On Wings of Blood by Alexcia Knight is such a fun and intense read! It’s the perfect mix of action, mystery, and just the right amount of romance. The story takes you to Bloodwing Academy, a school full of secrets where students with dangerous powers fight to survive.

The world-building is so vivid it feels like you’re right there, walking the academy’s dark halls. The characters are super intriguing, especially the protagonist, who’s dealing with all kinds of challenges and growing stronger with each page. And those morally grey side characters? You’re constantly second-guessing who’s an ally and who’s out to get her.

The pacing is great—there’s never a dull moment—and the romance is a slow burn that keeps you hooked without overpowering the story. Some parts were a little predictable, but the twists made up for it and left me excited for what’s next.

If you’re into dark academia, magic, and high-stakes drama, you’ll love this book. Can’t wait for the next one!

This book is insane!! Absoulty ticks all the boxes for action packed enemies to lovers dragon 🐉 lovers this. This came highly recommended and I can understand why 5* read for me faes vampires dark academia setting what more can a girl wish for. Bring on book 2!!

This book surprised me. Some of the writing feels a little young. But I really enjoyed this. I loved the tension. I also loved how it felt very Harry Potter esq. truly kept me on my toes the entire time. I finished this in 24 hours. Can’t wait for book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and Briar Boleyn for the arc.

I absolutely loved Medra in the Blood of a Fae series, so naturally, I was thrilled when I found out she was getting her own story.

The forced betrothal at the start honestly threw me off, but the world-building completely won me over. It’s been a while since I’ve read a truly great academic-setting book, and this one delivered. I couldn’t put it down! Blake was basically Draco Malfoy incarnate, and considering the circumstances, I think he handled things the best he could.

This is how you write an enemies-with-benefits trope—pure chef’s kiss! It was so good, I devoured it in just two days. But that ending? It left me with one overwhelming reaction: WHAT THE HECK!? Now, I’m counting down the days until book two!

Let me start off by saying thank you to the publisher, author, and netgalley for the chance to read this book!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

When you throw together and enemies to maybe acquaintances who have a few benefits and possibly some hidden feelings, a forced betrothal, a little other women drama when said forced betrothal always has a betrothed, a Harry Potteresque academy setting… oh and lots and lots of vampires you get On Wings of Blood. An interesting romantasy that will keep you flipping pages desperate to know what’s going to happen next.

I enjoyed the plot of On Wings of Blood, and the first part of the story was so interesting and had me desperate to know what was going to happen next, but then at least for me it was like I hit a bit of a snag and things started to slow down and I felt like I really had to push through until we got close to the end where things began to pick up again leaving me on the edge of my seat to know what’s to come. And I will say I enjoyed the characters. Merda was strong, resilient and caring in her own way, even if that meant pushing people away. She was always striving to be better, do better, and always stay one step ahead. I also loved Blake’s character, how he was willing to fight for the ones he loved, as well as just how he was protective even if it was from the background. Overall On Wings of Blood was an interesting read that I’m excited to see more of!!

4.5 ⭐️

I had such a great time with On Wings of Blood. I mean who doesn’t love a fantasy/magic school with a man that’s hot and just slightly mean?

The vibes of On Wings of Blood are simply immaculate honestly. If you’re looking for something to scratch that Fourth Wing sort of itch, this is the perfect book for you! I really enjoyed the characters in this book. I actually was a bit surprised by how much I liked Medra because I honestly was not her biggest fan in Knight of the Goddess (from the Blood of a Fae series, and yes, in my opinion you absolutely should read that series before Bloodwing because not only are there minor spoilers for the end of the Blood of a Fae series in On Wings of Blood, but it’s also just a good series in general). The friendships Medra forms are really sweet to read.

Blake is a great MMC as well. I loved his banter with Medra and his POV chapters were great. He’s hot. He’s mean. He’s down bad. What else could you possibly want?!

Anyway, I’m dying for the next book which is fantastic because it releases at the end of this month, so it won’t be a long wait. And to that I say, thank you Briar Boleyn for this rapid release schedule. We love you for it.

Thank you to Briar Boleyn for the advance copy of On Wings of Blood. All opinions are my own!

4.5 stars

I was promised a dark academia fantasy romance with vampires, dragons, court and school intrigue with good banter and that is exactly what I got.

When I read the list of tropes I thought this was perfect for me and exactly what I was searching for. I am happy to say I was not disappointed.

We follow Medra Pendragon who wakes up in a foreign world after she fought an epic battle to save her own. She is captured, betrothed and send to Bloodwing Academy. There, she learns about the highbloods - vampires - who govern this world and the blightborns - humans, including herself - who are no more than blood vessels and pawns. Medra has to fight for survival in this new world, all of this while navigating her relationship with her betrothed Blake and the other students at the academy.

Main characters:

- Medra Pendragon
Medra is a true strong FMC. She doesn’t tolerate bullshit. She is feisty, determinate and is not afraid to stand up for her friends or what she thinks is right. She was selfless and felt believable as a character freshly transported into a new dangerous world.

- Blake Drakharrow
He totally gives Draco Malfoy vibes and I loved it. Blake is cold, arrogant and entitled but shows a certain softness throughout the book. Truly a morally gray character and it was really interesting to see him navigate between who he is and who everybody expects him to be.

- Their relationship
This was a true enemies to lovers for me, compared to what we see nowadays. It’s slowburn, and not tied in a pretty bow tie by the end of the book. I liked that their relationship has still room to change and surprise us in the next book.
I got tired of reading “she’s mine” by the end of the book, but with the circumstances, i can understand it. Blake’s pining was soooo good though.
The spice was as slowburn as the romance, but boy, was it good.

Side characters:
There were a lot of side characters, which is something I love. They all felt different from each other and well developed.

- Medra’s side
I loved the relationships between her and Florence, but thought it could have been more fleshed out. Naveen always brought a smile to my face when I read their interactions. He felt like a breath of fresh air in this dark world.

- Blake’s side
Oh boy, I have different feelings for this lot. Theo and Regan. Let’s just say I really liked one and despised the other….

- The others
I loved seeing snippets of other highbloods at the school, especially the other house leaders. I can’t write a review of this book without talking about Kage Tanaka. He adds a lot of tension to the main characters’ relationship. I hope to see more of Catherine and Lysander in the next book.

Atmosphere:
The school setting was really well done. I thought it was ‘believable’ for a vampire school. I love the variety of classes, teachers. It had everything from weird traditions to well described locations. And the ball!! I love a good ball.
I liked the atmosphere change from the school to the tunnels and city.
It was also really dark. The author is not afraid of gruesome treatment and death. I weirdly enjoyed that.

Worldbuilding:
We got a dash of political intrigues with Viktor , family drama, a good amount of world history with a focus on power imbalance between the highbloods and blightborns. I think it gives us a good base to understand the world for a first book in a series.
The vampires are represented as cruel, immoral and entitled. It’s my favourite kind of vampire so I was sold.

Writing style:
It was nothing special. I liked the dialogue and the author gave us great tension when needed. The emotions the characters went through were well described. Overall, it was good.

Pacing:
For the first 15% I was hooked. For the middle of the book, I enjoyed because I love day to day life in a school setting and there were a lot of different events so I didn’t really feel the pages turn. I thought some events were too quick and others dragged on so I could understand why some people would not enjoy the middle section.
The ending was pretty good. I expected something like that to happen but not in the way it did.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It delivered what it promised and it was a good time, even if some moments got pretty dark. I honestly can’t wait for book 2!

A big thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you wish for: Zodiac Academy without FaeBook/iPads, Harry Potter and the Triwizard Tournament without the teenagers, or Gossip Girl with vampires

Medra Pendragon's (yes, that kind of Pendragon) brush with death thrusts her into an unknown realm filled with vampires. Discovered by a vampire prince who believes she is a member of a long-lost race of dragon riders, she is forced into both an engagement with him and attendance at Bloodwing Academy, the elite school for vampire nobility. Medra must survive the brutal curriculum, as well as the brutality of the other students, while searching for a way to escape her betrothed and return to her past life.

This book was such a good time. It blended everything I've loved from major fantasy and romantasy series, from a school for creatures to trials, and even a touch of Arthurian legend. The beginning of the book is a little jarring, providing a dump of information about Medra's backstory in particular, but it's worth pushing past this. I also wish the second half of the book were extended a bit more, but I understand that the pacing of turning enemies into lovers is a difficult needle to thread. I am really looking forward to book two!

Rating: 4

*RATING 3.50*

** SPOILERS AHEAD **

Summary: Medra Pendragon half fae/half human is found naked under a pile of dead bodies, found by Blake Drakharrow a Highblood Vampire . Medra is considered a long lost dragon rider but in this world dragon’s are extinct but they allow her to become a student in their school, run by different houses. There is trials, prejudices, vampires, slow burn romance.

Okay, I just finished the book, and I have to say Blake did not remind me of Draco at all from my Dramione fics, maybe from “The Auction” but the “The Auction” was not my favorite. In the beginning of the book I liked Medra’s character, but I felt during the book she was not a very good friend to Florence and Naveen. When they needed her the most she either decided to stay behind or she was requested to leave.

The book was very on brand with the houses from Harry Potter, and the schooling it just felt the schooling was just thrown in the back burner. What really turned me off was that Mr. Rodriguez assigned Medra an essay on dragons and she didn’t even bother to study the assignment which is the reason why she was even spared and brought to the school.

It felt as if the author put all her favorite books in one book, The Hunger Games, Fourth Wing, Dramione. There is even a fluffin (a dog like creature in their world) and the fluffin is named Neville.

I did enjoy the found family with Florence and Naveen, and how they were able to confide in eachother. Things for me got interesting in the end when finally she and Blake bonded and she awakens the dragon.

I will read book 2 as I want to know what happens next but I had a really hard time picking it up. I found out that the author has written previous books from this same world and maybe that was my mistake, and this book is just the beginning of a greater plot and this is just setting us up of what’s to come.


Thank you NetGalley and victory editing NetGalley co-op for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!!!

This is a hard book for me to rate because the storyline was 3.5 maybe 4* the writing was really rough though. It feels terrible to say, I’m never critical of writing and editing but this was really hard for me to overlook.

The book has everything you want in fantasy romance, enemies to lovers, trials, academia setting, slow burn with immense tension and of course the lovable best friends. I really enjoyed the characters and the world building was plentiful (maybe too much.)

The book ended on a cliffhanger and with villains still left in play which I think works well for leading into the rest of the series. Very little was resolved in this book which I appreciated.

While reading I learnt this was a story branched off from another series by Briar. I managed to read this just fine without the backstory so I don’t think reading the other series is a requirement.

I think mentoring and proper editing would do Briar’s work wonders as the creative is there. The book uses more adjectives than I ever thought possible. Descriptions are needlessly long, sometimes entire pages are spent describing a person before we even know why they’ve entered a scene.

From a storyline perspective I do want to continue the series when the new books are released and I think it’s something book lovers will get behind it they can withstand the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Star Water Press, Victory Editing and Briar Boleyn for letting me read and review this book.

Harry Potter meets Fourth Wing but throw vampires into it???? Yes please! This book was fantastic. I loved every bit of it. The world building and the history is amazing. I did feel a little lost at first because I felt I needed to read the other series (Blood of Fae) which now I’m going to, but I wasn’t too lost after a bit.

It was fantastic! Thank you for the arc!

Solid 4⭐

On Wings of Blood by Briar Boleyn is book 1 in the Bloodwing Academy series. It is a slow-burn, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers fantasy with vampires, magic, fae, and dragons.
The book switches periodically between Maedra Pendragon (FMC) and Blake Drakharrow (MMC) and follows Maedra through her first year at Bloodwing Academy (and Sangratha).

The things I loved:
- Not having read any prior Prior Boleyn novels there was a glimpse into her other series - and I will absolutely going to check out. It sounds very cool.

- The character building was good and the setting was interesting - while still being a fantasy school.

-Medra is a strong, fiery character, she offers up some good banter and sticks up for herself and others despite being new in the realm.

- The story was well paced, I felt like you get a good sense of the world and the characters.

The things I didn't love:
- There were a lot of spoilers for the previous series, I wish there was just a hint without saying how the previous series ended. I do still want to read the Blood of A Fae series, but wish there were less blatant spoilers.

- Book 5 (the last section) felt more rushed, despite the book being over 500 pages. Despite some build up, it did feel like one event was very quick (no spoilers), I assumed there would be more elements than there were.

- I kind of hate that this book is compared to Harry Potter, Zodiac Academy, and Fourth Wing, why? Because it can stand on it's own.
While I can see potentially some character influences from Harry Potter (which weren't unique either), all of these series are just good/ decent fantasy books. I feel like the comparison is more of a detractor.

Excited to see what happens next in book 2 The Bond That Burns.

Thank you to Briar Boleyn, Saltwater Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy but I am leaving an honest review voluntarily.

This book really gave me the same vibes as From Blood and Ash and The Serpent And The Wings Of Night with the amount of attention and detail spent on the world building and magic systems. There was a lot to understand at times, but it was really worth it for how complex and rich this story ended up being.
It has everything in it that i love; dragons, vampires, magic, enemies to lovers and an academy setting! I was hooked right from the very first moment, especially with how Medra wakes up and has no idea where she is and can only remember nearly dying back in her own world. I really did think that this would be more of a romantasy than a fantasy, especially with how things are described, but for me it felt like a much richer fantasy with a little bit of romance sprinkled in. There is no instant chemistry between Medra and Blake, no obvious tropes with neither character being immediately obsessed/enamoured with the other one, but things do happen gradually as they are forced to spend more time together.

i seriously loved how it was dual POV too. i feel like we would have really lost something if it had all been told in Medra's point of view, and just when things started to slow down and become more relaxed, maybe even a little boring/repetitive, we would be given a chapter in Blakes pov!!! I honestly loved when it was his chapters because you really saw a different side to him come out, it was insane!
Blake really isn't the character that i thought he was when i first started reading this. Don't get me wrong, he is still kind of entitled and broody, but he has LAYERS OK.

The ending blew me away! i didn't see it coming at all, and i just can't believe how much happened in that last 10%. some of it was fairly predictable, which i actually really enjoy, but there were still parts that had me shocked and so curious as to what will happen in the next book.

The only real problem that i had with this, is that it might have been a bit long for me. I do enjoy really long books, but usually there are so many mini plots happening throughout that things never get boring. With this one it just felt like there was a ton of info dumping and world building, and sometimes repetitive paragraphs, at least until the 50% mark.
I just feel like all the info dumping could have been spread out more, or that there should have been some more mini plots happening in-between to keep things really interesting while we are still learning about the world.

overall a really good read full of really well thought out and complex characters, an interesting world and plenty of secrets. Just don't go into this one thinking that things are going to be constantly happening, or that there will be tons of action throughout, because like i said there is a lot of world building and info dumping to get through first.

When I got approved for this ARC, I didn’t know what to expect - especially since this is probably one of my favorite reads this year! I don’t think I rated a book 5 stars, but this one has to be. It’s got vampires, dragons, scenes that remind me of the hunger games, action, and a touch of Camelot. The characters were well written - I liked the fact that I learned more about Medra’s character and past throughout the book. Her relationships with Blake, Florence, and the rest of the characters were interesting to read as well. The world-building was great, the pacing was just right, and I really can’t wait for book 2. THE ENDING. Holy cow - I don’t want to spoil but I can’t believe Medra awakened *that* dragon. How interesting, given the relationships with her, Blake, and a certain character. I’m crossing my fingers that I get accepted for the ARC for the next book because I have to know what happens!

Give me a new series by Briar Boleyn and I will read and read—I had to be careful of the timing that I started this knowing I’d ignore my family, friends and book club book in favor of Boleyn’s story. I fell in right into this world of vampires, and the academy —I was hooked from the prologue. Medra’s fierce spirit checks out, then there’s all the dragon lore, fluffin bribes and… Blake. With the secrets, deceit and intrigue, I devoured this book and the end.. I’m dead, dying and will be happily revived with the next book. Keep it coming, cannot wait to continue this series!

Rating: 5/5 ⭐
Spice: 3/5 🌶️

"This is the power you have over me. This is what you do to me everyday, Pendragon. You drive me wild. I can't look at you without longing to f*** you."

If you love a book that grabs you by the throat (metaphorically...mostly) and doesn't let go, On Blood of Wings is your next read. This story has it all: blood-drinking aristocrats, deadly survival games, dragons, and enough enemies-to-loves angst to make your heart ache. Seriously, I'm obsessed.

What I loved:
✨ The Vibes: Think Harry potter (magic school, four houses, houses, blood prejudice) + Hunger Games (high-stakes survival) + Fourth Wing (dragons and dragon riders). Oh, and vampires. HOT vampires.
✨ The Tropes: Arranged marriage? Check. Enemies to lovers to enemies again? Painfully perfect. Protective MMC who would kill for the FMC (literally, multiple times). Blake Drakharrow is IT.
✨ The Characters: Medra is smart, determined, and easy to root for. Blake is broody, dangerous, and deeply devoted. Florence is the ride-or-die bestie we all deserve. And not to mention, an adorable pet fluffin named Neville. NEVILLE!!

This book kept me hooked from page one with its twist, lush world-building, and swoony romance. I can't stop thinking about that one scene in the Sanctum ....iykyk 👀 By the end, I was reading slower and slower because I didn't want it to end. Briar Boleyn, I need book two. ASAP.

In On Wings of Blood we follow Medra Pendragon, King Arthur’s daughter who has been thrown into another world. She is found by Blake Drakharrow (basically Draco Malfoy) and brought to Bloodwing Academy, the Hogwarts for vampires. She is believed to be the last known dragon rider in their land and is simultaneously revered for her dragon rider blood and looked down upon for being a blightborn (non-vampire). Problem is, there are no more dragons. Despite this, Blake’s uncle, a vampire leader, declares Medra will be Blake’s betrothed to strengthen the Drakharrow name, something neither Blake nor Medra is keen about.

This was an overall enjoyable and highly entertaining fantasy. This book is promoted as a mix of Harry Potter, Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy, and King Arthur and honestly … throw in a little Crowns of Nyaxia and that’s exactly what this is. Almost too much, in my opinion. There were way too many reference materials and while the story was still original in some ways, the result left me thinking more about the inspirations than the actual book itself. Nevertheless, this really was a fast, entertaining read and I would recommend if you are a fan of any of these books this is based off of. And after that cliffhanger I will definitely be picking up the next book.

A whole lot of nothing was happening in this book until the last quarter, and I feel it was far too long for what it was. I don’t hate it by any means, but I do wish it was about a hundred pages shorter. There was so much dialogue that it became boring. Especially reading the same thing over and over again.

I got some Hunger Games and Harry Potter vibes toward the end, and could have done without them to be honest. They were a little too in your face for me. What saved it was the found family aspect and Blake’s development. I am still very interested in reading book two based on the cliffhanger we were left on.

Thank you Briar Boleyn and NetGalley for the arc read!! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and found myself intrigued by vampires it was my first vampire book and I’m pleasantly surprised!

Loved the slow burn and the moral grey Mmc!! The spice was on point and the character development was perfect!

The ending of this book had me gasping and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series!!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This may be a longer review but I'm genuinely obsessed with On Wings of Blood and I have A LOT to say.

First, Briar Boleyn knocked it out of the park with this dark, twisty, and completely addictive read.
🧛 Vampires? Check.
📚 Dark academia? Check.
⚔️ Deadly competitions? Check.
❤️‍🔥 Enemies-to-lovers with all the tension? Big check.

The main female character, Medra Pendragon, is such a badass heroine. She’s the last dragon rider (which sounds cool, except there are no dragons left), and she’s trying to survive in a vampire academy where people like her—aka “blightborn”—are treated like dirt.
Life’s already rough, but then there’s Blake Drakharrow, the infuriatingly hot highblood vampire who makes it his mission to torment her.
I’ll be honest: I hated Blake at first. Like, full-on “throw him into a pit of fire” vibes. But through his POV (yes—we even get HIS POV!!!), I am now his biggest cheerleader and I love him!

The enemies-to-lovers vibes are strong in this one, with so much tension it practically vibrates off the page. Every interaction between Medra and Blake is like a battle of wills, and watching their dynamic shift was SO GOOD. So slowburn romance fans, prepare yourselves—it’s worth every agonizing second.

One thing I loved about this book is that it doesn’t shy away from making its characters messy and flawed. Medra and Blake feel so real—like they could jump off the page and argue with you about whose fault the latest disaster is. Throw in a solid crew of unlikely allies, and you’ve got a story that hits hard on the found family feels, too.

Just know that I absolutely devoured this book and thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. I cannot wait until book 2! 🙌