Bound and Unbound: A paranormal novella duology
Ali Hazelwood
Zodiac Academy 8.5: Beyond the Veil: Zodiac Academy
by Caroline Peckham
About this book
Trapped in the haunting silence of the afterlife, the souls of Solaria’s most iconic figures watch helplessly as their loved ones fight for survival on the other side. Beyond the Veil offers a gut-wrenching, intimate look at the characters claimed by death, revealing the secrets they hold and the desperate measures they are willing to take to intervene in the fate of their kingdom.
This essential bridge novella serves as a dark fantasy lifeline, pulling readers deeper into the high-stakes world of Zodiac Academy. As the barrier between the living and the dead grows thin, the spirits of the fallen grapple with their new reality, offering critical revelations that shift the trajectory of the series. For fans of paranormal romance, it is an emotional exploration of grief, power, and the enduring bonds that defy even the finality of the grave.
If you are addicted to academy tropes, power-hungry heirs, and the intoxicating danger of vampire-adjacent lore, this installment is a must-read. It perfectly captures the atmospheric tension of the series, providing the closure and clues necessary to prepare for the final showdown. Step into the shadow realm and discover the price of interference before the stars seal their ultimate fate.
- Publication Date
- May 25, 2026
- ASIN
- B0CCF8NRGF
Reader Reviews
July 8, 2023
Perfect read to follow events of ZA Book 8 from fresh perspectives, with all the feels plus dashes of humor, and getting hyped for what is sure to be an epic conclusion to this incredible fantasy series! Some of the emotional, gut-wrenching moments from Book 8 still feel pretty raw, but the way it was done here felt more like healing therapy than re-opening those wounds. I loved all of the additional insights, backgrounds, perspectives, motivations, and warring emotions that we get from the...
July 16, 2025
...but...still the poor editing and wrong word choice causes stumbles. It's so good...and then there's a glaring error. And I get that grammar isn't your first concern when getting it all down, but you need an editor who knows where commas do and don't belong, and what the proper usage of lie vs. lay is. And then there's the fact that fully one-quarter of the book is the memory of the small cabal that stole the four Guild Stones. I'm with Hail: give use the summary. And then there are at least...
July 16, 2024
This novella kind of helped me to re-set my brain for the Zodiac Academy world after over a year away from it when I first read books 1-8 at the beginning of 2023, then waited forever for this book and the final book to be released before picking up the series again. I didn’t need a novella to re-set my brain though, I found several YouTube and TikTok videos that did the job easily and in a MUCH SHORTER time frame than this book. It honestly just feels like a money grab at this point that the...
April 11, 2025
This Book Emotionally Mugged Me and I Left the Door Unlocked Look. I came into this book knowing damn well it was going to ruin me. The authors warned us. The fandom screamed about it. And yet, like the emotionally reckless romantic I am, I charged in like a moth to a flame—or more accurately, like a fae girl to her fated mate. Spoiler alert: it burned. First off, can we talk about Tory and Darcy? These girls are the blueprint for “trauma but make it fashion.” Watching them navigate grief,...
May 22, 2026
The content is amazing. I wouldn’t have made it this far in the series if it wasn’t. I’m taking a Star off for the crappy print job though. The color of the text is more grey than black, which makes it harder on the eyes, and the chapter cover pages are likewise fully grey with white text, which is so frustrating, especially because the design would be wonderful if it just wasn’t printed crappy. That said, I feel the print job is bad enough that I won’t be buying other physical books… I’ll...
