A Year in Solaria

Back in March 2025, I picked up Dark Fae.

At the time, I had no idea that one book would turn into a reading journey that would last well over a year. I didn’t know I was about to fall headfirst into a world filled with magic, shifters, unforgettable characters, and enough emotional trauma to keep me thinking about these books long after I put them down.

But that’s exactly what happened.

Tonight, I finally finished Restless Stars, the final book in Zodiac Academy.

And honestly, I’m still trying to process it.

Over the past year, I’ve read dozens of other books. I’ve taken breaks from Solaria. I’ve explored other worlds and met countless other characters. But no matter what else I was reading, I always found myself returning to this universe. There was something about it that kept pulling me back.

Maybe it was the world itself. After all, what’s not to love about a place filled with dragon shifters, vampires, basilisks, lions, pegasi, sirens, wolves, magic, danger, romance, and enough chaos to keep you glued to the page?

But if I’m being honest, it wasn’t the magic that kept me invested.

It was the characters.

Somewhere along the way they stopped feeling like fictional people. Their victories made me smile. Their losses hurt. Their relationships frustrated me, inspired me, and occasionally had me yelling at my book. They became the kind of characters you carry with you after the story ends, and I think that’s what separates a good series from a truly unforgettable one.

Of course, I can’t talk about my journey through Solaria without talking about Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac.

I loved Zodiac Academy. I really did.

But Ruthless Boys owns a special place in my heart.

It also gave me Ryder Draconis.

Listen, I’ve read a lot of books. I’ve met a lot of fictional men. Some have come close, but none have managed to knock Ryder off the throne. He remains my ultimate book boyfriend, and at this point I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Sorry to every future fictional man I meet.

The bar has been set.

As I got closer and closer to the end of Restless Stars, I found myself slowing down. Not because I wasn’t enjoying it, but because I knew what was waiting for me at the end.

Goodbyes.

There’s something bittersweet about finishing a series you’ve lived with for so long. On one hand, you desperately want answers. You want to know how everything ends. You want to see your favorite characters get the futures they’ve fought so hard for.

On the other hand, finishing means letting go.

It means closing the final page and realizing there aren’t any more chapters waiting for you.

That’s where I found myself tonight.

Closing the book and realizing that a journey that started over a year ago had finally come to an end.

Well… mostly.

I still have Darkmore Penitentiary sitting on my shelf waiting for me, so technically my time in Solaria isn’t completely over yet. But finishing Restless Stars feels significant. It feels like the end of a chapter in my reading life.

And what a chapter it was.

This universe made me laugh, cry, rage, cheer, and stay up far later than any responsible adult should. It introduced me to characters I’ll never forget and gave me one of my favorite fictional worlds of all time.

When I picked up Dark Fae in March 2025, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

If I had known then how attached I would become to Solaria, I probably still would have opened that first page.

And I’d do it all over again.

🖤