Trigger warning: Bloodwing Academy is a dark fantasy romance series with bully-vibes. The author provides a detailed list of content warnings, as some themes may be distressing for certain readers.
This review covers the first two books in the series.
On Wings of Blood (Bloodwing Academy Series, Book One)
Title: On Wings of Blood
Author: Briar Boleyn
Publisher: HarperCollins (HarperTeen) / MIRA
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Dark Academia
Year of Publication: 2024
Date of First Publication: October 25, 2024 by Starwater Press (Indie)
Pages: 522
ISBN-13: 9781069262202 / 978-0778306269 (Deluxe Limited Edition)
Audiobook Narrators: Hannah Hedley, Justin Hill, and Persephone Lee
Summary
On Wings of Blood is the first book in the Bloodwing Academy Series. The book follows a woman named Medra Pendragon. At the start of the book, Medra, a half-fae finds herself in a strange world and learns that she is in a place called Sangratha. In Sangratha, the people are ruled by a council made up of four houses (House Drakharrow, House Avari, House Orphos, and House Mortis). Medra has no idea how she got to this world but remembers being in a battle, fighting against her grandfather, before waking up. When she is discovered by a group of men, she is brought before the council to decide her faith.
Because of the color of her hair, the people in the new world she finds herself, believe her to be the last dragon rider. Medra is sent to vampire-run school known as Bloodwing Academy. In this world, vampires called “highbloods” dominate, and those like Medra, the “blightborn,” are treated as tools, not equals.
When ancient rituals, dragon legends, and vampire politics collide, Medra is forced to deal with betrayal, power plays, romantic tension, and a dark secret living inside her.
The Bond That Burns (Bloodwing Academy Series, Book Two)
Title: The Bond That Burns
Author: Briar Boleyn
Publisher: Independently Published/HarperCollins (MIRA imprint)
Genre: Fantasy Romance / Dark Academia
Year of Publication: 2024
Date of Publication: December 30, 2024
Pages: 386
ISBN-13: 979-8305077674 / 978-0778306276
Audiobook Narrators: Hannah Hedley, Justin Hill, and Persephone Lee
Summary
The Bond That Burns is the second book in Bloodwing Academy Series. The story picks up right after the events of Book 1. Medra has accidentally awakened a dragon, Viktor Drakharrow and the rest of the council need answers, Medra’s trust in blake has been broken but even worse, she remains his only blood source. Every highblood house wants control over Medra and are demanding proof of her control over the dragon.
A large part of The Bond That Burns focuses on how Medra adjusts to a world where her connection to the dragon, Nyxaris, becomes an issue for those who rule Sangratha. Blake on the other hand has to balance managing the demands of his uncle, Viktor, protecting his sister, Aenia, and figuring out what type of relationship he wants to have with Medra.
Main Plot & Characters
- Medra Pendragon: The protagonist, believed to be the last dragon rider, though dragons are extinct. She is a princess of Camelot.
- Blake Drakharrow: A highblood vampire who becomes Medra’s love interest. He is the leader of House Drakharrow at the academy. Blake is a nephew to Viktor Drakharrow and brother to Marcus and Aenia.
- Lord Viktor Drakharrow: He is Blake’s uncle and is part of the council that runs Sangratha. Viktor is manipulative.
- Orcades: She is Medra’s mother. She was a queen.
- Kage Tanaka: He is the leader of House Avari students.
- Regan Pansera (Miss Pansera): She is betrothed to Blake at the start of the book.
- Lord Pansera: He is Regan’s father.
- Lady Elaria Avari: She is Kage’s grandmother and Natsumi’s mother-in-law.
- Marcus Drakharrow: He is Blake’s elder brother.
- Florence Shen: She is a student at Bloodwing Academy and is one of the wardens for the first year students. She becomes a close friend of Medra.
- Theo Drakharrow: He is Blake’s cousin. Theo is playful but keeping a secret that affects his life and relationships.
- Coregon Phiri: He is Blake’s closest friend.
- Catherine Mortis: She is the daughter of Lord Garrick Mortis. Catherine is a student at the Academy and the house leader of House Mortis at the academy.
- Lord Garrick Mortis: He is Catherine’s father and a member of the council.
- Quinn Riley: She is a student at the academy.
- Visha Valdya: She is a student at the Academy. Visha’s family used to have the best dragon riders.
- Lysander: He is the leader of House Orphos both at the school and outside of it.
- Aenia: She is Blake’s sister.
- Lunaya Orphos: She is Lysander’s sister.
- Naveen: He is a first year student at the academy. He becomes very good friends with Medra and Florence.
- Professor Amina Hassan: She is the professor of History.
- Professor Gabriel Rodriguez: He is blightborn and the Professor for the Restoration class. Maybe it’s the professor title but this character reminded us a lot of Professor Orion from Zodiac Academy.
- Headmaster Kim:
- Natsumi Avari: She is Kage Tanaka’s mother and daughter-in-law to Lady Elaria Avari.
- Lord Sylvain: He is Evander’s father and Visha’s future father-in-law.
- Evander Sylvain: Another student at the academy. Part of Lucian and Visha’s triad.
- House Avari: This is Kage, Natsumi and Lady Avari’s house. Their house motto is Luna Sanguinea Surgit (Blood Moon Rises).
- House Mortis: This is Lord Garrick Mortis House. Their house motto is Mortem Excito (I summon death).
- House Drakharrow: This is Blake, Marcus and Viktor’s house. The house motto is Sanguine Vincitii (Bound by Blood).
- House Orphos: This is Lysander’s house. Their motto is Sanguis Somniatorum (Blood of Dreamers). Other houses consider this house weak.
- Bloodmaiden: Highbloods and blightblood revere the Bloodmaiden in their temples.
- Highbloods: They are the elite vampires in Sangratha and are considered upper class.
- Blightborn: Those who are not elite vampires. Blightborn usually includes human.
- Aercanum: Medra’s home.
- Sangratha: The capital city
- Nyxaris: The dragon affiliated with House Avari but awakened by Medra.
- Vorago: The dragon affiliated with House Drakharrow.
- Alexander Drakharrow (the peacebringer): He was Blake and Marcus’s father.
- Desdemona: She is Blake’s mother.
- Kiernan: He is a student at the academy and is affiliated with House Avari.
- Neville: He is the fluffin that Medra and Blake rescue.
Writing Style
We were a little concerned when we read that this book had fae, dragons, consort games, a prince and an academy. We were like here we go again, another “my mate” story that will bleed into each other! But after reading the first book, we actually enjoyed it. Very much so!. Yes, some of those fantasy driven features exist but the story has it’s own pathway and truly kept us engaged.
Boleyn tells the story in a way that we get good banter between characters, humor, dark slow-burn romance and a good amount of anticipation. If you follow our previous reviews, then you will already know that we love books that include illustrations of the world that is being built and Boleyn gives us a little bit of this.
In terms of the world-building, the books do not give us too much detail about life outside of the school although both books hint at some possible rebellion and tensions outside of the area. We do learn a little about Sangratha, the capital city where the story takes place, and Aercanum, where Medra is from. If you have read Queen of Roses, you would recall that it is set in Aercanum.
With that said, some parts of the story seemed repetitive. We understand that there are already trigger warning about bullying but there are some parts of book 2 that didn’t move the story forward and felt like we had stepped back into Book 1. Also, the number of times Kage’s crescent-moon tattoo is mentioned was a lot. Other than that, we enjoyed the overall story and are interested to see how it unfolds.
Final Thoughts On Bloodwing Academy Series
Overall, On Wings of Blood and The Bond That Burns are very strong and engaging additions to the Bloodwing Academy Series. Although we were nervous to read another book about academies, vampires, and dragons, the books quickly proved to have their own pathway. By the end of The Bond That Burns, we were invested and ready to see how this story will continue to unfold.
Book three, The Wings That Bind has a release date of March 10, 2026.
Rating of The Series
Characters ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Plot ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Writing ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Book Covers ★★★★★ (5/5)
Audiobooks (Narration Only) ★★★★⯪ (4.5/5)
Overall ★★★★⯪ (4.5/5)
Have you read any of the books in the Bloodwing Academy Series? Which part of Medra’s journey or Blake’s transformation stood out most to you? Share your thoughts and until next time, keep turning those pages!
Authors
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