Rating 4.5/5 ⭐️
Spice 3/5

Yes, yes, yes!
This is the second book in the Bloodwing Academy series from Briar Boleyn and it picks up where book one ended.

Medra has awoken Nyxaris and the Highbloods are freaking out and deciding her fate.
Medra wants to choose her fate and not be used or executed.

Her and Blake’s relationship in this book has devolved again after betrayal and Blake reverts to his assholey self where he thinks he is protecting her by being an asshole. This is one thing I could have done without and why I did not rate it 5 stars. The back and forth became too redundant for me.

However, the tension and the eventual enemies to lovers becoming lovers was “chefs kiss”. I found Medra to be exceptionally eager to grow and learn and loved hearing more about Florence during this book.
Nyxaris and Neville are my favorite! I love how Medra is finding her found family in this book.

And Holy cow, can someone please talk to me about the surprises in this book! I am shook! DID NOT SEE THIS COMING! Now I have to wait until spring of 2025 for book 3! I am so excited to see where this goes and how it plays out.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Briar Boleyn for the ARC!

I have lost track of how many times I've laughed, squealed, and kicked my feet while reading these books, only to almost throw my kindle across the room 2 minutes later!

The chemistry, the plot twists, the incredible side characters, the banter, have me obsessed! Also, if Neville ever gets hurt, we will be having words!

I cannot recommend this series more highly!

The Bond that Burns is the second installment of the Bloodwing Academy series. A romantasy series about Vampires and a Fae dragon Rider. There’s monumental political intrigue, slow burn spicy tension and open door romance, enemies to lovers and bully tropes, found family, and magic!

Briar Boleyn has set the bar high!! I have lost sleep over this book..
I can’t say enough great things about this book.. This sequel to On Wings of Blood is EVERYTHING!! I am absolutely obsessed!

Wow. This book took me for a ride, and I’m not mad about it.

The Bond That Burns picks up straight after book 1 ends, and like the first book is still full of mystery and the juiciest tension!

I got whiplash from going from loving to despising Blake, back to being unsure and then screaming into my pillow about how much of an idiot he is, and the same goes for Medra! They’re the kind of characters you want to shake and slap across the face bc they are so BLIND to the love and longing right in front of their face. With that being said, I love them together so much but they’re clearly both very broken people. The moments of them together are so sweet 🥹

The thing that made this book a 4 star and not 5 star, was that I felt the plot was very similar to book 1. Blake and Medra are at odds in the beginning, insulting each other, then there is the pining and longing with Kage getting in the way and then the 3rd act is full of betrayals and revelations. I know they’re in the academy so they have to go through the motions of the school year, but it still felt too samey. I wish we got delve deeper into the side characters, and I wish the story developed a little further than it did.

However, I still reallyyyy enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading book 3!

Though a bit slow to get started, as it progressed this book ramped up the tension exponentially, in multiple senses of the word. Political, sexual, emotional - I finished it well past 2am because the last third had me in a death grip.
The progression of Medra and Blake’s relationship is compelling, as is Blake’s own inner monologue as he battles expectations from all sides, trying to determine who he wants to be. The surprise shift in him was a shocker! I am already mourning the amount of time I now have to wait to find out what happens next in this series, which has quickly become one of my favorites. Spicy, heartfelt, suspenseful, with just the right amount of magic. It’s like going back to Hogwarts, only with a healthy dose of Basgiath mixed in - feels like home.
(I received an ARC copy of this book on NetGalley, many thanks to Briar Boleyn for letting me sink my claws into this one a bit early!)

“Mine,” I whispered, the word slipping out before I could stop it.

OH MY GOODNESS

These books are EVERYTHING that sucks me in and I love them so much!

Zodiac Academy x Fourth Wing x Harry Potter

Multiple POV 😍😍😍, dark academia, forced betrothal, grumpy dragon, the CUTEST little companion animal, groveling, vampires, magic, touch her and 💀, rivals, ancient rituals, high stakes, shifters, found family, hate to lovers, betrayal and heartbreak

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

I just keep saying "oh my wow." Thank you Briar for an absolutely addicting world that I just want to dive immediately back into. Medra is up against so much and though she hates Blake they are still drawn to each other and Blake realizes he needs to prove himself to Medra just in time to be faced with an impossible choice to try to protect her. Oh my heart.

I love our supporting characters and we get another POV but I won't spoil it. 😍 But I am SO excited for more of it.

I neeeeeed book 3!!! 😍😍😍😍

Can I give more than 5 stars?
This book had so much packed inside it. The growth of the characters was so well done. I can't wait to see where they go next.
I've been rooting for Blake to grow a pair and follow his heart, and we are finally seeing that in action. And Medra realizing not everything is as it seems, chefs kiss!
If you like enemies to lovers, found family, hidden secrets, and more, this series is definitely one you should read.
I received an advanced reader copy, and these thoughts are my own

Sometimes you stumble upon an author and/or series and think “damn…they just did this right!”. Well…damn Ms. Boleyn…you did it right with Bloodwing Academy. Even better news…she didn’t make us wait agonizing months and months for book 2, and won’t for book 3! Frankly, I have no patience and she must know this. 😉

The Bloodwing Series really has it all…vampires, dragons, magic…broody (HOT🔥) MMC, badass (🔪🖤) FMC, lovable & loyal friends, evil & conniving family, plot twists and cliff hangers. Oh and the banter…yes please!

One of my top reads this year.

Wow wow wow year 2 at Bloodwing Academy and things are even more tense- maybe to do with the newly reawakened dragon on campus!!

We’re back with our heroine and fearless champion Medra, her bookish best friend Florence with her pet fluffin, her consort/bully/mate/enemy/whatever else they decide they are to each other Blake, other leader and potential love interest Kage, professor with a secret Rodriguez, their pals Theo and Visha, and our new grumpy dragon friend Nyxaris!

This was a great next addition to the world, with excitement in new classes and new discoveries, changing alliances, tentative truces, some secretive bedfellows, and so much more! With this book, we really started to learn more about the history with the dragons and how we got here with the high bloods, deeper understanding of the different types of bonds and magics, and finally learned that there are less egomaniacal folks than we originally thought! Medra is a tough gal, and will die on the hill defending those that matter to her, and her growth during this book as she’s finally getting used to her new world is so great to see!

I’m so excited to see what comes of Florence’s story in particular in the next book, and hope we get many more dragons (and more time with Nyxaris!!)

Thank you so much to Briar Boleyn and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

it had only been five days since finishing the first book, On Wings of Blood, but i was so happy to be back with Medra, Florence, Blake, and Neville the fluffin. the bond between Medra and Florence continues to demonstrate the power of female friendships. the second installment of the Bloodwing Academy series absolutely blew me away! Briar's effortless writing style seamlessly transported me back to the gothic hallways of Bloodwing Academy, where vampires lurk and danger is always present. she has a stunningly dangerous way of giving you just enough information to keep you interested and wanting more, confirming my stance of being my first (and favorite) auto-buy author.

i highly recommend checking out On Wings of Blood and The Bond That Burns if you're interested in dark academia, dragons, vampires, blood magic, and more. both available on Kindle Unlimited now!

thank you so much, Briar & NetGalley, for granting me an ARC copy of this dark and adventurous story! i’m absolutely hooked and cannot wait until the next installment.

Wow! I really enjoyed the first book, but this one was fantastic. I was getting frustrated with Blake for the step(s) backwards he took. He was so much more of an arse in this book than book 1. But the character growth from everyone was superb! I was getting a little worried that we were gonna go right back to the beginning again with Blake and Medra but thankfully we didn’t! I love Nyxaris, and I love the fact that he is like a Tairn. I genuinely thought I had the ending of this figured out but I was proven to be wrong, and very much wrong at that! I cannot wait for the next book!

This series if filled with everything I love: romantasy, dark academia, dragons, vampires, tension, enemies-to-lovers, court intrigue, power struggles, morally grey characters, secrets, and banter!

An addicting character-driven dark academia romantasy with dragons and dragon lore. Book two jumps right back in - year 2 of the academy. 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙧𝙖 is still fierce, determined, and just. 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙠𝙚 is still grumpy/broody vampire house leader with interesting character growth. The tension and banter is done well. Mainly dual POV but we have some of Florence’s POV in book two! I like 𝙁𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚. She is smart, kind and loyal. 𝙆𝙖𝙜𝙚 still has my attention. I’m not sure what is roll is going to end up being. I feel there are still a lot of secrets! I hope to get some of his POV in the next book. I still want to know more behind Medra’s death and the world that she left behind. And, without giving too much away, the shifter piece in book two is 🔥!!! I’m all for it and cannot wait to see what is in store in book three. I could not put down the last 10% of this book. So much happened and now I need book three ASAP!

Genre: Dark Academia Romantasy
Pages: 581

Thank you @netgalley for a copy of this book.
Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you Briar and Starwater press for the Arc and in exchange here is my honest review.

5 Stars
2 spice rating

If you liked the first the book you will love the second book. This book starts off right where the last one ended. There is action right from the start and doesn't let up right to the very end.

Medra has to be one of my favourite FMC's. Medra is strong and stands up for herself, she doesn't let anyone tear her down and she fights for her friends. She has been trough a lot in her short life and instead of shutting down she rises up and stands up for what is right. She can definitely be stubborn but it is earned.

I love all the side characters, Theo, Visha, Florence and Kage. Briar does and amazing job developing these Characters and making you fall in love with them. Theo is just the lovable guy with a good heart that is loyal to a fault. Visha has attitude and sass and tells how it is even if you don't want to here it. Florence is smart and loyal and a little shy, I can't wait to see how her character grows in the next book. Kage keeps Blake on his toes causes tension where tension is needed and fore the most part is a good guy. It's a great balance of personalities among all the Characters.

We are introduced to the Nyxaris the Dragon is this book and if you love Tarin from Fourth Wing, Nyxaris gives the same grumpy, sassy vibes.

Blake....
"I looked away from her, my jaw clenching. "When you're in danger, I feel like I'd gladly give up my life and everything in it to keep you safe."

I have had a love hate relationship with this man and it was a little rocky at the beginning of this book. I wanted to reach my hand through my kindle and shake some sense into this man.
At last Briar has won me over to the blond haired handsome mans side and I have fallen in love with Blake. He definitely puts the "grey" into "morally grey" I mean the library scene, that was hot.

"I was wrong. I shouldn't have done that. There. I'm on my fucking knees, Begging you, Pendragon."

The plot twists at the end of this book and everything that was happening had my mind spinning.
I'm excited to see where the next book is going to lead us and what is going to happen to Florence, Medra and Blake.

Ahhhh I was so excited to get back to Bloodwing Academy with Book 2, The Bond That Burns.

The Bond That Burns picks right back up from the ending of On Wings of Blood and Medra is having to navigate her new normal after betrayal. Blake is back to being his super büllying self which had me shaking my fist at him so many times, if he thinks being mean to Medra is going to make her fall in line he has another thing coming. Medra is not one to be trifled with and she isn’t afraid to speak her mind.

But Blake and Medra are forced to get close again and as much as they may hate each other they truly cannot deny their feelings towards one another. Just when you think things are moving in the right direction for them, all hell breaks loose and we are left on the edge of our seat with a heck of a rollercoaster ending.

I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5

Returning to Bloodwing Academy, and so soon, was the best Christmas present ever. Boleyn’s vibrant world and interesting characters are the perfect form of escapism and we pick up right where we left off from book one and take the next part of this story at breakneck pace. A dragon awoken, a blossoming romance fractured, and our fierce Medra, a woman out of place and time, fighting for her survival in a den of killers but with a sassy dragon by her side. The Bond that Burns unpacks the characters that we were introduced to in the first novel, delving deeper into who they are, who they want to be, and what makes them tick. The romance is equal parts frustrating (that tension!! that bully romance!!!) and swoon worthy (the library!! the bathroom!!!) I devoured this ARC; every twist and turn making me gasp, scream, laugh and cry. The final 10% is VIOLENT, and so is that agonising cliffhanger. I can’t wait for book three!

The Bond That Burns is a fantastic follow up to On Wings of Blood, and I loved it even more than book one!

Blake and Medea’s relationship in this book is even more delicious than in the previous. Their banter is so good, but they also had massive character growth. Blake in particular changed for the better. Of course, he’s still hot, mean, and down bad, but we also get to see a much sweeter side of him as well.

I loved the addition of Nyxaris in The Bond That Burns. He’s such a grumpy, sassy old dragon, and his banter with Medra was incredibly fun. Florence and Medra have a really lovely friendship as well. It really ends up more of a sisterhood, and I just really love that for Medra. I love that she gets to form these relationships that she’s never really had before.

Anyway, I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next in this story! I don’t know how I’ll survive in the meantime. Probably by thinking about Blake and Medra daily.

Thank you so much to Briar Boleyn for the early copy of The Bond That Burns. All opinions are my own!

BRIAR BOLEYN!!!
By the Bloodmaiden this book had my heart in my throat!
It had me squealing with joy, then dropped me into despair and I didn't want it to end!! It ran the gamut of all the emotions you want a book to evoke.
I was so invested with seeing the storyline of these characters continue in The Bond that Burns. The desires, uncertainties, relationships and
friendships just draw you in and hold you.
You want...
Vampires✔️
Dragons ✔️
Wolves ✔️
Dark Academia ✔️
Enemies to Lovers ✔️
Spice ✔️
Found Family ✔️
World Building ✔️
Heart pounding, page turning, kicking and screaming, cheering, audible gasps ✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️
What a way to wrap up 2024!!
Grab this one as soon as it releases!
So grateful to have been a part of this ARC read.

My love for the Bloodwing Academy series is 100% solidified again with book 2, The Bond That Burns.

The story picks up with our FMC Medra, our only dragon rider, finally getting close to a dragon. Their relationship needs some work as Nyxaris has a grumpy alpha energy that needs a little warming up to. Media is working on it as she struggles with trying not to be unalived by all the power-hungry vampire highbloods. Florence is still the bestie worth fighting and dying for with Neville by her side. The political drama and history of dragons + riders being revealed throughout adds a lot of depth to the story building.

Blake decides to level up his aggressive behavior with Medra causing a greater rift between them as well as with his friends. He goes through the most character development this entire book — physically, mentally, and to his utter horror — emotionally. Kage starts to build a more solid friendship with Medra while also driving Blake mad with jealousy he doesn’t want to admit. The ending of book 2 has all the drama. An important side character initiates a chaotic chain of events leaving Florence in a precarious (understatement) position, more dragon mayhem to emerge, the loss of lives (yes plural), a sacrifice by mommy dearest, and Medra barely hanging on to a thread of her sanity.

If you love a fantasy story filled with political drama, social class & racial disparities, finding friendships in unexpected places while also discovering the magnitude and consequences of life-altering choices… READ THIS BOOK! I feel like this has to be at least 4 books because I cannot imagine this wrapping up in one more and I am here for all of it.

In this sequel to On Wings of Blood, we return to Bloodwood Academy as Medra enters her second year and struggles to find her place as a dragon rider in a world of vampires.

I really enjoyed this book, much more than the first one. Now that the world has been established, the plot and characters become more developed and we delve further into the history of the dragons and the highbloods while Medra navigates her relationship with Blake and alliances with the other houses.

A recommended read for fans of Zodiac Academy, Briar Boleyn's Blood of the Fae series, and dark academia that blends vampire and dragon lore.

Thank you to Netgalley and Starwater Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley and publishers for the opportunity to read this book and give my honest opinion.

As soon as it landed in my inbox, I dropped everything and started reading. I’m not exaggerating when I say I devoured it in just two days!

The Bond That Burns takes us back to Bloodwing Academy for Medra’s second year. After accidentally awakening a dragon, she finds herself caught in a power struggle, with every house fighting for control over her.

The world-building was as great as in the first book, with the added bonus of more dragon action! We get to know Nyxaris, the dragon of House Avari, who reminded me of a grumpy grandfather who is impossible not to love.

Medra really grew on me in this book. Her protective nature and bravery are truly commendable. She doesn’t hesitate to stand up for herself and her friends, even when faced with difficult decisions that take an emotional toll on her.

Blake, on the other hand, frustrated me to no end. At times, I wanted Medra as far away from him as possible. He was a bully, obnoxious, and made choices I personally would have struggled to forgive... if I could forgive them at all. That said, his eventual redemption arc reveals a more nuanced side of him, and I’m intrigued to see how his character develops in the next instalment.

I felt we didn’t get enough of Kage, which was a bit disappointing. I was hoping for more interactions with him, but the moments we do get are absolutely brilliant. He remains an enigma, and I sincerely hope we uncover more about him in the next book.

Florence and Neville were absolute rays of sunshine. I have a strong feeling they’ll play pivotal roles in the next book, and I can’t wait to see how their stories unfold.

Now, about the romance. I’m not usually a fan of love triangles and tend to avoid books that feature this trope, but I have to admit—I found myself rooting for both Blake and Kage at different points. Honestly, they could end up as a triad, and I wouldn’t mind one bit!

The plot twists, while slightly predictable due to the foreshadowing, were executed well and kept me engaged throughout.

And that ending? My GOD, that ending! I’m absolutely desperate for the third book to find out what happens next.