Zodiac: 1 Paperback – 13 Dec. 2015

I enjoy it. A nice rich world. Felt like it was a bit like Star Wars but not a cowboy story. Hope it gets a film.

Romina Russell's Zodiac is a masterclass in story and world building. Its mythology and setting is immensely addictive - it pulls you, teaches you its nuances and ways, and then propels you into a political, stellar plot with characters so complex.It takes stereotypes and places them within the Zodiac signs, which means we can all relate to a 'house', whether that be Cancer, Aries, Leo, or Gemini. It has a plethora of attributes and expectations, and proceeds to break all the rules as an old, ancient evil begins to destory the planets that make up the Zodiac universe.Rho is our hero, although somewhat unwanted and thrust into the fore, but isn't all great YA this way? She is embroiled in a love triangle as she learns who she is and how she fits in the world. This science fiction epic is both memorable and original. Possibly even one of the best novels I've read this year.I've recently read Cassandra Clare's first Mortal Instrument instalment, and found it somewhat lacking. Romina Russell is clearly the master here. Simply amazing and compelling.

a very good book.

Book ReviewTitle: ZodiacAuthor: Romina RussellGenre: YA/Fantasy/Myths & LegendsRating: *****Review: In the prologue to Zodiac we are introduced to 16-year-old Rhoma Grace also known as Rho who belongs to House Cancer as she moves to Elara, the largest moon in their constellation. We learn of Ochus and the legend surrounding him, where he promised great treasures to all the House Guardians only to steal their trust in one another and disappearing leaving only a warning behind “Beware my return, when all shall burn.” Rho’s mother is sure to drum into her to believe in her fears because they will keep her safe in the face of danger.We learn that all the Houses are the Zodiac signs, so Rho belongs to Cancer and her friend Nishiko belongs to Sagittarius and this is what really drew me to the book. We see Rho taking a resit of an exam at the Academy in star reading and predictions, while Rho predicts a dark force is going to soon move through the Houses her teachers aren’t willing to listen writing it off as childish nonsense. During the Ephemeris celebrations Rho and her band mates Nishi, Deke and Kai are going to perform for the students but just as they start their first song and shockwave causes masses of devastation. The four friend manages to get to safety where they learn there was an explosion of the neighbouring moon Thebe where Rho’s brother Stanton is. With hundreds dead and more shockwaves coming the ship leaves for Cancer and I have a feeling that Rho’s predication from earlier in the novel might have been right.As Mathias tries to pilot the ship back to Cancer Nishi convinces Rho to look at the stars once more to see if the black mass from her earlier prediction is still there. While the mass has gone the light of Cancer’s other mons are flickering like Thebe’s did before it disappeared. Nishi tells Rho she has to tell Mathias about this and when she does he confirms her suspicions that the other moons have gone, and they can no longer land on Cancer and he also tells them that Cancer’s Guardian Origene is dead. Like Nishi I have the feeling that this wasn't natural and there is something far larger and more dangerous at work. We learn that the Guardians are the spiritual leaders of the Zodiac, and the death of one is very significant. Cancer must now appoint a new Guardians but there is a strict criterion, but they are heading to a docking station called Oceon 6 where they will he safe for now. It was a bit heartbreaking to learn that some of the Acolytes rescued like Rho and Deke still have family on Cancer and have no way of knowing if they made it out alive. I was surprised to learn that Rho’s mother disappeared as her speech implied her mother was dead.After arriving on Oceon 6 both Mathias and Rho are summoned for some reason. Rho is immediately told that, yet mother is charged with treason and is presented with a choice to abandon her people and live a new life elsewhere or live an isolated existence on Cancer and she chooses Cancer. Afterwards she is told this is a test and given a second one. In the second test she is presented with Guardian Origene’s black opal stone which contains her Ephemeris and she is asked to read it which she does, and she tells the council dark matter is responsible. While the council arrange things, Rho is under the impression they want her to become an advisor but is proven wrong when they tell her she is to become Cancer’s new Guardian. After being told this she chooses Mathias as her guide and her advisors are also chosen. The worst thing is that while she holds out hope that her father and brother are still alive, Deke learns his sisters were killed and were Kai’s parents and this blocks her ability to read the Ephemeris because she is grieving with her friends. When she can see them again. She takes Nishi aside and tells her the dark mass in her predictions allows lies just beyond the 12th House and that the brief glimpse of the mysterious 13th House back at the Academy are connected and asks her to investigate it which Nishi agrees to.Just before her ceremony that will make her a true guardian Nishi arrives with urgent news for Rho. She tells Rho that will she can't find anything specific about a 13th House she did find out that the other 12 Houses have myths and legends about a mysterious entity only known as Ophiuchus. At the ceremony we are introduced to the other Houses and what they value Aries: Military, Taurus: Industry, Gemini: Imagination, Cancer: Nurture, Leo: Passion, Virgo: Sustenance, Libra: Justice, Scorpio: Innovation, Sagittarius: Curiosity, Capricorn: Wisdom, Aquarius: Philosophy and Pisces: Spirituality. As a new Guardian she is expected to meet with all the other guardians individually. However, it is from Mathias we learn that Rho’s abilities are beyond a beginner guardian and she has mastered the ring which is technology that takes some people years to learn to use.As she is thrown into a very political world Rho doesn't seem comfortable at all in her new role. Rho is told of a possible threat to Pisces and begins watching the stars for it. However, what she sees is a far greater danger she learns for mythology that the original 13 guardians were gods made mortal and Ophiuchus was the only one who resented his new lower status and sort to get it back betraying the other Houses in the process and was banished from the solar system. Rho begins delving deeper and deeper into the collective consciousness of the galaxy and suddenly hears a voice coming from Helios which turns out to be Ophiuchus and he tells her if she speaks about it he will kill her but when she sees the threat to both Virgo and Gemini she knows she must warn them. However, if she does then Ophiuchus will come for her so they only way she can save Cancer is by leaving it and draw Ophiuchus away with her. As she convinces the advisors to let her warn the other Houses in person they borrow Hysan’s vessel although he is still aboard when they depart. After he is discovered the duo becomes a trio as they head fate much deliberation to Gemini, Cancer’s closest neighbour. However, when Rho uses the Ephemeris Ophiuchus appears out of it and tries to strangle Rho. While only she can see Ophiuchus’s form Hysan can detect the Psy interruption and knows something is up while Mathias doesn't really believe and despite the fact she is starting to like him she currently favours Hysan from Libra.On Gemini the trio meet the twin guardians and try to get them to believe Rho’s warning but the male guardian Caasy and the female Guardian Rubidum only see it as a game. Caasy does accompany them to Libra though through hyperspace where they are to meet another guardian. Rho now aware that Ophiuchus is following her is surprisingly annoyed when Caasy suggests that she is begin decided by someone and obviously Mathias suspects Hysan because he is a spy but the people of Libra value justice. When they arrive at Libra they prepare to meet its guardian, Lord Neith who turns out to be an android and the true guardian has been by Rho’s side all along. With the protection of Libra in place the group head to Virgo hoping to convince Empress Moira of an old darkness moving back into their live and even Nishi is spreading the word from Oceon 6. When Rho meets with Moira again she isn't believed until she turns on her Ephemeris and Ophiuchus appears attacked both guardians before turning his attention to the planet. As Moira lies gravely injured she tells Rho to go to Aries, and a Virgo burns the group plans to do just that when Caasy appears and runs off and it became clear he has taken her black opal.While Rho didn't think too much off this until Hysan reveals that the opal was a Talisman that contained the physical representation of the virtue most treasured by House Cancer. Hysan tells her not to worry as the Talisman can be recovered later, but they must get to Aries quickly and they must go prepared as Aries isn't as welcoming as some of the other Houses. When they arrive on Aries and Rho can see just have different each House is she realises house may have an advantage over Ophiuchus and that is unity, if they Houses can be convinced of Ophiuchus’s existence and be brought together that just might have a chance of protecting themselves and possibly defeating Ophiuchus. It is on Aries where Rho learns that things are getting worse on Cancer and her father and brother are missing but a planet wide evacuation is in progress.During their time on Aries, Rho meets with the ambassador Sirna who is the one that tells them that the situation on Cancer is getting worse and gets Rho an audience with the Plenum against the advice from her advisors. While most of the Plenum believes that Rho is speaking nonsense because she is young there are a few who buy her time to prove her case until the following morning. It is Sirna who is overseeing the Cancrian Secret Service on Aries looking for the source of the unrest. It turns out the terrorist attacks are being carried out by Risers from almost every house. We also meet Amanta and Egon who Mathias has known for several years and they tell Rho that Admiral Crius died several days before so the holograph she received couldn’t have been from him. One trait I must admire in Rho is her integrity and even when Mathias and Sirna are encouraging her not to talk about Ophiuchus she refuses to alter the truth despite the hate and even attempts on her life that come with talking about the 13th House.When she addresses the Plenum for the second time some do everything they can to denounce Rho and they temporarily succeed until Sirna finds evidence that some people on the panel were bribed to denounce Rho. With this new evidence they can get people to believe Rho but Sirna cannot present it as it would reveal their undercover operations but Lord Neith can. They also learn that Rho isn't the first guardian to have a warning about Ophiuchus and that the legend might be a little more real than people realise but Rho is determined to find House 13. This is because of the saying only trust what you can touch so Rho needs to find some tangible evidence. Rubidum also returns Rho’s black opal which Caasy has taken earlier in the novel because her brother became obsessed with it.As they prepare to leave Aries and find the 13th House they make one last attempt at addressing the Plenum and with the fresh wound of the annihilation of Gemini’s capital and Caasy’s death Rubidum gives an impassioned speech about trusting the on trusting the only guardian who can warn the houses of Ophiuchus’s attacks and asks the zodiac to come together as they are stronger united with each house's unique talents and gifts. Miraculously this works and together the zodiac makes Rho leader of a united armada with the aim of bringing Ophiuchus to justice for his crimes. The love triangle also takes a dramatic twist, so far, we have been teased with a possible romance between Rho and Mathias or between Rho and Hysan however, both relationships would be forbidden. With her father's assumed death hanging over her Rho needs to feel alive again and Hysan has the pleasure of being the one there for her. Despite the relationship between two guardians being expressly forbidden Rho and Hysan end up sleeping with each other although this must remain a secret, but I have the feeling that Mathias already knows about them.As the fleet heads to where they think house 13 is located they have developed a decent plan of attack. They plan to fight on two fronts, one in the physical realm which the admirals will take care of and one in the Psy realm which Rho must fight alone but she is going to use a Psy enhancing drug to try and increase her natural Pay abilities. However, in her pre-battle training she plans to tell Mathias about her and Hysan but before she can he kissed her, and she is more conflicted than ever. In terms of romance I felt there was slightly more chemistry between Rho and Mathias as they both come from Cancer, but I also felt that Rho and Hysan’s relationship was healthier and a better romance overall. However, before anything else can happen their ship is attacked. Rho immediately set the plan they had in motion unaware that Ophiuchus has a plan of his own. She lures him out in the Psy using the unity of the Zodiac as her weapon, but she has been deceived by someone costing the lives of many from all the houses.The last 20 pages of this novel were astoundingly brilliant and leaves so many questions to be answered in the rest of the series. I can’t wait to see how everything plays out in the next book and what trials Rho will face with Ophiuchus and her guardianship. Highly recommended!

I liked the subject, but I didn’t like the way it was written. I felt like the writer hadn’t put enough emotion in it.

Arrived in condition that didn't match the description. Spine was cracked and removing the stickers left a mark.

In ZODIAC by Romina Russell humanity has long left the earth and moved on to another group of planets named after Zodiac signs. Telling the future is the new science of this galaxy, and one girl starts predicting the impending doom of all twelve planet constellations brought upon them by the mysterious thirteenth star sign.Why it intrigued me: I love everything astrology and I'm a sucker for books with a space theme. Also, this probably has the most beautiful cover of 2015.Mediocre World Building Can't Carry This PremiseThough the premise is very, very promising, Russell absolutely fails in world building. The biggest problem of the book is that it's set in a future instead of an alternate timeline or fictional world. Having those twelve planet constellations named after the star signs with each person living there having a personality associated with that star sign is pretty hard for me to believe. Even taking this as just high fantasy concept, it's nothing that we haven't seen before.ZODIAC has this nice concept and promising idea of fortune-telling futuristic humans living somewhere in space, but that's it. A lot of it doesn't make sense and the biggest problem is that so many concepts are named, but remain unexplained. I don't even remember all the specific names for emperors and soldiers and matriarchs. There is so much lingo in this and so much unexplained, complicated pseudo-world building that I was just at a loss at some point and felt like giving up.I'm not sure what the world of ZODIAC is trying to be. High fantasy, futuristic, something entirely unique? For a different galaxy there is just too imagery to even create a world in my head.From Zero to Holy Mother of Everything??I'd forgive all the issues I have with the confusing world of ZODIAC if the characters were decent and likable. Rho Grace is a fortune teller from the planet Cancer that somehow is able to tell the future without any science-y gadgets. So far so good. She's one of those blank slate characters that you can't help but not care about because she doesn't really have a personality.But then she randomly gets promoted to emperor of everything and addressed as Holy Mother for literally no reason at all and her voice and everything just changes and I felt like I must have skipped 300 pages of character development by accident. Honestly, I've never had the issue with too much character development before, but this novel will probably become my standard example.The whole novel is simply about her trying to convince everyone that someone coming from the ancient long forgotten thirteenth planet is trying to kill everyone. Along the way she also falls in love with two very easily forgettable, replaceable love interests who I'm sure were pretty much taken straight from SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi. It's just every cliche every packed in an insanely beautiful cover and thrown into space. Can I get my time back?Rating:★★☆☆☆Overall: Do I Recommend?You can try, but it's just too light for me. Nothing I haven't read 700 times before and a way better execution. It's every debut YA novel ever smashed into one. I'm grieving for the wonderful premise.