Matharu created a captivating world with diverse characters, a unique and creative magic system, and all wrapped up in his imaginative storytelling.

The beginning sets up the world with bursts of action to keep the storyline organically flowing. I was so intrigued by the soul-bonding element.
I liked the two main characters Jai and Freida and their lowborn relationship. It was neat to go on Jai's journey as his character grew. Freida had a mystery surrounding her and hopefully we'll learn more about her in the next book. And I have to say, I loved Winter.

In this epic fantasy there's empires, dangerous territories, revenge, dragons and diverse creatures, politics, royal dominance, magic, and plenty of adventure.

This being my first Matharu book, I really enjoyed it. Of course, I would've liked to see some more romance woven throughout. This is the first book, which sets up the foundation for future books. And while I did struggle a little with the pacing here and there, the story itself kept me reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the eArc of this book in exchange for my honest review

The magic system in this book was thoroughly unique. It involves diving into this well of magic inside of yourself that you can only expand with perseverance and exhausting yourself. Of course this book revolves an epic quest, journeying across basically the whole map. Dragons are amazing predators, and magic is a great tool. Not so much when they're young.

This wound up being a book I did not download or read, simply because I had an unexpected death in my immediate family, that really hit hard and I was not doing any reading at the time. Apologies to NetGalley and the publisher for this one.

I have heard nothing but great things, and was really pumped because I am a dragon fien - this had maybe a touch too descriptive of writing for me. I found myself pulled out of the story sometimes, but I also understand the need to lay ground work - I will still be returning for book 2

Ended up not finishing this, it wasn't engaging me and keeping my interest. It has an interesting premise but I didn't find any of the characters keeping my interest outside of Leonid and then he died.

I would like to first thank you for the opportunity to read and review this story. I had trouble with this one and I think it might be due to a known personal bias. I cannot find myself enjoying a story where the disparaging and obscene term for a female -"c*nt"- is used and in this story it seems that is the primary method in which this kingdom address it's females. Again, It is probably just me but it kept taking me out of the story and I will not be continuing with the series.

Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu is a captivating fantasy adventure that completely swept me into its world from the first page. As a fan of both fantasy and epic quests, this book was a perfect escape, filled with thrilling action, intriguing characters, and, of course, dragons.

The story follows a young boy named Cade, who unexpectedly becomes involved in a mission that could change everything for the world he lives in. Cade’s journey is one of self-discovery and bravery, and I found myself rooting for him as he faced challenges and learned more about his own strengths. The character development was one of my favorite aspects of the book – seeing Cade grow and overcome his fears made me invested in his journey.

The dragons in this book were absolutely amazing, and Taran Matharu did such a great job bringing them to life. The bond between Cade and the dragon, Taryn, was one of the highlights of the story. Their relationship felt special and unique, and I loved how it evolved over the course of the book. The interactions between Cade, Taryn, and the other characters were full of heart, humor, and emotional depth, which made the adventure all the more engaging.

Matharu’s world-building is also something that really stood out to me. The author created a rich and immersive world, with fantastical creatures, magical realms, and a deep history that made the story feel expansive and real. It was easy to get lost in the world of Dragon Rider and I loved every moment of it.

Overall, Dragon Rider is a fantastic fantasy novel that is perfect for readers who enjoy magic, dragons, and character-driven adventures. It’s a perfect blend of action, heart, and wonder, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new fantasy series to dive into. It’s a book that I’ll definitely be thinking about long after finishing it.

Did I fall in love with the endless world-building? Yes, I did. That's the best part in reading fantasy books. However, I found the romance a bit lacking. I didn't feel the connection. Hopefully, it gets better as the series goes on. I do wish that we get a bit more from the main character.

"Dragon Rider" by Taran Matharu is a very nice start to a brand new dragon fantasy series! It did not wow me in any particular way but it is just the first book in the series. Matharu is laying the groundwork of the world, which he did a great job of. If you like dragons, definitely check this one out! I am interested to see what the sequel brings.

Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu is a fast paced, imaginative, and thrilling fantasy novel. I loved the premise of the book, especially the quest aspect. I was engaged and entertained the whole time while reading. The world building was very rich and creative. I'm excited to see what comes next. Thank you for the opportunity!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This was a very enjoyable read for me, anything with dragons is a win for me!

It took me a minute to fully grasp the world building but once I did it really started to pick up for me. I also love love love books with political intrigue and found this to be my favorite aspect of the book!

This was fun. I love dragons so I knew I would love this one. Highly recommend for FOURTH WING fans.

Jai has been held as a prisoner for his entire life. He was separated from his family and his brothers are serving their home court. When their court is overthrown, Jai escapes with a dragon egg and a handmaiden. They plan to make the journey together then split off on their own journies at the end.

There was a lot of fun magic and I loved the parts with the dragons. The pacing was not for me, I felt incredibly engaged during certain parts then found myself wondering when certain parts would end. The book was just so long and I felt it could have been shorter and still had an amazing impact. I did listen to part of it on audio since I was late reviewing the ebook arc and enjoyed the narrator!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Taran Matharu, and Harper Voyager for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on April 23rd.

i'm so sorry. i tried, but i couldn't get through this. such a slow start and it felt like the writing was dense but didn't actually explain much. hard to grasp the story and i'm not patient enough for this kind of narrative.

This is an Epic Fantasy, which is not my usual genre. It took around 100 pages to get myself into the book, but I think it is just not what I usually read. The world building is confusing, but overall interesting. There was also good political intrigue, which is not common! The writing is quite descriptive, so I was quite mesmerized with the content.

There were a lot of great things to love about this book. The magic system is intriguing, and having the bond with an animal is a solid staple of the genre. I liked the interaction between the characters and some of the things that happened there (won't say any more to not spoil things).

The piece keeping it from five stars is that it felt a lot of the action happened to the main character, as opposed to the him and the group driving the action themselves. If I were to summarize the book, there were a lot of plot points, but somehow it felt like I was being led on but there wasn't enough substance. I'll 100% be reading book 2 and hope it hits a quicker pace now that a lot of the worldbuilding is out of the way, plus I'll read anything Taran Matharu writes so...that was a given anyways.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the chance to read the e-arc of Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu.

I will start by saying that I was not totally engaged until about halfway through. The book is a bit slow at first, but the short chapter structure made it easier to push on. I also liked the main character, Jai, and became invested in his story and growth. I was glad that he was a character who faced challenges in his arc and his background made you root for him. His bond with his dragon was not due to hereditary power or being trained but rather felt more natural than other stories I have read recently. I also liked that he was not portrayed as “perfect” in his motivations and actions as his story develops. This made him a more endearing character to me. I felt that the author did a good job of developing the magic system and locations for the action. I would look forward to reading more stories set in this world.
4/5 star read

this one was unfortunately a DNF, i couldn’t connect to the characters. the structure & phrasing was a bit confusing to me and didn’t catch my interest.

This is a fat book, and perhaps that’s because it’s Matharu’s adult debut and he felt he had the luxury of length that he might not have in YA books. That said, I read the whole thing in under four hours. That’s how quick a read this book is. And yet it felt like a lot of nothing happened in those pages, and like the book could have been much better had it been shorter and tighter. In fact, I know it could have been because it was essentially a cultivation/LitRPG novel with a more diverse cast of characters, and the majority of cultivation novels I’ve read have been very short. They also tend to get as many sequels as they need, and while Dragon Rider is obviously setting up a sequel, I doubt Matharu’s going to be permitted to continue the series for more than three or four volumes. Even if he is, I won’t be reading them. Cultivation novels aren’t my cup of tea, even if you jazz them up with political intrigue (of which there is disappointingly little; other reviews implied there would be lots of clever politicking and…I didn’t see any of it?) and soulbonded beasties.