Book Title: Unbound (Confluence Academy Book #1)
Author: Penelope Bloom
Genre: Fantasy
Target Audience: New Adult
Publication date: 27th May 2025
Format: Kindle
What it’s about
Nineteen-year-old Nessa Thorne expects death when she volunteers for Empire’s selection. Instead,she’s thrust into Confluence Academy, where students harness elemental magic and bond powerful beasts-from wolves to ancient dragons-forging themselves into the Empire’s most lethal weapons.
Students are branded by water, air, earth, or fire. But Nessa’s mark is different. A silver spiral-the mark of an unbound. It’s a power so dangerous her kind were hunted to extinction centuries ago-or so the Empire claims.
To survive, she must hide what she is in a castle that reeks of blood, where students kill each other for advantage and failing to tether an elemental means death.
Nessa’s greatest threat may be the only other volunteer-Raith Hollow, a powerful fire affinity whose scorching gaze follows her every move and whose secrets could topple kingdoms.
Alliances are forged in blood, enemies circle like vultures, and forbidden desires close in. Death once seemed like release from her tragic past. Now it’s not an option. Shell embrace her terrible potential or watch everything she’s fought for burn.
At Confluence Academy, students leave as weapons… or they don’t leave at all.
What to A delicious slow burn romance as dangerous as the magic? Check. A final line readers are saying will haunt you for weeks? Double check. An ending that will leave you desperate for book 2? Absolutely.
Author
USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Charts Bestselling author Penelope Bloom is taking her first flight into romantasy- and yes, there are dragons. After years of contemporary romance, she’s temporarily trading meet-cutes for magical academies and coffee shops for castles that reek of blood. She promises the banter is just as sharp, but now it comes with deadly consequences.
Fun fact: “Penelope Bloom” started as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the family dog, Penelope–never meant to be anything serious. But then the books took off, and the name stuck. Behind the scenes, Penelope Bloom is actually a husband-and-wife team. He handles the writing; she edits, helps with brainstorming, and runs the reader-facing side of things (like social media and messages). So if you’ve chatted with “Penelope” online, you’ve likely been talking to her-with the author chiming in whenever needed. Together, they’ve built the voice readers know and love.
What I Thought
When I first picked up Unbound, I was intrigued. The synopsis promised everything I love in a romantasy: dragons, dangerous trials, a heroine with a rare and forbidden power, and a slow-burn romance set against the backdrop of a brutal academy. On paper, it sounded like my perfect read.
We follow Nessa Thorne, a nineteen-year-old who volunteers for the Empire’s selection, expecting death, only to end up at Confluence Academy, a place where students are branded by elemental powers and bonded to beasts from wolves to ancient dragons. But Nessa is different. Her mark, a silver spiral, brands her as unbound, a power the Empire claims was hunted to extinction. Hiding what she is becomes a matter of survival.
Then there’s Raith Hollow, the only other volunteer, a powerful fire affinity whose gaze follows Nessa everywhere. Add in the constant shadow of Malaki, the manipulative antagonist pulling strings in the background, and the stage is set for betrayal, forbidden desire, and deadly rivalries.
And yet… the execution didn’t land for me at first.
The early chapters felt too familiar. Academy trials, elemental branding, dragons, and it read very much like Fourth Wing’s echo. I found myself impatient, waiting for the story to find its unique identity. It wasn’t until around the 75–80% mark that things really started to click. Suddenly, the action sharpened, the stakes rose, and the tension between Nessa and Raith finally began to deliver. Malaki’s presence as antagonist added the weight I’d been waiting for, and the final stretch raced by in comparison to the slog of the beginning.
The romance? Definitely a slow burn. The chemistry between Nessa and Raith is teased throughout the book, but doesn’t truly ignite until late on. If you love that drawn-out tension, this will work for you. For me, it bordered on too slow, leaving me craving an earlier payoff.
By the end, though, I was hooked. The last chapters are gripping, and the final line? It hit. I understand why readers say it lingers. It sets up book two with a haunting punch that almost made me forgive the slow start.
Final Thoughts:
Unbound has all the elements of a great fantasy romance: beasts, magic, politics, and a dangerous love story. But the pacing is uneven, and it takes too long to find its stride. If you enjoy slow burns and don’t mind a patient build, you’ll likely enjoy this more than I did. For me, it was a decent ride with a strong finish, but one I had to fight to stay invested in until the very end.
Star Rating
Have you read Unbound? Let me know in the comments
Laura's Literary Loves 