. Or that I’ll do whatever it takes to bring down the Fae who took my flesh and blood from me.
I don’t believe in fate, but I do know this… the King who killed my brother is a dead man walking. And I’m prepared to sacrifice my heart, body and soul to ensure I get my revenge.
Adapted from the novel and produced with a full cast of actors, immersive sound effects and cinematic music!
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A quick note for new listeners: Dark Fae is the first book in the Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac series, a prequel to Zodiac Academy that takes place five years before those events.
Oh my Stars, I have been WAITING for this one! As a shameless fan-girl of Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac who has read the series multiple times, I came into this adaptation with some very specific expectations—and I am thrilled to say that GraphicAudio totally delivered.
First, Marissa Clay IS Elise. Her dry delivery, sarcastic attitude, complete lack of patience for nonsense, and ability to switch from badass to vulnerable make her feel like Elise walked straight out of my imagination. I honestly can't imagine more perfect casting.
And then there are the boys.
Jon Vertullo's Leon is perfect. Leon is spoiled, entitled, lazy, and selfish. But he's also ridiculously charming, irresistibly flirtatious, hilariously obsessed with Pitball, and impossible not to love. Vertullo nails both sides of this character—the ridiculous goof and the darker, more dangerous side that occasionally breaks through. Leons flirtation with Elise is almost unfairly effective. Dig deep, ladies, or you might find yourself signing up for the Mindy Army.
Rayner Gabriel was great as Gabriel Nox. I was worried his role in Zodiac Academy might make him feel too much like a "dad" from the character I knew, but he brings exactly the right combination of arrogance, vulnerability, menace, and romantic longing. Gabriel is an absolute jerk for much of this book, but you can hear the emotional conflict underneath it, which makes his scenes with Elise particularly compelling.
Delton Engle-Sorrell as Ryder displayed a wonderfully complicated character. His deep, controlled delivery works beautifully for Ryder's cold exterior, while the more vulnerable moments—especially when he allows Elise to see the person underneath—were genuinely heartbreaking. His chemistry with Elise was dead on. His scenes also had excellent menacing vocal intensity as the scariest Fae at Aurora.
Chingwe Padraig Sullivan brings plenty of confidence and swagger to Dante Oscura. I did miss Dante's Italian/Faetalian accent in his normal speech, especially because that heritage is such an important part of his identity in the series. Interestingly, the accent does appear when he actually speaks Faetalian, which made its absence elsewhere stand out even more. That said, this actor does a great job with Dante's brash arrogance while also bringing out the surprisingly vulnerable side beneath the powerful gang leader.
Eric Messner brings a lot of emotional weight to Gareth. His performance during Gareth's more desperate and painful moments really worked. His yearning to save Elise was really felt. His grunts and shouts during Ryder's vision attack, in particular, were excellent and made the scene feel genuinely brutal, and his humiliations had me cringing right alongside him.
The entire ensemble deserves credit for their phenomenal chemistry. These actors don't sound like they're simply recording their lines. The banter, flirting, arguments, laughter, jealousy, and romantic interactions feel genuinely connected. The combat and Pitball practice scenes also have excellent physicality, and I particularly appreciated that the actors actually SHOUT when the scene calls for it. The exertion, impacts, and reactions make the action feel physical rather than merely narrated.
The production also does some really interesting things with Elise's vampire abilities and Gabriel's visions. Hearing Elise use her heightened senses to navigate the school or discover who might be in a room was a particularly nice touch, and the shifting, surreal quality of Gabriel's visions adds another layer to his character.
The cast commits FULLY to the emotional intensity of the intimate scenes, bringing some seriously impressive chemistry and passion. If you want longing and desperate desire, you have come to the right place.
But what really makes Dark Fae work is the story. This is so much more than a why-choose romance. Elise arrives at Aurora Academy determined to discover which of the four Kings murdered her brother, and the mystery is genuinely compelling. The story continually gives you reasons to suspect all four men. Just when you think you've figured out who is responsible, another piece of information makes you question that conclusion.
Gareth's flashback chapters make the mystery even more effective. Knowing that his story is moving inexorably toward his death makes every chapter increasingly heartbreaking as we watch him desperately trying to save Elise while getting pulled deeper into dangerous schemes.
The four Kings also feel genuinely different. Leon, Dante, Ryder, and Gabriel aren't interchangeable versions of the same alpha male. They have completely different personalities, motivations, vulnerabilities, and ways of interacting with Elise and Gareth. Even the two gang cultures feel distinct.
And Elise herself is fantastic. She's tough, sarcastic, stubborn, resourceful, and absolutely refuses to let anyone own her. But underneath all that attitude is a woman carrying an enormous amount of grief after losing the one person who truly loved and protected her. Watching her evolve is one of my favorite parts of the story.
There is also so much HUMOR! The contrast between the heavy subject matter and the ridiculous situations these characters get themselves into is perfect. The Mindys. Principal Greyshine's “Bing Bong!” announcements. Elise's flaming artwork. Gareth's increasingly embarrassing moments. The humor keeps the story from becoming relentlessly dark and makes these characters even more memorable.Finally, the romance and spice absolutely deliver.
If you're already a fan of Solaria, this adaptation is an absolute treat. And if you're new to Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac, prepare yourself: you're getting murder, mystery, gang warfare, magic, trauma, romance, ridiculous humor, and four dangerously seductive Kings.
Story: ★★★★★ Production: ★★★★★ Spice: ★★★★★ (explicit sexual encounters)
Advance listener copy provided in exchange for honest feedback. All opinions are my own. Thank you GraphicAudio for the chance to review this book!
*Thank you, Graphic Audio. I received an ARC for free & leaving this review voluntarily of my own opinions*
I absolutely loved this book! Graphic Audio did an amazing job with this as well which made it even better. I was slightly worried at first about listening to this book knowing it's a spinoff of Zodiac Academy, which I fully admit I didn't like the Zodiac Academy series & after multiple attempts at it I finally accepted I had to DNF & stop forcing myself to like something I absolutely hated. So, I was really surprised when I started listening to this & for me personally, it felt completely different from the Zodiac series in the best way possible. I felt like this book did an amazing job at being able to give us background information on Elise as well as the 4 "kings" & even told through multiple pov's I was still able to easily keep track of who was who & what was happening. I appreciated the fact we're given information throughout the entire book including even Gareth's story slowly telling us his story before he finally ends up dead, which is where the story starts out, after he's passed away & his sister Elise decides to find out the truth about how her brother Gareth actually died & find out who is responsible so she can get justice for her brother's death. She starts to attend the academy where her brother went & eventually died so she can meet everyone & get close to the ones she suspects might be responsible for his death. What she doesn't expect is for all 4 of the "kings" of the academy to take an interest in her to the point she's constantly trying to find ways to get close to them without being forced to pick a gang side between 2 of the "kings" Dante & Ryder, while the other 2 "kings" Leon & Gabriel also take an interest, with one even claiming to be her Elysian Mate.
I enjoyed getting to know not just Elise, but also Dante, Ryder, Leon, & Gabriel, as well as Gareth even if we only get to know him from the past, but I liked the multiple pov's because it allowed us to know what was going on in their heads & also their back-stories of why they are the way they are. I liked getting to see some of these characters from the past too through Gareth's eyes before Elise ever attended the academy & get insight into the events that we know eventually will tell us what happened to Gareth.
The ending is a cliffhanger, though for once it's not a dramatic info dump, rushed type of ending, but definitely an ending that I can't wait for the next audiobook Graphic Audio releases to find out what exactly happened to Elise at the end, which I have my guesses & suspicions but I think Graphic Audio has introduced me to a series that I might not have taken a chance on by myself knowing I didn't like the Zodiac Academy series, but I would've been so wrong on that assumption & would've missed out on amazing series that just might land on one of my favorites list if the series continues to be as great as it has so far. I am definitely invested to find out what happened to Gareth as Elise continues her search for the truth because clearly it's going to be quite the ride! 5 stars for both the story & Graphic Audio's production & voice actors & all the hard work that went into making this amazing audiobook! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
GraphicAudio's adaption is, as always, amazing. No issues except maybe make the music and sound effects a little louder? I could barely hear them!
The story however... I would have liked it better if the four MMC didn't get the 'insta lust'. Like I'm not joking, all four's goals for this book was screwing the new girl.
Would have played better like this: - Dante should have been suspicious.
- Ryder should've been the first book's villain.
- Leon was fine. He should have been the only king who's story revolves around wanting Elise.
I love shifter romance books, and this series has been on my TBR for a while
The kings of Aurora Academy share a few common things. They are all ruthless, dangerous, rule the school, and want her. The newest vampire student, Elise Callisto.
For her, they are all on Elise's radar as potential targets for her revenge. A heartless Dragon Shifter, a cold-blooded Basilisk, an arrogant Lion Shifter, and a brooding, tattooed Harpy. This school houses the kingdom of Solaria's most cutthroat fae in the most dangerous area in the kingdom and is split between two rival gangs. The Lunar Brotherhood and the Oscura Clan. The two future kings of those clans attend this school, and she is determined to find out whether they, or the other two fae, are responsible for her brother's death.
Elise has two objectives: learn to control her magic and get stronger at this academy, and destroy the one responsible for murdering her brother. She doesn't know who did it yet, but getting close to all of these powerful fae will help her figure it out. She was told that the King of Aurora Academy is responsible for killing her brother, and he is going down...
Elise is a strong FMC, she makes the men work for her attention. She is on a mission, and she uses their attraction to her advantage. The men's obsession with her helps in many ways, but she cannot reveal the reason why she is there. She is not sure which one is responsible for the death of her brother, but she will find out, and when she does, he will not be alive soon after.
🎧12 hrs 55 min 🎤Full Cast, Eric Messner, Rayner Gabriel, Chingwe Padraig Sullivan, Marissa Clay, Jon Vertullo, Delton Engle-Sorrell, Matthew Bassett, Yenni Ann, Iain Batchelor, Troy Allan, LaMont Ridgell
I am finding that I am not a fan of dramatized adaptation audiobooks. I appreciate all the different voices and do enjoy it when there are several in a duet audiobook, but this is too much. The sound effects, the missing information because it's not unabridged, and the transitions sometimes make it confusing to tell who's talking, IMO. I'll continue the series with audiobooks, but with the original released for the series.
This is a fantastic story, and I’d highly recommend the original audiobook over this dramatized version. Troy Duran is INCREDIBLE!
Anyway - This voice cast did a good job, and the story itself is excellent, but unfortunately, the extra production elements really let this version down.
The background music and sound effects are far too loud at times, often drowning out the voice actors and making it difficult to follow the dialogue. The kissing and intimate sound effects are also ridiculously over the top - definitely enough to put you off your dinner! On top of that, the unnecessary laughter during almost every intimate moment quickly becomes irritating and takes away from the experience.
It’s such a shame because the story and the cast are both good. With more balanced background music, less exaggerated kissing noises, and laughter used only when appropriate, this could have been a fantastic production. As it stands, though, all the unnecessary extras make it an incredibly frustrating listen. I’d stick with the original audiobook!
Thank you, Graphic Audio. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was such a great story. Being a huge Zodiac Academy fan I loved this Dramatized Adaptation of this story.
I really enjoyed learning about the characters that you will read about later in the series. The narration was fantastic and the sound effects added so much more depth to the experience.
Graphic Audio didn’t disappoint and truly brought the story to life, making it feel immersive and vivid from start to finish.
I was drawn into this world and the characters. It felt like experiencing the story rather than just listening to it. I recommend the graphic audio version to anyone who wants a more cinematic audiobook experience.
Basic Plot: Elise seeks to avenge her brother by finding his killer.
This was pretty fascinating. It takes place some years before the Zodiac Academy book, at a different school, featuring mostly new characters. Gabriel is circling towards the heart of this book, though, and he is one of the best characters in the main series. There are a lot of intertwining stories: a murder, a gang war, a cult, a love quadrangle, and a drug. I'm leaving a few other elements out, too, to be sure. This has a slightly different vibe from ZA, but maintains the best parts of the writing style and world. A bit of a cliffhanger ending, and I'm looking forward to the next.
♾️Stars This was already one of my favorite series. Graphic Audio transcended this. The voice actors are perfection. I know some don't like GA, but I have been a fan for years and they never cease to amaze me with their productions.
Enjoyed this re-read via graphic audio! Hearing all the different voices for everyone was amazing, I felt like all the voices matched their characters. The acting and production was top notch. It was fun to be back in the world of Solaria. Which reminds, I really need to finish the ZA series.