The Bond That Burns by Briar Boleyn is the sequel of "On Wings of Blood" and it surpassed all my expectations. I'm so invested in this story and cannot wait to see what comes next.

We follow our characters growth and the emotional depth this book brings was perfection. We continue to see the world building being developed and we feel like we are there instead of sitting at home reading. This was full of twists, with some heart-pounding action scenes that kept me invested till the end. The tension is palpable and i didn't wanted it to end. I cannot wait to read the next installment.

That cliffhanger was BRUTAL!!! NO!!!! I need book 3, like 5 minutes ago. So book 2 continues with Medra in prison, Blake being a dumb bunny, and Florence being the best bestie that ever besties. These books have it all - confusing romances, cute little side fluffins, mighty dragons, and a little bit of academia at school for vampires - and dragon riders, of course! Highly recommend!

This. Was. Excellent!

We pick up right where we left off from book 1 with an absolute vengeance. Everything about this book felt carefully cultivated. Medra and her find a way forward and he is one cheeky chicken! The banter between Medra and Nyxaris is top notch and I loved watching their relationship grow. The angst, heat, and devotion from Blake was delectable and I'm unsure where Kage's loyalties lie. The betrayal and devastation across the last 70 pages was absolutely wild. I am feral for the 3rd book and have told anyone who will listen to me to read the Bloodwing Academy books! I cannot wait to see what happens with my favourites Neville and Florence!

Thank you Netgalley & Briar for trusting me with this ARC for an honest review

3.75 Stars rounded up. This was an enjoyable read overall! The bully romance didn’t quite do it for me, at times I felt like Blake was more of a straight up jerk than a misunderstood love interest. We also don’t know much about his background yet so that could be it as well. Medra’s quick shift to romance at the first sign of kindness from him felt slightly unearned, but still enjoyable. I love the characters individually, but as a couple I’m not sure if it clicks the way I want it to. I have high hopes for how their relationship develops in upcoming books, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Blake redeems some of his nastier qualities. It also feels a bit strange that Medra’s main defining trait (being the last of the dragon riders) hasn’t amounted to much yet, power-wise. Here’s to hoping the next book fills some questions I have, and develops the romance and worldbuilding more in depth! Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC, opinions are my own and given freely!

The second installment in this series was just as enjoyable as the first for me. I'm a simp for a magical academy lol. I'm extremely sad that I have to wait so long for book 3

What a treat this one was!

More trials! More angst! More tension! More spice!

Medra is such an interesting, complicated FMC. She's a fully developed person, and whilst the romance is an important element, it's not her whole world. Her fierce love for her friends, especially Florence, is so nice.

I love the world building and just feel there is so much more to come from this world and this story.

I'd be really interested to know more about Medra before she came to be at Bloodwing... a prequel perhaps?

Can't wait to read more and see what happens with the Dragons!!!

This was sooo much better than book 1 and I know book 3 will o it blow my mind even more! Briar this was genius and so much fun to read.
I can’t get over how much I love Neville and Nyxaris! And how Blake and Medra’s relationship blossoms.
I also love how we got some of Florence’s POV!!!! She is the best of best friends ever!

Thank you Briar and NetGalley for this amazing ARC!

Any Briar Boleyn book is an instant 5 star read for me. She can do no wrong and I live for the next instalment! Book one hooked me and this did not disappoint. The character development, world building and magic system (as well as the spice…) all make Briar one of the great romantasy writers. Add in the dark academia element in this series and it is perfection.

Thank you to Briar Boleyn, Starwater Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you haven't read this series yet, then what are you doing with your life? On the whole, this series is becoming something. It's a 5-star without any questions, and I highly recommend it. Go read it.

Wow this was soo good! I couldn't put it down or stop reading it for the whole duration. There was so much going on in the book and just DRAGONS! Blake grew on me so much during this book and he seems to have gotten better about who he is and what he was fighting for. And his change was not something I saw coming when I read it, but I was squealing when it started happening! I need the 3rd book like yesterday and I can't wait to read more about Medra and how her story continues as a rider.

Thank you Netgalley and Briar for an arc of the book, I greatly appreciate you allowing me to read through it!

Love this right up there with zodiac academy. So good I cant wait to read more. Truely one of my top 10 this year so far

Oh my goodness, the emotional turmoil of this book! I absolutely loved reading and experiencing all the feels, Medra and Florence are my favourite duo, I was surprised by Blake’s discover late in the book, but I sort of guessed the other secret. That ending had me crying and now I really really need the next book please and thank you!

The way I screamed when I got accepted for the second book on Netgalley.
This one is probably my favorite.
If you are not obsessed with Blake, then wtf are you doing.
I dont remember much because i finished it in February but if you see my progress on Goodreads youll see some of my reactions.
I felt all of the emotions with this one, it was a rollercoaster ride. I loved every minute of this beauty.
Also, can we take a second for how stunning the cover is on this beauty. I will say this over and over again but if there is a dragon on a book cover, I will 100% buy it without hesitation. Dragons will always be my weakness but its also that this book has vampires that got me addicted to this series in the first place. There are no words to say that the fact that the series has one a dragon rider, 2 vampires and 3 dragons is all of my fav things combined into one book. Im so excited for book 3, like get here already because I will devour it like I have done with book 1 and book 2. Give me all the dragons please. I love this world so much and the world building is also good plus with the twist and turns that always gives me anxiety, and the history of the dragons. There is so much that I want to say but I dont even know how to say it because I am speechless.

Dragons + vampires >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sadly I didn’t get around to downloading directly from netgalley but was given the opportunity to do so. I have read the book and it was magical. I looked absolutely everything about this book. The characters, story line and ending. Would definitely recommend to others who love fantasy.

This one is Book 2 of the Bloodwing Academy series! This will be a spoiler free review because I hate spoilers. ❤️

⚔️ We continue the story of Medra and Blake (this book is dual POV) as they must come to terms with what happened at the end of Book 1. Medra is coming into her own in this new world, and she’s learning not to trust anyone beyond her best friend, which makes things difficult for Blake as he is trying to protect Medra from the other vampires, particularly his evil uncle. Medra is constantly confronted with the truth that her friendship with her bestie often puts a huge target on her back. 🩸

⚔️ It was really easy to go right from the previous book into this one. It was just as addictive as the first. Although I did kind of miss the “trials” part of book 1, this one had more interesting classes and some absolutely scorching spice. I also love the found family that Medra has put together. I have so many more questions that I need answered, and the ending contained an almost illegal cliffhanger, so I’m counting the days until the next book comes out in May! 🩸

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing for the review copy!

Edit: I recently found out that the cover is AI so I’ve removed my Instagram posts

The Bond That Burns by Briar Boleyn completely lived up to — and somehow surpassed — all of my love for book 1! I was already so invested in this world and in these characters, and this sequel delivered everything I could have hoped for and more.

The character development is just chef's kiss — you can literally feel how much they've developed since the beginning, and the emotional depth that this book introduced made me even more invested in them. Briar Boleyn knows just how to make you feel every triumph, every heartbreak, and every impossible choice.

The world-building remains rich, detailed, and so easy to get lost in. The new levels added to it are done in a way that feels organic and exciting, expanding on the story without ever losing the sense of wonder that made the first book so magical.

The pacing was perfect — full of twists, tension, and heart-pounding action that had me ripping through the pages. I did not want it to end! If you read book 1 as voraciously as I did, The Bond That Burns will absolutely blow you away. I am already counting down the days until I can get my hands on the next book!

OH MY GOD!! This one had me on my toes!!! It's a bit of a tighter story than the first one because it's a fair bit shorter but in the best way possible!! First off, you think you're getting the lovers but then it's right back to enemies and with a vengeance!!!!! This book was everything, Blake's character growth has me in tears and that ending literally killed me, be forewarned the cliffhanger is ridiculous and I can't even!! We finally get our dragon and he's the perfect sassy, grumpy old man dragon and I loved it!! More of Medra's backstory is revealed and I loved her standing up for herself and not just giving in to Blake because he's a hottie with a body! Cannot wait for book 3!!!!

The Bond That Burns - (Book 2, Bloodwing Academy) - Briar Boleyn

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book through Net Galley, as I did the first book which i absolutely devoured and this one was no less different.

Briar Boleyn is a Canadian author, however that is her pen name. Her real name being Fenna Edgewood – a bestselling romance author, with books such as her Gardner Girls series.



Medra is about to start her second year at Bloodwing Academy – she still has no idea how to get back to her own home and how she will survive another year here.

Especially how she has managed to do what everyone thought was impossible – she awoke a stone dragon and now its living and fire breathing.

Naturally the leaders of the four Highblood houses, especially Blake’s Uncle, expect Medra to bring the dragon under her control – so in turn Medra and the dragon can become their puppets in a war that is every looming.

She does her best to show she has some control, despite the dragon being a creature very much not under anyone’s control let alone hers.

Yet that isn’t her only worry, Medra is desperate to figure out how to end this bond with Blake Drakharrow that was forced on her. She definitely cannot trust him after he betrayed her, but breaking this bond is proving easier said than done given she is his only blood source now. Medra won’t give up she’ll find a way out of this and maybe Blake’s rival Kage could even help.....





“The Bond that Burns” was a sequel that I had been dying to read and if I dare say one of the few times that a sequel was better than the first book in the series. From the first page I felt like I was back in Bloodwing with Medra; right back in the thick of it with her. I love the push and pull of her relationship with Blake and honestly, I was worried if it kept going the way it was, I would feel annoyed and irritated but the way the scenes and dialogue have been written was engaging and intriguing – I couldn’t help but love the dynamic between them even more. I don’t want to give away the ending but all I will say about is - mind blowing, epic and damn. I really can’t wait for the third book in the series The Wings That Bind.

Thank you to Netgalley and Briar Boleyn for the ARC copy of this book.

5 STARS!!!!

I loved this absolutely brilliant, this series is my new personality for the foreseeable future!!!!!!

The ending broke me and I need the 3rd book asap PLEASE!!

there was even more angst and even more spice this time round, and the emotional connections between the characters was just perfect.

the story is amazing and its just gotten soo much better in this book it still has Harry Potter/Fourth wing/Zodiac academy vibes which I love.

Blakes touch her and die mentality is just.....*chefs kiss*.

PLEASE PEOPLE WHATEVER YOU DO PICK UP THIS SERIES!!!

I loved this book way more than the first book. We finally see the yearning, the tension, the betrayal and overall a more romance side of the story.
The book starts right after Medra woke a dragon. Tye council has her imprisoned and she awaits a trial. On account of she being able to control the dragon she is allowed back in the school. But is that all they want?
Blake is now slowly realizing he will lose her if he continues being an a** and gets his thing together. We see a great character development with few plot twists I never thought of. He finally stands up to his uncle but will he able to control himself?
Overall, an amazing sequel in the world where the characters are well developed with a unique world of vampires and dragons. I need to read the next book right noW!
Thank you the author Brair Boleyn and netgally for an eARC. My opinions remain my own.