A review by brooksie03051
The Bond That Burns by Briar Boleyn

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The Bond That Burns (Bloodwing Academy #2) By Briar Boleyn


Surviving the first year at Bloodwing Academy was rough, but it was just getting started. Unexpectedly and accidentally waking a dragon frozen in stone and learning to train him was not on Medra Pendragon's to-do list in her second year. Dealing with all the Vampire houses fighting over what Medra's fate should be for doing so, she is betrothed to Blake Drakharrow and his horrific uncle is trying to play King of all the houses acting as if he owned her was not helping. Well, maybe a little since some of the other vampire houses wanted her dead now more than ever.

Medra and Blake are still at each other's throats so he needs to make some changes for her to forgive him for trapping her connection to him further. Things get heated and as angry as she is at Blake and wants to break free of him when the opportunity arises, she is hesitant. Blake starts to see that threats and public embarrassment are not the best tactics to win her heart. Just as he figures out how to finally get close to her, the odds are always against her from more than one place.

"I kissed her fiercely. As if trying to erase every argument, every insult, every moment of doubt between us. And she let me, meeting my passion with her own."

Medra's plate is full. She must bond with and gain the trust of the cranky dragon that hates all the humans and vampires. Since she is the only dragon rider who can speak to him and help him remember what happened before he was trapped in stone, he gives her a chance and their relationship starts to bloom. She must still attend classes and prove to the vampire courts that she is worthy of staying alive and can contribute to them and be useful. A handsome and intriguing vampire from one of Blake's rival houses is trying to steal Medra from House Drakharrow and having her best friend placed in that house makes it all the more enticing to Medra. 

The end of this book is on a cliffhanger with more than one life on the line, although I feel like there will be many interesting things happening in book 3 of Bloodwing Academy. I'm here for it all.


In this edition you will find:

Vampire Court Politics
Strong FMC
He Falls First
Touch her and Die
Dragons
Found Family
LGBTQ Rep
Enemies to Lovers
Slow Burn Romances
Spicy Scenes
Hidden History
Fluffins!

Please note that this is book 2 in a series so you need to read book 1 to understand what is going on in this continued story. Although it is mentioned that you do not need to read the Blood of a Fae series before this one where the FMC Medra originates, I do recommend reading them if you want her backstory, know where she comes from, and where her family tree starts which is part of the Camelot court. Medra is a powerful fae in that realm and somehow lost most of her powers when she landed in the path of the Drakharrow family. 

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher Starwater Press (Indie) for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I'm a proud member of Briar's Rose Court Street Team of readers and have access to her books prior to publication.