Cursed Fates (2020) is a dark fantasy romance novel by British writing duo Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. It is the fifth book in the internationally bestselling Zodiac Academy series, which is part of the larger United States of Solaria interconnected universe. The series gained significant popularity through social media platforms, particularly TikTok, and has appeared on bestseller lists from outlets including the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. The novel continues the story of twin Fae princesses, Darcy and Tory Vega, at a magical academy. After Tory makes the fateful decision to reject her destined soulmate, the powerful Dragon Heir Darius Acrux, the two are cursed to be “Star Crossed”—fated to love one another but violently forced apart by the stars. Tory’s act of defiance sets off a chain of events that reshapes alliances and pits Tory and Darius against a growing tyrannical threat.

The novel examines complex themes, primarily The Tension Between Fate and Free Will, as Tory and Darius must navigate a destiny that actively punishes their personal choices. As the tyrannical Lionel Acrux schemes to seize the throne, the story also explores The Corrupting Influence of Power, examining how the relentless pursuit of magical and political dominance strips individuals of their humanity. Through the fractured and forming relationships among the characters, the narrative argues that true connection requires relinquishing defensive barriers, illustrating Vulnerability as a Prerequisite for Authentic Connection—a central challenge for a cast of characters hardened by trauma and betrayal.

This guide refers to the 2020 self-published e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide feature depictions of graphic violence, sexual harassment, physical and emotional abuse, bullying, sexual content, cursing, death, substance use, and a sexual relationship between a teacher and a student.

Plot Summary

In a cave on the shores of Solaria, Darcy Vega desperately seeks help for her teacher and lover, Orion, who has been mortally wounded. Through a dark magic ritual, the two reclaimed his lost sister, Clara, from the Realm of Shadows. However, when they pulled her back into the Fae Realm, she turned on Orion and stabbed him with a magical dagger. Darcy runs for help and finds Seth, a powerful Werewolf Heir and her sworn enemy, who attempts to heal Orion but lacks the power. Darius, the Dragon Heir and Orion’s best friend, appears in the cave, and together, the three manage to revive Orion, but he awakens in a feral state and attacks Seth, feeding on him savagely before Darius offers his own blood to calm him. 

Meanwhile, Darius is reeling from his own crisis: During a fated “Divine Moment,” his Elysian Mate—Darcy’s twin sister, Tory—rejected their celestial bond ordained in the stars, leaving them both Star Crossed and marked by black rings around their irises. A heartbroken Tory seeks comfort from the Vampire Heir, Caleb. Caleb reels when he sees the black rings in her eyes, but Tory begs him to help her forget. After they have sex, Caleb gets an urgent summons from Seth and realizes that Darius is the Elysian Mate that Tory rejected. He realizes that the pull he felt to Tory was the stars already working to keep the fated pair apart by pushing them toward others. The Heirs comfort Darius and vow to find a way to reunite him with Tory.

The consequences of these events ripple across Zodiac Academy. Darius learns that Clara has retained her Guardian bond with his tyrannical father, Lionel, who plans to use her power as a Shadow Princess to seize the throne of Solaria. Lionel uses Dark Coercion, a forbidden form of mind control, to bind Darius to silence about his plans. As Darius and Tory grapple with their forced separation—with storms and earthquakes manifesting whenever they are alone together—a new, fragile alliance forms between the Vega twins and the Heirs against their common enemy, Lionel. 

Seth discovers Darcy and Orion’s forbidden romance and uses the knowledge to blackmail them into doing whatever he wants. The group gains a new asset when Darcy’s friend Diego reveals he can spy on Lionel’s inner circle through a magical hat that gives him access to his family members’ memories. He shows them a vision of Clara commanding an army of Nymphs with Lionel at her side. As the alliances shift, Tory uses her Phoenix fire magic to free both Darius and his mother from Lionel’s Dark Coercion. She also uses a rare Phoenix ability—an act known as a Phoenix Kiss, which brands Darius’s arm with a tattoo of Phoenix wings that allows him to openly defy his father and resist his magic.

The fragile peace shatters when a video of Darcy and Orion having sex is sent to the Fae Investigation Bureau (FIB). Kylie Major, Seth’s vindictive ex-girlfriend, stole Darcy’s Atlas, intercepted messages about their library rendezvous, and planted a camera to record the encounter. At his public trial, Orion fears the scandal will destroy Darcy’s reputation and her claim to the throne. He falsely confesses to using Dark Coercion to manipulate Darcy, painting himself as a predator. Despite Darcy’s protests, Orion is found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in the brutal Darkmore Penitentiary. Darcy is left heartbroken and betrayed. In the aftermath, Seth comforts Darcy, delivering a heartfelt apology for his past cruelty and revealing the truth: Orion sacrificed himself to protect her. When Darcy visits Orion in prison, he coldly rejects her, reinforcing his lie to force her to move on, and then he refuses to sign off on an appeal, leaving Darcy and Darius with little hope of securing his release.

Through Diego’s magical hat, the Heirs and the Vegas discover that Lionel is searching for the legendary Imperial Star, an artifact that grants invulnerability and could make his rule absolute. A vision from the Vegas’ newly discovered half-brother, the Harpy professor Gabriel Nox, reveals they have only three weeks to find it before Lionel does. On the last night of the academic term, Lionel and Clara set a trap. Exploiting Diego’s connection to his family’s memories, they send Tory a false memory of Darcy being tortured, luring her to the Orion Manor alone. The house is filled with Order Suppressant gas, neutralizing Tory’s Phoenix powers. Lionel reveals he needs her royal blood to wield the Imperial Star and begins to torture her. Darius receives a frantic message from Tory and rallies the other Heirs and Darcy to rescue her. He engages his father in a brutal battle and nearly kills him, but Clara intervenes, using her shadow magic to control Darius. To gain ultimate leverage, Lionel performs a dark ritual, forcibly making Tory his Guardian, a magical bond that ties her to him, compelling her to protect him at all costs.

Just as Lionel is about to kill the Heirs, Tory makes the ultimate sacrifice. She offers to go with Lionel and willingly surrender to the shadows if he lets Darcy and the others go free. A heartbroken Darius is forced to watch as she says goodbye and is consumed by the darkness, becoming Lionel’s willing servant. As Lionel, Clara, and the shadow-bound Tory escape, the house collapses. Darcy and the Heirs manage to get out but are left defeated and grief-stricken over the loss of Tory. On the edge of campus, surrounded by the rubble of their hopes, Darcy and the four Heirs join hands, making a star-bound promise. They vow to find the Imperial Star and rescue Tory, uniting as a single force against the coming darkness. “No matter what it takes” (924), they swear together, their words echoing into the night as their new war begins.