THIS BOOK. On Wings of Blood pulled me in from the start - hook, line, and sinker. This book had vampires, dark academia, a deliciously slow burn romance, and multiple morally grey characters. Oh, and dragons! Mostly just the mention of dragons, but one does eventually make an appearance.

I tend to be a vibes reader, and this book hit all the vibes I was looking for right now. The tension and angst between Medra and Blake? Chef’s kiss. I really enjoyed getting to see the friendships Medra formed along the way, but damn there was some trauma associated with that - Naveen iykyk. I also really loved that this was dual POV, and Blake’s chapters were some of my absolute favorites.

Also, Neville the fluffin. 🥰

I thought how the book started was super cool, and I loved the concept and how the storyline blossomed from there. I’ll definitely be reading book 2 soon to be prepared for book 3 coming out in May!

Thank you to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Well, what a great read! I was provided an ARC from Starwater Press (Indie) through Net Galley (thank you!) and running to 500+ pages, this was a book that needed some time commitment. The first in a series, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but really very much enjoyed it. Right from the outset, the book had hook, following the story of half fae Medra Pendragon, who is discovered in a pile of dead bodies by Highblood (vampire) Blake Drakharrow, and taken to his land. There she is immediately betrothed to Blake and forced to attend Bloodwing Academy.

What follows is a fast paced and gripping story of resilience, survival, friendship and of course some Enemy-Lovers build up. The characters are strong, with the story told through the two POV’s of Medra and Blake. There is a lot of detailed world building, and at times quite graphic descriptions, but if you enjoyed books such as Fourth Wing / Harry Potter / Hunger Games / Vampire Diaries, then you are sure to enjoy On Wings of Blood. It ends on a cliffhanger, so be sure to have Book 2 (The Bond that Burns) at the ready!

This book is everything I want a fantasy romance to be.
The world building had me very intrigued, it was full of incredible banter and tension, the duel POV, and...the Draco coded MMC who is an asshole at first but goes soft only for her! Perfection.

what to say... I could not put it down!!!! I was hooked from the first page . the chaters had me the plot the story had me on a rollercoaster. this book is most different has to be one of my top reads of 2025; well done.

I feel confused about this one.
First of all, not a huge HP fan so I went in a bit scared, but the only reference there is, is the school system *sigh of relief*, then I got worried it being a "teen drama" because of their age. But numbers were never given, and they (mostly) didn't behave like annoying teens so, 10 points to Briar !
I love the world mix between arthurian and vampirian, can't wait to see where it leads !

But if I need to sum it all up, this is definitely a guilty pleasure read. The kind of story you feel like you won't like, but you just can't resist knowing all the drama, gossip and rumors. It's giving really well written teen soap opera with a touch of fantasy.

100 extra points for Neville.

Got into this one for the cover but I stayed for the plot. In all honesty could use a little bit more on the romance side but the enemies to lovers angst is 100% on point. Cant remember the last time I wanted two characters to end up together this badly. But there always seems to be another wrench thrown at that plot. One of my favorite reads this year

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!! I enjoyed this authors first few books and this one was no different!!

Really enjoyed this book!! I mean anything with dragons and vampires in has me sold!! Loved the characters I felt I could really connect with them, hope there’s another book to follow this one!

Another fantastic book by Briar.

Had me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters were likable and the plot was easy to follow

Thoroughly enjoyed. Definitely continuing the series with that ending. Loved the mix of trials, dragons and magic. Rooting for Blake now.

Ok this is now my new obsession!
I need to know what happens next.

If you loved Harry Potter but wanted more dragons and some scheming vampires then this is the perfect book for you.
Medra, a fae princess suddenly finds herself in a different land, a different world, nobody knows. Stranded and alone she is faced with challenges she never saw coming and must fight for her very survival, in a strange vampire boarding school where almost everyone wants to kill her.

She is unlike anything he has ever seen before. From the moment he saw her, he knew she would wreck him.

I raced through this book and am already starting the next book, such an entertaining read. There was no lull in the writing or slow passages, just a story that kept me reading long into the night.

*thanks to NetGalley for the eARC*

since the first chapter I was soooo hooked, It's an amazing book I really loved everything, the enemies to kind of lovers to enemies, the action, the vampire World, the mention of Dragons omg I love Dragons even if there were none until the Very final, everything else was soooooo worthy, the tension, the friendships, the magic, the spicy scenes and the Blake's POV's that Man omg It got me kicking my feets my new book boyfriend 🩷🤌🏼

From the moment I read “What do you get if you mix Harry Potter with Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy, a dash of Arthurian legend, and lots and lots of vampires? Bloodwing Academy” I was sold!!! In a lot of ways Medra was very annoying but the side characters were everything. Lots of world building but in a lot of ways it was very helpful. I found myself wanting to pick this book up every second I could. I’m ready for book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for providing an advanced reader’s copy 🤎

Thank you to both NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this title.

This was my first Briar Boleyn book and it did not disappoint. The world building was well executed and the pacing was just right including a slow burn romance that was a delight. I had such a fun time reading this book and look forward to reading more of this story and more from this author.

A thrilling mix of dark academia, forbidden romance, and supernatural intrigue, On Wings of Blood plunges readers into a world where power and survival are everything. Medra Pendragon's journey as a half-fae in a vampire-dominated academy is filled with high-stakes challenges, deadly secrets, and a dangerously captivating love-hate relationship. With dragons, vampires, and a rich blend of Arthurian legend, this novel is offering a deliciously dark, tension-filled tale that you won’t be able to put down.

I had such a fun time reading this book. It’s the first book by this author and I was not disappointed. The world is such a complex and interesting concept and the world building was so good. I was hooked from the very beginning and can’t wait to get more of these characters and their journey

This was such a fun read, full of all the things I adore in a Romantasy. The setting, the characters, the spice, not to mention the politics and intrigue that come along with the harry potter-esque setting of Bloodwing Academy.

Medra, surprisingly, turned out to be a FMC that I wanted to follow through this story. Her personality and how she handled herself made me smile because I couldn't help thinking that I would have done what she would have or felt how she did. Not to mention the band of friends she gets introduced to on day one. Theo had me smiling the whole time. The tit for tat when it came to the two mains really rang true for the enemies to lovers side of things and I can't wait to see how things play out in book 2.

I'm not one to spoil books in my reviews so I won't here but I highly recommend Bloodwing Academy. I'm digging into the next one as soon as I am able because THAT CLIFFHANGER! Book 2 is definitely next on my tbr!

I had loved Briar's Blood of a Fae series so naturally I couldn't resist this. I was pleasantly surprised to realise that Medra is tied to that series and it was delightful to read her story.

This was a great blend character development, world building and an exquisite slow-burn that has you engrossed. Medra is young and having to deal with a new world, following her previous sacrifice and is forced into a situation that she is unhappy with but has no option but to accept. Her character is relatable,albeit frustrating at times. Blake is the quintessential morally grey hero, appearing to be the nemesis but actually doing his best to be a good person. Their chemistry is electric, flitting from enemies to a terse understanding and all the stages in between.

I love the relationships that Medra is able to develop and you feel her emotions as she does, be it joy or heartwrenching sorrow. And Neville is an absolute delight.

Pick this up if you are in the mood for a well written fantasy rich with emotions and drama

Rating 4/5 | spice 3/5

I really liked this book! The book is about a female who wakes up in a different world than her own and she needs to join this Blood Wing academy which is basically a military academy. There she learns about this mysterious world she ended up in and about her kind.

It was somewhat different from the books I normally read as I don’t usually read books about vampires. It is a fantasy book with a lot of world-building in the beginning but once you get the hang of the world, the story is great!

Since it is the first book in a series, it felt kind of slow in some places mostly due to world-building (which is understandable) as well as the book taking mostly place at the school. Still, it was very entertaining and I will definitely continue this series!

I have also posted this review on my instagram Onskureads.

Medra & Blake….I really like them.

Blake has a lot of growth to do. I think his full character arc is going to be really good. Its interesting because his inner monologue he knows that he has to communicate with Medra( like when he feeds from her at the end, he originally was going to speak with her before he did it but then something got lost in translation) but he just can’t seem to get it out when he is with her. It is like she completely throws him off balance that he just forgets what he originally was going to do.

Medra is interesting. I don’t love her yet. I also think she has a lot of growth to do. I think she is just very lost and can’t figure out what she is supposed to do. She’ll get there though. They always do.

Overall I really, really liked this and I am excited for the next ones