✶✶✶✶ / 4 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔯𝔰 ꔫ

If you like Harry Potter, Fourth Wing and Zodiac Academy you will love this book! It has the perfect dark academia feels.

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"ℑ𝔫 𝔪𝔶 𝔡𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔪𝔰 𝔰𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔪𝔢 𝔞𝔰 𝔪𝔲𝔠𝔥 𝔞𝔰 ℑ 𝔴𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔥𝔢𝔯."

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

I think I might be completely hooked on this new book series! The description—"What do you get if you mix Harry Potter with Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy, a touch of Arthurian legend, and a whole lot of vampires? Bloodwing Academy."—really sums up the book. The world-building is both nostalgic and cozy, yet it’s got enemies to lovers and plenty of action. I can already tell this is going to be a comfort series for me, and I can't help but picture what it would look like as a film or TV adaptation—it's so vivid in my mind!

જ⁀➴ᡣ𐭩 𝔐𝔢𝔡𝔯𝔞

Medra is a badass—I love her! I'm so glad she's not cringy; she's powerful, strong, and her attitude towards men is so relatable. What I really appreciate about her is her no-nonsense attitude—she’s independent, intelligent, and doesn’t whine about her problems. She just gets up and handles them, whether or not anyone else is there to help. Thrown into a dangerous, volatile world where she's the prey among predators, she never backs down or believes for a second that she’s inferior. And honestly? We love to see it! I also adore the relationships she builds with the people around her, especially how deeply she cares for Florence and Naveen.

"ℑ 𝔥𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔥𝔦𝔪. ℑ 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔡 𝔪𝔶𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣. ℌ𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔞𝔯𝔯𝔬𝔤𝔞𝔫𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔠𝔯𝔲𝔢𝔩. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔬𝔡𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 ℑ 𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔭𝔦𝔰𝔢𝔡 𝔞𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔩𝔡 ℑ 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔭𝔭𝔢𝔡 𝔦𝔫. 𝔄𝔫𝔡 ... 𝔶𝔢𝔱 ℑ 𝔰𝔫𝔲𝔠𝔨 𝔞𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔤𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔢. ℑ 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡𝔫'𝔱 𝔰𝔢𝔢𝔪 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔪𝔶 𝔢𝔶𝔢𝔰 𝔞𝔴𝔞𝔶 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔥𝔦𝔪."

" ℑ 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔫𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔟𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔰, 𝔅𝔩𝔞𝔨𝔢 𝔇𝔯𝔞𝔨𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔯𝔬𝔴. 𝔚𝔥𝔢𝔫 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔤𝔢𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔠𝔨 𝔥𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔟𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔡."

જ⁀➴ᡣ𐭩 𝔅𝔩𝔞𝔨𝔢

Blake is officially the new standard, sorry, not sorry! Honestly, I don’t even care that he was a d*ck to her at first—he was obsessed from the moment they met, and we love that energy. What I really enjoyed as a reader was how easily I could see through his cold, arrogant exterior. Deep down, I knew he was a softie, and that was totally confirmed when he had to deal with the fluffin. And then, that scene near the end where the fluffin follows him and he doesn’t even realize, so he hides it in his bag, gets all flustered, and then smiles at Medra across the room? MY HEART MELTED.

I did enjoy how possessive he was at first, but I’ll admit, by the middle of the book, I think he said "she’s mine" just a bit too much. Still, I really appreciated how Medra didn’t just roll over and accept the betrothal. She always stood her ground and fought for herself and her independence. She was never just his to claim, no matter how much he tried to insist. The way she stayed true to herself, regardless of his claim, was so girl boss of her.

Also I just had to add the back and forth between Blake and Kage. It was so entertaining to watch like yes Kage get Blake rattled, it was nice to see Blake worry whether he could keep Medra betrothed or not.

"𝔐𝔢𝔡𝔯𝔞 𝔓𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔯𝔞𝔤𝔬𝔫 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔢. 𝔄𝔫𝔡 ℑ 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔭𝔯𝔢𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔬 𝔡𝔦𝔢 𝔟𝔢𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔢 ℑ 𝔩𝔢𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔶 𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔪 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔥𝔢𝔯."

"ℑ𝔱'𝔰 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔱𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫, 𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔡𝔯𝔞𝔤𝔬𝔫. ℑ𝔱'𝔰 𝔞 𝔠𝔩𝔞𝔦𝔪." "𝔜𝔬𝔲'𝔯𝔢 𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔢. 𝔑𝔬 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔱𝔬𝔲𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔰 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔫𝔤𝔰 𝔱𝔬 𝔪𝔢."

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This book definitely had me hooked from the very start! The world-building was rich and easy to follow, though there was a lot to take in, which makes sense for setting up the series. The pacing slowed down a bit between 20-50%, but it was still engaging enough to keep me going. Once it picked back up, though, I couldn’t put the book down!

I'm super excited to dive deeper into Medra’s homeland and to learn more about Dragons. And honestly, I need Blake's POV in the next book. After those final chapters? I need to see him begging on his knees for forgiveness. Like, what the actual ffffff?! I can’t wait for the next book I NEED IT NOW.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘌-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

A cutthroat dark academia in a fantasy world…with a little spice.

Medra finds herself not only in a new school…she’s in a new realm entirely. She crosses paths with those in power and finds herself bond and shipped off to their school for their high society and those of great intelligence. This book is full of power struggles, proving oneself, betrayal, and a lot of angst as she deals with being betrothed to a man who already has a crazy finance.

Highly recommend for those who wish they went to Hogwarts but need more spice, deception, and dragon lore. Absolutely fantastic and I’m dying for the next book already.

Tropes/Themes: magic, he falls first, arranged marriage, found family, dragons, powerful fmc, vampires, grumpy professors, dark academia

While you do not need to read the Blood of a Fae series, I do recommend it as we first meet Medra there. But On Wings of Blood can be read and understood without reading the other series.

3/5 stars.

I try to keep my review on purpose short and vague because I don't want to spoil the book.

A quick and fun read. The worldbuilding was well executed and all the vampires were a huge plus for me. And all the lore about dragons and dragon riders were also a plus, coming from someone who devoured for example Eragon as a child and now Fourth Wing. The academy setting was also fun. I just never knew when the time skip happened, how much time did it actually skip.

I quite liked the mmc. He really did give me the same vibe as Draco Malfoy, and I really did like that aspect a lot. So I just hoped there would have been some more romantic scenes between him and the fmc. I also liked how all characters weren't only black and white, but they had depth in them.

The cliffhanger was also amazing. I hoped something like that would happen, but didn't at any point for sure see that coming.

Dragons
Vampires
Dwarfs
Bad a** FMC

This book had everything I didn’t know I needed in a fantasy book. It was engaging and easy to follow unlike other fantasy books. The FMC was such a bad a** throughout the whole book. I loved the representation of all skin tones in the book. The plot was strong. I can’t wait to read the sequel to this book. I rated it 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Briar Boleyn and NetGalley for an ARC.

Dragons and vampires
Enemies to lovers
Trials
Academy

What more could I ask for???

The FMC was incredible!!! Blake was amazing and I was completely intrigued by him. I was hooked and couldn’t stop reading. The pacing was incredible. I would definitely recommend this book.

This was a fantastic romantasy! It had everything: tension, angst, tattoos, romance, spice, politics, dragons, and vampires. I really enjoyed it!

I found Medra's personality and demeanor very engaging, especially her friendships with Florence and Naveen. Blake was an interesting character too; while the tension he brought was compelling, I wouldn't call him a good character.

I'm eagerly looking forward to book two! The cliffhanger at the end left me wanting to know what happens next, especially regarding the bonding and pairing.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing an eARC!

Reading On Wings of Blood was like being dropped right into my ultimate fantasy marathon—Game of Thrones meets Harry Potter meets Fourth Wing meets Zodiac Academy. It has everything: slow-burn romance, enemies-to-lovers vibes, vampires, elves, dragons… I mean, what else could you possibly want?

The story follows Medra, this total badass who, after trying to save her homeland of Camelot, thinks she’s dead. But nope—she wakes up in a totally different world ruled by high-blood vampires. She’s thrown into Blood Wing Academy, an intense school for people with powerful bloodlines, and has to navigate a crazy new reality.

And let’s talk about the grumpy male lead—he’s got secrets, he’s got attitude, and he’s driving this slow burn that’s so intense, I don’t even want to call it romance yet. But it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Briar Boleyn totally nailed it with the world-building, characters, and all the twists. I’m just obsessed with this universe now. Honestly, take me back—I’m already missing it!

On Wings of Blood (Book 1, Bloodwing Academy) - Briar Boley

I was given a copy of this story through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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 Pendragon is far from home in Camelot, because one minute she is there and the next she is in a new land and covered in blood.

This land is called Sangratha and here there are no fae, this land belongs to vampires or as there are known here Highbloods and those that are human, or lesser than, are called Blightborns.

Yet that isn’t the strangest thing about this new place, Medra notices there is no one here with red hair, just her. The people are not quite sure what to make of her but they are convinced she is what they call a Dragon Rider – yet a dragon has not been seen in Sangratha for centuries. The colour of her hair represents a potential power that could yet resurface.

Luckily or unluckily, depending on how you look at it, Medra is captured by the most powerful highblood family in Sangratha – the Drakharrows; consort to Blake Drakharrow and a student and the most illustrious academy in Sangratha – Bloodwing Academy.

Blake Drakharrow is your typical alphahole – brooding, good looking and thinks he’s entitled to what he wants and is hardly ever denied what he wants, moreover he's a vampire. A vampire who things he owns Medra and her blood but he’s about to learn Medra is like no other blightborn he has ever know, she won’t bow down to him and is stubborn until the very end.

Bloodwing is not your typical academy, there are four different houses yes but as luck would have it Blake Drakharrow is the leader of House Drakharrow at the academy. Regardless it is a deadly place where students die, mainly the blightborn students due to the highbloods and the deadly competitions.

Medra must navigate this new land, the strange academy and whatever the hell is going on between her and Blake. She hates him, she loathes who he thinks he can simply use her when he wishes, just all the highbloods in Sangratha but she won’t allow it and she will figure a way out of it all.

In doing so Medra will uncover some secrets that the powerful in Sangratha would rather have been left hidden. But Medra will survive, she won’t bow down to them.



“On Wings of Blood” is a dark academia story that has a bit of Harry Potter and a bit of Crowns of Nyaxia all rolled into one. I have read Briar Boleyn’s other series – Blood of a Fae, which I thoroughly enjoyed – but I have to say this series is just on a whole other level. I devoured this book, the story had me riveted and totally intrigued. Medra Pendragon is such a strong female character who knows her worth and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself no matter who is opposing her which is what gets her into trouble half the time. Blake Drakharrow is what some might call your typical alphahole – tall, dark, mysterious, good looking, an asshole and thinks he has a right to whomever and whatever he so desires. So, when he is told no or denied what he wants it is not something he takes well. Yet Medra and the way she is, is slowly changing something in Blake. What I really loved is how the author at the end of the story had them slowly coming together and then seemingly tearing them apart and then together again. One thing is for sure that ending will definitely spell nothing but trouble for Medra and I personally can’t wait to see how she tackles this new obstacle.

Fantastic, can't wait for the sequel. Great characters and story, love the ages and the setting. Cam't wait to see what happens with the dragons in the next book.

On Wings of Blood is a dark fantasy academia with vampires, magic, and “dragons”. Yes, please! And I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about it. Our MC is thrown into an unfamiliar universe, found under unfortunate circumstances, and dragged into the world of Sangratha. Her fierce and stubborn spirit starts to fade once she’s unwillingly betrothed to her captor and forced to study at Bloodwing Academy. She gets some spark back as she begins to integrate, thankfully, but I was a little disappointed by how easily she seemed to accept her fate for a while.
There’s no mistaking where the inspiration for this story came from. The author openly acknowledges their muse, but the influence is so heavy at the start that I couldn’t get the characters of Harry, Draco, and their circle of friends out of my head. The content, inspiration, and my imagination started clashing, and I wondered if the only real distinction from the original muse was that our Slytherins are vampires.
I also couldn’t shake one relentless question: why are these vampires in school?

There’s no real information about their age or development (or maybe I just missed it) and I couldn’t get past it to the point that I began to wonder if this story was for me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and forever more: why are preternatural, formidable, transcendent beings in school, learning basic education?

Still, I journeyed on…

At around 150 pages, things pick up, the content gets more adult and vicious. I’m starting to get into the story, and the characters are finally beginning to stand on their own. There’s a lot of world-building through student-led teaching and peer conversations, which is interesting and unique but also creates some lulls in the story. Mythical elements are introduced; some add a nice touch, while others raise more questions. But I keep going, because the tension is palpable, the banter is bantering, and I need our two MCs to kiss! Speaking of kissing, explicit content is scarce until about halfway through, where the story takes a darker turn and the “scenes” get quite graphic.

Overall, there is some uniqueness within these pages, though I’m not sure it needed quite so many of them. I’m also not sure this review needed so many words, as the book description sums it up perfectly—and kudos to Boleyn for the transparency. *“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.”* #micdrop
To sum up my honest opinion — On Wings of Blood has all of the elements for an epic fantasy but it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It was a rollercoaster of love and hate in equal measures. I hope for more uniqueness in the next book, which I am or may not read.
A special thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC copy for review.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and Briar Boleyn for this ARC and allowing me the opportunity to review this book.

I would like to state upfront that I did DNF this book at 32% (p. 244/764) as it wasn't a good fit for me as a reader.

I really liked the concept of this one. I was initially drawn in by the blurb with the enticing combination of academy romance, bully romance, dragon riders, fae, and vampy paranormal fun. I'm always on the hunt for a delicious "true" hateful bully enermies-to-lovers and something I really enjoyed about this book was that it was definitely brewing to deliver on that promise!

Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the style of writing and the verbosity of the storytelling on this one. I also found the characters and dialogue a bit too juvenile for my personal tastes and feel this book may be a better fit for slightly younger NA readers. That being said, I do think there is an audience that will really enjoy this book and I would still consider recommending this to the right reader! Fans of Zodiac Academy might enjoy this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, Briar Boleyn, and Starwater Press for a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The Plot:
Medra Pendragon is a powerful half-fae thrown into a new world. She wakes up on a pile of corpses to find Blake Drakharrow standing over her. In this new world, vampires and dragons exist and Medra discovers that she is one of the last remaining dragon riders.

She is immediately enrolled in Bloodwing Academy after being betrothed to Blake where she must take classes and win competitions in order to prove her worth.

My Thoughts:
I did not realize how much I missed this type of read until now! I used to read vampire novels all the time and that dark academia background set everything up for success.
At first, I was a little nervous for the 500+ page count, but I don't think there were any wasted pages. I loved the pacing. The characters were well developed. We got enough info about the setting and history without being lectured. It was a win all around.
I also had a lot of fun with Medra and Blake's relationship. It wasn't drawn out too long. We got what we needed when we needed it. And everyone wasn't magically fixed through the relationship.

This book was a perfect balance of romance and action. If you were a fan of The Serpent and the Wings of Night or Cruel Illusions, I think you'll love this book.

Five out of five stars! This book is what I wanted Harry Potter to be!! Loved every moment and binged this all in one setting. Definite atmospheric story line with all my favorite tropes. Put this on your To Be Read and thank me later!!

4.5⭐️

I really enjoyed this book, more than I expected upon reading the blurb. It's like if Fourth Wing and The Cruel Prince got together then also had a baby with a vampire. A bully romance through and through - you may get flashbacks to high school so be warned. If you don't like bully romance or bullying in general is a trigger then you will not like this book.

I liked how it was mostly single POV (Medra) with the occasional Blake POVs sprinkled in like little treats. He was an asshole, but you just know he's not bad deep down (not to be applied to real life pls).

*That* scene absolutely shocked me to my core 😭 I was so devastated and the fact that I didn't see it coming is a testament to the story (or maybe I'm just bad at foreshadowing who knows). Some parts were a little inconsistent and could use extra editing but it didn't affect the narrative. They were just small things I noticed.

The scene right before the ending hurt my heart (iykyk) but I have hope yet. And the ending itself had both expected and unexpected elements! Parts I thought would happen and parts I didn't, which is nice because I often see things coming.

The inequality of the citizens was so brutal; you just feel Medra's righteous anger alongside with her and that made it good writing in my opinion. I legit hate the highbloods (except Theo, precious bby).

Overall I really liked it and I can't wait for book 2.

Let's be honest- this was great. It was everything I wanted from "Serpent & Dove" and "The Coven" that I didn't get. The academia was actually giving, the vampires made sense, and it was properly dark and twisty. I absolutely LOVED it and cannot wait for more from Briar Boleyn.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had a little of everything and while its not Harry Potter or Zodiac Academy it did have slight elements of both. Is there bullying, yes. Is there magic, yes but behind that and the extra slow burn of an enemies to lovers trope there is enough originality to warrant me completeing reading this book in a couple of sittings. Im looking forward to seeing where this story goes in the next installment.

Tropes: dual POV, forced betrothal, magical bonds, hate to lovers, games and trials, dark academia, vampires, slow burn, touch her and 💀
Vibes of Zodiac Academy, Fourth Wing, and Harry Potter 😍😍
Hollly smokes this book was amazing. So many of the things I love in one place and definitely leaving me wanting the next book immediately.

Medra was magically yeeted from her world to a new one where she is found by vampires. She learns that vampires are worshiped like gods here and the rest of the population is at their mercy. She has traits that mark her as valuable though, putting her on the radar of the ruthless leader who forces a magical betrothal on her and his nephew, Blake. She is then dumped into the dangerous magical school where almost everyone seems out to kill her.

While Blake starts out despising Medra, they are both begrudgingly drawn to each other. Medra starts to see below the hard exterior as Blake struggles to protect her from both the other students and his family.



~~~ spoilers ~~~


I'm a sucker for magical bonds so while I know Medra is NOT happy right now and Blake has a lot of making up to do - I can't wait for their next book!! We've also still got mysterious backstory going on for Medra and omg the ending. I'm so excited for a sassy dragon. Come back, Nyxaris! Although I did have to laugh at the dragon laughing away Medra's attempts to make him bond with her. 🤣 I'm also quite worried about what Viktor is going to do. 🙈

I can't wait for the next book!!

Briar did it again! She created a world I’m absolutely obsessed with.

⚠️While this new series can stand alone - if you think you might even want to go back and read The Blood of a Fae series, start there before this book! We meet Medra at the end of that series and On Wings of Blood picks up where her story ended! ⚠️

Medra wakes up in world she doesn’t know, not only that but she sticks out like a sore thumb. Surrounded by mortals (blightborn) and vampires (highbloods)Medra’s fae features resemble the long since passed dragon riders. Medra finds herself not only betrothed to vampire Prince Blake Drakharrow, but also enrolled at Bloodwing Academy.

Medra is determined to find a way out of her forced betrothal but first she has to survive, Bloodwing isn't just a school—it's a battlefield. Highbloods fight for power, and if you're weak? You're dead.

Thank you to Briar, Starwater Press, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! The magic system, the world, the lore and the school environment was amazing. The MMC and the FMC captivated me. I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers and forced proximity trope use. It didn’t seem forced, it flowed naturally. The ending was the perfect cliffhanger. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

Somewhat vampire school academy centred adult fantasy. 4.5 stars rounded up. A fun read, but be warned I now want book two, and I’m sure you will too. Familiar themes, definitely for you if you like this sort of genre, but much originality as well. Lots and lots to like, but a couple of small dislikes. First, Medra can’t stand Blake or other vampires, but then swings between that hate and total lust for him. (I loved mum tagging along having conversations about this with her, made me laugh.) Make up your mind Medra, vampires are a bad lot or not! Second, Blake swings between seeing Medra’s point of view then a few pages on turns back to a totally conceited, self-centred ‘I own you/you owe me’ vampire. Make up your mind Blake! Cannot be both. Then again I can see where both of these things come from. Maybe they will get sorted out in book two. Thank you to Starwater Press (Indie) and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.