Review: On Wings of Blood
Title: On Wings of Blood
Series: Bloodwing Academy
Author: Brair Boleyn
Release Date: November 2024
I didn't sign up for this.
A half-fae in a school of highblood vampires? That's a recipe for torment.
I'm Medra Pendragon—last of the dragon riders, or so they tell me. Funny thing is, there are no dragons left. Not a single one. But somehow, that hasn't stopped the vampires from deciding I'm worth capturing. Now I'm stuck at Bloodwing Academy, where the highbloods run everything and blightborn like me? We're just blood in their veins, pawns in their games.
But that's not even the worst part. Enter Blake Drakharrow. Cold, arrogant, and way too gorgeous for his own good. He's been tormenting me since the moment we met, and now, thanks to some ancient ritual, we're betrothed. He acts like he owns me, but I'm not going down without a fight.
Bloodwing isn't just a school—it's a battlefield. Highbloods fight for power, and if you're weak? You're dead.
Between deadly competitions, lies that could get me executed, and a dragon-shaped secret looming over my head, all I have to do is survive. Easy, right? Except I'm starting to think the real danger isn't the academy—it's what I'm becoming in this twisted game of power.
And Blake? He might just be the one who pushes me over the edge.
They think they can control me. They think they can use me.
But they have no idea what they've awakened.
On Wings of Blood is a dark academia fantasy romance featuring a bully villain with Draco Malfoy energy who (eventually) gets the girl, all the tension and banter, and a tantalizingly dangerous blend of court and school intrigue all set in an intricately crafted world with unique vampire and dragon lore. Bloodwing Academy may have crossover characters from the world of Blood of a Fae, but can be read completely independently.
Why did I wait so long to read this book?
So I've had On Wings of Blood on my TBR for months,but I have been putting it off - especially with my book slump I've been in, it was a struggle to pick up any book for over a year now.
On Wings of Blood follows Medra - a woman who is not like everyone else in a world she knows nothing about.
She fell into a dangerous world of dragons and magic and knows nothing of the world she now must navigate with any hope of surviving.
Bound to be betrothed to a vampire prince, sent to a school of magic and other highbloods who want nothing more than to see her fail she must not only survive her first year in a cruel and merciless school, but in a world that loathes of her even existence. But she isn't as weak or as ignorant as they think - and time and time again prove her worth.
So, I will be honest, the book was a bit slow paced in the beginning. And it took me awhile to actually get into it with the world building. And I didn't know as much about the characters to actually care one way or the other. But slowly, it grew on me and things started happening progressing the story forward, and I was hooked - wanting to know what happened next in not only the story and plot but with the characters too.
I loved Medra's strength and resilience. And her friendships.
I loved Blake's asshole-ishness - and his possessive and protectiveness, I only wished there was more from his POV's.
I even loved Theo and wished we had seen more from him as well.
I loved the dark and twisted world they resided in.
I can't wait to see what transpires next between Medra and Blake and the world they were navigating together.
If you are looking for a dark academia romantasy - with vampires, & magic - I recommend On Wings of Blood!
4⭐ out of 5 ⭐.
2🌶️ out of 5🌶️
Tropes:
- dark romantasy
- dark academia
- enemies to lovers
- vampire x mortal
- knife to throat
- badass FMC
- touch her & die
- possessive MMC
- he falls first
- forced proximity
- forced betrothal
- bullying
- Deadly competition
- blood rituals & magic
Trigger Warnings:
• bullying
• blood
• violence
• death/murder
• kidnapping
• injuried animal
• mental illness
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Briar Boleyn is the New York Times, Sunday Times, and USA Today bestselling fantasy romance author of the Bloodwing Academy and the Blood of a Fae series. A former grad student and teacher turned fantasy romance author, she once wrote award-winning scholarly papers on Dumbledore and Arthurian legends before realizing she could write stories of her own with significantly more kissing. Briar lives in the middle of Canada with her husband and their two demon-angel hybrid children. She enjoys playing RPGs, visiting red pandas at the zoo (hello, Neville), and obsessing over Disney World.
Comments
Post a Comment