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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Oh look, it got worse. Ugh. No. Just… no thank you. This was terrible. Nonsensical. The multiple-personality disorder vibes from book one cranked up to eleven and spiraled straight into the abyss.
Character progression? LOL. More like character obliteration. Every day Blake felt like a new dude rolled out of the plot generator — one moment he’s ready to clock Medra in the face, the next he’s patting himself on the back for permitting a cuddle. Pick a lane, bruh.
And the bullying? WHY is it even worse? Weren’t we done with this? Or did we just need to keep the bully romance girlies on life support for no reason? Exhausting. Throw my boy Kage in there for zero reason other than just to create tension, and my rage is untethered and knows no bounds. I thought for one brief terrifying moment we were heading out of bully romance right down love triangle lane and I was about to blow torch my kindle.
Oracades? Once again useless. Word count filler. In fact can we say that Medra’s whole back story is a waste of ink? And don’t even get me started on Aenia — the most hollow, non-character husk to ever exist purely to remind us that Blake is supposed to be… what heroic? Sure, Jan.
OH AND NOW WE’RE SHIFTERS?? What genre even is this? Somehow they made a DRAGON DEPRESSING. Do you know how hard that is? And the final 50 pages was just a clown car of meaningless betrayals shoved in to justify another impending 400 pages of chaos. Stakes that aren’t stakes, people who don’t know who they are, and a plot that feels like a sad trombone on repeat.
1.5 stars. And that is single-handedly hoisted up by Neville’s fluffy-ass shoulders. Protect him at all costs. Destroy the rest.
Character progression? LOL. More like character obliteration. Every day Blake felt like a new dude rolled out of the plot generator — one moment he’s ready to clock Medra in the face, the next he’s patting himself on the back for permitting a cuddle. Pick a lane, bruh.
And the bullying? WHY is it even worse? Weren’t we done with this? Or did we just need to keep the bully romance girlies on life support for no reason? Exhausting. Throw my boy Kage in there for zero reason other than just to create tension, and my rage is untethered and knows no bounds. I thought for one brief terrifying moment we were heading out of bully romance right down love triangle lane and I was about to blow torch my kindle.
Oracades? Once again useless. Word count filler. In fact can we say that Medra’s whole back story is a waste of ink? And don’t even get me started on Aenia — the most hollow, non-character husk to ever exist purely to remind us that Blake is supposed to be… what heroic? Sure, Jan.
OH AND NOW WE’RE SHIFTERS?? What genre even is this? Somehow they made a DRAGON DEPRESSING. Do you know how hard that is? And the final 50 pages was just a clown car of meaningless betrayals shoved in to justify another impending 400 pages of chaos. Stakes that aren’t stakes, people who don’t know who they are, and a plot that feels like a sad trombone on repeat.
1.5 stars. And that is single-handedly hoisted up by Neville’s fluffy-ass shoulders. Protect him at all costs. Destroy the rest.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The Bond That Burns is the perfect sequel to its predecessor, On Wings of Blood, Book 1 in Briar Boleyn's Bloodwing Academy series.
Briar has created a dark academia setting where oppression rules and there are no limits for those in power—or are there? We have learned so much about this world filled with vampires, humans, and others, but still, there is so much more to uncover. More secrets, more hidden truths, and even more hidden feelings. If you love stories reminiscent of Draco in the Manacled, I think this series would be right up your alley, and you would love immersing yourself in the ruthless world where blood is currency, especially that of a dragon rider.
I loved how Briar deepened the story and the characters in The Bond That Burns, especially Blake. It was hard rooting for him at times, even though I could see through his motives and his, honestly, awful behaviours towards Medra. There is so much more to his character than his exterior, and we truly saw glimpses of it in this book. He was more than his family wanted him to be, more than the traditions dictated; he dug deep and clung to the grasp of humanity there to keep him afloat. And it did. He showed growth and eagerness to be more than he was supposed to be. Medra was still her beautiful self in this book; she is a character close to my heart, especially knowing the full extent of her backstory.
But, The Bond That Burns is more than Blake and Medra. Briar has also let the others shine, especially Florence, Visha, and Theo. They are vital to the plot and so much more than side characters; they are persons with many layers to them, and we are peeling them all down.
The pace in the book was excellent; there was never a dull moment. It was action-packed and emotions-filled, the way Briar knows how to do it just right. She is a master of storytelling and intricate world-building. There are always little things, little crumbs to keep an eye on, something that would, later on, play a crucial part. Oh, and let's not forget the dragon, the true main character of the story. My heart ached for him, and I hope he will be the master of his own faith, and rightfully so.
The ending left me gasping and needing to know what happens next. The Bond That Burns is being released on December 27th, so be prepared for a ride of a lifetime.
Briar has created a dark academia setting where oppression rules and there are no limits for those in power—or are there? We have learned so much about this world filled with vampires, humans, and others, but still, there is so much more to uncover. More secrets, more hidden truths, and even more hidden feelings. If you love stories reminiscent of Draco in the Manacled, I think this series would be right up your alley, and you would love immersing yourself in the ruthless world where blood is currency, especially that of a dragon rider.
I loved how Briar deepened the story and the characters in The Bond That Burns, especially Blake. It was hard rooting for him at times, even though I could see through his motives and his, honestly, awful behaviours towards Medra. There is so much more to his character than his exterior, and we truly saw glimpses of it in this book. He was more than his family wanted him to be, more than the traditions dictated; he dug deep and clung to the grasp of humanity there to keep him afloat. And it did. He showed growth and eagerness to be more than he was supposed to be. Medra was still her beautiful self in this book; she is a character close to my heart, especially knowing the full extent of her backstory.
But, The Bond That Burns is more than Blake and Medra. Briar has also let the others shine, especially Florence, Visha, and Theo. They are vital to the plot and so much more than side characters; they are persons with many layers to them, and we are peeling them all down.
The pace in the book was excellent; there was never a dull moment. It was action-packed and emotions-filled, the way Briar knows how to do it just right. She is a master of storytelling and intricate world-building. There are always little things, little crumbs to keep an eye on, something that would, later on, play a crucial part. Oh, and let's not forget the dragon, the true main character of the story. My heart ached for him, and I hope he will be the master of his own faith, and rightfully so.
The ending left me gasping and needing to know what happens next. The Bond That Burns is being released on December 27th, so be prepared for a ride of a lifetime.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated