The Zodiac Academy series has been one of my favourite series, but this books fell a little short for me. I know I gave this five stars, but that's cause there were some parts/POV's that were absolutely amazing! But there were an equal number of them that I really felt like skipping, and when one of them happens to be the main character, it really brings down my interest in it.

One of the main reasons why this book wasn't up there with the others is cause it's missing some of my favourite parts of the series. The whole reason this series works so well is cause of the strong bonds and relationships that the characters have with one another and the way they grow together as each book passes. But for the most part, this one was majorly lacking in that area and honestly, it felt like the friendships and bonds were just stagnant with no forward movement. And a main reason for that is cause they're all on their own individual journeys so there's no major bonding as a group.

One thing I was really hoping for, and while we did get some solid content on this front, it also left me so frustrated, was Seth and Caleb. Omg someone just needs to lock these two into a room until they actually communicate! I loved the steamy moments and the soft moments, but at this point the whole miscommunication/slow burn on the relationship front is just being dragged for too long. I enjoyed all their chapters and they were some of my faves in the book, but I just need them to talk things out already.

The first part of the book was really the highlight of the whole thing. It was emotional and made me cry because I could feel all their pain and heartbreak as they moved forward after that cliffhanger from ZA7. It was strong and really set the pace for what I hoped the rest of the book should have been like. But the problem with is being so long was that it started to get a little repetitive and unnecessary at certain times. And that really took away from how strong it started.

Darcy and Orion were another light in this story. I felt like though they were the ones with some of the hardest circumstances, they really made some solid plot progress while also remaining the strongest relationship in the series. 

Tory on the other hand just really got on my nerves in this book. I've always had a love-hate relationship with her because, while I love how badass and strong she is, I also hate how her own stubbornness can lead to her downfall. And the journey she took in this book made her go down a path that really isolated her and that really brought the story down for me. There were definitely moments where I just felt like skipping her chapters cause it didn't hold a candle to the others. 

There were definitely a lot of extra POV's in this book and while I liked getting to see them, I was left feeling confused as to why they were even there. Some of them could have definitely been cut from the book without it affecting the plot at all.

The ending was also subpar compared to the others. And it might be a weird opinion, but the ending wasn't as brutal as the others and that really took away from it for me. Heartless Sky was intense, emotional and really tugged on my emotions, but compared to that, the ending of this one fell flat and really felt incomplete. There's still so much that needs to be covered and with how long this book was, the ending should not have felt as rushed as it was. 

But after all that, this series still remains one of my favourites, and I really hope the next book brings it all together and makes up for the slight disappointment of this ending. This one still made me laugh and cry and made me feel pain and heartbreak. It's still a wonderful story and I can't wait to read the next one! I love these characters and after their long and arduous journey, I really want to see them happy for a change and I hope we get that in ZA9!