Caroline Peckham

The Awakening as Told by the Boys

Allison Freedman

“Because what was the point in rules and codes and morals if they meant jack shit to the people ruling the world? And it made me realise I was standing in front of four people who would one day hold the fate of Solaria in their hands, and this one act was enough to make me doubt my desire for that.”
 


I’m not usually a fan of retellings, but this one was like a buttery bagel and I ate it up. I actually listened to some of it on audible when I couldn’t sit down to read and the voice for Washer was EXACTLY like the one in my head 😂 I loved reading Darius and Lances fascination/obsession with the Vegas through their POV. Honestly, it made me fall even more in love with Lance which I didn’t think was possible! I may have been a whole heck of a lot more invested in Lances chapters than the others, but still enjoyed the book as a whole. The ending was still infuriating and heartbreaking. Despite seeing the heirs side of it all it still pissed me right off. When Noxy had the vision of “blue means you” I LOST IT. I loved seeing the texts between him and Orio. Definitely a great read and a nice little break from the chaos that is ensuing in the later books 😫

Jantien 

This book is so helpful for understanding part 1!❤️

Lenina K Anindita

4.5 / anything the heirs did back in book 1 are explained here & i accept their reasons mwah 

also can we talk about how these boys are whipped for my twins since day one (YES LANCE AND DARIUS IM TALKING TO YOU BOTH), like who would’ve thought of that bc theyre so cold from the girls perspective in book 1😭 but now i read it from the boys povs I CANT HELP BUT LOVE THEM ALL EVEN MOREEE

Phee

literally just skimmed through this since its book 1 just in different povs but darius and orian’s reactions to seeing darcy and tory for the first time was worth it

samantha youngclaus

darius and orion immediately being down bad for the twins without even knowing which was which we love to see it

Regan O’Neill

Major Midnight Sun vibes
 
I loved reading about Zodiac Academy from the boy’s POV. It made their motivations clear and help the reader to understand why they did so many terrible things to the female MCs. 

This wasn’t my favorite book in the series, but it was an enjoyable read.

Meghan M

I loved reading this from the boys POV, it made me want to re-read the whole series before the next one comes out!! I need all the books like this to satisfy my ZA craving.

Natalie Noble

I read this after book 6 so it was pretty rough having to go back to the boys being complete assholes. It was interesting though to get their thoughts and I don’t think it would have been as impactful if you read this book earlier in the series I think having the knowledge of their character development and some of the plots in the later books really allows you to see the subtle hints. 

For example the underlying feelings between Seth and Caleb, the way the mate bond was making Darius feel and how Orion’s fate was coming together. 

Gabriel’s appearances in this were interesting because he typically only sees things that pertain to people he knows well but it’s obvious that even back here although his visions were linked to Orion in a way he was still very much getting visions of the twins like he was already attuned to them before knowing who they were to him. He had the vision of “blue means you”!! Also Gabriel sending Orion videos/photos of Ryder in tiny hats makes me so happy oh my god.

The little mention of Elise and Leon playing pitball was nice and she’s clearly started using the Altair name.

Orion making sure Darcy got top shelf whiskey is my love language. 

Darius got his dragon and phoenix tattoo on Tory’s birthday!! It was always for her he just didn’t know it 😭 and knowing how Darius reacted before, during and after the pool scene my heart breaks for him it was still shitty and he always had a choice but I can understand feeling like he didn’t. 

Max is clearly in love with Geraldine from the start and he’s not even subtle about it.

Seth and Caleb have to be endgame please because they’re too cute even when they aren’t self aware. 

“Seth Capella where have you been?!” she barked and I flinched from her furious tone.” This gave me howler vibes when Molly Weasley is yelling at Ron. 

Overall this was good to read because of those little insights and additional information but a lot of it was also very skimmable because we know what happens. 

Maya Federman

I love this series to the point of obsession so when I heard Caroline & Susanne were writing book 1 from the boys' POV I think I actually screamed in excitement. If you aren't familiar, the OG book 1 is told from Tory and Darcy's POV, and then the rest of the series is everyone.

If you've read the ZA books, this is a MUST READ. I don't think I realized just how broken the celestial heirs were at the beginning of this series, and getting a peek inside their heads helped me understand them on a much deeper level. Seeing in real-time how much each of them struggled with the pressure to please their parents made their characters more holistic, even when their decisions weren't the best. All of them were struggling with how best to approach getting Tory and Darcy to GTFO (aside from Max and Seth, but those two are psychos), and knowing that the bullying was hurting them as well in some way helped justify it in my head.

I think what I loved most about this retelling was Darius & Orion's POV chapters--their bond is so strong and so, so complicated. Getting to hear their thoughts when they first meet the twins was absolutely iconic, and I loved knowing how utterly obsessed they were from the get-go. I really loved this through and through, and I think it was a perfect addition to this series.

Loulou

The boys, what can I say? 
These guys were assholes but well, I never say I liked good guys

The Awakening as Told by the Boys

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