A romantasy that is as it says on the tin - a mix of Harry Potter and Fourth wing. Enjoyable easy read with female lead. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Overall Thoughts: This book was a rollercoaster, to say the least. It was fun but very nerve-wracking, and made me angry really really easily. I rated it pretty high because I think it was good, but it wasn't a perfect 5 stars for me. Personally, the ending of a book can make or break my rating, but this ending didn't because I felt like it wasn't really filled out enough to even affect my rating. But overall, it was a good book!

The Harry Potter vibes for this one were out of control. Like, I'm serious. 4 houses, common rooms, the idea of a castle in the school...if there were ever a book to compare every character to a Harry Potter character, it's this one.

Thoughts on writing style: Honestly, and I'm not saying this to be rude, but in my opinion Briar Boleyn's writing style isn't anything special. It reads like a lot of other books. I'm not complaining, because the book is written well, I personally just like it when a book/author's writing has a unique feel to it. And that's not to say that Boleyn isn't a good author - she is, otherwise I most likely wouldn't have liked the book. I personally just feel like the writing was missing a certain magical aspect to it. It was rugged and dark, which is good for this book, but any dark academia book could be written that way. A book like this, with a main character like Medra, might call for a little more fire to the way its written - a little more umph.

Plot thoughts: So, the overall plot is this: Medra Pendragon died to save her world. Then, she wakes up in a new one. Blake Drakharrow, prince of House Drakharrow, finds her, and they are betrothed. Medra is suddenly thrust into studies at Bloodwing Academy, where the highbloods (aka vampires) are looked up at by the blightborns (anyone who isn't a highblood).

But that's just the overall! There is SO MUCH to this book. Boleyn wove together aspects of every character and created not only plots to fit their arcs, but characters to fit the plot she wanted the book to follow, and I LOVE it!

World building Thoughts: I think the things that Boleyn wants us to know about, we know about. It's a bit hard to explain but like, yeah, that's the vibe I get. We don't know a lot about Arcaenum (although that might be because there's a whole other series...i'm not sure). But we sure do know a lot about the high bloods (or at least, we think we do. Boleyn did a very good job ensuring that we have a sense of doubt in how true the history that Medra learns at school is).

Relationship thoughts: Medra and Blake are really, truly enemies to lovers. And like, its SLOW. Trust me, if you make through the book, you'll understand HOW slow. It's...it's an enemies to lovers slow burn that will have you out of your mind. It's a real slow-burn and it's written REALLY well.

Thoughts on Medra: She's fiery and fierce, and she's also pretty smart, but I personally didn't relate to her that much. I do relate to her attraction to people who look like Draco Malfoy, though. And, she loves her friends, and hates the people who mess with them, which is SOOOO legit, like geez Boleyn, did you stare into my soul to write this aspect of your character?

She's got a good spirit, she's kind, she's funny...overall, she's the kind of person I'd like to be associated with. She may be in a Dramione kind of relationship, but she gives me Ginny x Harry's child vibes honestly. And it's not just cause of the hair. Speaking of her hair...I personally got really annoyed when it was pressed upon that her hair was red, but whatever, that's just the way its written - her hair is important. Ok, Rapunzel, we understand.

Final Thoughts: I really liked it! I hope the next books are better, but overall I can't wait to read them (hopefully I get approved for their ARCs, whenever it comes around that I can apply). This was definitely the longest review I've ever written bc I'm reviewing an ARC, anyways I hope you enjoyed.

Final Rating: 4.25/5 stars

All I can say is yes. 100% yes, read this one. I consider myself a fantasy girly but usually don’t lean towards vampire things, but this book is the exception. The description mentions Fourth wing vibes but that’s modest. This book is what fourth wing wishes it was. It also gives me slight Red Queen under tones. I can’t wait until the next book is released.

One thing, In chapter 10; “I eyed her curiously. "So you don't think everything here is perfect here after all?"

(Review left on amazon but is pending or I would add a link)

I liked this book and would like to read the next in the series. I had previously read the last series which lightly featured the mfc, Medra. I felt a lot of similarities to Fourth Wing... a lot & yes, a little to Harry Potter as well. So - their marketing is spot on. However, I didn't mind as I really liked Fourth Wing/series. The ending was somewhat expected (honestly thought they might go bigger with 4 instead of 1). I would like to see more interaction with her "spirit guide" - not going to clarify due to spoiler. I also like/expect a little more triangle with another house leader in the next book. I was glad to see she was upset by what Blake, mmc, did toward the end...otherwise that would have not stayed true to her character. I felt this was a great first book to set up the next one (ones?). I'm normally not a huge fan of insta-hate with insta-lust, but it didn't put me off here. Thanks for the ARC opportunity netgalley and the publisher.

I have got to admit this was my first book that I read written by Briar Boleyn and wow I will definitely be coming back for more. I loved all the tropes within this book and I was hooked from the very beginning. It is everything I look for in a Romantasy book. Would definitely recommend as it is really under hyped I think it deserves a lot more people talking about it

Well, I really wanted to like this, the list of tropes called to me and made me request this book with some passion. Unfortunately, my experience and personal opinion of this book is that the author tried to cram everything she liked about fantasy into one story and make it as unnecessary long as possible.

- First chapters: I started this book already confused, lacking context (could have been for dramatic effect), not understanding the POV, and feeling like it was already all over the place. It didn't help that it suddenly resembled a bit too closely a specific scene of Harry Potter set in Tom Riddle's house.

- It's my understanding this book is a spin-off: I think this is important to mention as I went into this book not knowing the author had already published a series, and thought the writing style felt a bit amateurish because it was a debut. Other than making me more tolerant of things that would otherwise annoy me in the writing style, the fact that there is a WHOLE series before this had some impact on my reading experience. While someone who likes this book can make themselves ignore the part where another series is mentioned, mentions of it are quite frequent and are quite surely part of my confusion right on chapter one. Unfortunately, it became obvious to me enough to check only at about 19%. Either strongly recommend reading that at the beginning of the book (or provide a summary) or don't reference it so often.

- At about 30% I was already getting a bit fed up with Medra's whining, but more importantly, that's when this book started to read like a pile of fillers, where despite all the tropes when I stopped at 50% I realized I felt like I read a whole bunch of nothing that could have been implied, but instead was dragged for hundreds of unnecessary pages.

- I gave up on this book at the 57% mark. I really didn't want to DNF an Arc, but at this point, I don't know what could possibly change my mind on the writing style or get me back to being interested in it, and I had to admit this was not an enjoyable experience.

I don't know if this might be better received by other kinds of readers, but in my opinion, all the good ideas should be put in a blender, shaved off of the excess tropes, and the whole book rewritten with a different structure and pace.

I received an ARC of this book from the author. All thoughts are my own honest opinions.

Intriguing new dark academia vampire world. This book definitely gave off some Harry potter vibes with a little Zodiac Academy thrown in the mix.
This story starts off a little confusing. You are learning everything as Medra the FMC is learning them, which sucks you right in. The world building is easy to follow (although I do have my suspicions that there are lots of secrets about this world that are going to come out later). Definitely a ruthless world but I would say this is a light bully romance. Slow burn with some great tension. A Morally grey FMC who might get the girl. I would say that Blake is a little misunderstood. Don't get me wrong he is definitely wrong half the time, but I feel like there is some goodness in there and that he is mostly playing a part to survive. I think this book has serious potential to be a epic adventure and I cant wait to see where it goes.

I rarely rate books 5 stars but I truly looooved this one!! It was such a perfect blend of all of my favourite romantasy tropes! Really felt like a mix of Harry Potter, Fourth Wing and even Hunger Games? Highly recommend and can’t wait for the second one!

Hehehehehe. This was a blast and a lot of fun! I’m still getting more into romantacy I stead of fantasy romance. I had a good time, it was a lot of fun even if it wasn’t necessarily my all time favorite!

If you loved the Queen of Roses series you have to read On Wings of Blood. Ot brings the amazing style of writing we love from Briar as well as the incredible characters and world building into a realm of vampires!!!! It follows Medra from the Queen of Roses series who we didn't exactly know what happened to her at the end. She is in an entirely new world and of course there is a grumpy hot vamp prince!! Perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Clarissa Broadbent and Jennifer Armentrout!!! Don't sleep on this series!!!

Think HP meets Hunger Games with a splash of fourth wing but zero tension. In fact, there’s a multitude of similarities to HP: MMC is described closely to Draco Malfoy, 4 vampiric houses to HP’s houses, ans trials to Triwizard tournament. Too often, I’ll have these thoughts when reading a chapter/scene: “hey didn’t this happen in xx book? They had a plot twist like that too! This description sounds like HG arena”

Usually, I’m all for enemies to lovers trope but this didn’t quite hit the spot. Protagonists lack chemistry. The friendship between fmc and supporting characters feels bland too. Then again, maybe the problem is me and I just couldn’t click with the book?

Fortunately, the last couple of chapters had more action, hence, it was a bit more engaging. I’m curious to see how the next book pans out but I’m not desperately itching to read it. Trust me when I say I was 100% genuinely sold on the book's synopsis. But when it came to reading the book, it was a chore to push through.

Thank you Netgalley and Starwater Press for this arc!

Ooooh Briar Boleyn has done it again! When I say I was HOOKED from beginning to end, I mean it. Medra was so badass, all the other Booktok FMCs wish they were her. Blake was a bit meh for me, but I enjoyed the tension the two of them had together.

If you are looking for a romantasy with enemies to lovers, slowburn with delicious tension, and dragons, add this to your TBR right away!

"I fell asleep and dreamed of snow and dragons."

In this book, you will follow Medra Pendragon, our FMC, who's hallf-fae, and ends up in a world she doesn't know, betrothed to Blake Drakharrow, our MMC, who is a hot highborn (aka vampire). She's also forced to attend Bloodwing Academy and his told that she's the last dragon rider, but that there are no dragons left.

This book was a wild ride&I loved every second of it ❤️‍🔥

If you want a great romantasy in an academic setting then this one is for you 🖤 There’s vampires, friendships (Florence&Naveen have my heart), romance, delicious slow-burn, interesting political intrigues&mysterious side characters. I'm also a big fan of dual POV and you will get Blake's and Medra's POV. That helps getting to know the characters and the world so much more.

I laughed so many times reading this book! The dialogues between the characters are great and there's so many super cute, but also very heartbreaking moments. I was on edge until the very last page and the cliffhanger was amazing and won't disappoint you. You also won't get overwhelmed with the world building and get to discover this world with Medra which is very enjoyable.

I've recommended this book to everyone and honestly cannot wait for book 2; 2025 can't arrive soon enough!

Thank you Netgalley, Briar Boleyn and her publisher for this book and I can't wait to see what will happen next!

I loved this one! It's such a great escape and I loved the world building. Medra is the best and I loved following her journey. Can't wait to read more!

On Wings of Blood is a perfect read for those who love fae, vampires, and dragons. The FMC is a half-fae who finds herself accidentally in a world of vampires. Because of her fae-like characteristics, the court of vampires believes she has the blood of the dragon riders. The only problem is dragons and their riders have been extinct. Is she the key to bringing the dragons back? After betrothing Medra to his nephew, the leader of house Drakharrow sends her to Bloodwing which is the academy for vampires; however, Medra will have to fight for her place in the academy.

This book is very similar to Zodiac Academy in the sense that Medra is very unwanted by the other students. The tropes include bully romance, found family, and enemies to lovers. On Wings of Blood is also perfect for Harry Potter lovers as there are some similarities in the way the academy is set up in comparison to Hogwarts.

I recommend this book for anyone beginning their fantasy journey as this is a great intro book into the genre. The world-building is easy to follow, and it is a very fast-paced read. The cliffhanger at the end of the book will definitely have you reaching for the second book in the series.

I loved the fast paced blood thirsty elements of this book. I just couldn’t put it down one of my fav reads of the year. Treat yourself to it

I read this in the middle of the night and oh my god. Not a dull moment was found in the book. I need a fluffin RIGHT NOW and I need book 2 RIGHT NOW. So enjoyable in every way. I swear the book could have been 2000 pages long and I would of ate up every single page that came my way. I loved the characters. I love the direction the story is going. I laughed, cried, got angry, cringed out, every emotion I felt with this book. I will be putting myself into her other books because I LOVED this one.

I’d like to thank netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I was interested in this book by the authors post and from the description of the book. It had what I was looking for with vampires, dragons, strong fmc, and mild smut. It definitely gave Harry Potter, zodiac academy, slight fourth wing vibes. Good world building, I could have used a bit more with knowing about the world she is in, not just about the school as much. I definitely wanted a few more things to be explained. Definitely left off on a cliffhanger and wanting more. Definitely read the trigger warnings before reading book.

As a huge fan of Briar Boleyn, I can confidently say that On Wings of Blood is my favorite of her works so far! From the moment I started reading, I was completely captivated and found myself unable to put it down.

Briar’s storytelling is as immersive as ever, and the world she has created is rich with detail and emotion. The characters are incredibly well-developed, each with their own unique struggles and triumphs that kept me invested in their journeys. I felt a deep connection to the protagonist, whose resilience and determination shone through every page. The pacing of the story was perfect—just when I thought I had a moment to breathe, another twist would pull me right back in! The plot is filled with suspense and intrigue, making it impossible to guess what would happen next. I was on the edge of my seat, turning pages late into the night, eager to uncover the next revelation.

Briar’s writing style is both lyrical and engaging, making the emotional moments hit even harder. The themes of love, sacrifice, and the fight for freedom resonate deeply, and I found myself reflecting on them long after I finished the book.

I loved that the book had a mix of the Harry Potter world and fourth wing world and brought together with some good ol vampires. A half fae royalty finds herself in a whole new world that she knows nothing about and has to consistently fight for her place within that realm and finds herself in a arranged mating and a school she now has to attend without knowing a single thing about the world. There’s a good bully romance, found family, great banter. The plot holes were difficult but the story kept me around