Shadow Princess (2020) is a dark fantasy novel by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, and it is the fourth installment in the Zodiac Academy series. Part of the “bully romance” subgenre, the story continues the saga of twin Fae princesses, Tory and Darcy Vega, at a brutal magical academy in the world of Solaria. Following a traumatic ritual enacted by a powerful enemy, the sisters discover their true magical nature as legendary Phoenixes, a power they must keep secret to survive. As they navigate hostile rivalries with the elite Celestial Heirs, they must also grapple with the dark magic growing inside them. The novel explores themes of The Corrupting Influence of Power and Legacy, The Interplay of Fate and Free Will, and Survival and Resilience in the Face of Trauma.

Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti are a bestselling British writing duo who have gained significant popularity for their interconnected fantasy romance universe, particularly through the BookTok community on the social media platform TikTok. The Zodiac Academy series is their best-known work and an example of the romantasy and bully romance genres, which feature complex power dynamics, morally ambiguous relationships, and high-stakes conflict in an academic setting. Shadow Princess builds upon the world of Solaria, which also serves as the setting for their related series, Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac and Darkmore Penitentiary.

This guide refers to the 2020 King’s Hollow LLP edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide feature depictions of bullying, physical abuse, emotional abuse, graphic violence, cursing, sexual content, illness, and death.

Plot Summary

Following the events of the Lunar Eclipse, Darius Acrux transports himself, his Guardian Lance Orion (a Vampire magically bound to protect him), and the Vega twins, Tory and Darcy, to the Heirs’ private sanctuary, King’s Hollow. The twins reveal that they remember everything Darius’s father, Lionel Acrux, did to them, including using their power to ascertain dark shadow magic and his attempt to erase their memories. Their emerging Order (a magical Fae animal form) allows them to resist such magic. Tory is furious with Darius for allowing his father to use them in the shadow ritual, even though he did it to save his brother, Xavier. Orion reveals they are Phoenixes, an ancient, powerful Order. They agree to keep this a secret, as Lionel would kill them if he perceived them as a threat. Later, Darcy and Tory realize the shadows from the ritual have taken root within them, but they decide to keep this from Orion and Darius.

The new Tarot teacher and Orion’s friend, Gabriel Nox, arrives at the academy. He possesses the ability to see the future. He had a vision of the twins as Phoenixes and was led to them by a mysterious figure called “Falling Star,” whom the twins identify as their murdered mentor, Professor Astrum. Darius and Orion discover the twins’ shadow powers, so Orion arranges for Gabriel to tutor the twins in their Order abilities while he teaches Darius and them to control the shadow magic. During one shadow magic lesson, Tory loses control and is nearly consumed by the shadows’ desire to kill Darius. Meanwhile, Darcy and Tory begin hearing a female voice calling to them from the shadows.

In Orion’s class, as punishment for missing a deadline, he assigns Tory to the cheerleading squad with her rival, Marguerite, and Darcy to the brutal Pitball sports team with the Heirs. This offers Tory more time to flirt with Caleb, with whom she has a casual sexual relationship, making Darius jealous. Meanwhile, Orion and Darcy’s secret relationship deepens; he gives her a rose quartz as a symbol of becoming exclusive and later confesses his love. However, Darcy keeps this from Tory, as Orion is their professor.

The Heirs debate their plan to force the twins to submit to their claim to power in Solaria, with Caleb arguing for negotiation while Max and Seth want to crush them. Darius is indecisive due to his repressed feelings for Tory. Max also struggles as he has become attracted to the twins’ friend, Geraldine Grus, who continuously rejects his advances. The four Heirs share their deepest secrets, including that Darius’s brother, Xavier, is a Pegasus, a supposedly weak Order, and that their father physically abuses him for it. They also learn that Lionel uses illegal dark magic to control Darius. Their emotional vulnerability renews their bond and unites them against the twins.

Diego Polaris, a classmate who once wronged the twins, reveals to Darcy that his family practices dark magic and that he was tasked by his uncle, who works for Lionel, to spy on the twins. He swears his loyalty to them now and explains that he can sense the shadows in others. Later, Darcy and Diego accidentally touch, and their shared shadow connection pulls them into the Shadow Realm. There, they meet the “Shadow Princess,” who asks them to help her escape the realm on New Year’s Eve. Orion, who is present, follows them into the Shadow Realm, recognizing the Shadow Princess as his sister, Clara, whom he believed had died years ago in a similar ritual.

At a Halloween party, the Heirs enact a plan to humiliate the twins and make people doubt their right to the throne. Max slips Tory a potion that makes her hyper-sexual, while Seth forces Darcy to drink a potion that causes hallucinations. They film the twins’ resulting behavior and leak the footage to the tabloid The Celestial Times, which goes viral. During the party, Seth discovers Darcy and Orion’s affair and begins blackmailing her, threatening to expose Orion if she disobeys him. Tory wants revenge over the Heirs’ actions, but Darcy, now under Seth’s control, refuses to fight back, causing a major rift between the sisters.

To counter the negative press, the twins give an interview that successfully spins the narrative, portraying Darcy as a compassionate animal lover and Tory as a woman with sex addiction from a traumatic childhood. Their popularity soars, thwarting the Heirs’ plan. Tory also steals and destroys one of Darius’s prized motorbikes in retaliation; however, when he chases her down, their feelings escalate, and they have sex.

Darcy and Tory remain distant because Seth forces Darcy to keep her relationship a secret. However, when Orion kisses Tory after mistaking her for Darcy, the affair is revealed. The sisters make up, more determined to fight back against the Heirs and defend their right to the throne. At Christmastime, they are brought to the Solarian palace for the holiday alongside Geraldine, as their biggest supporter of the royal bloodline. There, they learn through objects in the palace about their parents’ relationship, including that their mother could see the future and chose to send them to the human world to save them from an impending attack on the palace.

The Heirs, Darius’s brother Xavier, and their parents, the Celestial Councillors, come to the palace for a traditional dinner. The meal is tense, and Lionel follows Tory away from the dining hall at one point to physically threaten her if she should actually try to claim the throne. Nonetheless, the twins and the Heirs bond throughout the evening. That night, Tory and Darius have another sexual encounter; the following morning, the twins, Geraldine, the Heirs, Xavier, and Orion have a snowball fight. Nymphs suddenly attack the palace, and in the fight to defeat them, the Vegas’ Phoenix Order is revealed to everyone, including Lionel. They flee to the school, worried about his retaliation.

The twins, Darius, and Orion plan to save Clara from the Shadow Realm on New Year’s Eve. When the time comes, though, powerful star magic summons Darius and Tory to a ravine and reveals that Tory is his Elysian Mate (his one true, fated love). He confesses his love, explaining the reasons behind his past cruelty. Tory, unable to forgive his actions, rejects him and flees. They are marked as Star Crossed lovers (fated mates who have missed their chance to be together), cursed to never find love again.

Simultaneously, Darcy and Orion proceed with the ritual to save Clara. Using dark stardust and blood magic, they successfully bring Clara back from the Shadow Realm. However, she returns in a corrupted state. In the cave, Clara reveals she is merely a vessel for the shadows. She attacks him, draining his blood to replenish her own power. When Darcy intervenes, Clara stabs Orion with his own dagger and flees. Mortally wounded, Orion dies in Darcy’s arms. In his final moments, he makes her promise to claim the throne and share it with Darius. Devastated, Darcy confesses her love for him and uses her Phoenix fire to send a massive flare into the sky as a signal for help.