In Taran Matharu’s tale of a future Dragon Rider (hard from Harper Voyager) magic is utilized by those who are soulbound to an animal. Sabine has been slowly conquering the kingdoms around it. Jai of the Steppefolk is a royal hostage who acts as a nurse to the aging first Emperor. The imperial heir is engaged to Princess Erica of Dansk, the only country known to have soulbounded to dragons. An evil plot sees lots of dignitaries murdered at the wedding, including Jai’s older brothers. In escaping, Jai hides in a dragon’s corpse and discovers a hidden dragon egg which he helps hatch and somehow bonds to the young dragon he calls winter. Soon Jai and Erica’s handmaiden, Frida, are on the run looking for safety. This is an intense adventure where Jsi has to face horrible tortures including being hung from a pole to die, while he learns the magic he now has to. I couldn’t put the book down and look eagerly to the next part of the tale.

Ooh, this was a very promising start to a new adult fantasy series! I definitely liked the first 25-30% best, and definitely felt the middle/end dragged and could have benefited from some editing, BUT I was still hooked and read this way faster than I would normally read an almost 600 page adult fantasy.

If you love dragons and are okay with some horrifying violence - this is for you!

This is a fantasy/dragon book that deserves more hype. Insta and TikTok should be all over this but yet I've heard nothing?! I received an e-arc but once the book was published I immediately went out and bought a physical copy, I need the trophy sitting on my future bookshelf.

When I saw how long the book was I was a bit concerned that the world building portion would be boring, sometimes my mind will tend to drift during this portion of larger fantasy novels, but I am pleased to say that didn't happen with this book.

And the twist that came at the end? *Chefs kiss* Normally I can predict things like that but I didn't here and it made this read that much more enjoyable.

And not to be dramatic but I would die for Winter (Jai's, the MMC, baby dragon).

I will be very patiently & eagerly anticipating the next installment.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperVoyager for providing an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a journey! I am a dragon girly, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise that if you give me a story with dragons AND soul bonding, I am going to get hooked. At times I thought the pacing was a bit slow, but all in all I really enjoyed this one. I am excited to see where this story goes.

3.5⭐️

Such a good start to a fantasy series! I really enjoyed the politics, how brutal this was, and the discussion on the theme of colonialism.

However some of the language used in this did not fit the tone of the book. Like why is “fart” and “arsewipe” used in this incredibly brutal book. It was not funny to me at all and took me out of the story, but alas I am not a man.

Still enjoyed this tho and would consider continuing this series!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for my review.

The first time I tried to read this I gave up at CH5. The second I was intrigued from the start. Must have been just one of those days. Good adventure and magic story. Not sure why but I really like Rufus and Winter is just adorable. I guessed the secret almost from the start. Of course it ends on a cliffhanger.

This book gets rounded up just for the entertainment and how quickly I binged through it! This book had its problems. I was not blind to the way the author wrote women characters (a usual occurrence with the male gaze), and the way the naive MC, our young sheltered boy, was able to do everything in extreme abilities and quickness. It just wasn't feasible in the sense that he's weak and barely surviving in one instance, but then learns and is able to evolve fast without much help. We have the typical Hero character that grows faster than the rest of the world (I'm special trope).

A lot of other side characters were there just as place holders. Building up their storyline just to be killed in the next chapter. Not that they would be missed, but too much time was spent on them in my opinion, without any reward in the end.

As a lot of other reviewers have said, the pacing was weird. Sometimes spent too much time on certain political explanations, or world building, or just being stuck in one place for way too long.. it felt very back and forth. Though the ending was easier and faster to consume and get through.

I'm sure there are more plot holes in this book that when you slow down and look at closer just don't make sense. But overall an entertaining plot and story built on revenge, colonization, secret royalty, and the hero troped. Im intrigued to see where this story goes, and how Jai will get on with the dragons.

I have yet to finish this, it’s honestly hard to. It’s extremely misogynistic and grotesque. I’m fine with violence and gore in a book but this pushed the limits. If the point of the book isn’t to fight the misogyny then why is it there?

Wow!! Incredible beginning to a new saga! I found this book pulled me in from the first chapter, I had to find out what was going to happen. I LOVE political intrigue and unique magic systems so this book was PERFECT for me. Also, dragons. I seriously have no criticisms for this book. The characters feel real and fleshed out, partly because they just go through so MUCH. The story moves along quickly, I was able to finish this book in a day.

Jai is a prisoner who has been servant to the old emperor, whom killed his father, for most of his life. Living at the Sabine Court, he’s caretaker and a sort of companion to the former emperor, Leonid. His older brothers are also prisoners, but they serve as companions to Prince Titus, the current emperor’s son. Emperor Constantine has arranged a marriage between his son and the princess of the Dansk kingdom, dragon riders, to broker peace and add their soulbond dragons to their gryphon riders. The elderly former emperor asks Jai to keep an eye on the Dansk while they are staying at the palace. Things get chaotic and Jai escapes with his life and a Dansk handmaiden..

This is a rich and epic story and I cannot wait for the next installment. This was my first book by Matharu but I can’t wait to read more from this author. Definitely a 5 star read for me. Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Voyager for my ARC copy!

I completely loved Taran Matharu’s writing style! I loved the level of detail in the world building and the characters. I thought overall that the book was really interesting, especially the first 1/3rd of the book. There were some plot points I didn’t see coming and others that were predictable. I won’t say what for sake of avoiding spoilers.

Dragon Rider has politics, dragons, magic, and so much more! We follow Jai as he escapes his servitude with the emperor. The very one who kills his father. In his escape, he runs into Frida (the princess’s handmaiden) and they go on this entire escape journey together. I would say that a majority of the book takes place in the woods/forest with them on the run. I felt like this part was entirely drawn out and slow.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed it as a whole! I think it’s perfect for those who are looking for a story with dragons and politics without the romance.

Let me preface this by saying that I like to go into a lot of the books I read almost completely blind - I base what I like to read off of the cover art and the title. So going into Dragon Rider, I wasn't 100% sure what to expect except there would be some dragon riding.

There wasn't very much dragon riding in this book. (Ha-Ha)

On a more serious note, the world building for this book is attempted to be spread throughout which helps easing into the world, but the first 1/3 of the book was a little difficult to get through. I never considered not continuing to read as I know with high fantasy, sometimes theres a lot of dense world building and back stories to build before you can get to the nice juicy bits. Once you hit roughly 30-35% into the book, it starts to take off. It wasn't anything that blew my mind and made me super excited to read but it still held my attention and I wanted to know what would happen next and where our characters would go and what they would do.

Dragon Rider follows Jai, a royal Steppeman who has been taken hostage by the enemy along with his brothers. They are raised in the Sabine court as - basically - servants. Chaos ensues when the prince of the Sabine is set to marry the princess of the dragon riders - the Dansk. Jai finds himself in a precarious situation in which he must escape with the Dansk princess's handmaiden. A dragon hatching is stolen (rightfully obtained, if you ask me) somewhere along the way, and Jai and Frida are hunted by the Sabine.

Dragon Rider was a good read, but not one I would recommend to everyone. While I have my reservations about the book, I am excited to see where Jai and Frida end up in the next book!

I wish there was a little more romance but fourth wing lovers would definitely enjoy Dragon rider! The short chapters also helped with the pacing of the story!

This book was great! It had everything that I was looking for in the time that I read it. Great world building and character development was on point! I would recommend this book and look forward to the next one!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this e-ARC! I do my reviews on my social media platforms. I am currently working on getting through my reviews so stay tuned! Leaving a rating as a placeholder for me and to not effect the books rating in order to post this. Thanks again!

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, though all thoughts are my own.

This book has an interesting storyline, and I couldn't resist since I knew there would be at least one Dragon in the story. What I was expecting was some of the twists, nor just how intense it would be at times, but I think it added more intrigue to the story.

I loved the mythology mentioned particularly the mythical creatures like the Dragons, Griffins, and Phoenixes. The last two were mentioned, but they haven't appeared in this storyline so far.

I adore Winter the Dragon, who is equal parts stubborn, brave, and for sure, someone you want on your side.

I also adore Navi, who is such a brave and loyal companion.

I'm really curious to hopefully learn more about Jai's heritage and his bond with Winter.

I'm looking forward to continuing this series, and I'm excited to see if more mythical creatures appear, plus more adventures with Winter!

Trigger warnings: death of people, death of animals, murder, poisoning, disease, forced servitude, war, kidnapping, torture, regicide

I was a bit disappointed with this one...

First what I liked. The writing flows well enough. It's not flowery, what I think helps a lot in the first book in a fantasy series. The worldbuilding is well done; I really got a feel for the different cultures in the world and how the world works. I really liked the idea of bonding with the magical creature and everything realted to that: how it works, what happens to the human, and the communication and link between the human and the creature.

Unfortunately, that was it.

There were a couple of "plot twists" that were just so obvious. The first one, the reader knows it's going to happen and it takes so long for the "betrayal" to happen. I think the second one that comes by the end of the book related to one of the friends of the main character was especially clear since the beginning. And how it was set up, it was to be a big moment for the reader as well. But I just felt that I was just waiting for the main character to catch up. And the pacing is so wonky: in some parts is just so slow (and I like slow books) and in others it was so fast.

There are things that just don't make sense but are just too spoiler-y to talk about (a certain hidden army for example, and the placid reaction to the warning of a potential betrayal and so many other instances). But they have to happen for the book to move along. But it doesn't make sense. If to further the story, the book needs a bunch of coincidences and bad decision making from the characters to work, the story is just not well plotted in my opinion.

The characters aside from Jai are just there to boost his journey. We have the characters that we know when introduced are gonna die (the nice, extremely supportive ones), the "unlikely" mentor, and the love interest. That character is the most disappointing to me; supposedly she has some agency but we never see it. Her beauty is ALWAYS talked about, even after a really traumatic event. But we really don't know anything else about her: just that she is beautiful and a good fighter (and we don't even see her fighting that much, maybe once?!).

By the end, this book was so meh, and with such a cool magic system, that is a huge let down.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

I really loved this book. This reminded me of Eragon but much darker. I love Winter so much and the bond between characters, the banter between Jai and Frida is great. Overall amazing book.

I’d like to give a shout out to the publisher, Harper Voyager, who sent an advanced reader copy of this week’s read, Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu, in exchange for an unbiased review.
Jai is a young hostage of the Roman Empire… Oops, I mean, Sabine Empire. His father led a war against this ever expanding juggernaut, but lost and was executed. Jai now finds himself the personal hospice nurse to the retired emperor that personally murdered his dad. But hey, he’s only got like a few more years till he’s old enough to return home and live a long happy life. Just as long as nothing crazy happens, like a coup.
So a coup happens, and Jai is forced to flee for his life. In the process of bravely running away he accidentally bonds with a dragon and meets up with a totally-not-a-viking named Frida. Together they travel across the empire seeking safety and to give Jai a chance to figure out what his new dragon friend can do.
I absolutely loved the first third of this book. Jai has this interestingly weird complicated relationship with the retired emperor. Like, Jai hates him for all the evil that he did while emperor (i.e., lots of slavery and murder), but also he’s the closest thing Jai has to a dad. So there’s these whiplash moments where Jai thinks “I want you dead” immediately followed by “Senpai noticed me!”
Just exploring these daddy issues was fascinating. Also seeing Jai trying to fit into the Sabine Empire. The world building is Roman history with SPQR filed off, but it gets the job done. Jai has depth in his character as he dances around the court intrigue, trying to hold onto his culture even though he barely remembers it, and also fit in so that his life will be easier.
Then Matharu takes this beautifully tragic and intriguing plot line and forces it into a Dragonball Z shaped hole. That’s the original sin of progression and cultivation, you got to explain in massive detail the magic system. So suddenly, just as things are getting interesting the entire story drags to a halt while Jai takes lessons on how to breathe.
Then, just when you think the story will just end with another meditation lesson the book has the absolute audacity to get good again. Suddenly it becomes a prison break narrative with a compelling escape plan and interesting new characters. The ending leaves it on a great cliffhanger and I know, just know in my core, I’m going to read the next one.
Do I recommend Dragon Rider? If you love progression/cultivation fantasy, then yes. You’ll love this as much as an otaku loves to argue over if Luffy could take Goku in a fight. If you’re interested in dipping your toes in the subgenre, then also yes. This is a competently done example of progression and cultivation fantasy. Plus, it has some real fun moments. Overall, I enjoyed reading it despite some flaws.

Despite my personal feelings, I think this is a great book for YA readers to transition to more adult fantasy.

I was expecting something more adult, but this read like YA to me. I loved the first third because it set up an epic setting, pulling race and politics into play with nations either feuding or creating alliances. And I'll always be down for a BIPOC protagonist entrenched in white society.

But after that, it was very hero's journey/Chosen One trope where readers are stuck with the MMC. It wasn't really engaging for me, sad to say.

It also felt like the author pulled so many ideas from other fantasy series, so it felt like a Frankenstein's monster of fantasy tropes. ***SPOILER ALERT*** We have a Red Wedding situation. Soulgems sound a lot like soul gems from Skyrim. I'm sure there are others, but I tuned out halfway through. ***END SPOILER ALERT***

I agree with other reviewers who say that the secondary characters weren't given enough attention, so it was hard for me to care about them. The love interest is a badass, but the author never let her come into her own. It felt like her character was just there to cater to the MMC's goals and feelings.

The book itself was also unnecessarily long. Some scenes could've been tightened up for a more intense read. I found myself struggling to continue and finish.

I doubt that I'll continue with this series.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this arc.

This book was released late April and I do recommend picking it up if you appreciate the following: game of thrones, Eragon, the bear scene in the revenant, and MMORPG games. We’ve got dragons, dire wolves, magic, battle scenes and more. Some aspects that I thought were really interesting was something called being “soulbound” which means binding one’s soul to a totem which is a creature. It can be anything from a gryphon, dire wolf, dragon and more. The creature you are bound to directly effects your strength, skills, and mana abilities. You can communicate with this creature as well and the dragon featured in this book is so much like a dog I love it. I also liked the use of tinctures, pills, and potions that can boost certain abilities. Also, the fact they need to regen their mana (its giving the need to meditate like in everquest, if you know you know). What I didn’t care for was the excessive talk about genitals and farts. I also did see some of the twists coming but there was also one I didn’t. I definitely am interested in reading the next book because I can’t live with that cliffhanger.