The Bond That Burns

The Bond That Burns was an excellent continuation of Briar Boleyn’s Bloodwing Academy series and exactly what I wanted from a sequel. The story picks up after Medra’s first year at the academy, with Nyxaris finally awakened and the highblood houses determined to control both the dragon and Medra’s legacy. Unfortunately for them, Medra has no intention of becoming anyone’s possession, even if she has far less control over Nyxaris than she’d like everyone to believe.

One of the things I loved most was how much the world expanded beyond the academy. We learn more about the dragons, their riders, the Dragon Wars, and the political conflicts between the highblood houses. Every new discovery seemed to raise more questions, and I enjoyed trying to figure out who could actually be trusted. The secrets, shifting loyalties, and competing agendas made the story much more than another year of academy rivalries.

Medra continues to be exactly the kind of heroine I enjoy. She’s stubborn, impulsive, fiercely protective, and refuses to let powerful people intimidate her. She certainly makes some questionable decisions, but I appreciated that awakening Nyxaris didn’t suddenly make her an expert dragon rider. She’s still learning, making mistakes, and occasionally bluffing her way through dangerous situations while trying to protect the people she loves.

Nyxaris was easily one of my favorite characters. He’s ancient, arrogant, sarcastic, and generally unimpressed with everyone around him. His conversations with Medra brought some much-needed humor to the darker moments, but I also appreciated the emotional side of his story. He’s awakened to a world where everything he knew has changed, his memories are incomplete, and he may be the last of his kind. His growing bond with Medra and the mysteries surrounding the dragons kept me especially invested.

I also enjoyed the friendships Medra continues building with Florence, Theo, Visha, Rodriguez, and the others. Their loyalty and support give her something meaningful to fight for beyond her own survival. Florence’s character development particularly stood out to me because she begins discovering that being gentle and intelligent doesn’t mean she has to be helpless. And of course, there’s Neville, who continues to be adorable, loyal, and surprisingly courageous. I absolutely love that little fluffin!

Then there’s Blake Drakharrow. His point-of-view chapters gave me a better understanding of the abuse, manipulation, and family expectations that shaped him. I appreciated seeing more vulnerability beneath his arrogance, but understanding his past certainly doesn’t excuse his behavior. He’s still possessive, jealous, controlling, and entirely too comfortable making decisions for Medra without consulting her.

I could see that Blake genuinely cared about Medra and wanted to become someone better, but every time he made progress, he seemed to find another way to sabotage himself. His idea of protecting her frequently involved betrayal or taking away her choices, and that man seriously needs to learn the difference between love and control. I appreciated that his character development wasn’t rushed, though. He still has a lot of growing to do, and I’m interested in seeing whether he actually learns from his mistakes.

Medra and Blake’s relationship remains complicated, with plenty of attraction, anger, distrust, and unresolved feelings. Their blood bond continues pulling them together, but I liked that their physical connection didn’t magically repair everything that happened between them. Medra hasn’t forgotten Blake’s betrayal, and he still needs to understand that wanting someone doesn’t give him the right to control them.

The spice earns four peppers from me. There are explicit scenes, blood drinking, biting, blood play, possessiveness, and plenty of sexual tension. I appreciated that the romance and physical attraction remained part of the story without overshadowing the fantasy, political intrigue, and larger supernatural conflicts.

The pacing worked well for me, too. Although some sections spend more time on academy life and Medra and Blake’s relationship, I remained invested because those moments continued developing the characters and their connections. The final portion was especially intense, with major revelations, shifting loyalties, and discoveries that changed what I thought I understood about the dragons, riders, and highblood families.

And that ending! Briar left me with an unacceptable number of questions about Medra, Blake, Nyxaris, Florence, and the future of the dragons. I loved how much the story progressed, but that cliffhanger made it absolutely impossible for me to stop reading the series.

Would I recommend The Bond That Burns? Absolutely! If you enjoy dark academia, dragons, dragon riders, vampires, political intrigue, found family, morally gray characters, dangerous secrets, complicated relationships, and plenty of romantic tension, I highly recommend this series. Just make sure you start with On Wings of Blood, because this is a direct continuation and isn’t intended to be read as a standalone.

My Final Verdict: An easy five-star read and exactly what I wanted from a sequel. Briar expanded the supernatural world, raised the stakes, developed the characters, and gave me even more mysteries surrounding the dragons and their riders. I loved Medra’s determination, Nyxaris’s personality, the friendships, and the complicated relationship between Medra and Blake. The political conflicts and revelations kept me invested throughout, and that ending left me desperate to continue the series.

Final Rating: ⭐ 5/5 Stars | 🌶️ 4/5 Peppers

— Sassy