Member Reviews

Dragons, fae, vampires, princesses, and princes meet Harry Potter esq school. A dark academia fantasy brewing with plenty of sexual tension and spice! I could not put down, definitely a book to add to your lists!

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e-ARC from NetGalley.

I requested this book because it promised enemies to lovers, Dramione vibes, and forbidden love. Unfortunately, I did not feel that those buzzwords were actually representative of the content of these pages.

We follow Medra Pendragon, who, after sacrificing herself in her land of Camelot to kill a monster, awakens in another world - one full of vampires. Immediately captured by Prince Blake, Medra is brought before the court of this new world & promptly declared a dragonrider before being betrothed to Blake (unwillingly on both their parts). From there, Medra is thrust into the dangerous Bloodwing Academy, where she must withstand enemies, build friendships, and figure out what's going on if she wants to survive.

From the beginning, very little is done to make the "enemies" aspect of the Medra/Blake dynamic believable. Blake is rarely there, and Medra is always her worst self. We get a lot of her lusting after Blake, but it's always paired with "I hate him so much! Why am I staring?" It just wasn't compelling or believable. And, like, Blake mostly seems like a good dude?

Maybe if the story hadn't been dual POV, I might have been able to believe the animosity, but seeing how rational Blake was as a character when it didn't matter, only for the author to randomly take away that rationality to create conflict even though it didn't make sense for his character? It was honestly infuriating.

Beyond that, I'm not sure where the Dramione comparisons come from. Is it because he's blonde? And why say it's forbidden love when they're literally betrothed and expected to at least try to get along.

This book will be good for people who unironically love Zodiac Academy, enjoy difficult characters, and don't have their hearts set on the tropes listed in the description of this story. I think fans of Powerless and other recent romantasy releases are in for a treat.

The writing isn't bad, and there were elements of this story that almost worked for me, but the false advertising ruined it for me and I'm very sad and quite bitter about it.

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The blurb to this book and tropes are perfect! It’s a great first book of what is going to be an amazing series I’m sure!
I loved the writing style and the twists and turns to keep you gripped and not just about 1 ‘quest’ it kept me wanting to read more and I really loved when the duel pov started!! It was great reading from both sides. The dark hogwarts enemies to lovers is perfect. A strong FMC who isn’t perfect mixed with the non perfect vampire MMC was a great combo!!!!

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This book was amazing. The story is captivating, and so the characters. I love Medra and her strenght. I still don't know what to think about Blake.
I definitely recommend this book to all fantasy readers.

After reading more than half of it I've become curious about the author and some other of her books. This is how I found out On Wings of Blood is connected with a specific moment from another series.
On Wings of Blood can be read without reading Blood of Fae series but it contains some spoilers.

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This is the first book in the Bloodwing Academy series, a new adult romantasy. While a spin off of the author’s prior series, you do not need to read that series before starting this one. This is a sort of vampire take on Harry Potter meets Fourth Wing. Tropes and themes include dark academia, dragons, bullying, vampires, arranged marriage, a competition, possessive MMC and touch her and die. While this is labeled as being darker than the prior series, the first book was not very dark. As always, please check content warnings.

The Lovely: I loved the FMC, Medra. After the end of the prior series I was excited to learn the spin-off would feature Medra. She may be out of her element but she’s still stubborn and sassy, and tries to do the right thing. I appreciate how complex she is and how she reacts to those around her. And, I loved how we got to see her mother again.

The Mundane: There is a fair amount of world (and history) building in this book and the author typically goes into detail when describing the world, characters, and situations. While this creates an immersive experience, it did feel like it slowed down the pace of the book. With over 750 pages, that made for a long read, especially for the first book in a series.

Rating: 4/5 Stars 2/5 Flames

Recommendation: I received an early copy and my opinions are my own. I definitely got dark academia vibes from this book. If you liked Harry Potter and/or magical/supernatural schools in general, I think this book would be something you would enjoy. I’m interested to see where the MC’s relationship goes next after that ending. Book two in the series is due to be released in early 2025.

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Loved reading the mesmerizing and spellbinding paranormal story. When Mendra wakes up in a new world and is captured by Blake Drakharrow, a vampire, Mendra is told she belongs to Blake, his consort, and has to go to attend classes at Bloodwing Academy. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting story. Can't wait to read the next story in the series by the phenomenal author, Briar Boleyn!

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Briar how DARE you! ☺️ I will read anything by Briar now. She writes the perfect blend of romance and fantasy.

It has elements of some of my favorite things: academy, vampires, dragons, and a defiant FMC. The character building in Briar’s worlds are always easy to follow along but give you depth and clarity.

Also I want a fluffin now.

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This book was amazing! It caught my attention when I read that it had ZA & Draco Malfoy vibes - it did not disappoint. This book was SOOO good. And dragons? I need all the dragons now. I need book two ASAP.

Tropes

- [ ] Dark fantasy romance
- [ ] Academy setting
- [ ] Gore
- [ ] Vampires & dragons
- [ ] Trials & games
- [ ] Bullying
- [ ] Touch her and die

Medra was a freaking awesome character. She was bada$$. And I love a fiery redhead!

- Pendragon was the most stunning woman in the room.

And Blake - oh boy I need more of that man ASAP. I was hoping for more spice but hopefully we get that in book two!

“I thought I told you to keep your f$cking hands off her,” Blake snarled. “You are not to taste her. She is mine.”

Andddddd he gives her a nickname!

- “You’re so beautiful, little dragon,” he whispered.

I also really loved Theo - i neeeeed more Theo/Vaughn immediately kthnxxxx!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & to the author for sending me a copy to review.

I will definitely be purchasing this book in paperback when it is available for a shelf trophy! Can’t wait for book two!

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Briar Boleyn does a fantastic job in writing this book, it had that story-line that I was looking for. It was a strong start to the Bloodwing Academy series, it left me wanting to read more in this series and from the author. It had that great character development and worked in this world. I'm glad I got to read this and how it worked in this genre.

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Briar Boleyn is the queen of romantasy! Her books always sweep you away into a magical world full of wonderfully complex characters and an intense plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I was immediately sold when I heard the MMC had Draco Malfoy vibes but as a vampire and Briar did👏 not👏 disappoint👏 I am once again obsessed with a fictional character and couldn’t get enough of him.

Honestly though, Medra completely stole the show. I loved how she stood up for her beliefs and didn’t let bullies intimidate her, even if her life was in danger. She grew so much from where she started out in the Blood of a Fae series and it made me so happy she was finally finding a place she felt like she belonged.

Of course the ending has a cliffhanger and I absolutely cannot wait for book 2!!😩

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On Wings of Blood follows Medra from the Blood of a Fae series. If you plan on reading that series, you should do that first because SPOILERS! If you don't plan to read that, I think OWoB can stand on its own.

Briar promised vampire Draco vibes and we definitely got that. I liked the idea of a vampire academy and all the disparities that emerge when they have to interact with non-vamps. Medra must figure out how she fits in with all of this going forward. I loved that it becomes dual POV after a time. I'm okay with characters not knowing what's going on, but I'd certainly like to. I'm very curious to how this story will move forward because a whole lot happened at the end!

Thanks to Briar, Starwater Press, NetGalley, and Booksprout for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

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✨Magic School✨
✨Arranged Marriage✨
✨Dramione Vibes✨
✨Dragons✨
✨Dual POV✨
✨Bully Romance✨
✨Vampires ✨

Thank you to Briar Boleyn and Victoria Publishing for the review copy!

Medra Pendragon wakes up and has no idea where she is. She also seems to be surrounded by vampires. One vampire in particular instantly becomes a big part of her life without her permission.

Blake Drakharrow is a prince and is well known within Bloodwing Academy. He is betrothed by his uncle to a strange new girl. She is placed at his school which means they’re constantly running into each other.

Oh my god I loved this book so much!
First thing I want to say is that yes this book is linked to the Blood of the Fae series but there is enough information given to catch you up on Medra’s past that I don’t feel you need to read them first. But I highly recommend them as they were also amazing!
I loved Medra so much. She takes no shit from anyone especially Ragen. And her and Blake interacting my lord you just know that when the spice is dialled up it’s gonna be 🥵🌶️

I liked that the book was split into parts for each of the seasons. It helped to show the time passing without it feeling like the start of the school year is busy then slows down and the everything kicks off at the end which you do find with some books. Here there was plenty happening spread throughout the full school year!

As much as I love Blake can I just say I’m very interested by Kage? I feel like he’s going to have a major part to play going forward 👀

But Ms. Boleyn. I should have learned by now but that ending? Come on! When you say early 2025 how early? Come January 1st I’ll be checking for updates on book 2!

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3.5⭐️

🐉 Dark Fantasy Romance
♥️ Vampires/Humans
🐉 Mythical creatures
♥️ Enemies to Lovers?
🐉 Arranged Marriage
♥️ Forced Proximity
🐉 Found Family
♥️ Spice 🌶️

I enjoyed the premise of the story, the characters, and the overall plot. The series has potential, but I struggled with the language differences between the FMC and the others— she used a modern dialect (ex: vomity), while everyone else spoke in an older, more refined manner. Additionally, I found it difficult to determine the FMC's age; she mentioned aging faster than others of her kind and seemed to have a lot of history, however her personality came off as extremely immature. I was also frustrated by her harsh judgments of the vampires, ignoring the clear signs that not all of them were bad.

Despite these issues, I plan to continue the series because I believe it has potential, and I want to see how the relationships evolve, especially between Medra and Blake.

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I really enjoyed this book! It was a very interesting mesh of a number of books and genres I liked. There was Arthurian/Camelot, vampires, dragons, academy, and Dramione vibes. At times it felt like there were almost too many things going on, but overall it was very interesting. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book!

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This book may have just taken the number one spot for my 2024 reads

Dragons, vampires, enemies to lovers, dark academia, trials......ahhhh it's so good y'all

Read this in one sitting, just flew through it. Fast paced and completely enthralling, I was hooked at the very start and the plot was just incredible.

Having to wait for book two may actually make me ill, This is going to be a must read series for romantasy readers!!

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ARC:

My rating: 4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this read and I couldn’t put it down. I’ve never read any of Briar Boleyn’s other works, but the blurb for this one hooked me pretty instantly so I gave it a shot.

I’m a huge fan of enemies to lovers. It was pretty refreshing that it didn’t switch to an instant love sort like some of the enemies to lovers do. Pendragon and Darkharrow still have an edge to them at the end of book one, so the enemies to lovers can continue, unlike most other series where it disappears during the first book. So, I’m interested to see where there relationship goes next.

I felt the world building was good. Although sometimes it did become an exposition dump that I could have went without. (In particular one of the early chapters that describe the school.) It likely would have been better to have a little chart at the beginning, because honestly I forgot most of the house names other than darkharrow while reading.

I will say that there were quite a few similarities between this and fourth wing. Which I thought might bother me more, as I loved fourth wing and didn’t want to read a carbon copy of it. On Wings of Blood was different enough that I enjoyed it. But I did still feel myself comparing the two novels while reading.

Lastly, Neville the Fluffin was the real MVP.

Thank you so much to Briar Boleyn for ARC!

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A dark academia romantasy with a morally grey vampire MMC and a dragon riding badass FMC - is there a better combination?!

High stakes, suspense filled, and nail biting, this book has it all, it’s unputdownable, the kind of book you need to devour as you just can’t leave it at any point!

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⭐️ 4/5
🌶 2/5

This felt like a mix of Fourth Wing, Harry Potter, and Immortal Dark.

🩸 Bully Vampire MMC
🩸 Dragon Rider FMC
🩸 Dark Academia
🩸 Forced Bond
🩸 Dragons
🩸 Deadly Games

This was a good but odd read. I absolutely LOVE Briar's work, but I felt like this book had some parts that felt forced and jarring - some scenes and topics felt like they were randomly thrown in there.

Other than that, I really love Blake. Kind of feel sorry for him in the end.

ENDS OF A CLIFFHANGER. Which was seriously unexpected.

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If you like vampires, dragons, enemies-to-lovers, and academy books…this one is for YOU. The plot was incredibly enticing and definitely had a lot of angst. The main character Medra was such a badass.

The plot, pacing, and worldbuilding was excellent. There was some information left out, but that will likely be in the sequel.

A must-read for any romantasy fans!

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I challenge anyone to read the first chapter - hell, the first five sentences - and not immediately think a) god, this is so cinematic and b) I can’t wait for these two idiots to fall in love.

Boleyn writes her dark and deadly world evocatively, and gifts us characters who are sharp, interesting and immediately compelling to read about. The banter from the very first chapter hooks you into the story, and predictions of this being my next obsession were easily earned.

Medra is the perfect FMC; she’s smart, deadly, quick on her feet and hilariously sarcastic. Blake is her perfect match despite being brutal, cold and a blood sucking vampire. The cold mask he portrays to the world belies his softer, dreamers heart. I was hooked from the off but when we switched to dual POV at the 30% mark - a genius decision to hold off until then - I struggled to put this down.

On Wings of Blood is out now, and is perfect for fans of The Vampire Diaries x Harry Potter x Fourth Wing.

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