On Wings of Blood is probably the most fun I’ve had with a book in a long time.
I was absolutely sucked into the storyline, the academy is a perfect backdrop for the characters.
The vampires are powerful, petty and sexy. Our FMC is sassy and full of quips.
There are dark themes throughout, the school is very much deadly and there is plenty of oppression. So those who enjoy dark romance will definitely feel at home in this world.
Is this the best written book? No - But it is fun, addictive and interesting so this really didn’t matter. If anything it is accessible and an easy read.
Another plus is that we are given a dual POV, which I always love in a romantasy so we can see our obnoxious MMC from a different angle.
Read this if you like power plays, academia, lovely friendships and epic moments.
I have seen comparisons to zodiac academy, which now I’m thinking I need to read too!
I think I’m going to move on to book two in this series first though - I can’t cope with the ending otherwise!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Absolutely loved this book! After that cliffhanger of an ending, I need the next one—like, I can’t breathe without it!

Honestly, I wasn't sure about diving into a vampire story, but this completely blew me away. The political intrigue was surprisingly easy to follow. I often get lost in complex plots, but this one was clear, well-paced, and didn’t overcomplicate things.

Let’s talk Blake and Medra: Such s slow burn, but oh so satisfying. Their banter was sharp and full of tension. Their inner monologues had me giggling, and Blake's determination to protect Medra from the start made me immediately root for them.

Theo was hilarious! He had his moments of being ruthless, but his character evolved, and I loved watching him soften. And Florence is the epitome of a bestfriend; loyal, supportive, and always there for Medra -l would love to see more of her story.

In short, this was everything I needed and I cannot wait for more!

✨ VAMPIRE HOSTAGE? SAY LESS!!! ✨

I really wanted to give this book 5 stars, and on the plot alone, it was chef's kiss. I devoured this story like a vampire in a bloodlust frenzy. The world-building? Impeccable. Neville the Fluffin brought the cutesy vibes we never knew we needed in a vampire saga, and every scene with him was next-level adorable.

🛡️ Medra is the strong FMC we all love—full stop. Blake was serving serious Malfoy vibes, but as his layers peeled back, I couldn’t help but want more of him. His spicy sanctum ritual scene had me fanning myself – and a little breathless.

🌀 Though this book is a spin-off of the Blood of Fae series and stands strong on its spectacular world-building and compelling characters, it stumbled into some plot holes that could have been avoided with a bit more editing. You can dive in without the backstory, yet knowing it fills in the gaps that otherwise mar the experience.

📚 Fresh off this book, I’ve already leaped into Book 2 because let’s be real—I need more Blake in my life.
4 stars because perfection is just a few edits away!


will be sharing on IG too (@fullybookedbesties) have it scheduled to go live this evening!

I could not put this book down. Once I started it i decided it was a perfect day do bury my head in a book and never put it down. It is a lengthy book and I still felt like it was over too soon. I thought Medra was a wonderful FMC. She is tough when she needs to be, but knows when to back down and not show her strength. So many main characters are so busy acting tuff that they end up doing stupid stuff that drives you crazy. I did not feel like Madra did that. She is a smart character. Blake is a MMC that will make you go from disliking to loving so often you get whiplash. I can't wait to see how the relationship progresses in this series. I would recommend this book for any fantasy lover. This is a spin off of Briar Boleyn's Blood of Fae series. You do not need to read that series to enjoy this one. I feel like anything you would need to know is explained in this book. I would of coarse recommend the other series. It was a good one and will let you know Medra before she gets to this world.

Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance
Setting: Dark Fantasy Academia in an alternate vampire realm with a Fae twist
Briar Boleyn crafts a uniquely immersive world filled with rich history, political intrigue, and deeply personal stakes. On Wings of Blood delivers a gripping tale of a forced engagement, morally gray characters, and an outmatched heroine navigating a treacherous landscape of betrayal, violence, and desire. The author doesn’t shy away from dark themes—expect high-stakes choices, deadly consequences, and steamy, tension-filled moments.
The pacing is masterfully done, pulling me along like a marionette—I devoured this book in less than three days. The story kept me on edge with its relentless ups and downs, each twist forcing impossible decisions. I found myself wanting to hug the villains, shake the heroine out of her choices, and dive headfirst into the drama.
On Wings of Blood left me grasping, tangled in its web of vampires, deception, and open-ended consequences. I'm looking forward to seeing where the next installment takes us.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This book was such a fun, fantasy ride. If you are a lover of all things vampire, dragons, dark academia, and fantasy world building, this book is for you. I felt enraptured by the characters and their development throughout the book. The secrets that emerged, plot that continuously built, and the ending? Well done, Briar. Will definitely continue with this series and for anyone a fan of HP, Zodiac Academy and Fourth Wing....pick this up.

I could not put this book down! "On Wings of Blood" is a fantastic fantasy novel with humans, vampires, and a half-fae set in an academia setting. The characters are intriguing and you want to see what happens next for them and root for them. Novel is told from a dual point-of-view. Reading the book is addicting and you want to keep reading until the end, which ends with a cliffhanger. A great read for fans of fantasy novels.

This book had the promise to be something really great but the pace of the book really needs to be worked on. The first 10% and the last 20% of the book are the only sections i feel like anything really happened, the rest was just a gap filler. I will say the last 5 chapters and the ending is what’s going to make me come back to read book 2, i’m just hoping more happens in that one.
Overall i will rate it 3 stars as i did enjoy it and will continue to read the rest of the series.

This is my first book from this author and even though this book said book 1,it felt like I should have read the previous books as the first chapter kinda starts like it's a few chapters into the story.
While I did enjoy, I found it the overall story lacked action points and conflict. It gives bully school vibes but without the bullying really... I found I wanted a lot more information on the back story and world building that we just didn't get.

However, it ended on a good cliffhanger so I obviously liked it enough as I'm getting the 2nd book!

Medra Pendragon arrives in an unknown land alone and naked. Upon arriving she is captured by Blake Drakharrow one of the princes of the four vampire houses in this realm. Medra has the markings of a dragon rider beings who have long left the realm. She is forcefully put into bloodwing academy where the highborn vampires and blightborn (humans) attend.

The world building of Bloodwing Academy is incredibly described made me think of Hogwarts with it being an old bluestone castle with courtyards and twisting corridors. The pacing of this book was consistent enabling steady character development as the story went along.

Medra our firey red haired protagonist. Struggles being in an unfamiliar environment and being oppressed by the bloodborne. However she manages to gain friends and allies along the way by sticking to her morals and fighting against the highborn's torment and bullying. I love her unwavering ability to set boundaries and hold people accountable for their actions.

In the beginning Blake comes off as arrogant and selfish. As the story progresses he comes across more sympathetic and understand as to why he puts on a charade.

The relationship between Blake and Medra screams enemies to lovers. As Medra absolutely loathes Blake for very good reasons. However I crave more their banter, their unavoidable desire and failing to stay away from one another.

I can't recommend this enough for those who love fourth wing, house of night and Harry Potter. It has Dragons, Vampires, enemies to lovers, an academic setting and more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a copy of On Wings of Blood. I read this so fast and can't wait to continue the series. I absolutely loved the crossover of worlds, the academic setting, the vampires, dragon history, and the range of characters in this book. The plot was excellent with so much action, tension, and suspense, with so much potential to expand in the future. I will definitely be looking out for the second book!

I was very pleased to discover I could not put this down. I was very much intrigued by the premise of this book and I’m glad to have finally found the time to pick it up. I read it in less than 24 hours and truly ignored all other aspects of life. I was unreasonably enthralled by this book.
I enjoyed the dynamics between characters and hope to see a bit more of a build up to the “Dramione” romance.
There are also many subplots that I am interested to see play out and connect — Medra and her mother, Medra and the dragon(s), the two worlds, Blake and his mother, and the Darkharrow leader’s secrets. I will be immediately requesting book 2.
I look forward to reviewing this book further.

Just wow! Epic fantasy that has it all - secrets, betrayals, power plays, manipulations, mean girl bullies, evil leaders, and bonded enemies with definite simmer. And yea, maybe dragons are still around, or not. Games of the court and academy keep things moving to the very end ... a bit of a cliff, so there is more to come.

If Harry Potter, Fourth Wing and Twilight all had a baby this would be that book. Bloodwing Academy- where the highblood vampires have all the control. Medra, a half fae from another world gets thrown into this one and needs to survive. Friends are not always who they seem, she can't trust anyone and she's been told she is special as the last dragon rider and bound to someone he hates. This has all of awesome tropes, enemies to lovers, touch her and die, bully MMC, banter for days, dark academia and I loved the dual POV. There is some yummy spice as well!! I enjoyed the friendships, the love/hate relationship, the strong FMC. I am looking forward to the next book!

Tropes/Vibes:
Forced Betrothal/Bonding
Bully Romance
Arthurian Mythology (sort of)
Obsessed MMC
Elite Vampire Academy
Dragon Rider Without a Dragon (maybe)

Quick Review

It took me a little while to really get into the story and the writing style of Briar Boleyn. Some of the writing is more blunt - less flowery - than I am used to in many fantasy romance books. The FMC is basically dropped in this new world along with us, where we are learning everything at the same time. There is a lot of world building that was done in book one, but at times I wish that we knew more than what we were given so far. 



The romance is mid-paced. I wouldn’t quite call it slow-burn, but they don’t rush into spicy scenes either. Because of the dual-POV, we’re able to pull for the MMC even when he appears to be a bully. Well, he really is kind of a bully, but some of that is for her own good and the rest lies with ego and tradition. I look forward to seeing the relationship develop, as at the end of book one it is up in the air.

The overall character and world building done set up a strong and compelling world — I have already run straight into book two!

If you like Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy, Harry Potter, and House of Dragons - I think you’ll love this book!

This book wasn't exactly what I expected. The synopsis promises a lot but not everything is delivered, at least not in this first book which works very much as an introduction to the world and system of magic. Not much else happens apart from that and a lot of teen drama with adult characters in a school that looks more like an American high school but with the plot twist of vampires mixed in with the humans. And they all live in the shadow of the dragons and their riders long extinct...
If I had to describe this book, I'd say it was like a mountain range, with its mountains and valleys, full of ups and downs. I really enjoyed the writing, engaging even in the deadest moments, simple but with everything you need, with good descriptions and development of the world and magic system. The plot is a mixture of confusing but original, too calm but with high moments here and there, lacking a bit of consistency that could make this reading more fluid. The characters seem quite complex and even interesting, but I felt that they were little explored. The main female character, Medra, is a bit annoying, but I have to admit that she has an incredible evolution. Even though she hasn't been explored as much as I'd hoped, the little we get to know her is an evolution from what she was at the beginning. I wondered if this was intentional or not on the author's part. As for the main male character, it turns out to be a bit of the same. But in his case, I have to admit that I didn’t love him as a MMC. I felt that there was a lot of this character's true self that we weren't shown, we ended up with only the worst parts of him and the image he gives to the world where he has to be the strongest to survive. But then we get some glimpses of a soft boy underneath that barrier and I'm sorry we didn't get to see more of that side that seems to me to be the truest, because that was the Blake I would have loved to have known better.
I can't say it wasn't an enjoyable read, but it lacked something more to convince me. Lots of potential to explore in future books, an original premise with plenty of room to grow. Although it wasn't a favorite, I do intend to read the sequel, I'm quite curious to see where this story goes, especially after this first book bombastic ending... If you want a book with a Harry Potter vibe but with vampires instead of wizards, a touch of Fourth Wing and Twilight, then this is a book you should give a chance to!

Plot 3⭐
World 4⭐
Characters 3⭐
Enjoyment 3⭐
Writting 4⭐

Overall 3.5⭐

Dark Academia + Fantasy + Romance + Dragons AND Vampires! yes please
Loved this book. I enjoyed everything about it and I need book 2 yesterday

This book is a dazzling secret filled magical adventure that I'd bet you'd like to go on!

I started On Wings of Blood on 6th January and it took me just 2 sittings to finish the novel. I couldn't stop once I started reading it. It picked up my interest superfast. This novel was super fun to read. It's a dark academia read and I'm in love with the way every single thing is described about the world we're in. A book about dragons and vampires, with a love-hate relationship between the main characters is a book made for me. I loved this novel and I can't wait to start with the next book. Oh, and once I knew that this book was about Medra Pendragon, like from the Blood of Fae series, I was more intrigued.

My review will be available at the below sites soon too-

https://fable.co/yashita-gupta-527557516118

https://www.instagram.com/ygwrites23_

https://www.threads.net/@ygwrites23_?invite=0

So goooood! I loved this book. Medea Pendragon wakes up in a new world and is found by a vampire prince and forced into a betrothal. She must survive in a cutthroat academy and fight against him. Medra is feisty and curious and she and Blake have me ripping through page after page. I can’t wait to read the next book.

I enjoyed this book! Having not have read the other series, I feel like I didn’t miss much. Its a dark academia romantasy with vampires, dragons, dwarves, top notch banter and everything you love about popular romantasies such as Fourth Wing. The world building is easy to follow and the slow burn is slow burning! Its an easy and fun read!