"Star Season:
Academy of Magic" by Maria Danilova, summary Automatic translate

This book is a fantasy story about magic, friendship, and sacrifice, published in 2020. The most important detail of the work: the magical abilities of the main characters are sensitive to their emotional state, and meteors flying over the academy spontaneously amplify the flows of both light and dark mana, causing unpredictable consequences for the students. The book is part of the popular fantasy novel series "Seasons." It is the third installment in the cycle, continuing the plot of the novels "Season of Winds" and "Season of Lights." It will be followed by other books in the series: "Season of Flowers" and "Season of Dawns."

Meteor shower threats

The events unfold in a frosty December at the Magic Academy. Students gather outside every evening, wrapped in blankets, watching the sky. A long-awaited meteor shower appears. This celestial phenomenon greatly enhances the students’ magical powers, but simultaneously awakens hidden threats. The main character, Aurora (Rory), and her friends Kai, Josie, Ani, Will, and Lance support each other through everything. The group jokes, trains together, and tries to help Lance and Ani get a date. The friends come up with comedic plans to push the shy boy to confess.

Peaceful academic life is interrupted by a nighttime incident. In the girls’ dormitory, Aurora and her friends hear Julia’s screams. Bursting into the room, the girls see a terrifying figure in a black robe. Josie uses magic, and the monster vanishes without a trace. The Academy administration increases security. Soon, the Council Guardians — an elite squad of six powerful mages — arrive on the premises. Their goal is to maintain order during the meteors’ passage and identify potential Devil Hounds among the students. Devil Hounds are individuals whose latent dark powers can be awakened by celestial magic.

The arrival of the Guardians causes panic among Aurora’s group. The friends are forced to urgently hide Kai, the wielder of forbidden red mana. He could face severe punishment or even execution for possessing it. Josie, a blind psychic, devises a risky plan. The group purchases small office supplies from the city. Josie secretly brews a potion and creates protective wards for Kai. This allows the young man to temporarily disguise his mana. Later, the friends resort to a ruse. They give Kai a special wart-removing potion with the side effect of losing his voice, to protect him from interrogation by a Guardian named Ormarr.

The educational process also presents surprises. Professor Shan tasks the first-year students with decluttering the cluttered hall. The students struggle to complete the task individually. Aurora realizes the secret lies in teamwork. By joining forces, the group quickly tidies up, repairs the furniture, and hangs curtains. Professor Shan praises them for their unity and explains that true magic requires cohesion. The students become heroes of the Academy, and their photos are placed on the honor roll.

Love tests and mental interrogations

Meanwhile, love affairs escalate. A famous dancer, Sean, suddenly begins stalking Annie. He attempts to kiss her in front of everyone. Vice Principal Miss Silberton accuses Annie of using a love potion and mete out a harsh punishment. The friends conduct their own investigation. Aurora extracts information from Elizabeth Shaw, the head of Sean’s fan club. Soon, Annie forces a confession from a quiet student, Joan Hartness, the real culprit. The charges against Annie are dropped. In revenge, Sean bans Annie from attending the Dance Club performance, but later repents.

Tragic events soon occur. Death itself comes for Lance, as he is destined to become a Reaper. Lance is forced to leave the Academy and the grief-stricken Eni. After some time, Lance finds a way to visit his beloved. He appears in Eni’s room as a Reaper with a mark on his forehead and promises to return to normal life in exactly one year. Eni vows to wait for him. His friends are genuinely happy for the lovers.

Ormarr continues to challenge the students, attempting to forcibly penetrate their thoughts. It’s Aurora’s turn. The Guardian employs harsh mental methods, whispering terrifying questions into the girl’s mind, but Rory’s white mana desperately resists. The Guardian accuses her of secrecy and tries to learn about Brother Wince. Aurora sees that Ormarr’s lips are sealed with a demonic curse. She attempts to heal him with magical light, but fails due to mana depletion. Ormarr releases Aurora, acknowledging that he has passed the test and that the source of evil is gone.

Secrets of the Past and the Temple of the Wind

At night, Aurora is tormented by vivid visions. In one, she opens a dimensional gate beneath the Academy with a strange stone artifact. She encounters the disembodied spirit of Kaspar. He turns out to be the brother of Kane, a young man with whom Aurora shared a strong bond after their shared rescue from death two years ago. Kaspar reveals the harsh truth: he and his brother are transformed demons. Kaspar previously sold his soul to resurrect Kane. Now Kane himself risks his life to rescue his brother. It was Kane who retrieved the artifact — the demon seal — from the Temple of the Unknown and sent it to Aurora.

Aurora is determined to help. Enlisting the help of Rin, a master of wind magic, she sets out in the dead of night into the snowy winter forest. Along the way, they are attacked by other students transformed into terrifying Hounds. Rin and Aurora merge their wind currents, creating a hurricane. The Council Guardians intervene and quickly destroy the monsters. Aurora finds a hidden stone sarcophagus containing Kaspar’s body. Using white mana, Aurora activates the demon seal and performs the resurrection ritual. Kaspar regains his body, but the spirit of the wounded, dead Kane appears nearby. Kaspar opens a portal, and the trio are transported to the ancient Wind Temple.

Within the walls of the crumbling temple, Aurora finds Kane’s bloody, lifeless body. The building shakes and begins to collapse. She falls upon her lover’s chest and pours pure magic into him, desperately calling upon the element of wind. A powerful surge of energy blinds the monsters and miraculously brings the young man back to life. Safely, Kane kisses Aurora and confesses his feelings. However, he firmly declares that a future together is impossible. He is being hunted, and intimacy will only bring trouble to Rory. Kane leaves Aurora for her safety.

Aurora forces Rin and Kaspar to swear an unbreakable magical oath forbidding them from harming the innocent. Rin then uses a teleporter, returning Aurora to the Magic Academy. The students celebrate wildly after their exams and dress up for a lavish Yule Ball. Aurora keeps her nighttime adventure a secret, grieving the bitter separation from Kane. At the celebration, the friends relax and dance. Richard Bellingham woos Josie, and Ani finds the strength to rejoice in her friends’ successes. On the morning before leaving for the long vacation, Aurora gazes at the bright winter sun. She understands that these bright memories will live on forever.