On Wings of Blood

Loved it - well written and thought out - slightly different to normal fantasy. Would defo recommend thank you legend

An interesting FMC with an even more interesting back-story and an FMC you just love to hate! This book is a definite on any TBR and the enemies to almost lovers is just too good to pass up! Cant wait to get the next one started!

Wow what a great roller coaster read Reading each page wanting to read more and more keeping you on the edge wanting more. Looking forward to the next book

May the book deities forgive me… Once more I have fallen into the trap of buying and reading a book recommended on social media… and I hate to say it but this one didn’t live up to the hype. 😢 Despite having a strong beginning, there were several things that I thought were lacking in this book. The major problem that I had was with the world building. This happens more often than not in the romantasy genre (an unfortunate side effect of working outside mainstream publishing and without a really good editor). As I was reading, I couldn’t help but notice that there were certain details that felt anachronistic to the overall setting (Medieval? Castles, swordplay — Modern? Indoor plumbing and stretchy dress materials). Unfortunately, even though they were small inconsistencies, the effect was jarring and kept me from being fully engrossed because my mind became focused on the discrepancies. My second issue was the presence of plot holes in the overall story starting from the beginning and how Medra landed in this world so far from and different from her own. It also felt a bit contrived that she ended up in a school that is a cross between Hogwarts and Basgiath. There were a few other things but I don’t like spoilers in my reviews and, you never know, maybe there are some things that are explained later in the series. Lastly, on the negative side, this is quite a dark story with lots of triggers (the author kindly places these in the first few pages) most of which I did not mind because (1) I try not to judge even though some of them are not my cup of tea; and (2) this is a book that includes vampires so darkness is to be expected. The one that bothered me the most however was not the morally grey actions of the MMC but some of the dialogue where one female character throws shade at another by using sexual shame and this, IMHO, is not OK. Women get enough of it IRL, is it necessary in our fantasy books as well? All of the negative points aside, I thought that the writing was OK (do not expect Dostoyevsky) and the plot engaging enough to keep me interested enough to care about what happens next. Also, the rituals and political structure of this world are well developed enough to balance out the derivative setting. As for the violence and spice levels, as I said before, this a novel with vampires, so it should come as no surprise that you will find the levels to be 🩸🩸🩸🩸 and 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️, respectively. This is a dark romantasy where the relationship between Medra and Blake is the main plot arc and it is a fun read, especially if you like a kick ass FMC, sexual tension (quite well done) and an overdose of “touch her and die vibes”. There are enough plot twists and political intrigue that prevent the book into collapsing into a story that is merely an excuse for wild spice time. This is a book that, despite its problems and lack of “greatness”, was different enough that I will be continuing the series. It all comes down to your tastes and what you’re in the mood for… 3.75 stars 🤓📚 #OnWingsOfBlood @BriarBoleynAuthor #booksbooksbooks #bookish #bookaddict #reading #bookstagram #booktok #bookreview #booksof2025 #bookdragon #bookworm #lovebooks #bookrecs #booklovers #booklove #booknerd #bibliophile #passionforbooks #readingcommunity #bookaddict #romantasy #romance #adventure #fiction #action #darkromance #vampires #fae

Academia, dragons, vampires? Yes please. It might not be a literary masterpiece, but it had everything I want in a good dark romantasy — it was spicy, unique, and a lot of fun. I struggled a bit in the beginning, the writing style was a little confusing and dropped me into the deep end with a lot of world-building. But once the pieces started falling into place, I was hooked. There’s so much going on in this book, and while that might be overwhelming for some, I honestly think it sets the series up perfectly. This is a dark romantasy done right! We’ve got bully romance, a fierce protector, and some of the best enemies-to-lovers tension I’ve read in a while. Like, actual hate. Sparks flying while they’re still wishing each other dead. The spice scenes? Full of raw, messy emotions — hatred, guilt, longing — and I ate it up. The female MC is strong, determined, and doesn’t back down. And Blake… oh, Blake. He’s dark, brooding, morally gray, and completely unhinged when it comes to protecting her. He falls first, falls hard, and yeah — he kills for her. Iconic. One thing that really stood out was the balance between plot and romance, which is honestly so hard to find these days. The romance never overshadowed the stakes, and vice versa. And the found family vibes? Loved them. Naveen, Florence, and Victor added so much emotional depth and helped shape the main characters in a meaningful way. If you love morally gray characters, slow-burn chaos, and a rich fantasy world that keeps you guessing, this one’s worth the ride. Push through the start — it’s 100% worth it.

I enjoyed this slow-burn love-hate story. She is sent to a school dominated by vampires. It seems anyone who is not a vampire is beneath them and basically their slaves. Children are brought up to bow down to High Vampires and treat them as Gods. It's an honour to offer them sustainance. We this little Fae is not going down without a battle. Spicy read.

Some decent plot twists. Interesting characters. Obviously another book or series planned. Maybe a future film? Looking forward to what comes next.

Wow, what a start to a new series! From the first chapter I was drawn in by it's unique introduction to the world and FMC and MMC. If you love From Blood and Ash, Fourth Wing and the Zodiac academy, this is the book for you!

Book dragons, stop whatever you are doing. STOOOP & LISTEN NOW!!! You need to drop whatever is on your TBR and read this book RN! On wings of blood is gonna draw you in right from page 1. Medra is now one of my favorite FMCs. She’s one of the most fiestiest, coolest female characters. The world building was done amazingly well in this book. The anticipation for the dragons is gonna keep you on edge. The plot is solid. If you loved Draco and are a Darius Acrux girlie, you are gonna love Blake. He was the perfect tortured complicated morally grey MMC. His POV was everything. And that ending. I KNEW IT!!! I can’t wait to jump itno book 2. The stakes are so high now. Highly recommend if you loved Fourth wing, Zodiac academy and Harry Potter. 🔥🔥

Medra Pendragon arrives in a strange land and is immediately captured by highblood Blake Drakharrow and brought into vampire society. Believed to be a dragon rider, Medra is forced to attend Bloodwing Academy, though there are no dragons left and the highborn aren't accepting of her. I was interested to read this book, I love vampire stories and the addition of dragons sounded like a great combination. I wasn't sure about this being described as a bully romance but was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the story. Medra doesn't fit in at Bloodwing but she still finds a way to form bonds with her fellow blightborns (humans) and discovers that despite herself, she finds the classes interesting and enjoyable. Though she struggles with how she is treated by the highbloods, she stands up for herself and proves her worth. Her relationship with Blake changes and develops through the story and while I still don't really like him yet, Briar Boleyn writes him as a sympathetic character and I can understand why he is the way he is. The plot was well paced and I enjoyed the magical academic setting. The school is well described, I could picture the courtyard where the dragon statues are built and imagine Medra's room and classrooms. I loved the addition of Neville the fluffin! Looking forward to reading the next book!

Snabb leverans! Ingen stress ifrån min sida. Boken kom i bra skick! Blev en bra present till frugan. Skall köpa de andra tv böckerna nu!

***contains some spoilers*** I’d give this 6 stars if I could. Absolutely wonderful. Was it the fanciest writing? No but the vibes were top notch. Also the sprayed edges are perfection. True enemies to almost lovers, slow burn, tension for days. The hatred competing with their feelings for each other….***chefs kiss***. Arranged marriage, dragon rider, vampires. All the things you can hope for in a dark romantasy. The FMC is fierce, stubborn almost to the point of self-sabotage, yet inspiring for always standing her ground. I love, love, love the world building with ties to Camelot. I can’t wait to see how this ties into the storyline more. I don’t know how these authors keep finding ways to write a romantasy with an academy setting in a unique way, but Briar Boleyn sure did. The storyline sucked me in from the first pages and kept me hooked. I wasn’t ready for it to end. There was just enough excitement and story progression without feeling rushed. This book is certainly not hyped enough IMO. Sometimes the time jumping was less obvious than I would like but it also illustrated the progression through Medras experience well. I actually liked not focusing on her grief for Naveen because the whole story had focused on her feminine rage. To have deviated from that would have ruined the character arc. Instead she just used his death to continue to fuel her goals and choices. The emotional damage is there, you can feel the undertones from this, the way Blake grapples over Aenia, etc. but they aren’t taking over the story. As for the MMC, absolutely love Blake. I love that he’s not the typical pining after her in the most obvious way. He keeps making all the wrong choices, conflicted in so many ways, in a tortured soul kind of way. Plus we get several other spicy gentlemen that I’m sure we will see more of in the future like Kage. I also love that both the main characters are scorched earth types. Instead of one or the other, it’s clear they both aim to do whatever it takes to survive and protect who they care about. It really explores some deep issues like weighing loyalty to family vs the realm vs those you care about.

QUE EXPERIÊNCIA. Bloodwing Academy é tudo o que um livro precisa ter. Preciso confessar que o que me atraiu de primeira no livro foi uma academia e vampiros. Fazia tempo que não lia um livro que os personagens secundários deixavam a gente com aquele apego emocional, aquele sentimento de que são tão importantes pro leitor quanto os principais. E O ROMANCE? Blake é tudo! Toda a construção do relacionamento deles foi impecável. Teve profundidade, não foi algo que aconteceu de uma hora pra outra, e teve MUIIIITA química e tensão.