Unfortunately, this missed the mark for me.

I think that the story had plot/pacing issues. I think the dialogue needed a lot of work. I felt like most of the side characters (especially the women) were caricatures. The book felt generally underdeveloped and immature. I had no issue with the world, but the soulbound magic structure wasn't expanded much beyond breath work.

Speaking of breath, the protagonist lets out a lot of breaths he didn't know he was holding. That line doesn't usually bother me but when it happens 3 or more times...

Also, the book is called Dragon Rider but does the protagonist even ride a dragon in this book?

This book could have been 200 pages shorter and told the same story. I love epic fantasy and am not put off by a high page count, but the pacing in this was so slow that I almost DNF'ed several times.

Other reviews sum up my issues with how women are portrayed better than I could. My other disappointment was that we didn't get more with the dragons. It took until 90% into the book before the soulbond between the protagonist and his dragon reached a point that they could effectively speak. And even then, it was too little for my tastes though it started going in the right direction.

Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu is the first in a new high fantasy series about dragons, magic, and finding yourself. It was really well-written and I look forward to more in the series in the future. Loved it!

This was so good! It was giving all the vibes of Game of Thrones and Gladiator. While I found some things predictable, there was enough mystery for me to enjoy the ride and wonder what will happen next.

This book follows the story of Jai, who was enslaved to a powerful kingdom after his ruling father and tribe was defeated. He has been forced to wait hand and foot for the old emperor (who slaughtered his father). When an alliance with another powerful kingdom is being prepared through a wedding, things do not go according to plan, and chaos ensues.

I loved Jai and going on this journey with him, discovering all the things about the world that he never had the chance to do before.

Probably my favorite part of the story was the magic system itself. The different kingdoms/tribes have the ability to bond with animals. I'm so excited for the next book in the series to learn more about Jai and really the magical system overall.

Good. Comprehensive. Readable. Interesting characters. Interesting world. All good but TOO FREAKING LONG. Who advises these authors? This should have been split at an obvious place, which I will not spoil here.

4 out of 5 stars

Summary: Jai is third in line for his tribe of conquered people called Steppefolk. He has to serve under their conquerors, (Sabine empire) as a sign of tribute from the conquered kingdoms. He finds himself in caught in political plots between the Sabine and surrounding nations.

Plot: I was hooked by the plot, it was medium-paced but the action consistently moved it forward and I was invested on what would happen next. I enjoyed the world building and how the lands and people felt distinct from each other. I especially loved learning about the magic system as the author described it in detail with how to build/use magic in this world, I would compare the vibes of this book to The Will of the Many by James Islington, as Jai and Vis are similar characters to me, and they both are approachable adult fantasy’s with commentary on world issues (caste systems and colonizers). My only criticism is that it slowed at the end for me, as the plot did not go how I expected. There is a conclusion but the ending is really just the beginning for future books.

Characters: This is where the author excels, I really loved the distinct characters developed in this book - both major and minor. We get depth to both the heroes and villains of the story, conflicting motivations that made them feel real.

Highlights: There are many different magical creatures in this book (not just dragons) which was really nice to read about for diversity. In this world people can “bond” with creatures and this develops magical enhancements/powers.

Overall thoughts: I really enjoyed this book and thought it did a great job with creating a magical world with political intrigue and heartbreaking situations and relationships. The depth that you get in this book with inner conflict and outward conflicting motivations is something I don’t see often. I think the plot could have had more impact at the end, but it is a great set up for future books. I would recommend this to any adult fantasy lover and feel it is approachable for those new to the genre!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books and Harper Voyager for an advanced eARC of this book!

I love anything that has to do with dragons, so I was very excited for this one. And the cover is just so incredible!

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!

God I love dragons. I just really really love them. This book made me want one desperately. And I really liked this book, or rather I really liked the last third of this book. It started out slow, then picked up a bit, then just. slowed down again until the last quarter/third. I understand why because there was a ton of worldbuilding happening for most of the book that was necessary for that last push to the end of the book. It was still rough to get through, but I think it'll be (hopefully) worth it in future books where the plot actually starts to advance. The magic system/soulbounding in the book is very fascinating and unique- one aspect I really appreciated was that it wasn't just dragons that a person could soulbound to, but many other types of creatures. I'm curious to see in future books if it'll be further explored how those types of soulbounds differ from that of a dragon soulbound. While I did like the worldbuilding in this book, one of the weakest aspects was absolutely the characters' relationships. Clearly the author is setting up for a romance between Frida and Jai, but I just don't buy it. Any romantic feelings Jai has towards Frida don't feel authentic but rather a byproduct of them being literally the only two (human) characters within miles of each other. And nothing overtly romantic happened between them in this book but that is clearly the way the relationship is headed, which is frustrating. After spending an entire book with these characters, I still feel like Jai and Frida are more allies forced together by a common enemy rather than friends, much less friends developing romantic feelings.

I'm curious to see where these characters and books are heading and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series as it comes out!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Taran Matharu? New adult? YES PLEASE!

Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu is a new adult fantasy novel that is many steps above his previous YA series. Can an orphan captive learn the secrets of the Dragon Riders to stand up and avenge his people? Jai lives as a royal hostage in the Sabine Court—ever since his father Rohan, leader of the Steppefolk, led a failed rebellion and was executed by the very emperor Jai now serves. When the emperor’s son and heir is betrothed to Princess Erica of the neighboring Dansk Kingdom, she brings with her a dowry: dragons. Endemic to the northern nation, these powerful beasts come in several forms, but mystery surrounds them. Only Dansk royalty know the secret to soulbonding with these dangerous beasts to draw on their power and strength. This marriage—and the alliance that forms—will change that forever. But conspirators lurk in the shadows, and soon the Sabine Court is in chaos. With his life in danger, Jai uses the opportunity to escape with the Dansk handmaiden, Frida, and a stolen hatchling. Hunted at every turn, he must learn to cultivate magic and become a soulbound warrior if he has any chance of finding safety, seizing his destiny…and seeking his revenge.

I'll be the fist to admin that I wasn't the biggest fan of Matharu's previous novel The Novice. But I absolutely loved this one! The best way I cn describe this book is Fourth Wing but with better writing (and honestly better everything).

An interesting start to an adult dragon story. I think that the first part was essential to the world building and to give us connection to the main character jai who i connected with on the caregiver level of feeling trapped and not having the chance to escape. I was more invested in the story once we jai hatches the dragon and starts to connect with it. I also found the magic system of soulbounding to be quite intriguing. This is a sold first book in the series and can’t wait to see where the series goes.

Thank you so much to #netgalley and #harpervoyager for the opportunity to read this stunning novel, Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu. Dragons have always been a popular theme to write about and they are having another big surge right now, but don’t think this book is just another book on the shelf about them.
This book is well written and will leave you wanting more. It kept me awake, because I couldn’t put it down. I am eagerly awaiting the next book by this author and I bet you’ll feel the same after reading this gem.

Strong world yielding this story offers it all and honestly has to be one of my all time favorite worlds. The details of the different races and cultures, political upheavals and moves, soulbonds between many fantastical creatures. Will keep you glued to the page and wanting more. You want this book in you life!!!!

Jai, a young man barely in his twenties, has spent ten years as a royal hostage in the Sabine Court after his father was killed in battle. His is a miserable life - he is the lowest servant serving the aged emperor, the very man who killed his father. When the Emperor’s son is set to ascend the throne, he becomes betrothed to Erica, the daughter of the king of the Dansk Kingdom. From that point in time, Jai’s life changes and he becomes embroiled in betrayals, palace intrigue, and is forced to run for his life with a dragon egg.

This is an easy read that will keep you reading until the wee hours of the early morning. The author takes his time introducing Jai and his life as a royal hostage. About midway through the book, however, things begin speeding along. Readers watch as Jai matures into the man he was always destined to be.

This is the first book in the author’s new series, Soulbound. Fans will be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. If this is the first book by this writer that you read, you’re sure to want to read the books in the author’s Summoner series while you wait for the second book in the Soulbound series to appear.

If you love dragons and fantasy, this is the book for you. If you’ve been thinking fantasy isn’t for you, pick this book up for no other reason than it is well-written with characters you’ll be rooting for and because there’s a baby dragon.

My thanks to Voyager Harper and NetGalley for an eARC.

This book was amazing! The pacing was really good and I never found a dull minute. I hope to see more growth in Jai, felt like he had a good amount in book one but still could have had more growth.

Full in depth review coming soon!

I will say I am enjoying it. This is the first book by Taran Matharu that I have read. The characters are interesting. The world building was great.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book early.

This was the most frighteningly misogynistic book I have ever had the displeasure of reading in a hot minute. I’m sorry to say but this was awful and sickening.

Solid fantasy that had elements Game of Thrones and Eragon. It wasn’t the most original fantasy but still enjoyed it and found it easy to read for an adult fantasy. I enjoyed the characters, the politics, the magic and magical creatures, the epic journey and even the minor romance subplot. Overall would recommend for an easier to read adult fantasy.

Thank you Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dragon Rider is about a young boy, Jai, who is in service to the Sabine empire after his father and people were conquered during a recent war. Because Jai is biracial, he is fairer than his brothers and given a position of servant to the former emperor Leonid - the one who killed his father. Jai has been in service to the Sabine empire, and Leonid, for the majority of his life and gives him an opportunity to inside views of court politics and strategies. This helps Jai when the Sabine empire is meeting with the Dansk empire to wed the heirs. Through serving Leonid, and a series of misfortune, Jai learns of a plot to begin a new war. While his warnings were not heeded, it perfectly aligned Jai to soulbond with a hatchling dragon, claim his rightful throne, and become an underrated player in the war of kings.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I was unfortunately a little disappointed. The plot was so slow. The first half of the book is truly nothing short of consecutive horrible bad luck for all the characteristics involved. It was almost comical how unfortunate the circumstances for the characters became. Jai was supposed to be a 17 year old boy, but he read much more like he was 11-13 years old. Part of it is naivete from his education from his captors, but even his own inner thoughts are so much younger than he's supposed to be. And when he bonds his dragon, he makes a comment about how his dragon views the world in childlike wonder, and yet, so does he. However, his decision making skills and thought processes are so pre-pubescent. In an early scene in the book, he had a plan to escape, and he worked so hard to see it through, then he sees another servant and immediately starts shouting and running after her. There were literally 3 pages of him contemplating about not drawing attention, being quiet, and then this girl shows up and he just forgets 3 pages worth of progress.

This book has a really cool magic system, complex political world, and while I hated the characters decisions, I stayed for Winter, the dragon. She definitely carried the book. I'm hoping with the huge world building done with this novel, future ones can focus on character development and plot development.

Sadly I have not had the time to finish this yet, but what I have read so far I absolutely LOVE!!! I highly recommend this if you love any of the things mentioned in the photo. Can’t wait to keep reading 🤩

Once I started this book I was so excited but couldn't remember what it was supposed to be about. A little way in it was coming back as I was questioning does this match at all what the description said?? To a point yes, the description covers the very beginning of the book. Which is a decent job of not giving too much away as many things do these days.

The world-building was possibly my greatest drawback of the book. This is because there wasn't much to be had. I can understand Jai was taken from his home at a very young age and then not allowed to learn things about the Empire while there. However, we are given a whole traveling journey and get to learn nothing about this world. Thus I can tell you that the setting of the book is mostly the Sabine Empire and they are trying to conquer the whole content. Jai's people are the Steepe folk, looked down upon as savages for being nomads. While the Dansk, also seen as barbarians, are from the far North. A Phoneix Empire is briefly mentioned toward the end but no idea where that is.

The plot of this book is mostly about staying alive.
I haven't talked about story resolution in a few posts as with books in a series you don't often see too much happening. However, this one sticks out to me as needing to have found something. The last page was a bit of a shock. Was it a misdirection play that he said he would lead the animals away? Was that his plan all along and where was Winter because she hasn't been mentioned in chapters? Also, how dare he leave Rufus to die probably! Okay, rant over.

Overall this wasn't a bad book. For myself, I would have needed more details on the magic or world-building. Also, it doesn't help that I couldn't feel Jai suffering too deeply after the book I read before this one. If I had picked this up at a different time it could have been at least more impactful on a character's journey end. For that is mostly what happened in this book, our characters were on the run journeying across the Empire. As this is the author's first time with an adult fantasy, I would put this strongly in the new adult range. There is not a whole lot besides swearing and gore that makes this above the YA level. Also, the book wants so badly to give you a character twist that honestly everyone could see coming. (I haven’t even talked about it in the review though.)