The Awakening (Dramatized Adaptation) cover art

The Awakening (Dramatized Adaptation)

Zodiac Academy, Book 1

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The Awakening (Dramatized Adaptation)

By: Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
Narrated by: Lydia Kraniotis, Daniel Llacal, Gregory Linnington, Khaya Fraites, Nora Achrati, Jessica Schly, Karenna Foley, Julian Dailey, Ryan Dalusung, Gabriel Michael, Full cast
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About this listen

I’m a Gemini. Impulsive. Curious. Headstrong. A twin. Heir to a throne I know nothing about. And it turns out, I’m Fae.

But of course there’s a catch–all I have to do to claim my birth right is prove that I’m the most powerful supernatural in the whole of Solaria. And sure, technically that’s true as I’m the daughter of the Savage King. But the bit they didn’t put in the brochure was that every single Fae in this Kingdom would claim my throne if they could.

The school they’ve sent me to is both dangerous as sh*t and one helluva party. Vampires bite weaker students in the corridors, the Werewolf pack has orgies in the Wailing Wood at every full moon and don’t even get me started on the dark and twisted ways the Sirens use their powers on people’s emotions, or how my sinfully tempting Cardinal Magic teacher hosts detentions that leave people needing therapy.

Classes are totally interesting if you manage to live through them. And that Gemini star sign I mentioned? It now determines my elemental magic and affects my destiny, so learning astrology is essential if I’m going to beat down my classmates–which is actively encouraged by the way.

My biggest problem is the drool worthy Dragon shifter who has his eyes on my throne. He and his three psycho friends are determined to make my time here hell.

All I’ve got to do is survive. But fate might have other ideas.

Dammit, why couldn’t I have gotten a letter to Hogwarts?

This is a dark, bully romance–don’t go expecting a sweet school for magic with friends around every corner. Fae fight for everything they own and Zodiac Academy is a cutthroat school for students aged 18+ where only the strongest prevail. There’s no Dumbledore here to save anyone’s ass and Lionel Acrux will give Voldemort a run for his money in the evil dictator category. So hold onto your stardust (broomsticks not required) and get ready for a bumpy ride.

Adapted from the novel and produced with a full cast of actors, immersive sound effects and cinematic music!

Performed by Khaya Fraites, Jessica Schly, Gregory Linnington, Julian Dailey, Jon Vertullo, Ryan Dalusung, Gabriel Michael, Karenna Foley, Daniel Llaca, Lydia Kraniotis, Nora Achrati, Kelly Baskin, Stephanie Németh-Parker, Crystal Lee, Dawn Ursula, Lise Bruneau, Kaylee Eluvian, Marissa Clay, Bradley Foster Smith, Michael John Casey, Ken Jackson, Tyler Hyrchuck, Donald Guzzi, Yasmin Tuazon, Jerri J. Marshall, Laura C. Harris, Karen Novack, Eric Messner, Scott McCormick, Drew Kopas, and James Konicek.

* This audio production was updated on 10-14-2024 with new voice actors for Darius and Caleb. Reviews posted before that date are about the older version.

©2019 Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti (P)2024 Graphic Audio LLC
Audio Performances & Dramatisations Dramatisations Fantasy Shifter Magic Paranormal Royalty Student Destiny Adaptation

What listeners say about The Awakening (Dramatized Adaptation)

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women bashing book

found it to be really horrible listening to the bullying over and over again.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Worth the redownload

The Darius replacement is fantastic! still love Max the best (Gabriel). Cal is a little creepy. Definitely worth the redownload if you listened to the initial release.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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amazing audio

loved the audio and loved the story. I am definitely going to be listening to all the books.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Darius’ voice doesn’t match his character

I love this book, I think it’s a great read! Everyone was perfectly cast except for Darius and Seth. Darius especially as it sounds like he’s way older than everyone and does not suit his character. Honestly the person who voiced Rigel sounded way more what Darius would have sounded like

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Review that covers everything without spoilers!

The first thing you want to know (as per the title) this is a Dramatized Narration. Please see the end of the review for explanations into Single, Dual, Duet, Full and Dramatized Narrations.

Overall: My opinion is to listen or read this!!
Tropes: Dark Bully, M/F, New Adult, Slow Burn, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Steam: Rises throughout the series
BE WARNED: Graphic Audio has not completed the series as of yet, you will then have to wait, or read the books or listen to the other books in audible's Dual POV editions.

Dramatised: These audiobooks tend to divide opinions—you either love them or hate them. For every person who enjoys the sound effects and music, there’s someone who feels these elements interrupt the story. It’s all down to personal preference, as we all have different tastes. Personally, what I love most about dramatised audiobooks is that every character has their own voice actor, bringing the story to life in a way that mirrors how I imagine it when reading. This is why I can only listen to Duet, Full Cast, or Dramatised audiobooks. While the sound effects or music can occasionally feel cringey, the overall experience is incredibly fun and immersive in this book.

Story: I’m writing this review while currently on book 3, and I have to say, the deeper I get into the series, the more immersed I become. Book 1 was frustrating at times, but I think that frustration was intentional—it made me empathize with Tory and Darcy and the challenges they face. The way the Twisted Sisters write pulls you into the twins’ journey, making you root for them to rise up and kick some a$$. If you're fine with the TW's, then stick with it—it’s absolutely worth it!

Trigger Warnings: While I personally have no triggers, you might, so I recommend checking them out before diving in. As a dark romance fan, I found the content relatively tame; HOWEVER, the emotional impact of this story hit me hard. Thinking about what the twins endure left me feeling emotionally crushed at times. It really makes you question: what’s worse—physical pain or emotional pain?

Performance: I loved some of the voice actors, while it took me a bit longer to warm up to others. My only critique is that it was sometimes challenging to figure out whether I was in Tory’s or Darcy’s POV, as the female narrators had similar tones and GA didn’t always make it explicitly clear.

Main Story:
ZA 1: The Awakening
ZA 2: Ruthless Fae
ZA 3: The Reckoning
ZA 4: Shadow Princess
ZA 5: Cursed Fates
ZA 6: Fated Throne
ZA 7: Heartless Sky
ZA 8: Sorrow and Starlight
ZA 9: Restless Stars

Novellas:
ZA 0.5: Origins of an Academy Bully
ZA 5.5: The Big A.S.S. Party

Companion Books:
ZA 1.5: The Awakening As Told By The Boys
ZA 8.5: Beyond The Veil
ZA: Live And Let Lionel

Narration Explanations:

❌ Single Narration: One narrator voices the entire audiobook, performing all characters and narration.

❌ Dual Narration: Two narrators share the storytelling, often alternating chapters or sections, with each performing all the dialogue and action for their assigned parts. For example, in a chapter from Tory’s POV, her narrator voices not only Tory’s thoughts and narration but also Darius’s dialogue. Similarly, in a chapter from Darius’s POV, his narrator handles all the narration and dialogue, including Tory’s lines.

✅ Duet Narration: Two narrators perform together throughout the audiobook, each consistently voicing specific characters during both dialogue and narration. For example, in a chapter from Aly’s POV, her narrator will handle the narration, but if Josh is speaking to Aly, then Josh’s narrator will voice all of Josh’s spoken dialogue and vice versa.

✅ Full Cast Narration: A group of narrators performs the audiobook, with each actor voicing a specific character. Sometimes voicing multiple characters, but when done well, each voice is distinct enough for the listener to easily differentiate between them.

✅ Dramatized Narration: The audiobook includes voice actors for each character, sound effects, and music, resembling a radio play or audio drama for an immersive experience. Due to the inclusion of these elements, dramatised versions often condense or adapt the original text, resulting in shorter runtime compared to standard audiobooks.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I struggled with Darius' voice and speech.

I usually love Graphic Audio productions but I really struggled with this one. I can't stand Darius, he sounds like a creepy man in his 50s who speaks unnaturally like he's reading lines for a play. Seth sounds like a kid who smokes weed all day. Even Orion sounds questionable. They're supposed to sound hot and manly right? Caleb and Max sound hot and spoke well, unfortunately they had less dialogue. All the other performances were great, especially the Vega twins, which luckily were the main performances.

Story-wise, I'm trying to get through it in hopes that it will get better. I get the whole bully to lovers trope, but it's still hard to stomach some of the things that to me seem unforgivable, even if they seem justified. I just hope the bullies get a hard redemption arc to make up for it, if they're to become lovers that is. Other than that, I am enjoying the story so far - a good amount of mystery, enemy to lovers slow burn romance.

I listened to ACOTAR and Fourth Wing, Iron Flame by Graphic Audio and they were amazingly done. So I really want to love this one. This series was recommended to me so I don't want to give up on it. I think I will listen to the next one. I just hope they recast Darius, I can put up with Seth and Orion. Otherwise, I might have to consider the original version or just read the books.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing Storyline

I love graphic audiobooks, they are my favourite by far! Really addictive storyline and I listened to this in pretty much one day. Can’t wait for the next one…

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Love the books!! 80% happy with audio. Ruined it with one voice actors

The audio for this is spot on except for the fact you have a young guys voice as deep as a middle aged man. It ruined it every time he would speak. How do you choose that! Who was in charge of Darius’s actors voice. You need to be fired. Or maybe read the books. That’s an old old fat man’s voice. Spewing as everyone else who was chosen so far is amazing.

The story is incredible and you really are taken I to another world (except for when Darius starts talking) but other than that. It’s a must listen.

Fingers crossed the voice actor disappears in the next book and they have to find someone else.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved the movie feel

Well paced fantasy fun story. I cannot wait for next chapter to follow the story.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

High hopes but fell flat

I had high hopes for this series of books but I really struggled to get through it and I won’t be reading any of the others in the series. The way it was written in more of YA style didn’t grab me, however the audio wasn’t too bad.

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