The Bond That Burns (Bloodwing Academy Book 2)

There’s waking up a dragon, and then there’s waking up a dragon only to discover that half the powerful families in existence suddenly have opinions about what you should do with it. Welcome back to Bloodwing Academy, where apparently minding your own business is not an option.

I finally got myself to sit down to write this review for The Bond That Burns, the second book of the Bloodwing Academy series. Today is a good day because it’s cloudy and windy, with a chance of slight rain….and nothing puts my mood better than a chance of rain and wind. Anyway, let’s get started!!

Blurb

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 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.

Genre

Fantasy Romance / Romantasy in an Academia Setting, aka Bloodwing Academy

Characters

Characters
Medra Pendragon (she is somewhat a levelheaded FMC; I don’t hold anything against her)
Blake Drakharrow (he is less of an asshole in book 2)
Viktor Drakharrow(Blake’s uncle and the main antagonist, meaning the bigger asshole)
Kage Tanaka (I like him very much, level-headed, clever, and not an asshole)
Naveen(she is cute)
Regan (betrothed to Blake and the 2nd main bully)

Tropes

Enemies to Enemies
Slow-Burn
Reluctant Allies
Forced Proximity
Vampires, Dragons and Half-Fae
Dead Mother in the Head
Secret Powers
Kind of a Bully Romance
Dark academia (loosely)
Political intrigue

My Review

I got the ARC from NetGalley and started reading it right away. Although I was slow this time with the reading, I enjoyed the story immensely. This book is much, much better than book 1. The story is advancing and becoming more intense, hotter, and more complicated. I love Blake more in this book, and I am betting the next book is gonna be epic. I cannot wait for it to be released already.

On a serious note, I like how power shapes every relationship here in the world of Bloodwing. Alliances are rarely simple, trust comes with conditions, and sometimes the people who appear to hold all the cards are just as trapped as everyone else. The dragon’s legacy might be priceless, but carrying something that everyone wants doesn’t necessarily mean you have control over it. In short, political intrigue is quite intriguing in book 2.

On a fun note, there is one chapter in this book, and it was 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.
I can’t get over that chapter lol.
On various occasions, both Blake and Medra gave Tory and Darius vibes, and it’s the best thing ever.
On the whole, this series is becoming something. It’s a 5-star without any questions, and I highly recommend it. Go read it.

One of the interesting questions this story left me with: when survival demands that you trust someone who has already betrayed you, how do you decide whether the risk is worth taking? Care to answer?