Best Susanne Valenti Books
Susanne Valenti writes dark fae fantasy with the intensity of a soap opera and the world-building ambition of epic fantasy — a combination that has built her a fiercely devoted readership. The Zodiac Academy series is her signature work: a richly detailed magical academy where zodiac powers, brutal power hierarchies, and scorching enemies-to-lovers tension collide across a saga that keeps escalating. Ruthless Fae and Dark Fae establish the tone immediately — possessive, emotionally volatile, and propulsive in a way that makes restraint feel like a foreign concept. Valenti's prose is unapologetically dramatic, leaning into morally grey fae lords, high-stakes confrontations, and romantic dynamics that simmer and explode in equal measure. The dramatized audio adaptations, featuring narrators like Khaya Fraites and Nora Achrati, only amplify the theatricality. Readers who want dark romance with genuine fantasy stakes — not just a paranormal backdrop — will find exactly that here.
Where to Start with Susanne Valenti
- Best entry point → Dark Fae
- Start the Crown of Hearts and Chaos series → Hollow
- Underrated but highly rated → Cinder Vale
- What readers keep coming back to → Ruthless Fae
- Highest rated by readers → The Reckoning (Part 2 of 2) (Zodiac Academy [Dramatized Adaptation] #3, Part 2 #3)
Best Susanne Valenti Books
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Warrior Fae
Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac • Book 5
by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
★ 4.26 Goodreads (76.7K ratings) - 2
The Reckoning (Part 2 of 2)
Zodiac Academy [Dramatized Adaptation] #3, Part 2 • Book 3
by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti, Khaya Fraites, Jessica Schly, Gregory Linnington, Julian Dailey, Jon Vertullo, Ryan Dalusung, Gabriel Michael
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Senior students torture freshmen during Hell Week preparation for The Reckoning — the brutal assessment that decides who stays at Zodiac Academy — as the revealing Lunar Eclipse draws near.
★ 4.38 Goodreads (1.5K ratings) - 3
Ruthless Fae
Zodiac Academy • Book 2
by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
★ 4.20 Goodreads (363.3K ratings) - 4
The Reckoning (Part 1 of 2)
Zodiac Academy [Dramatized Adaptation] #3, Part 1 • Book 3
by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti, Khaya Fraites, Jessica Schly, Gregory Linnington, Julian Dailey, Jon Vertullo, Ryan Dalusung, Gabriel Michael
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Hell Week begins as senior students torment freshmen before the assessment that will determine their fate at magical Zodiac Academy. Dark secrets and forbidden attractions complicate survival in this supernatural boarding school thriller.
★ 4.30 Goodreads (1.6K ratings) - 5
Cinder Vale
Sins of the Zodiac • Book 3
by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
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Ash stirs across battlefields as fate whispers of buried secrets in this enemies-to-lovers expansion of the Zodiac Academy universe. Peckham and Valenti weave elemental magic through romantic tension and ancient mysteries.
★ 4.67 Goodreads (133 ratings) - 6
Dark Fae
Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac • Book 1
by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
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Vampire Elise goes undercover at an academy to identify her brother's killer among four dangerous supernatural students—a Dragon, Basilisk, Lion Shifter, and tattooed Harpy—while a new drug threatens their world.
★ 4.04 Goodreads (113.0K ratings) - 7
Hollow
Crown of Hearts and Chaos • Book 1
by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
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The Great Hunt occurs every fifty years, drawing Champions willing to face death in cursed woods to break an ancient spell. One ordinary person enters the forest anyway, defying every warning about shadows, spirits, and darkness.
★ 4.04 Goodreads (22.4K ratings) - 8
The Awakening
Zodiac Academy [Dramatized Adaptation] • Book 1
by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti, Khaya Fraites, Jessica Schly, Gregory Linnington, Julian Dailey, Jon Vertullo, Ryan Dalusung, Gabriel Michael
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Gemini twins discover they're Fae royalty who must survive supernatural school where proving their power means every classmate becomes their enemy. Peckham and Valenti blend deadly academia with royal intrigue.
★ 4.02 Goodreads (1.8K ratings)