ebookreview | [ 695 ]

On Wings of Blood (Bloodwing Academy #1) by Briar Boleyn

Genre:
Romantasy, Dragons, Vampires, Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Academia, Dark, Dark Academia, Paranormal/Supernatural, Slow Burn, Forced Proximity, Magic

Publication Date:
November 30, 2024

Page Numbers:
523

Read/Finished Date:
October 9th, 2025 - October 10th, 2025

Rating:
4.5/5

Premise:

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.

Review:

The one thing about this book that sold me was the Dramione vibes I had been told it was giving off and while that was true, it was only to an extent. The world-building was intriguing but not fleshed out enough for me. I would have loved more...more about the school, its houses, and the vampire families that run it. I know we see things through the eyes of Blake and Medra, but more would have made it complete.

Medra, while I do see her as a strong female lead, there were times I wanted to throttle her. She could not decide whether she wanted Blake or if she didn't. She really needed to make up her mind because these games were beginning to grow boring after awhile.

While Blake may not have been there when Regan pulled her crap, he also knew and did nothing to stop it. So, in a way I do consider him a slight bit of a bully. Not a full one, but not a big one either, because he does prove that he is a yandere for Medra. Case in point, he took the fall for their fight. He really didn't have to and let her receive punishment, but he didn't and I saw that as he wasn't entirely what Medra thought he was.

I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series.