So I'm about 75% through this book and its so long I'm taking a bit of a break. THAT DOES NOT Mean I don't love it, I just had a lot going on and wanted to write my feedback now and complete my overall review on Goodreads when I'm done.

Ok. so Book one was everything! I love the characters, the world, the background and the direction of the story so much. Book two started and almost felt like a completely different story. We lost our other main characters and even the Dragon for a bit. The story is intriguing and VERY unique and I'm assuming it will all tie back around because thats what Fantasy Series do...so this all feels like important character building.. but it just felt a bit long before getting to the point of this side quest.
So that's where I am. I love that Jai puts his all into learning and accepting his heritage. Hoping and praying romance is coming back into the picture soon and more magic learning and growth from Winter.

The Tainted Khan begins immediately after Dragon Rider ends. I really enjoyed Dragon Rider– while it superficially has a lot in common with standard adventures about an orphaned male protagonist getting a dragon, there’s also political intrigue, adventure, an interesting magic system, and more. I was particularly struck with the elegance of the world-building and how it shapes the characters. For example, Jai is the third son and the son of a concubine– of lower status than his brothers, who are also royal hostages, to the empire. Thus, he’s chosen to tend to the former emperor because, while he may learn a lot of history and politics through osmosis, he’s less likely to ever rule his father’s people. His brothers, by contrast, are mere playthings of the imperial heir so they won’t rise to be dangerous.

In Tainted Khan, we see how Jai’s time with Leonid, the former emperor, has paid off. Initially, Jai finds himself the captive of a tribe of Tainted, steppe people who are considered virtually untouchables by the Great Tribes. With no resources other than his own cleverness and his young dragon Winter, how can Jai return to his father’s tribe and rise to power?

Second volumes in trilogies are tough– even the best ones are often just bridges and lack distinction compared to the first and third– but this one was great. A LOT of stuff happens, we see more of the world (and I LOVE the steppe-inspired fantasy. I can’t recall another other than Elizabeth Bear’s Range of Ghosts), and many of the events feel dangerous and uncertain. I think Jai’s tremendous growth here and the timing feels a little unrealistic, but his inadvertent tutelage under Leonid gives it context. Some readers might also find some fault in the pacing, but I just sat back and watched the story happen.

Highly recommended, but start with Dragon Rider of course.

This was a really good next book. Matharu keeps fleshing the characters out and I'm really enjoying the overall world.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
***3.5***

I really liked Dragon Rider (the first book in this series)- the characters, their dynamics/relationships, the magic system, the world, the creatures, and the politics.

This book was a step down/back for me- at least the first half was.

Jai finds himself in a clan of his people... but also not his people. They bash him for being raised by royals, but help him learn their ways/culture so they can trade him at a higher cost to his actual clan.

There was nothing inherently bad or wrong with the story or the writing, the author created a lot of tradition and culture, for some reason I just personally found the setting and characters super boring. I think a big part of it is that Jai is on a personal journey having not fit in his whole upbringing and thinking finding his people would solve that, only to learn they also don’t accept him. It’s a lot of personal and internal growth/character development, but being written in third person I had no connection or emotional attachment at all.

Also, having fallen in love with the people and magic system in the first book, we don’t see those people or really delve more into magic (other than “I used mana" and "I refilled mana”) until after the 60% point.

I will say the last 35% was much more similar to the first book and I REALLY enjoyed it. I found the Caelite to be very fascinating and liked being there and learning about them. I was really missing Erica and the magic system, so to see them back here also made me happy. I love that she found a dragon and would have LOVED her POV in there- to read about their journey to get there or even just a bonus chapter of her bonding.

AGAIN- nothing technically wrong with the beginning, personally I just felt bored and detached and had to force myself through it- it just wasn't for me. Maybe a bit drawn out too? I understand the reader needs to experience the growing pains as well, but did we need half a chapter on Jai getting into and sitting in the bath- detailing using the soaps and oils?

I will still continue this series (especially after that ending) and truly look forward to what happens next for Jai.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed The Tainted Khan, maybe even more than The Dragon Rider. The Tainted Khan primarily follows Jai’s journey of becoming a part of the steppe folk and growing his soulbound abilities. The novel takes us into new directions, covering parts of the world not fully described in Book 1. We learn more about the magic system and the soulbound connections, which actually remind me of the daemons in His Dark Materials. Each new character felt like they had a role in the overall story and it all comes together at the end.

Although the story is told in the 3rd person, we do spend a lot of time in Jai’s head. I’d be interested in learning more about Erica and the Dansk, maybe in dual POV or a novella covering the parts of the story where their paths diverge.

There is some payoff to the slow burn romance started in Book 1, but I’m eager to see how the two characters resolve the political and logistical issues standing in their way.

One small qualm I have with the writing is that there is sometimes an overuse of certain descriptors. Other than that, the prose is detailed and the author creates vivid imagery. Additionally, the cliffhanger at the end was a shocker and I can’t wait for Book 3!

Second books in a series come with heavy responsibilities: will it live up to the energy that was introduced in the first book? will the story progress or will the characters fall into the sophomore abyss where a series stalls out? Happily, The Tainted Khan comes in with even more energy than Dragon Rider. Jai and Winter return to his people and he works to strengthen his powers, unify the tribes against the Sabine Empire, and maybe even takes a minute for a romantic tryst. The expository info dumps of world building that weighed down the first book of the series are better integrated into the action of this story, and there is more action in this iteration. There is some politicking within and between tribes, dueling and battles, and a journal that Jai studies and may complicate his story. Overall, I enjoyed this turn in the saga and am even more curious about the next turn after the revelation at the end of the epilogue.
I received advanced digital access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

First off, thank you to Harper Voyager for providing me with an eARC!

Jai and Winter's epic story continues right where the first book left off! Taran Matharu filled this booked up with action-packed scenes that had me envisioning it all in my head like a movie!

The writing was so well done for third person, and just everything was planned out so nicely.

The downside I could say was that it was a little predictable, but the ending of the book, aka the cliffhanger that was not predictable, not at all!!