ebookreview | [ 696 ]

The Bond that Burns (Bloodwing Academy #2) 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:
December 27, 2024

Page Numbers:
448

Read/Finished Date:
Oer 11th, 2025

Rating:
4.5/5

Premise:

At Bloodwing Academy, blood is currency, but a dragon's legacy is priceless—and as dangerous as fire.

I thought surviving my first year in Bloodwing's deadly halls would be enough. I was wrong.

I accidentally woke a dragon—a creature of myth, of death, of fire.

Now every highblood house wants control over me and the dragon's legacy I carry. But here's the truth: I have no control. I'm bluffing my way through every encounter, trying to keep everyone from realizing that I'm not the one pulling the dragon's strings.

And then there's Blake Drakharrow. I thought he was on my side, that I might even be able to trust him. But he betrayed me. Now I'm his only blood source. How messed up is that? In a place like Bloodwing, where power and survival are everything, this bond may well be the death of us both. Unless I can find a way to end it.

In this world of vampires, dragons, and lies, there are no happy endings. Just legends—and the darkness it takes to make them.

Review:

How does one come back from such an ending as this one? I was on the edge of my seat waiting for something BIG to happen when it looked like the story faded to black with the words: To Be Continued Soon. I think it literally took me a few moments to let it process in my head that I would have to wait for book three to come out in 2026.

The ENDING broke me. I was not sure what to expect when I came into this novel, but I wasn't expecting that. I think I even cried a bit because of it. Literal tears running down my face. xD I have come to love, not only the main characters, but the secondary characters as well. I have grown attached, watching all of them form a family bond. Unfortunately, to see one of them hurt was just so heartbreaking.

If one were to describe the relationship between Blake and Medra, it would be "where there is smoke, there is fire." That relationship is scorching hot. They have their moments of seared romance before an ice-coldness forms between them. The one thing is that Medra doesn't trust Blake all that much. He has betrayed her in the past, and it is understandable. I would like to see that change a bit. I don't believe Blake is all that bad. He is pressured, but he is a yandere male determined to keep Medra away from other men.

I am quite looking forward to book three now. *-*