On Wings of Blood

5/5 Star ⭐
1/5 Spice 🌶️

I had such a great time reading this first entry into the Bloodwing Academy series! I read the previous series, (Blood of a Fae) and LOVED it! I was a little skeptical at first because I struggled to part with Morgan and Draven and move on to Medra. I was pleasantly surprised! I will try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible and will mark them!

First off, I feel like the book hit all the described tropes, dark academia, enemies to... kind of lovers (we're getting there), definitely slow burn, huge bully vibes, forced betrothal and so much more! I absolutely devoured this 700 something page novel like it was a short story in a matter of hours! There is dual POV with Medra and Blake. I actually really love the dual POV and they definitely felt like 2 separate characters with their own voices.

We follow fiery, feisty Medra who has been transported to another world, full of vampires. Then we have Blake, who definitely gives Draco vibes if Draco hadn't submitted to his father's wishes. Blake is also betrothed to Regan who is a snotty jealous entitled highborn (vampires). It makes for an interesting first year at Bloodwing Academy! Medra makes a few friends, almost dies a few times, you know the drill.

While I was reading this, the school felt like Hogwarts, mixed with Basgiath (HP & and Fourth Wing). I think my one complaint is I reallllllly, realllllllllly wanted Medra to not show Regan mercy, AT ALL. LOL! There were heartbreaking moments and really cute and wholesome moments. I honestly cannot wait for the second book to come out in early 2025! I rarely start unfinished series anymore because I cannot stand the wait but for Briar I WILL ALWAYS!

Give this one a chance, if you haven't read the previous quartet featuring Morgan and Draven, I highly suggest reading that first. There is a lot of world building in this first entry, but I never felt overwhelmed or felt like it took away from the plot.

The next few sentences I will mark because they contain spoilers: [I LOVED Medra and her mother, Orcades' banter, I actually wish there was MORE of this. At first, I honestly thought that the voice she was hearing was a secret dragon no one knew about. I was super happy to have Orcades back. (hide spoiler)]

Thank you Netgalley, Briar and her publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I'm so glad to be a part of your street team and excited to see what happens next!

"But you're right about one thing, Pendragon. Why should I fight so hard to leash the monster inside when you're so determined to bring him out?"

The Story
Medra Pendragon thought she'd died, going out in a blaze of glory to save her Camelot. Instead, she wakes up in a separate world, where vampires run the show. In her world, everything from her red hair to her pointy ears mark her as a half-fae member of the royal family. In this world, it means she is a rare, valued creature - a dragon rider. There are no dragons left, but the ruling vampires don't want to risk letting such a prize get away, so Medra is forcibly betrothed to the arrogant, awful Blake Drakharrow as his consort, and sent away to begin her training at Bloodwing Academy. Despite her rare status, it will be a miracle if she survives her first year.

The FMC
Medra Pendragon is a great FMC. She's capable and strong and skilled, with great reserves of loyalty and goodness that are a bit hidden under a fairly prickly exterior. She commits to her decisions and doesn't waffle, but is willing to revise her plans and opinions when presented with new information. Also, redhead supremacy forever.

The MMC
Do you really enjoy the romance/romantasy trope of "You're mine"? Boy, do I have the book for you. Blake Drakharrow uses that phrase and every possible variant at every possible point, and it thrilled me each time. Even while they still despise each other, he takes 'touch her and die' very literally from pretty much the first page. Blake is very Draco Malfoy-coded (and the Bloodwing Academy is Hogwarts meets Basgiath meets every depraved thing from Game of Thrones) - very arrogant, possessive, violent, etc., but he does seem to like dogs and dogs like him, so maybe we'll let him stick around long enough to find out if he's our new book boyfriend, yes?

The Spice
Spice was not frequent, but boy did it pack a punch! Their connection was palpable throughout the whole slow burn.

The Other Thoughts
I was generally captivated enough by the story that I would forget for long periods of time, but the one thing that kind of bothered me was how rarely Medra thought about her previous life in Camelot, or had much of her backstory come into play. That's not to say it had no impact, and if I had to guess it probably will play a major role in future installments, but right now it seems like the whole 'I'm a princess from Camelot who died to save my world' could have been just as easily replaced with 'I woke up with no memory of my previous life.' But really, that's just a personal quibble, and not any reason to not recommend what was a very engaging book.

Despite being a pretty lengthy book, I took this down in one day and never felt it was dragging on. In fact, as I reached the end I was sort of freaking out that there were only 30 pages left and I knew from the prologue that we still had Big Things left to come. And then it actually managed to end on not one, but TWO cliffhangers, one of which was heavily foreshadowed (but still devastating to read and see how it actually played out) and one of which took me by more surprise than it probably should have.

Tropes:
- Enemies to lovers(?)
- Vampires
- Dual POV
- Dragons and dragon riders
- Magical academy
- Touch her and die (like literally from the very first scene)
- Chosen one
- Arranged marriage
- Bully romance
- Slow burn spice

Rating: 4.5/5
Spice: 2.5/5 (again, limited in amount, but bumped up an extra half a point for being high on the Scoville scale)

Thank you to NetGalley, Briar Boleyn, and the publishers for sending me an advanced copy of On Wings of Blood in exchange for an honest review!

As soon as I read the synopsis I needed to drop everything and read this book! If you enjoyed fourth wing and love vampires this book is for you. It gave me all the vibes I was looking for, and I had a hard time putting it down.

Medra (FMC): love her feisty and strong nature with her take no sh*t attitude

Blake (MMC): It was easy to have a love/ hate for the MMC, which made this an addictive read and I can’t wait for the second book!

There are also great side characters in here, and very excited to see how things evolve as this series continues ❤️❤️

Tropes:

True enemies
Found family
Bully romance
Vampires
Dark academia
Slow burn 🔥 with tension and banter
Possessive and morally grey MMC
Trials ⚔️
Arranged betrothal

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5 rounded up to 5)
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 🌶🌶🌶

I adored this book, and struggled to put it down!

While the characters are on the younger side (young adults), this is definately an adult book, and I felt the characters were reasonably mature.

Medra was a favourite of mine in the author's previous series, Blood of a Fae, and I love that she literally got a second chance at life in this book, but ended up in a different world. I teared up a little at the mention of her mother, and how she'd left all of her family back in her world, but enjoyed how she managed to find herself in this one.

I instantly liked Blake! He was such a compelling character, and I couldn't get enough of the few chapters from his POV. Personally, I found the bully romance aspect to be mild, but I occassionally read quite dark bully fantasy romances, so it's probably a me problem of wanting the MMC to be more of a bully 😅. I still adored the romance, and think it would be perfect for those who enjoy milder bully romance, or those just starting with it.

I was completely swept up in this story; everything was so vivid, easy to imagine, and immersive.

The ending had a small cliffhanger, with a few little plot twists and 'aha' moments, but I still need the next book now please!


𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑰 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕: second chance at life, found family, dual POV, dragon-rider FMC, vampire MMC, elite academy, steamy enemies to lovers, bully romance, biting, magic, plot twists.


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

This hit such a sweet spot for me! A mix of Merlin and Harry Potter with the best slow-burn romance slipped in! I've been looking for a book to bring back the fall 2010 feeling when you get a good book and can't wait for the school day to end so you can get back to it, and this hit the bullseye! It's the first time I read this author, and I didn't feel I was missing anything by not reading the other books. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get lost in a great fantasy series, and I can't wait to read more from this author!

★ ★ ★ ★ 4.25 Stars

THE ENDING.

I am a huge Briar Boleyn fan as I absolutely adore her Blood of a Fae series with Morgan and Draven. I was so excited when she announced she was releasing another book, and I had no idea it would be following Medra!

I loved that On Wings of Blood started off exactly where Knight of the Goddess left off in Medra’s story. I thought her character was over, but I’m so glad that we get to see more of it!

🚨I recommend reading the Blood of a Fae series prior to starting this book! It is not “necessary”, but it gives so much added insight into our FMC.

.˳·˖✶𓆩𓁺𓆪✶˖·˳.٠ ࣪⭑

I am 100% obsessed with this world we are plopped into. It’s dark, greedy, luscious - filled with vampires with secrets and bloodlust. We get to attend Bloodwing Academy side by side Medra (and sometimes Blake), and gosh, why do I want to go to this school so bad? Even as a blightborn I’d happily oblige 😅

We see Medra learn the ways of this new world and their magic system (mostly only vampires have magic), how to thrallwield and thrallguard, and we also discover some very dark secrets with her.

Did I mention there’s DRAGONS?

.˳·˖✶𓆩𓁺𓆪✶˖·˳.٠ ࣪⭑

So basically, Medra falls into a new world ran by vampires. She is bonded to a vampire prince named Blake by his powerful uncle, Lord Drakharrow, to ultimately be Blake’s consort (due to Medra being believed as a “dragon rider” [something that is extinct in this world]). Despite Medra being weaker than the highbloods since she is not a vampire, she is enrolled into Bloodwing Academy where she learns the history, magic, and fighting of the world. We also get a surprise “game” during the story which is an exciting addition to the plot!

.˳·˖✶𓆩𓁺𓆪✶˖·˳.٠ ࣪⭑

Our characters are just as good as Morgan and Kairos Draven 🤭

Medra: If you read Blood of a Fae, you knew Medra was born to be a badass. Raised by Morgan and Draven with Odessa as her fighting instructor, Medra lived a really weird, quick life up until she sacrificed herself for all of Aercanum. Somehow, her dead mother Orcades manages to latch on to Medra in death and land up in a new world run by vampires.
Medra is just as arrogant and strong willed in this book as I hoped she would grow up to be in Camelot/Siabra. I absolutely adored her character in this book and can’t wait to read more on her in the next.

Blake: I mean, we all love a morally grey vampire right? Blake struggles with showing both sides of who he is, as behind closed doors his uncle’s brutality marks him if he does not succumb to his wishes. Despite this, Blake wishes to show Medra who he really wants to be.

.˳·˖✶𓆩𓁺𓆪✶˖·˳.٠ ࣪⭑

We get found family, forced proximity, “forced arrangement”, enemies to lovers maybe???, bully romance, HP/FW

The vibes: dark, brutal, bloodshed, elite vampire school with dragons, strong FMC, deep secrets in everyone’s past

.˳·˖✶𓆩𓁺𓆪✶˖·˳.٠ ࣪⭑

What can I say: I’m obsessed with Briar Boleyn’s writing. This book was another win, and I can’t wait for the next.

A big thanks to NetGalley, publisher and Boleyn for providing me with this ARC!