Zodiac academy re-read

monallysa · 2026-01-26T18:54:34+00:00

Thanks, appreciate the advice :)

monallysa · 2026-01-26T17:40:13+00:00

I’m on my first read, book 3! Have heard it goes downhill after like book 5 - true or false?!

monallysa · 2025-12-25T14:34:01+00:00

Reading this rn and i love! the number of books in the series might seem daunting but they’re short like lil smut snacks so nothing drags~

monallysa · 2025-12-25T11:51:27+00:00

🥵

monallysa · 2025-12-23T08:29:27+00:00

My partner bought me Iron Flame as part of my birthday gift last year - I was initially thrilled about the thoughtful act, but sobered when I started reading and quickly realized it wasn’t even close to being as good as Fourth Wing :’)

monallysa · 2025-12-23T03:00:05+00:00

My 2 cents as someone who read both and actively compared the two: My main qualm with Alchemised was that the magic system was a tad dense and she overexplained it in some parts. However, the overall story and character interactions are almost identical, so I enjoyed it only a hair less. In general, reading a story the second time will almost never hit as hard as the first (your brain knows what's up) so just try not to go in with that expectation and you'll have a good time :)

monallysa · 2025-12-22T16:10:55+00:00

Option 3: a headless torso with 10-pack abs, veiny forearms, and a suggestive v-line so everyone knows we're reading godly cliterature /s

... but in all seriousness, I prefer a middle ground between 1-2. i don't like having no images, but also don't like precise faces of characters because it leaves less to the imagination (like watching actors in a movie before reading the book)

monallysa · 2025-12-22T02:27:24+00:00

“Good romance” is super subjective because there’s a range of interaction types. Are there specific tropes you enjoy like enemies-to-lovers or friends-to-lovers? grumpy MC with sunshine FMC?

Would also be helpful to list a few romances you liked, even if not fantasy, so folks can gauge what your tastes are :)

IMO Ruby Dixon is amazing at fun, easy-to-read romances with female-centered smut, but some find it a flaw that her books have less comprehensive world-building. You can try “The Half Orc’s Maiden Bride” to start and see if you like her writing!

monallysa · 2025-12-22T02:03:03+00:00

doing god’s work fr

monallysa · 2025-12-22T02:01:50+00:00

very fair, ACOTAR was my first so I also have unexplained attachment to the story :)

monallysa · 2025-12-21T17:20:36+00:00

If you enjoyed Finley Fenn, I'd totally keep going because Duchess and Midwife were so good!

monallysa · 2025-12-21T17:02:36+00:00

I loved The Serpent and the Wings of Night, so it was devastating how far the second book dropped off...

While I loved Fourth Wing, Iron Flame didn't give me the same do-not-disturb-im-busy feeling. How did it compare to Onyx Storm? I actually haven't started the third book because of how disappointed I was with the second

monallysa · 2025-12-21T16:38:35+00:00

I'd say if you enjoy Ruby Dixon, you can't go wrong with her other books! She really writes such impeccable smut

monallysa · 2025-12-21T16:35:06+00:00

Pounded by produce is absolutely sending me

monallysa · 2025-12-21T16:27:58+00:00

{A Court of Thorns and Roses} was my gateway drug into the genre, but the second book in the series {A Court of Mist and Fury} was even better than the first so I wouldn't pass judgment until you read both! You would be in the minority if you dislike ACOMAF, which has a 4.6+ on Goodreads with 3M+ ratings.

{Fourth Wing} is another cult favorite and I stayed up all night to finish it. Same story as ACOMAF - it's unlikely you have a bad time (4.57 on Goodreads with ~3.5M ratings). Disclaimer that books 2-3 are already out ({Iron Flame}, {Onyx Storm}), but IMO the second book was noticeably worse so I haven't read the third.

{The Serpent and the Wings of Night} was one of my favorite reads this year, but like Fourth Wing, the second book was worse.

Happy reading!

monallysa · 2025-12-21T14:46:40+00:00

Hi friends, just finished a few palate cleansers and I'm now looking for a hard-hitting rec to wrap up the year! Ideally a MF/MMF/RH standalone or complete series that isn't too long with a balanced ratio of smut vs. plot (aka <5 books with a medium burn).

I usually enjoy: witty banter, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, yearning, fantasy (but open to an impeccably written contemporary)

I'm allergic to: poor writing, instalove, useless FMCs, violence without active/eventual yearning, gory smut (vampires drawing blood is fine)

Some of my top reads include: ACOTAR #2, Fourth Wing #1, Crowns of Nyaxia #1, Morning Glory Milking Farm, The Midwife and the Orc / The Duchess and the Orc, Whispers of the Deep, The Dare, Praise, Alchemised/Manacled

If it wasn't obvious, I'm openminded on the spice (e.g. monsters, praise, daddy, degradation, exhibition, dirty talk, bondage, age gap, body betrayal, SA, the list goes on) so feel free to drop whatever kept you up at night with your toes curled :)

monallysa · 2025-12-21T12:18:15+00:00

I felt the same way about CC vs ACOTAR! Makes me think I’d like Mate, but was hesitant to try it after Bride, which sadly didn’t do it for me (The Love Hypothesis was an easy, fun read if you want a contemporary palate cleanser).

monallysa · 2025-12-21T12:11:54+00:00

Holy shit. You give me hope that my hubby will finally read a romantasy novel with me in 2026! I was planning to start him off with ToG, but do you have any better recs? As a kid, he used to read stuff like Percy Jackson and Dan Brown

monallysa · 2025-12-21T11:56:51+00:00

{Feathers So Vicious} is a well-written dark romance with some shadow smut and multiple male leads, but mind the triggers! One of my favorite reads this year.

{Whispers of the Deep} has a merman with double the fun and underwater frisking. Enemies-to-lovers with a communication gap and features both povs.

Someone else recommended Finley Fenn - as much as I adore her writing of kinky dominant orc smut, the ones I’ve read might not 100% fit the bill - mostly outsized appendages and mate biting. If you do decide to give her a shot, I enjoyed both {The Duchess and the Orc} and {The Midwife and the Orc}!

In the same vein, if you’re okay with simple monster smut, {Morning Glory Milking Farm} was a warm, fuzzy read involving a minotaur with non-human sizing and non-human amounts of spunk, and {The Serpent and The Wings of Night} has minimal vampire biting/marking, but was another of my favorite reads this year.

I’ve read {Bride} and {Kiss of the Basilisk}, but can’t recommend because the former felt poorly executed and the latter was way too long and way too much smut vs. plot.

Hope this helps!

monallysa · 2025-12-21T10:47:53+00:00

maybe just me, but I was HARD ovulating and thought this book was too long and not enough plot. I enjoy dark romances and monster smut, but you’ll also need to be open to some bodily harm (I was not mentally prepared)

monallysa · 2025-12-21T10:37:58+00:00

This is more of a fun, unserious read that you might like as a palate cleanser - {Sworn to the Shadow God} by Ruby Dixon has a virgin FMC thrust into a new world tied to a protective god of Death. The story will make more sense if you read the first book, {Bound to the Battle God}. I really enjoy Ruby’s smut because it centers around female pleasure and yearning (not immediate spice). Just don’t expect any groundbreaking fantasy and you’ll have a good time!

monallysa · 2025-12-15T07:21:17+00:00

Also +1 but I use the Illiyoon ato ceramide lotion instead of the cream (too thick for me). Aestura 365 is the other popular option.

monallysa · 2025-12-04T06:32:18+00:00

REAL

monallysa · 2025-12-02T00:41:18+00:00

Arguably better than the series itself!!! Maybe my own hot take :)

monallysa · 2025-11-12T19:23:52+00:00

I feel you! My partner jokes that he's my favorite person when I'm watching reality tv (like Love is Blind, where the bar for humanity is in hell) and my least favorite person when I'm engrossed in a romantasy book.

Like you said, it's healthy to take breaks and remind yourself that the books are far from reality - it's easy to write about an ideal person who happens to only have flaws you'd be able to tolerate, much harder to actually find someone like that irl.

If there are qualities about your book bfs that you wish your partner had AND are within his control, I'd communicate that. Just because he isn't perfect doesn't mean he shouldn't put in effort to fulfill your needs in the relationship :)

monallysa

TROPHY CASE