Thank you NetGalley for the arc ! I was very excited to continue this adventure. I have already recommended book 1 to so many of my friends and can’t wait for book 3. The spice and the twist and turns in this book was fantastic. This is quickly becoming an author I am very excited to follow. The writing style is exactly what I’m always looking for. I loved everything about this world ! Can’t wait for book 3 !

Thank you to to Netgalley and Briar Boleyn for allowing me to read and review the next book in the Bloodwing series.

We're back at school, second year, with Medra and Florence. This time, we have a third POV. The book starts off a little slow, as poor Medra is feeling stuck, trapped in her room with no friends and only Blake to come feed once a week and Viktor to attempt to torture her. Once the new school year begins, you can't put the book down.

Medra is under a lot of scrutiny having awoken the only dragon, Nyxaris. She's using her newly refined skills to block out anyone who tries to use thrallguard on her, but she must remain vigilant as there are people who have their own agendas for the rider... and her blood..

Minor spoilers ahead...
As she learns more of dragon history, her bond with Nyxaris grows and they begin to trust each other more. She's also been working on her trust with Blake who, let me be honest in saying the man took FOREVER to realize how great Medra is for him. Stubborn man. But I'll give him a little reprieve as he's beginning to go through some of his own changes... Which, by the way, I need more info on all that ASAP.

Briar, I need the next book now, please!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, NetGalley.

This installment of Bloodwing Academy did a few things I like, and a few I don't. Please allow me to rant for a few lines. I hated the first half of the book. It is a pet peeve of mine when authors start the second book of a series by re-doing what they have done in the first one. It undoes all the character development and story-building. The first half of this book is just that: for no reason (except conflict manufacturing), Blake goes back to being a bully and Medra does nothing, but complain about him.
The second half of the book was quite fun. The last scene even took me (mostly) by surprise, which is rare. I am looking forward to the third installment.

🌟Vampires
🌟Enemies to Lovers
🌟Dragons
🌟Bully Romance
🌟Wolves
🌟Found Family
🌟Magic
🌟Betrayal
🌟Dual POV
🌟Cliffhanger
🌟🌶️🌶️🌶️

I am absolutely obsessed with this series! The Bonds That Burn had me in a chokehold from start to finish—I devoured every page.

So much goes down in this installment. The threats are deadlier, the betrayals cut deeper, and the secrets and losses continue to stack up. Everything is ramping up, and I could feel the tension tightening with every chapter.

And that slow burn between Medra and Blake—because, good God, the tension (fans self)—is igniting. Their chemistry has been simmering, but now? It’s catching fire.

Blake, for all his arrogance and deeply ingrained entitlement, is trying—really trying—but he’s also stumbling and failing. Watching him fall harder for Medra, despite his many missteps, was everything. His life has been a relentless cycle of trauma and hardship, and my heart ached for him as he faced even more pain.

Meanwhile, Medra is caught in a game so much bigger than herself, with little control over the pieces in play. Yet, she’s stepping deeper into her path, growing stronger with every challenge. Her struggle to navigate her feelings for Blake are complicated —and Kage, I’ve got my eye on you sir—added another layer of intrigue. Can she trust him? Should she?

And then there’s the found family that emerges, and I love them with my whole heart. Theo owns me, Florence is absolutely precious, and Visha brings something so uniquely her that I can’t help but adore her. And Nyxaris and Neville could not be more opposite, and yet both bring something vital.

The ending? An absolute wild ride. Everything unravels in rapid succession, spiraling into chaos, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Things go sideways—fast—and I need book three in my hands right now.

The Bond That Burns by Briar Boleyn - publish date: 27th December 2024.

I hold my hands up. I'm addicted to this series! Especially as there's just the right amount of spice in this book! I devoured this book in a day! This is an easy 4⭐️ for me!

Vampires, dragons, found family, spice, tension and fast paced plot. My favourite recipe.

I was so happy to receive this arc and head back into Bloodwing Academy.

We get to know the characters so well in book one that headed into book two everyone felt quite established. Except Kage, he's a man I still want to know more about and he's still quite the enigma!

Picking up where we left off in book one, all our favourites are back - Medra, Blake, Theo, Florence, and Visha. We get old and new teachers at Bloodwing too.

We get to see and hear a lot more from Nyxaris the dragon who is now free in Sangratha. I love his attitude, and his dark humour. I know he's a dragon but Neville will always be my number one!

I really enjoyed the tension in this book. I was getting a little bit annoyed with Blake's attitude, and felt like he was almost replicating Regan's behaviour from the previous book. However, THAT bathroom scene was 🔥🔥. There is just the right amount of spice, it's hot but doesn't take away from the plot of the book.

I liked the pace of the book, I enjoyed the twists and turns, the fact that no one seems to know the real history of the dragons or where they sit in terms of good / bad so we are learning as we go on, same as the characters.

The only thing that didn't make this a higher star rating was that I felt the book could have been a bit longer. Some parts felt rushed but it didn't spoil my overall enjoyment of the book!

Briar Boleyn is fast becoming one of my favourite authors for romantasy / dark romantasy. We need the third book after that ending!

Thank you to Briar Boleyn, and NetGalley for the arc. This is my own personal review of this book!

I was beyond excited to dive into The Bond That Burns (Book 2 in the Bloodwing Academy series), and let me tell you—it absolutely did not disappoint.
From the very first page, I was hooked, and by the end, I was practically begging for more.

The story picks up right where Book 1 left off (yes, that cliffhanger we’re all still recovering from), and guess what? This one has an even bigger cliffhanger—so prepare yourself. The pacing is flawless—every twist, every revelation about the past, and every moment of Medra and Blake’s journey had me glued to the pages.

And let’s talk about the steam scenes for a second—🔥🔥🔥. They are perfection. The chemistry, the tension, the build-up—it’s written so well that you can’t help but root for the characters through every moment.

I’m counting down the days until Book 3!

If you are looking for something to read after Onyx Storm, this is it!!!
Perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers romance, intense action, and dark magic—all set in an academy backdrop.

A big thanks to Netgalley, publisher and the author for providing me with this ARC!

I waited 2 whole days before I started this because I knew that this book was going to emotional destroy me. I still was not prepared, because I was expecting this to be the end of the story, but no. Briar Boleyn has pissed me off yet again about how invested I am in these characters. I am pissed that I have to wait even longer to find out what happens and even more upset with what has happened with Medra and Florence and Blake and my favorite fluffin baby! I can't wait until the next one and I will be the first in line for it too.

At Bloodwing Academy, where blood is currency and dragons' legacies are dangerous, a student who unknowingly awakens a dragon must navigate deadly political intrigue, a betrayal from a trusted ally, and a blood bond that could be her doom, all while trying to survive a world of vampires, dragons, and dark secrets.

After the cliffhanger of Of Wings of Blood, I dove straight into this book without hesitation—I had to know what happened next and see how their bond would evolve.

This book was such a slow burn, chaotic and full of twists, but I couldn’t put it down, even though I was frustrated the entire time.

The FMC is such a strong, compassionate woman, but she's also incredibly naive, too trusting, and stubborn as hell—driving me crazy at times.

The MMC's miscommunication had me losing my mind because everything could’ve been so much simpler if he’d just been honest about his feelings.

There were moments when I was completely in love, and others when I was ready to throw in the towel, but hands down, my favorite part was the library scene—because who doesn’t love the chaos of a love triangle (or whatever that mess was)? The drama had me hooked!

Now, I can't wait to see what book three has in store!

Medra is back at Bloodwing navigating life after falsely claiming she’s bonded a dragon. She’s locked in Drakharrow tower and locked into a dedicated feeding schedule with Blake so he doesn’t die without her blood. She now has to figure out how to keep herself and her dragon alive when all the royal houses have a renewed interest in killing them.

Anything Briar Boleyn writes is crack. I DEVOURED this. I love a bully romance and Blake delivered. The twist at the end during the ball I DID NOT SEE COMING. Everything felt so calculated and purposeful. I need the next book NOW and I need all the lore in the next book explained (and I want Reagan to burn)

Thank you to Netgalley and Starwater Press Publishing for the free ARC copy of this book. I don’t think I will survive waiting until May to read the next book in this series 😂 I have now found another favorite Romantasy author. There are points in this book that the characters make you want to smack some sense into them but they are still lovable. This book is a super fast read. It was hard to put down! I was really happy to see so much growth from a lot of the highblood characters in this book compared to the first one. I will be recommending this series to every person I know that enjoys fantasy books!

It truly exceeded my expectations as a sequel to On Wings of Blood.

The setting continues to impress. The expansion of Bloodwing Academy feels natural and immersive, with every detail from the mysterious lore surrounding dragons and vampires to the dark academia vibes, adding layers of depth that really drew me in.

The pacing kept me on the edge of my seatz action, drama, and quieter introspective moments all blend perfectly without feeling rushed. I also loved how Medra and Blake evolved, especially their nuanced enemies-to-lovers dynamic that added genuine emotional depth.Plus, there's more character development for the secondary characters, giving us deeper insights into their lives and motivations.

Also, the book doesn't shy away from heat, the steamy, well-handled scenes bring an extra intensity to their relationship, making the story even more engaging. Overall, with its intricate world-building, compelling character development, and just the right amount of spice.

I could not put this story down! Medra is strong, smart and witty. She is a badass MC. Blake on the other hand, was quite infuriating at times. I guess we will see in the next book how he evolves.

The absolute best part of this book are a snarky dragon and an adorable fluffball named Neville!
Medra's friends are also pretty cool. In this book she finally has a larger friend group and I'm rooting for all of them. I was a little sad that the dagger (iykyk) was much less present in this book.

The ending had me at the edge of my seat and I cannot wait to read how the story continues.

Thank you Netgalley, Starwater Press and Briar Boleyn for the copy I received. This is my honest review.

🔥🩸 THE BOND THAT BURNS by Briar Boleyn 🩸🔥
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5 stars)

Listen. If you told me I’d be obsessed with a book featuring a cantankerous dragon, a morally grey vampire love interest with Draco Malfoy energy, and a strong, snarky FMC caught in a deadly web of court intrigue, blood debts, and backstabbing? I’d say SIGN ME UP IMMEDIATELY.

Bloodwing Academy is back, and this time, Medra Pendragon is in deep. Like, "oops-I-accidentally-woke-a-dragon-and-now-everyone-wants-to-control-me" deep. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, Blake Drakharrow (aka our resident infuriating, broody bloodsucker) has made himself real comfy in Medra’s life—because surprise, surprise, she’s now his ONLY blood source. 😵‍💫💀 The tension? The angst?? The high-stakes power plays?! I was thriving.

What I LOVED 😍
✨ Medra is THAT GIRL – She’s strong, stubborn, and sassy as hell, but she’s also vulnerable in ways that make her so compelling. Watching her navigate the deadly politics of Bloodwing while also dealing with her own terrifying bond with Nyxaris (the grumpiest, most iconic dragon since Tairn) was chef’s kiss.

"She was a storm of contradictions, all fragility and fire." 🔥💔

✨ Enemies-to-Lovers CHAOS™ – The Medra x Blake dynamic?? Utterly unhinged, and I ate up EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT. The banter is next-level, the tension is off the charts, and their constant battle of wills had me screaming. The betrayal, the forced proximity (hello, blood bond), the “I want to hate you but I also want to devour you” energy??? Obsessed.

✨ Nyxaris = My Emotional Support Dragon – I love me a grumpy, overprotective dragon, and Nyxaris absolutely delivered. He gives Tairn (from Fourth Wing) vibes but with an extra dose of sass and unpredictability.

"I think the first thing I'll have Nyxaris do when he returns is burn you to a crisp. No more feedings. Problem solved." 🔥💀

✨ Side Characters Slayed – Florence, Theo, and Vidya continue to be ride-or-die besties, and Viktor? Viktoring as usual. Also, Kage??? I NEED MORE OF HIM IMMEDIATELY. 👀

Final Thoughts 🤯
This book was SAVAGE, SEDUCTIVE, AND UTTERLY ADDICTIVE. If you love dark academia, vampires, dragons, and romance with unbearable levels of tension, The Bond That Burns will set your heart (and soul) on fire. I NEED book three immediately because the way this ended?! RUDE.

"Sometimes our choices are all we have, Miss Pendragon. They define us, for better or for worse. Obedience doesn't absolve anyone of guilt."

If you loved Crowns of Nyaxia, Fourth Wing, or From Blood and Ash, you NEED to read this series. Now excuse me while I go scream into the void until the final book drops. 😭🔥

I was so conflicted after book one ended. And wasn’t sure if I would like book 2. But book 1 was addicting enough that I didn’t want the end to ruin the book. The first half of the second book was a bit annoying. One of the characters is annoyingly stupid and there is a lot of miscommunication which also is annoying but around the 50% mark things started to change and I was enjoying my self a lot more.
The ending is A LOT! But after this one I’m definitely looking forward for the third book.

3.25 / 5 stars
I did really enjoy this book while I was reading it but I found it a little slower than the first one. At the end of book one I was left with a lot of questions and I felt like not a lot got answered in this book. I also felt like not a lot happened until we hit 80% and then suddenly loads happened. I did really like the ending, there were some unexpected twists and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next one. I also liked Blake's character development in this one and seeing how close Medra and Florence's relationship is. I really enjoyed seeing more of Kage in this book, I feel like he will be a really good character as the series goes on

I am not comfortable with the rage fucking which happened at one point, or the level of bullying and humiliation Blake used on Medra for the sake of "putting her in her place." Those actions are not forgivable in my opinion, yet I continued because I honestly wanted to see where the dragon part of the plot would take us. The twists at the end and addition of shifters made this intriguing. While I may not have liked aspects of it, it was like I couldn't tear my eyes away. It's a highly bingeable book, so I really hope Blake's character developments are NOT reset in the third as I do want to continue reading the story. I also just love Visha and Theo and Florence... and of course Neville. Also Kage Tanaka is a beautiful man and much superior to Blake Drakharrow in every single way. I'm honestly not sure how Medra can stand to be around Blake after his behavior... no amount of excellent sex could make up for what he did in my opinion.

“But you bring the fire. You make even the darkness shine. Even dragon fire can’t compete with the way you burn, Pendragon.”
This picked up right where the first one left off and I honestly couldn’t get enough of it!
The pace of the story and world-building was just amazing. We got to learn along with Medra more about the history of the new world. The way she stood up for herself and her friends was completely badass. Blake becoming obsessive was fun to see but he has his own secrets and has to deal with some changes. After seeing Neville with Florence, I would LOVE to see some scenes with him and Blake.
Also, grumpy dragon + cute fluffball Neville = *chef’s kiss* I loved the banter between Medra and Nyxaris; he kinda reminded me of Tairn.
I was not ready for it to be over and I will be needing the next book immediately.

start on: 12.29.24
end on: 1.31.25

‎‧₊˚✧final review✧˚₊‧

‧₊˚🖇️✩₊housekeeping˚🎧⊹♡
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ possible minor spoilers
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ my rating is 2.5 stars rounded down to 2
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ If you are big on this book - like, LOVED it, this might not be the review for you
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ this is a book written by Rebecca Yarros, Jennifer L Armentrout, and assorted Dramione fic writers
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ forgive me, I kind of slacked on this review.

🫧𓇼𓏲rest of review✩‧₊˚🎐

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ Adult Fantasy Romance

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ what to expect
➳1st person past tense
➳ Dual Main pov with 2
➳ Dark academia boarding school
➳ enemies to lovers bully romance
➳ vampires
➳ slowburn
➳ arranged marriage
➳ found family + unlikely alllies
➳ villain gets the girl
➳ steamy
➳ LGBT representation
➳ (more) betrayal

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳★★.5

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ ᰔᩚᰔᩚ.5/5 (spice rating)

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ ❀.5/5 (fluff rating)

「 ✦The Bond That Burns✦ 」
(noun) a disappointing secret

Skyfall
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
1:35 ───ㅇ───── 3:47
❝Hear my heart burst again❞

☁️ . . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ overall thoughts

Honestly, it was…disappointing. I was SOOO excited to read this, what with how much I loved the first book and how my eyes have been opened since to the wide, wide world of Dramione (this isn’t a Dramione fic, but it feels like one). But it just didn’t do what I wanted it to. With everything going on, it was too similar to other books (Fourth Wing, From Blood and Ash, Secrets & Masks, etc) - like literally, there’s pretty much nothing original about it. And that made me sad.

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆ writing style

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there are authors whose writing styles I would literally die for. Unfortuantely, Briar Boleyn’s is not one of them. Not only that, but there were spelling errors, grammar mistakes, pure awful paragraph breaks….and no, this time I do NOT blame the PDF *cough cough the risk cough cough*. This is pure editing madness (although I am now aware that ARCs are usually made before final edits go through, so hopefully the majority of this has been fixed). That being said though, it’s not just the editing issues. The writing is either bland or cheesy, and the pacing is actual trash. And again: the writing is just kind of…bland, for this story.

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊ ♪ ✧ plot

I do not understand. That’s it. Thats the review. The plot was all over the place and genuinely I don’t remember or understand what was going on for like half the movie.

˖◛⁺⑅♡main romance♡⑅⁺◛˖

🎶welcome to Sangratha where consent isn’t a thing. The bond controls us all because Blake needs to feed🎶

I used to love their relationship. Like, SO much, seriously. But the deeper into Dramione I go, the more I, surprisingly, hate it. There’s no reason for the whole ‘barely consensual feeding’ to be happening. They feel forced. I’m not swooning over Blake getting jealous the way I used to. It just doesn’t hit the same - maybe because they aren’t real Dramione? Idk man idk.

Side Character「 ✦Professer Rodriguez✦ 」
She really had to go and ruin the only good character, didn’t she?

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ favorites

ˋ°•*⁀➷ favorite character
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ THEO. ALWAYS THEO.

ˋ°•*⁀➷ favorite scene
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ the library scene hehe

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ final thoughts
Why. just why.

4.25 on StoryGraph.

Oh this series got really good and fun!

The first book in the Bloodwing Academy series had potential, but it felt too much like a Harry Potter retread to the point where some things were just barely renamed. This book doesn’t get rid of that feeling completely, but it fleshes out the characters and world a bit more to make it different and more interesting. I picked this second book up as the first one ended in a way that showed significant potential and I’m really glad I did!

This book is fun, the characters are still complicated and sometimes rude, but they are all growing and improving! The romance as well is way less of a bully romance and building into something a bit stronger and sweet which is some lovely character development.

Our group of friends is stronger too, there’s less sadness and being lonely in this book than the last one. There’s still problems, but it’s fun to see the characters interact and grow up in this one.

Overall, a significant improvement from the first one and I will absolutely be picking up the third book!

"The Bond That Burns" by Briar Boleyn is the second installment of The Bloodwing Academy series and I can seriously not get enough. Blake and Medra are back at Bloodwing Academy for the new year and tensions have never been higher. While still navigating their bond Medra also has a dragon to concern herself with. The tribunal wants submission and Medra better make it happen, her life depends on it...

I continue to fly through Boleyn's books with obsession and desire to get more of these characters and this world. I genuinely can not stop raving about the incredible world building, romance and character development. I will continue to talk about this series while I anticipate the third books release.