5/5 stars! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. I was hooked from the very first chapter. The Bond That Burns is book two in the Bloodwing Academy series and I can’t wait for book three to be released. Thank you to Briar Boleyn, Starwater Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a copy of this book.

Thank you to Briar Boleyn and NetGallery for providing me with an ARC of this book

The second book in Bloodwing Academy series starts off right where the previous one left off. And for the most of the opening chapters, the tone is also pretty much the same as in book one - Medra's confused about what is going on, her life is in danger and the highlords are both in awe and terrified of her; Blake acts like a massive jerk with a death wish and a new school year is dawning.

Still, the academy plot point was pushed much more into the background in this installment. Although, I did miss it a little and the sense of HP nostlagia the first book gave me was lost, there was so much happening that I didn't miss it for long. It made sense, in the grand scheme of things, and I was, admittingly, more curious about the dragons and what is going to happen with Medra and Nyxaris.

As before, I did struggle a bit with the first couple of chapters. While the writing style is really damn captivating and the story is complex, it takes a while for the novels to pick up pace and the first chapters are a little bit all over the place. At least, that's the impression I have - it's not enough to draw me away, though; it just take a little bit more of an effort to continue through them to get to all the good stuff. Almost like when you're craving pistachios but you have to break them from their shell first.
It just makes it taste all that much better.

What was part of the struggle in this novel for me, as well, was Blake and his behaviour. You know, excluding the last chapter of book 1, we left off on such a good note and then... Then all went to shit and he was so terrible, annoying and straight-out distasteful I found myself wanting to punch my screen. Not going to lie, I was leaning towards Kage more and more the longer his bullshit was going on... And before you go at me, yeah, yeah, I know I said many times I love morally grey heroes, there's a difference between a morally gray and a complete bully.
I hate the latter with a passion.

Thank god the little vampire shit grew some brain and a backbone and by the end of the book he really stepped up. I'm hoping to see more of this side of Blake from now on - and the other, secret part of me we've got a taste of at the climax. That's going to make for one hell of a twist and I can't wait to see where it will go.

The smut - okay, I'll be a wee bit hypocritical here as I've read books that had smut happening under a lot messed up circumstances - was scorching hot and damn, if I didn't need a fan while reading it but the first time it happened, I was questioning it a little. It didn't seem all that healthy and initially, I wasn't sure I was a fan. However, I think it was a catalyst for Blake to finally get his head out of his ass so, eventually, it was a good plot device to steer the plot in the right direction.

And as my mind is as dirty as a sink drain after a family dinner, I appreciated the amount of spice in this book. It was truly a chef's kiss, and I can't complain.

The ending was better than in book one, it felt more genuine and thought-through. It also opened up so many new questions and diverse possibilities as where book 3 will lead us, and I can't say anything else but that I'm excited for the next part of Medra and Blake's story. Briar really knows how to hook a reader and this is a series definitely worth having on your radar! It deserved to be in the same league as ACOTAR or Fourth Wing.

“The Bond that Burns” is the thrilling sequel to Briar Boleyn’s “On Wings of Blood.” Buckle your seatbelt because you are in for a WILD ride with this Bloodwing Academy series. This second book intensifies with gripping plot twists, heart-pounding action, and richly developed friendships. Romantic tension simmers alongside the addition of compelling animal companions, adding even more depth to the story. Briar masterfully crafts a vivid, unique world where political strife and dangerous enemies constantly challenge Medra, the FMC. We can fell the tension as she navigates trust, loyalty, and the relentless struggle to protect those she holds dear.

Speaking of those she holds dear… the side characters truly make this book an exceptional read. We absolutely LOVED seeing the deeper development of the characters surrounding Medra. Watching their stories unfold and intertwine with hers was a highlight for us! I can’t wait to see where their journeys take them next—I need more of Kage, Theo, Florence, and Visha immediately! And let’s not forget Neville and Nyxaris...

And, of course, we can’t forget our MMC, Blake, who keeps us absolutely exasperated as he struggles with how to express his true feelings. Can we please slap him upside the head? Thanks to Briar for giving us his POV so we get a front-row seat to his inner turmoil—his desperate yearning to love and be loved, even as he fails repeatedly trying to make it happen. His growth throughout the book had us hooked and on the edge of our seats the entire time…

What you will find:
-Vampires
-Dark Academia
-Political intrigue
-Enemies to Lovers
-Dual POV
-Found family
-Shifters
-Dragons

Spice Rating: 3/5
Language: 2/5
Favorite Side Character: So hard…but I think Visha wins the award for this book!
Favorite Animal Companion: Neville the fluffin - cuteness overload!
Favorite Quotes:

“You are not going to die,” Nyxaris answered. “You will not fall. I will not permit you to humiliate me in such a ridiculous way.”

“When you’re in danger, I feel like I’d gladly give up my life and everything in it to keep you safe.”

THANK YOU to Briar and Netgalley for the ARC!

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆, 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆, 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓.

The Bond That Burns is the second book in the Bloodwing Academy series by Briar Boleyn, following On Wings of Blood. I read Book 1 back in the fall and it was a 5⭐ so I was super excited to receive an ARC for book 2! It did not disappoint.

The Bond That Burns picks up right where book 1 left off. The story moves at just the right speed to progress the storyline but also allow for significant character development. There were a few unexpected twists that I didn't see coming - Briar is keeping us on our toes! We also get a new POV in this book that I love and am so excited to see more of 🔥 Also can't forget to mention Neville the fluffin who was the star of the show at times! The sneaky adorable little bugger. 🦊

This book had everything - action, romance, angst, betrayals, friendship, politics, tenderness and don't forget dragons! It was such a great read - how am I supposed to wait for book 3??😭

"𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐."

The Bond that Burns is a sequel to Briar Boleyn's On Wings of Blood.
Medra Pendragon is half fae, lives at Bloodwing academy and is the last of the dragon riders. Having unintentionally woken the last dragon, Medra is now expected to control him. This is the least of her problems - Blake Darkharrow - her archeon is a vampire who is also makes her life difficult, never mind his power hungry uncle!
The novel is a spicy in sections (especially toward the end) has an amazing cluffhanger that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat until the last page!
I can't wait for the third installment!

The stakes are higher in the follow up book!

The book picks up from the first book and medra and Blake’s journey continues its full of mystery,betrayal,romance and twists

The world building is on point and the plot just flows but it does end on a big cliff hanger!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc of this book. The Bond that Burns is the second book in the Bloodwing Academy series by Briar Boleyn. This book continues the story of Medra and Blake. The book starts to close to where we left off in book one. This book has intrigue, mystery, romance, spice, betrayal. This book ends on one hell of a cliff hanger. Once I started this book, I only put it down to sleep. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. If you need something to read while waiting for the next book, I recommend trying the author's Blood of a Fae series.

Read this one sooo quickly! I honestly love all of the characters and can’t get enough of them — can’t wait for the next book to come out.

My last read of 2024 was *The Bond That Burns* by Briar.

This started right off the bat from the end of the second book, and I absolutely devoured it in two days. I really enjoyed reading the different points of view from the characters Medra and Blake.

The world-building is a chef’s kiss, the characters are perfect, and the storyline is so addictive that I couldn’t put the book down. It definitely has some spice that adds to the excitement! I adore learning about his proper intentions; it made me quiver.

Oh, the dragon made it for me! Such a grump, but they had me laughing with their personality. And let’s not forget about the swoon-worthy bad boy archetype—much like Draco Malfoy. There’s something about that dark, brooding charisma that really draws me in. He’s complex and flawed, which only adds to his appeal, making those moments of tension between him and the protagonist absolutely electrifying.

The ending has me on tenterhooks waiting for the next book in the series!

#BookReview #MustRead2024 #FantasyFiction #PageTurner #BookLovers #Dragons #CharacterDevelopment #WorldBuilding #BadBoyCharm #ReadingAddict

Wow!! I am loving this story so much. Can't wait until book #3 is released.

The story starts exactly where it ended with Medra waking up a dragon, Nyxaris. Blake's uncle, Viktor, wants answers from Medra like why she didn't wake up his house dragon instead. Honestly, Medra has no idea how she did it, so she tells them that the dragon is under her loyalty and answers to only her. Viktor doesn't like that so Medra is locked away for the summer in the school. When school starts, there will be a tribunal to decide Medra's fate.

Blake hates how much he needs Medra and how she refuses to fall in line and respect him. So he does everything in his power to hurt, humiliate, and embarrass her. So Medra asks Kage to be transferred to his house, to get away from him. Blake is shocked that his uncle allowed her to switch houses but he soon realizes that his uncle has nefarious plans in play. He also changes his attitude when he realizes that Medra is in trouble.

Blake is also changing as well. Drinking Medra's blood awoke the dragon living inside of him. Which was his uncle's plan all along. To use Blake as a weapon. But when he works with a professor and Kage to put Nyxaris back into stone, he betrays the one person he never wanted to.

The ending had me on pins and needles.

A great book!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

briar Boleyn does it again! normally book 2 isn’t better than the first but the 2nd book in the bloodwing academy trilogy was immaculate! I loved diving further into the story of dragons, side characters & getting to see Florence’s POV! the enemies to lovers back to enemies cycle between Blake and Medra had my head spinning in a good way. I apparently eat up a bully romance and this gives me everything I need. Is it may yet, I’m ready for the conclusion of this trilogy because it’s going to be insane!

4.5 🌟
“I kissed her like she was the air I needed to breathe. Gently, reverently. As if I could somehow piece her back together with the touch of my lips.”

What a ride!!!! Book 2 in the Bloodwing Academy picks up right where it left off. Medra was MAD and man she carried that on for quite some time. Blake tying way too hard to act like a jerk made me wanna strangle them both, lol. But the character development from all that was fantastic. Loved all the lore bombing we got in this book, and the spice. Whoa the spice! Next level. Nyxaris is such a badass dragon with sass for days and I’m here for it.

The last few chapters of this book had me seeing stars! It was nuts and left me foaming at the mouth for book three!

Thank you Net Galley and Briar for this ARC read.

The Bond That Burns is book two in the Bloodwing Academy series by Briar Boleyn and if you haven't read book one yet, you're going to want to stop reading right now.

This book picks up immediately after the end of book one when Medra has released the dragon, Nyxaris, from his stone prison but he isn't willing to take orders from anyone at this point and Medra is definitely in danger (again) because to some, it appears she can't control him. What they don't know is that she has made a deal with Nyxaris. Medra is on the hunt for information around his past since he can't seem to remember anything and she will get Nyxaris what he wants in exchange for his help with the tribunal.

And that is just one of Medra's problems - She also has Blake to deal with. Medra thought she could trust him but when he drank from her without her permission, he lost her trust and now that she is his only blood source, they are in a bit of a bind. Things are definitely not great between these two for quite a while and this is mostly because Blake can't seem to stop thinking of Medra as a possession and on top of that, he just digs a deeper hole for himself by being an a-hole to her and her friends just so he can show everyone else that she's not important. When Blake finally does figure out how to make things right (or at least better) with Medra, it's a case of too little, too late as by then, she has already taken the steps to get moved to House Avari.

Medra's role as the dragon rider is core to this story though and there are a few twists I wasn't expecting. I can't say too much about what happens because I don't want to give anything away but just know that we get to know Kage Tanaka a bit more (which was great), Marcus (Blake's brother) and Viktor are still around making life difficult, and we still have Medra's friend group of Florence, Theo, and Visha hanging around. Other than that, get ready for another wild ride of dragons and vampires. If you're looking for a story that has action, spice, betrayal...this one is for you.

“I didn’t just need her blood. I needed her. All of her. I wanted her more than anyone I’d ever met.” ♥️

I absolutely loved book 1 in this series, but let me tell you that this one was even better! If I said I was obsessed with this series, that would be ann understatement. Easily one of my favorites books I read in 2024!!! I loved Medra and Blake’s bickering in the beginning and the fact that we got to see more of Theo, Visha and Florence!

This book starts off about right where book 1 finished. There’s so much political drama within the school and between the different houses and I was so invested in the story. I always liked Kage and I think he really shined in this one. I have a feeling that by the end of the series he and Blake may even become friends!

So much happened in this book that I won’t spoil it for anyone but I kept saying omg to myself at every plot twist! The cliffhanger ending also had me screaming and I desperately need the next book now! Can it be May yet?!?! I cannot wait to see what is in store for all of these characters!

I highly recommend you check out this book/series! Thank you so much to Briar Boleyn and Netgalley for the advanced copy! The Bond That Burns is out now!

✨️"When you're sad, I'm sad. When you're happy, I'm happy. And when you're in danger... I feel like I'd gladly give up my life and everything in it to keep you safe."✨️

I ate this up as much as the first book in the series! It picks up right where On Wings of Blood ended. The plot was so entertaining and the stakes were even higher. Where the first book was a bit slow at some points, this was very fast paced! There was always something happening, at all times. I really enjoyed that. There were a lot of twists and questions that I still don't know the answer to, so I hope more of them will be answered in the next book!

Blake was terrible in the first few chapters, but he completely redeemed himself during this book! He is my favourite character now. And omg what is happening to him?! Iykyk...
I ate up the tension and banter between him and Medra!

We also get another POV in this book which I really appreciated. The ending left me wanting answers asap, so I can't wait for the next book to come out!

Thank you Netgalley and Briar Boleyn for providing me with this E-arc 🫶🏼

“But he’s mine. Right or wrong, he’s mine. I won’t let you harm him.” Swoooooon ♥️

Rating: 4/5⭐️
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance
Series: Book 2
Cliffhanger: Yes
POV: multi-1st person
Relationship: M/F

Darkness Rating: 2/5 🖤
This is a bully fantasy romance similar to the Cruel Prince but with more death & gore.

Spice Rating: 2.5/5 🌶️
A few tastefully written explicit, open door scenes. Vampire style, of course 🔥

I enjoyed this book almost as much as the first. We pick up where Briar left us and instantly thrown into a world full of high emotions & tension. We assume we know all the players of this game of deceit but Briar threw us in for a loop at the end.
There were times I became frustrated due to the lack of communication between the MCs but I had to remind myself that this is a bully romance and in a world where “trust” is nonexistent.
I cannot wait for the third book! This ending had me all in my feelings & screaming, FINALLYYYYYY.

*disclaimer: my darkness and spice rating might not be the same for you. Please do your own research before reading*

Thank you, NetGalley & Starwater Press (indie) for providing this ARC.

How do I give this 6 stars?! I loved the first book (On Wings of Blood) and wasn’t sure if the sequel would follow suit, however I shouldn’t have doubted Briar Boleyn for a second.

It’s been a long time since the magic of a book series captured me like Harry Potter or Fourth Wing, but this absolutely delivered.

I loved learning more about Florence, Neville, Kage and the Highbloods history and dynamics. I love Medra’s found family, I think Visha is one of my favourite characters actually.

I am now left desperate again to read the next book. Spring 2025 needs to hurry up. Not to wish my life away or anything but I NEED to know what happens next.

Briar Boleyn, you are fast becoming my favourite author. I haven’t read the Blood of Fae series either, so that will keep me busy until the next Bloodwing Academy.

I loved this book just as much as the first one! Usually I wouldn't like a character such as Drake, but there's something about his dynamic with Medra that sucks me in and captivates my attention. I adore the world of Bloodwing academy - it's decadent and terrifying and seductive and I am extremely excited to find out what happens in book 3!

This was a solid sequel to On Wings Of Blood! The Bond That Burns picks up directly after the first book and was a great edition to the Bloodwing Academy saga. We get a lot more character and plot development in this one and I am eager to see what is to come. That cliffhanger? Deadly. The wait for the third books is gonna be BRUTAL.

Thank you NetGalley and Starwater Press for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“You’re the strongest woman I know. But even strong people need someone in their corner.”

The Bond That Burns? More like THE BOOK THAT HURTS 😭

I was so excited to return to Bloodwing Academy, book one was a delicious blend of Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy and Harry Potter and it was AMAZING.

This book did not disappoint, in fact it exceeded my already high expectations. The plot is paced so brilliantly that it builds so much tension while also being so full of action that you can’t put it down.

I absolutely love the setting at the Academy and Medra/Blake/NEVILLE are just such intriguing, infuriating and interesting characters I need this series to be 100 books long 🙏🏻

Oh…. And did I mention the SASSY ANCIENT DRAGON??????

I am absolutely wrecked from the cliffhanger ending but thank the Bloodmaiden we only have til spring to wait for book 3 🔥