With Hearts of Flame

Bloodwing Academy

by Briar Boleyn

They say love makes you foolish. At Bloodwing, it makes you dangerous.

I thought surviving a vampire academy was the hardest thing I’d ever have to do.

Then I fell in love with a boy who can turn into a dragon.

After the events in Veilmar, my only concern is for Blake. Will he survive the monster who possesses him? But as I fight a battle for the soul of the man I love, my dearest friend is up against the greatest danger a dragon rider can ever face.

Meanwhile, as Bloodwing reels from loss and betrayal, an ancient prophecy tightens its grip, and an unexpected triad is rising—one powerful enough to change the balance of power in Sangratha forever.

As the Veil cracks and the dead come back to haunt us, love becomes a weapon—sharp enough to destroy the world or strong enough to forge a new one.

This dark fantasy series tackles mature themes. Readers are advised to consult the trigger warnings before embarking on this intense, morally gray/black journey through the realm of Sangratha!

READ THE ENTIRE BLOODWING ACADEMY SERIES!
• Book 1: On Wings of Blood
• Book 2: The Bond That Burns
• Book 3: The Wings That Bind
• Book 4: With Hearts of Flame

FOR FANS OF:
• Enemies-to-lovers
• Dark Academia
• Morally Grey Men
• Forced Proximity
• Vampires and Dragon Riders
• Fourth Wing meets A Court of Thorns and Roses with a hint of Vampire Academy

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Dragons, Vampires, Romance, Dark Academia, Enemies To Lovers

528 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2026

About the author

*** I am most active on Instagram!
Please Note: Goodreads won't let me follow any more people, but please feel free to add me as a friend! :) ***

BRIAR BOLEYN is the author of more than twenty-five romance books and novellas. Her novels have become New York Times, USA Today, Sunday Times and Spiegel bestsellers and have been sold in over a dozen countries. As a child, she endlessly scribbled stories in every genre, from murder mysteries to time travel romances to dystopian sci-fi. Briar lives with her family in Manitoba, Canada. When not raising fictional dragons from the dead, Briar enjoys reading all types of sci-fi and fantasy, cultivating an unhealthy Disney World obsession, and playing RPG video games. She also writes under the name Fenna Edgewood.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sooo… why did we need this 4th book? Was it just so we could have unnecessary, cringey, spice scenes? Cause it sure felt like that.

We should have stopped while we were “semi” ahead… but alas, here we are.

The dialogue between characters was so incredibly cringey and unnatural. To begin with, I viewed this series as just junk food. It was addicting, at least the first two books, but it wasn’t good. The third book felt like it lost its way… and this last book was just junk in my opinion.

People change emotions and come to conclusions WAY too quickly. Things conveniently happen to a comical degree. People don’t talk like normal people. So much over-explaining and saying everything that is on their minds without any prompt or reasoning behind it.

Also, can we talk about how when Medra and Nyxaris were fighting about Florence and he kept saying “she is my rider” and Medra never said that once, but then he snapped at her and said, “stop calling her just my rider.” … Yeah, this type of thing happened a lot where someone didn’t say something, or things were misremembered in the text… it was SO odd…

Things are sprung up out of nowhere with no steps to make it make sense or to get there. Kage was ruined, what he and Regan had was ruined. It was cringey, preachy, and just gross. Can we also talk about how there was ZERO foreshadowing at all for Kage and Lysander? Where in the world did that come from? Again, only in to have a “Why Choose” relationship…

Blake was the only one, and I say this lightly, that I enjoyed reading his dialogue for. I thought his banter and humor were great to see. But also… he didn’t feel at all like the Blake we knew in the series.

The ending “fight”, if you can even call it that because we didn’t really get a fight or have any stakes at all, was anti-climatic and WAY too easy. They just fell into their laps, and a paragraph later the bad guys are dead… 4 books and that is what we got? I get they have already been through a lot, but why did we need a whole other 600 page book to get THAT? It should have ended as a trilogy, I would have accepted it better.

I honestly believe we only got this book so we can have a lot of unnecessary sex scenes to get people “excited”. That was all this book was. And to see a really strange threesome.

Florence finds Nyxaris in human form? Immediately sex, “I love you”… huh… well they didn’t waste any time.

Regan can’t handle physical touch? But don’t worry, after she sleeps on it, she’s ready for a threesome in the morning!

I felt nothing while reading this book, no remorse for any of the deaths, no reactions to any of the “twists”, why did we need this book? Nothing but a disappointment, introducing developments out of nowhere and just cringey. I wasn’t expecting a lot, because again this series is just junk food for me, but I felt like we could have gotten more than THIS.

[QuirkyTofurkey]

[Cassie Nosko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much Briar Boleyn for allowing me to read and review this fourth and final book in the Bloodwing Academy series! I am so so torn! This finale is so bittersweet as I've fallen deeply in love with this world and all the characters; I don't want this series to be over 😭

This book held a whirlwind of emotions; this book truly highlights the elusive House Orphos and presents the opportunity for this house to shine. The rhythm of this book is so fast paced, and certain aspects escalate quickly. The banter is unmatched throughout and I will reiterate certain chapters will rock your world 😉 (I'm looking at you in particular chapter 40).

I love that this series had cross-over references and characters from Blood Of A Fae series. It truly made this series SO special and speaks tremendously on Briar's talent!

This book surpassed all my hopes and dreams! Bloodwing Academy will forever hold a special place in my heart!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️

[luna ♡]

— ᨳଓ . pre-read

alright... i know i'm reading 3 books at once but it isn't a crime. i've been waiting to finish this series and i'm already over 100 pages in. so far so good!!

[Karly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly do love this series. Blake and Medra are one of my favorite book couples, and I love the journey we went on with them in this series. They have truly come so far individually but also as a couple. Because of that, I just wish we got more of them. This happened in book 3 as well, but with more POVs we got less of Blake and Medra which was a bummer for me. While I did like getting the side characters stories in this book, I could’ve done with less and had more focus on Blake and Medra. With the switching of POVs the timeline also got a little jumbled. We’d go forward days or backwards days and at times it felt off and took me out of the story becuase I was like wait now it’s a week later or we are going backwards a week?

I will say I was surprised to like some of the side characters by the end of this series. Regan really came around. I will also say I liked how we story played out and I’m okay with it lol. I will say SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!! that I kinda of wished that it was just her at the end who had to be sacrificed. I think it wouldn’t been a good story for her but it made me sad that kage and Lysander went too. That was shocking and i literally flipped the page and it was the epilogue?!? My jaw hit the floor.

Overall, i really enjoyed this series. I had some issues with this final book and wish medra and Blake were more of the focus. But otherwise, I did really love the side characters, of course Neville and even the freakin bear hahaha. I even came around to Florence and Nyxaris. They started off zero to 100 in the beginning of this book but they were just a side story so I’m okay with it.

[Ellimac]

I have a confession guys...

I don't know if I can wait until October. I NEED MORE OF THIS AMAZINGNESS!! I LOVED THE THIRD BOOK SO F-... uh.. there might be children around... um- FREAKING MUCH!! IT'S AMAZiNG!!

(Also, to said children... easy warning: If you're under thirteen um.. don't read this book series? I think it's a bit too spicy for tweens, but thankfully not plain smut [...I think...])

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Hearts of Flame (Bloodwing Academy #4) by Briar Boleyn
Book Blurb: They say love makes you foolish. At Bloodwing, it makes you dangerous.
I thought surviving a vampire academy was the hardest thing I’d ever have to do.
Then I fell in love with a boy who can turn into a dragon.

Rating: *****
Feels: Anticipation, Revengey, Molten, Content
Style: Fantasy, Romantasy, Dragons, Vampires, Dark Academia
First published October 20, 2026: 617 pages

Themes & Setting: Welcome back to Bloodwing academy and the complete upheaval that is the last book. Alliances will be tested, friendships will be fought for, love will most definitely be spicy. Will the world end? You will have to read to find out.
FMC: If you do not know how much I love Medra at this point I just think you have missed the shrine to her in my library. Girl is wicked amazing and deserves everyone to fall at her feet. Special shout out to Florence because I ate up every one of her chapters as well and adore her. Regan ... I just cant spoil it. You have to read but girl has it.
MMC: Im only going to speak on Blake here because I could just go on and on about everyone as I love all the guys in this story like ... way too much (and I do not want to spoil anything.) Blake continues to just be everything our little heart could desire in a burn the world down for us kinda way and I was here for it.
Conclusion: I must have picked this book up a dozen times and each time I was so drawn in by the story and did not want this series to end. I had the hardest time knowing this was the last book in this series and every page was just phenomenal. This book truly gives such space to each and every character in a way that just felt perfect. Story lines were tied up, puzzles were solved, answers were given and I felt like we got to see so many of these characters step into their own. I was emotionally devastated on the page as certain events unfolded and tearfully joyful at others. My emotions were definitely played with here and I am not even a bit sorry. This world is so rich and I love that we got to play in it for these books. This is the kind of read you pick up if you want to invest a piece of your heart into an amazing read. A lovely found family who is going to go through it before coming out the other side and you will feel all the things along the way. Loved every minute of it.

Book Vibes:
Strong FMC (Stabby)
Morally Gray everyone
Enemies to Lovers
Vampires vrs Humans
Touch her and die
Dark Academia
Found Family
Revenge Plot
Deep world building
Burn the world down
Politics
Magic
Forced Proximity
**Bully Romance

[୨ৎ Tiff ୨ৎ · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

🐉🩸𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 • 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖🩸🐉

{ 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 }

OH. MY. GOSH. BRIAR, MY HEART😭 usually, I finish a book & immediately review it. this one? I had to wait a little while because of the utter emotional devastation that was this book! this is the fourth & final book in the Bloodwing Academy series, & boyyyyy does she pack a PUNCH. I wanna say sooo many things right now, but I have to remind myself not to say anything that would remotely be a spoiler. Just know… BRIAR, my HEART😭

I loveeee Blake & Medra. I love that the prequel series to this (Blood of a Fae — if you haven’t read it, it’s complete, you NEED TO) and this one finally converged in such a cool way. I honestly feel like maybe Briar isn’t done with these worlds just yet, I’d eat up any kind of spinoff if she were to be inclined to write it, because I love these worlds & characters so effing much.

also, I did not have loving Regan Panserra on my bingo card, but HERE WE ARE.

I got to read and listen to this, and both versions were phenomenal. I loved the characters, the world, the stories, ALL. OF. IT😍

🐉 𝙸𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝚂𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂, 𝚈𝙾𝚄'𝙻𝙻 𝚂𝙴𝙴:
✧.* true enemies to lovers
✧.* vampires, dragons, wolves, fae, oh my
✧.* academy setting
✧.* forced proximity
✧.* forced betrothal
✧.* badass fmc’s
✧.* political intrigue
✧.* possessive mmc
✧.* morally grey
✧.* touch her & die
✧.* Arthurian romantasy
✧.* multiple pov

star rating: 4.5★
series spice rating: 4🌶️

🫶🏼 thank you @briarboleynauthor for the #gifted physical & digital copies & @podiumentertainment for the #gifted audiobook!

[Blake · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t make it past the first 10 chapters. I’m honestly disappointed with the direction this story has taken, especially with how the dragon owners and their relationships have changed.

The romantic developments feel completely forced and unbelievable. How does a character go from having practically no relationship with a dragon who barely seemed to like her to suddenly being madly in love and lusting after him? And now we’re supposed to believe he’s secretly loved and desired her all along? There was absolutely no relationship development to make any of this believable.

What makes it even more frustrating is that she wasn’t even a main character, yet suddenly this relationship is being pushed into the spotlight. Meanwhile, the storyline between Lysandra and Cage seems to revolve almost entirely around sex rather than any meaningful plot or character development.

I have no issue with romance or intimate relationships in a story, but there needs to be substance behind them. Instead, the characters, relationships, and overall storyline feel disconnected from what originally made this series interesting.

I just can't get past how poorly developed and forced everything feels. Unfortunately, this book has completely lost my interest, and I don't think it's worth continuing. Not worth the read, in my opinion.

[Teri Hutchinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

having to give a singular star to the fourth book in what started as one of my favourite series is a pain I wish on no one

[ciana · Rating 4 out of 5]

“my edges are broken, too. i’ve seen your sins and your scars. i’ve seen what you think makes you unlovable. and i love you anyway.”

—

oh man idk how to write this review without giving spoilers, but imma try my best.

first of all, i want to say i enjoyed this book a lot. i really liked the multiple plots that we followed and how they came together in the end. the side characters were also a highlight. i found myself loving people and relationships that i didn’t even know were an option.

i will say there are a few things i still have questions about. i’m not sure if they were forgotten about, if maybe i just missed the implication that we’re supposed to know, or if they’re just loose ends that didn’t get tied up.

there were also a few character relationships that were more told than shown. i know one in particular was a surprise, which i ended up LOVING, but i was shocked there was no previous tension or hint of it in the past books. it had me thinking i missed something. nyxaris and florence’s relationship also felt very rushed to me, and i wish there would’ve been more development in his highblood form beforehand. the ending especially shocked me with how fast we moved.

i loved seeing blake and medra in this book. if i’m being honest, i wanted to see even more of them. i love a multi-pov, but i felt like they got pushed to the side a bit. i started this series hating blake, but ended up loving his character development. seeing them both so in love was so perfect and made me love them so much more. give me all the novellas of them!!

and this is where it gets tricky. absolutely devastated at the ending. when i tell you i turned the page at 95% and read “epilogue,” i was going to scream and throw my kindle. absolutely shaking with rage at work. i got war flashbacks to the plated prisoner series (iykyk). i also feel like the ending has the opportunity for a spinoff? i’m begging if it means a certain possibility.

while there were definitely some more answers needed, characters that deserved a better ending, and more screentime for characters i wanted, i still really enjoyed this book. also, while the diabolical ending will have me raging for months to come, i was very entertained and locked in the whole time. a few chapters had me giggling and kicking my feet so badly as well.

i hope to see more of these characters in the future!

thank you briar for sending me an e-arc and allowing me to be on the street team! ♥︎

“𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕. 𝒊 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓.”

[Yolanda · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

2.75 - ARC REVIEW

Firstly, thank you so much to Briar Boleyn for the opportunity to read an ARC of With Hearts of Flame. All opinions are completely my own.

I already know this may be a slightly controversial take, and based on the amount of 4 and 5 star reviews I’ve seen, I may very much be in the minority here. I genuinely hate giving this 2.75 stars because I’ve really enjoyed the Bloodwing Academy series, but unfortunately this finale just didn’t hit the way I expected it to.

After reading the prequel series and bridging novella, I was expecting an epic, emotional finale with huge battles and massive payoff. There were moments I enjoyed, but overall I finished feeling underwhelmed.

My biggest issue was that there simply wasn’t enough Medra and Blake. For the final book in their series, I wanted so much more focus on them, but with so many characters, POVs and storylines, they sometimes felt pushed to the side.

I also loathe to admit it…but I needed more Viktor. I really think his POV would have added so much more context and emotional weight. There was also a pretty significant moment involving Flo that I really wish we had experienced from her POV, rather than through another character.

Flo and Nyxaris felt a little strange to me at the beginning too, personally, some of it just felt too soon.

The “power triad” storyline unfortunately wasn’t for me either.

The journey to the dwarven city gave me slight Lord of the Rings vibes. Kazmyn also gave me Ridoc from Fourth Wing vibes, almost like he was there to be the funny member of the quest squad, but unfortunately a lot of the humour felt a little forced to me rather than naturally funny.

Rodriguez, however,absolute twat. Some very weird behaviour from that man.

I was glad to see Hawl again, and the mention of Lancelet being dropped somewhere else after she was meant to follow Hawl, immediately made me suspicious because…why mention her now?! Possible spin-off setup?

My biggest disappointment, though, was the emotional payoff. Some deaths happened incredibly quickly, while others felt almost skimmed over when I thought those characters deserved far more.

The ending should have destroyed me. I understood the prophecy and why everything happened, but I just didn’t feel there had been enough build-up for the sacrifice to hit emotionally the way it should have.

Then the epilogue introduced a trope that, personally, I really don’t think was needed.
There were still things I enjoyed,. I love this world, and I enjoyed seeing connections to the wider series, but after everything leading into this finale, I expected it to feel epic.Instead, I finished thinking......is that it?

I’d still recommend the Bloodwing Academy series, but for me this finale needed more emotional fallout and a much bigger payoff.

[acupofteaandabookplease · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I just love this series! Each book is just as gripping as the last, with a story that unfolds with great coherence and suspense throughout these four volumes. And this final volume is truly a little gem, thanks not only to Briar Boleyn’s fluid and enjoyable writing style but also to certain characters who gain more depth... what a rollercoaster of emotions to experience as this incredible adventure comes to an end! I’m really going to miss some of these characters… it goes without saying that if you enjoyed the first three volumes, you should definitely read this one as soon as possible!

[divyareads · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't care whatever the hell is going on here anymore. Not even blake & medra can make me continue this series anymore

WHAT IN THE EVER-LOVING MINDFUCKERY WAS THAT FLORENCE NYXARIS SITUATION??? I've always imagined Nyxaris as some cranky old man in his dragon form and now... ummmm... I don't know how to process this dynamic 😭 And Florence wanting to climb him like a fucking tree while EVERYTHING is going to shit??? Girlllll your land is burning, your friends are in danger and THIS is what's on your mind??? Okay, I get it. attraction and all, but the timing was so fucking weird. And the fact that Florence has been thinking about riding a dragon when he's literally in his animal form??? YIKES.!!!!!

THE MAGIC SYSTEM MAKES NO SENSE ANYMORE. Apparently you can have two mythical creatures in one body now? Vampires are turning into dragons and wolves and whatever else the plot needs them to be. A spirit can reclaim a dragon. Drinking fae blood can turn someone into a fae. Like??? Are we just making up new rules as we go along??? Because WHAT IS THE ACTUAL LOGIC HERE?

And the parallel storylines in THIS book and the previous one? WHERE DID THEY COME FROM??? There was barely any groundwork in the first two books to establish any of this, not even the slightest hint that these storylines were heading in this direction. They just appeared out of nowhere and we're expected to roll with it.

[Tyla 🧚 🗡️ ☠️ 🩸 🖤 · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC 3.5 ⭐
Breaks my heart this.
I love this series so much. I love Blake & Medra, books 1 & 2 I absolutely adored & flew through. Book 3 went into a different direction than I was expecting, thinking it was leading up to a big finish in book 4. I did enjoy this book there was lots going on. But it didn’t hit like I was expecting 😩
I’m not sure if the ending has been left open for another book, a novella, a spin off, series maybe?
I feel like I still have a lot of questions. A lot of things was brushed over. Because they’ve talked about so many different people & give so many POVS in this one & the last book, it’s taken a lot away from Medra & Blake & wasn’t long enough to give so much detail for so many people!!
I was expecting a really big dramatic ending, I was expecting to be heartbroken & it kind of fell a bit flat.
I do absolutely love these characters it hasn’t put me off the plot or the series as a whole. I just wish she’d write another one 😩😩😩😩😩

[Hallowyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋆｡°✩ ᴀʀᴄ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ✩°｡⋆

ᴛɪᴛʟᴇ : With Hearts of Flame
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ : Briar Boleyn
ꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅ: E-Book
ᴘᴀɢᴇ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 617
ᴀʀᴄ ꜱᴜᴘᴘʟɪᴇʀ : Author
ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ: 20th October 2026

I can’t believe it’s all over! What an incredible ride into Bloodwing Academy! I’m going to miss all the gang so much!

High Priestess Hallowyn you say?!?! EEEEK my name was used, what an utter honor 🥹 Thank you Briar for making a reader dream come true! 💕

Book 4 is filled with action and spice! A perfect combo I think! In this book relationships form, they grown and blossom into something I absolutely love! It doesn’t just focus on Medra and Blake anymore, everyone has a story to tell and it’s needed to create so much depth into the book!

I love how there is action going on in different places, not everything is always just happening with the ‘core two’ of the book. Everything that happens is essential to the ending and the ambiguity at the end of what really happened within the gang creates a realistic ending I think!

Medea and Blake are so perfect together, the way Blake now shows his vulnerable side but still have his snark and cockiness is just who he is suppose to be!

Florence and Nyxaris, EEEK! These two made me kick and scream Everytime they were on the page together! Florence being all shy and Nyx being bossy is everything! Pretty sure my brain just melted everytime Nyx was on page 🤣

Regan is my queen, I love her! Even though she has sent me on an emotional rollercoaster, I love her redemption arc! I love seeing her go from mean girl to one of the gang! I love how after everything she has been through her snarky personality shines through!

Kage and Lysander are so H O T ok? Anytime those two are in any action together I am melting!

Theo and Vaughn are not in the book as much as previous but I say that’s a good thing, I just want them two to be happy now!

Visha, she is so bad a s s and I adore her! I love her loyalty and her sharp banter with everyone!

We got to meet new characters in this book, Kazmyn being one of the and he was so funny 🤣 When he is talking to Visha I’m just cackling 🤣

HAWL! I can’t believe we get to see him again 🥹 The way he becomes attached to Neville is so cute!

Again it’s a bittersweet ending, and the fact Briar used my name in the book is one of the biggest honours of my life! I will treasure this book forever! Thank you for this journey Briar!

ALSO IM IN THE DEDICATIONS!!! WHAT AN ABSOLUTE HONOUR! I have never been so happy and I’m going to legitimately frame the page & first mention of Hallowyn 🥹🥹🥹

[Addie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

I have been a fan of Bloodwing Academy and the Blood of a Fae series since 2025. I was so looking forward to reading the last book and seeing how the puzzle pieces were going to fall into place in an epic conclusion.

I’ve always enjoyed Medra’s character. The found family was cute and the fluffin of course is again my favorite.

What I struggled with was the writing and the pacing. I was left confused at times and it was very hard to keep track of the different POV’s with a different character and location each chapter. I was not as connected to the characters in this final book and was unfortunately disappointed in the ending as well as some huge events and tropes that I felt were unnecessary. Overall I was sadly underwhelmed.

I do think this is a good series as I truly enjoyed all of the other books before this. Unique world, vampires, fae, interconnected storylines. This one just missed the mark for me.

[BiblioSizzle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final Bloodwing Academy books had a lot to accomplish and to wrap up. The end of the third book left us in absolute chaos with the city in ruins, Florence and Regan captured, and Blake running off in despair after a botched attempt to rid himself of his dragon.

I enjoyed the call back to Medra’s beginnings and the tie in to Briar’s related series. I enjoyed Regan’s redemption and the triad that formed between her, Kage, and Lysander. It was interesting to get to see the Dwarves more and to learn about their part in all of this.

Critically, I think that this book did what a lot of fantasy series’ do – rush the ending to wrap everything up neatly. I do wish that the series would have been plotted out more ahead of time to help the pacing at the end. Blake’s eventual love of Medra was such a quick 180 turn around and I would have liked to spend some more time with that struggle.

I adore Briar’s writing and I think that this is overall a five-star series. However, this wasn’t my favorite book in the series and I found my attention wandering quite a bit.

READ IT IF… 🔥
You think vampires are sexy and you like your fantasy dark and heavy on the romance. You enjoy an academic setting, and a chaotic plot.

[Ashley Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t quite believe this series is over 💔 I am unwell! All 4 books have been an absolute masterpiece for me - I will never stop shouting about this series ❤️

The previous 3 books set everything up for an epic conclusion. This book was fast paced however a little too fast at times - I would have loved more detail and time for certain aspects. There could have easily been an extra 100 pages+ to include everything that felt missing. Although I loved the multi POV, I do wish there was more Blake and Medra. The power triad was quite a surprise but very welcomed 👀 i can’t say very much about this book without giving away spoilers. The action just never stopped - I could barely breathe for the entire book. The story wrapped up nicely after a rollercoaster ride. But I am genuinely sad to be at the end of Blake and Medra’s story. I’d love to see some spin offs from this world with certain characters - there’s definitely a story or two to be told.

Thank you Briar for this incredible journey and allowing me to be part of your street team and giving us the chance to read this early. I can’t wait to see what you cook up next 🫶

[Ky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can’t believe Bloodwing is over! Blake and Medra are truly one of my favorite fantasy couples ever and I absolutely loved the growth we got to see from them over four books. Both individually and in their relationship they made such progress and beautiful development. That was the highlight of the series for me and I will always look back on it fondly especially the first two books for introducing me to them! 🥹

This final book I had no idea what to expect after book 3. Both the plot and the relationships went in so many different directions that really surprised me! It’s hard to review without spoiling anything but we got a lot more lore about the dragons and insight into the world in general. There were multiple relationship developments that I never saw coming and still for sure trying to wrap my head around if you know you know 👀 haha. The ending had me pacing, stressed and very curious if this would lead to another spin off as there are still some things I would love answered.

Thank you to The Hive and Briar’s street team for the advanced copy!

[Kenz✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe this series is ending 😭 this installment has a lot of character growth, grieving and overcoming trauma, blossoming relationships, and getting revenge over those who caused severe abuse. I felt quite emotional reading it knowing it was the end, but also for several of the losses we faced. the final scenes were so bittersweet, especially with how attached I had become to the triad throughout this book.

while the first two books of this series focused heavily on Medra & Blake, we really got to see more from Florence and Regan, which I personally LOVED. despite all the shifts in POV, it was easy to track the plot even if all the characters weren’t in the same places. it kept the story fast paced and had me on edge what would happen next.

I absolutely swooooooned over all the declarations of love and how these characters were able to find goodness and hope while going through dark and turbulent times. while I loved all the romantic connections, I felt extra connected to the friendships forged between the women. despite their pasts and differences, they came together to eliminate a common enemy, and while doing so, realized they are more alike than they had ever imagined. going through similar traumas and survival mechanisms may have initiated the bonds, but at the end of the day, their relationships were so much more.

another favorite component of this story for me was the fluffins. those cute little creatures have more strength, tenacity, and fearlessness than so many of the characters in this world. I only wish they were real!

the epilogue gave us a solid insight into where the characters have ended up after the war, but left enough open for a potential novella or spin off. I REALLY hope this is the case because I would love to see Blake and Medra with her family.

this book is perfect for those who love:
✨ romantasy
✨ strong FMCs
✨ dark academia & war colleges
✨ bonded mates
✨ dragons & shifters & vampires
✨ found family
✨ taking back power from abusers

thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you complete a god-tier series? Just ask Briar Boleyn.

Briar Boleyn has officially cemented herself as a forever favorite author of mine. She has built a spectacular world and a storyline that will stay with me and I look forward to rereading it and finding more hidden in the pages and storylines that I probably missed this first time around. I am in complete awe of her writing and her ability to draw readers in, keeping us utterly obsessed with these characters from the very first page to the very last line.

The Bloodwing Academy series is easily one of the best out there. What stands out the most is that there is not a single moment of filler across any of these books. Instead, the universe continually expands, and the character arcs naturally deepen alongside the high stakes, keeping you entirely engaged.

While I sincerely hope we get more stories from this universe—especially with some character updates—if I never read another word from this world, I would still cross the finish line completely satisfied with this ending. With Hearts of Flame will make you laugh, cry, and feel every single emotion humanly possible. You will not finish this book unscathed, but you will be profoundly grateful for the journey.

Thank you to Briar Boleyn and MIRA for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Podium for the ALC. I plan to listen to the story ASAP for my first official re-read.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨𝒜𝑅𝒞 & 𝒜𝐿𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨
📖🎧: With Hearts of Flame (Bloodwing Academy, 4)
🎙️: Hannah Hedley, Justin Hill, Persephone Lee, Olivia Wright, Brandon Marlowe

Duty, redemption, vengeance and the prophecy come to a head. The fate of Sangratha hangs in the balance in the conclusion to the Bloodwing Academy series.

Series Tropes:
🎙️Multi POV
🏫Dark academia
⚠️Enemies to lovers
🩶Morally grey MCs
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒Found family
🐉Vampires, Dragons, Dragon Riders
🌶️Open door

Briar brilliantly melds Medra’s past, present, and her fate as more of the prophecy looms. These narrators breathe life into each character, skillfully channeling layered and emotionally-charged performances. I felt the weight of the prophecy, their heartache, and their determination.

These different romantic storylines were everything!
The MMCs are possessive, protective, and so down bad for their women. Each character has captured my heart throughout the series even as Briar proceeded to rip my heart out.

In With Hearts of Flame, Briar unleashes an epic and electrifying finale to the series. Prepare for high-stakes, scorching romances, and heartbreak. Dark academia romantasy lovers, this is for you! If you haven’t read the Blood of a Fae series yet, I highly recommend them for full emotional impact.

So grateful to the author, Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA books, The Hive, and Podium for the review copies. This is my honest and voluntary review

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book had me completely hooked start to finish! This series just got better and better! There was so much happening on all fronts and I loved getting the extra pov’s. I even fell in love with characters that I never thought I would in the start of this series. And some of their stories brought the tears on for sure! It all wrapped up so nicely. Even though this is the last book in the series I am hoping that we may still get more Medra and Blake in future books.

Thank you to the author and HTP Books for the advanced copy and Podium for the audiobook.

[Tonya’s life in pages 📖🍓 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early Arc Review

Queen B…what have you done to me with this series and this final book!?!

This book quite literally fried my brain in the best way possible. The plot be plotting!!

The twists. The turns. The highs. The lows. The end.
I fear I won’t recover from this.

I am so sad to have this journey come to an end but what a ride it’s been.

Dragons, Vampires, Wolves, Fluffins, Fae, this series has something for everyone who loves Romantasy. I feel like I’m leaving some of my besties behind with the wrap up of book 4.

So a big shout out to Briar and an even bigger thank you for the Arc and for sharing this realm and these characters with your readers. It’s been a heart thumping, mind racing, sweaty palm, screaming out loud, inner dialogue evoking awesome time!

I can’t wait for the book you give us and look forward to the ride it will take me on. I know it will be brilliant!

[Brooke Thacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I’ve been looking forward to since finishing book 3! I love this series so much and I am really bummed to say this one didn’t hit the mark for me.

Would I still recommend the series? Absolutely.

I love Briars writing! The first three books are incredible! And this one isn’t bad it just wasn’t for me.

Maybe mild spoilers if continued reading..
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A big relationship was changed out of no where and that’s where I first started to lose interest. It didn’t fit the story and seemed to be thrown in to check a box. If it had been sprinkled in throughout the series and hinted at then I would’ve been more for it.

Because of that it made me not interested in these characters chapters which was a big portion of the book.

I thought I would be VERY intrigued to see how Florence and Nyxaris could be together but it just made me cringe reading their moment. I’m not against them at all but it felt rushed and not a good build up.

Medra and Blake didn’t have me excited and giddy reading their chapters and moments like in the previous books.

I still love and adore Fluffins. The cutest additions to this story!

Overall this just didn’t go in the directions I thought it should and was an okay read instead of being a 5 star read.

[Paige Wuerdemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to say a massive, massive thank you to Briar Boleyn, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of With Hearts of Flame. I've been on this journey since I discovered On Wings of Blood when it was indie published and was super privileged to be on this journey since discovering her. I screamed a little when I found out I would have the privilege to ARC read this series again for the last book.

It's honestly bittersweet knowing that we've reached the end of the Bloodwing Academy books and I won't be getting new books in this series. Due to this it's taken me a few days to write my review because I had to sit with all of my emotions after finishing this one.

I will recommend reading not only the Blood of a Fae series before diving into this last book, but also the novella From Blood to Blossoms. It'll tie everything together nicely and if you're looking for a recommended reading order, definitely check out Briar's Instagram post about it!

Through this series, we've definitely had character growth, not just from characters you were expecting- but all of them. Be prepared to feel a wide range of emotions while reading the last book and definitely have the tissues close by, and don't be like me and read certain parts at work that will cause you to be an emotional mess.

While I'm sad that this is over, I'm super excited to see what comes next from Briar. I also cannot wait to do a reread of both of these series!

[Michelle (easy.vesey.reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"From the beginning until the end, you are it for me. You alone, for all my days." ♥️

This review is so hard for me to write because I loved books 1-2 so much, but books 3-4 just didn't live up to my expectations. Blake and Medra are my favorite relationship that has come from this series, but it felt like they took a major back seat in this book. And it's so surprising to me because this is the final book and I was expecting so much more!! Plot wise, I feel like almost nothing happened for the majority of the book. I know one relationship is going to piss people off for certain reasons I can't mention without spoiling. The spicy scene with Florence in the beginning was super cringe I almost DNF'ed the book right then and there. I truly feel like this book was just all over the place. I do feel like we got a solid ending but the build up to it was just underwhelming. I also feel like the spark and everything I loved from books 1-2 were lost in this one! Even though I didn't love this book as much as I hoped, Blake and Medra will still go down as one of my favorite romantasy couples!

Thank you so much to Briar Boleyn, HTP Hive, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

[Kyli · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓹𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮… 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓱𝓮𝓻.

I still can’t quite believe we’ve reached the end of Bloodwing Academy :’)  I’m going to miss my pathetic, yearning, tortured soul Blake sfm

“𝓘 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓹 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓘 𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓿𝓮 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓕𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓮𝓷𝓭, 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓲𝓽 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝓮. 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓮, 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝔂 𝓭𝓪𝔂𝓼. 𝓝𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓷𝓸 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓮𝓵𝓼𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓬𝓵𝓪𝓲𝓶 𝓶𝓮.”

Just gonna give a PSA right now, don’t read this in public unless you’re okay with blushing beet red and sweating because girlies, there is a certain scene that had me doing precisely those things.

“𝓘 𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓘 𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓻. 𝓘 𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽.“

Blake’s inner dialogue had me loling a lot, like how is he such a comedian but like unintentionally??

“𝓓𝓸𝓷’𝓽 𝓭𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽. 𝓘’𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝔂 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓪𝓻𝓴𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓜𝔂 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓭𝓲𝓭𝓷’𝓽 𝓯𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓱.“

I loved Medra’s love and encouragement for Blake. She was really his number one cheerleader (while still humbling him ofc)

I liked how this wrapped up for the most part, especially because I feel like if Briar ever wanted to revisit this world and some characters I feel like she could! (But that’s just my interpretation and possibly wishful thinking oof)

There was something that happened that was sad, but it had the potential to be soul crushing and emotionally devastating if there had been some more background for it in the previous books. 

Big huge thank you to Briar & team and Harlequin for the arc!

[Erika | ErikasLiteraryLabryinth · Rating 5 out of 5]

You guys, this is such a bittersweet moment for me! I started my Bookstagram journey reading the Blood of a Fae series which is where Medra as a character was introduced and now she’s has her own completed quartet 😭! I’m going to be kicking and screaming that it’s not over for awhile cause I don’t believe this is the last we will see of these characters by a long-shot and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐬, 𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥.

If you, like me, DREAD the end of the series because then it will be over, please come join my delusional fan club where we will all see our fave characters very soon. It was then MUCH easier to absorb the story and see our fave characters continue their evolution and journeys to save the world and each other. Everyone absolutely shined in this book and (while I stay delusional) wrapped up their journeys nicely. The audio is great for immersive or first time reading, the narrators killed it!

“𝐖𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨.”

I don’t want to say too much because its the last book, but if you were looking forward to it you won’t be disappointed, and if you have started yet then what are you waiting for!

If you like
❤️‍🔥 Fae, Vampires and Dragons
🐉 Prophecies and High Stakes
❤️‍🔥 Fated Mates
🐉 Touch Her and Die X 3
❤️‍🔥 Class Divide
🐉 Found Family

Then you are going to love this one! I can’t wait to see what happens next! Thank you again to Briar Boleyn and Podium for the advanced e-copy and audio, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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