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.)

5 ⭐
0 🌶️

Wow! What a ride! Dragons! Super evil bad guys! A hero you can grow and empathize with as you move through the book. The slow reveal of a strong female. Both main characters are young, so I imagine we will be with them as they grow and come into their powers. The world-building in the book was magnificent; I was shown, not told, about the world and the magic. It's a character-filled world of politics, manipulations, and violence. These are violent people, and what our hero and heroine suffer at the hands of our villains can sometimes be hard to take. Do not let it dissuade you from reading this book. This is a blast to read! The author maintains tension and the belief that our hero will make it out. Oh! And did I mention dragons? Just wait; you will love the dragon in this one. Not to mention how characters are bonded to their beasts and how the magic works. The cliffhanger is not a killer, but I can say that no matter what, I would be clamoring for the next book. I cannot wait for this hero to come fully into his power and get vengeance for all he was forced to see and endure in Dragon Rider. I cannot recommend this book highly enough! FIVE STARS....SIX IF THEY WOULD LET ME.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins, for the ARC. These opinions are my own.

Jai is the younger brother in a hostage situation. He and his two brothers were raised by a Ruler who was their father's enemy. Different people have different traditions and beliefs. Some command Gryphons, others Dragons. This is a good promise for the series.
In the beginning, Jai is in a position without power, like a slave, being humiliated by the evil villains until he comes across a dragon egg.
I understand that the darkness and violence + foul language made the publisher rank it as an adult novel but at the same time, it's a coming-of-age story and predictable in many situations.
If the reader is new to fantasy, then the reader will enjoy this story.
I recommend this series to young fantasy readers who want to leave middle grade behind and start reading something that is not a portal fantasy.

Thank you, Publisher and Netgalley for this e-Arc.

Dragon Rider is an excellent fantasy filled with political intrigue, glorious worldbuilding, a soul bonded magic system, and of course, dragons!

Jai is the youngest son of a fallen leader. The Sabines have conquered many of the other kingdoms on the continent, including Jai's homeland, and he and his brothers were given to the royal family as political hostages to ensure their kingdom's cooperation and to quell any threat of rebellion. Jai has served the former emperor to the best of his ability, becoming somewhat of a companion and learning as much as he can. But when the Dansk legion arrives with their dragons to ensure a peace deal with the Dansk princess betrothed to the Sabine Prince Titus, the former emperor asks Jai to keep a close watch on all parties. After a successful coup attempt, and the Sabines and Dansk officially at war, along with Jai's own tribe, Jai must escape the palace and make his way to the steppes to find his people. But when he comes across a dragon egg, everything Jai every knew about soul bonds changes, and Jai find himself with some new travel companions also fleeing the city. Can Jai harness his new abilities quickly so he can seek revenge for all that he has lost? Or will the Sabine forces catch up with them first?

I absolutely loved this unique and thrilling fantasy! I came for the dragons, but stayed for the amazing fantasy world and engaging writing. This was truly an exciting read. While the initial worldbuilding may seem slow, this is the first book in a series and we have a lot to learn about the world and the political organization, as we also learn about Jai and the other characters. The second half of the book is a whirlwind, as Jai accidentally bonds with a dragon hatchling he names Winter, and meets with the Dansk princess's handmaiden Frida while fleeing the city. Their relationship was well done, and I also really enjoyed seeing Winter the dragon and her interactions with Jai and Frida. The end was absolutely explosive and had me on the edge of my seat! This is definitely an adult book, as some of the themes are for more mature audiences and more graphic than one might expect in a YA book. Though I think an upper YA reader would be OK with this as well.

I really enjoyed this fantasy book so much, and I am excited for the sequel! Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Avon and Harper Voyager for the electronic advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! I feel like this is for people who live that classic underdog, dragon rider, fighting against an empire story (if you loved Eragon, you will love this). I thought the world building was great and I can't wait to see where the author takes us next.

Many years ago Jai's father, the King of the Steppefolk, was executed for rebelling against the Sabine Emperor. Now Jai lives as a royal hostage. The Emperor's son has recently been betrothed to the heir of the Dansk people, who hold the secret of soulbonding with dragons, but not everyone is happy with foreigners in court, be they Steppefolk or Dansk. Who can Jai trust, and who plots betrayal? What must he do to gain his freedom and get his revenge?

This book was fine. It didn't wow me, but it was fine.

Dragons! Who doesn't love dragons, am I right? It's marketed as an adult fantasy series but it feels more like YA, and the characters actions definitely feel like teenagers. The pacing was very slow for the first half, and then raced ahead in the second half without a space to breathe.

I like the soulbonding idea, but I will say the magic system felt a lot like that in Will Wight's Cradle series, with growing your core, etc. It feels almost like a direct copy rather than inspired by. I also understood the character motivations for our good guys, but the villains seemed to be bad just for the sake of it. I didn't see any motivations for them at all; what is their purpose? Even bad guys do things for a reason.

There are only four named women I noticed in this story, and they're all either helpless, die for the character, need him to save them, or are one dimensionally evil with no motivation as to why. I don't expect every female character to be a badass, because that's not realistic. But you have a lot of men who have their own agency, and zero women who do (except the one evil woman, but that means she's a strong woman, right? What more personality does she need than evil?) and that kinda sticks out a bit.

I don't mean to be entirely negative. I was really into the world building, the politics, Dansk/Sabine/Steppefolk relations, and the idea of Soulbonding with different animal types, etc. All of that has some real potential and kept my interest. But I found the characters to be bland and the plot fairly predictable, part of what made it feel more like YA than adult fantasy.

If you like YA, orphan revenge stories, and dragons, I think this is worth checking out. But if you're looking for a more adult fantasy with nuanced characters, morally gray areas, etc this may not be for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

For those of us who never outgrew our love for Eragon.
A New Adult fantasy that is a bit slower-paced adventure, setting up for more books in the series. And do not confuse slow-paced with boring!! I literally gasped out audibly at LEAST four times with some of the reveals. Now, if you are looking for a book to lessen your dragon obsession, this will not do it and I have a feeling it will just make it worse…because it did that for me. There were a handful of bits that felt a bit redundant (the fact he nearly died numerous times and how it felt nearly identical each time) but other than that, it was an excellent read.
But more than that, it is a story of determination, conflict, fear, character development, honor, love (not in a romantic way), duty, and so much more. An orphan boy who is taken as a hostage as a young boy and after a decade in service, finds himself on the run and suddenly the holder of a priceless dragon egg. He must overcome his fears in order to survive and to return to his homeland to take his place… as King.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. I had a really fun time with this book I liked the main character a lot and I of course love winter. I liked how the author went about explaining the magic system in this book. I will say though I did see the big reveal coming and guessed from the beginning of the book.I have read his other books and really liked those ones so reading this makes me want to reread them. I can’t wait for to read the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyaget for this earc

This book wasn’t bad. It was just very, very long and it didn’t need to be. It could have used a little more world building and character relationships if the author wanted it to be this long.

It was very easy to put it down because nothing was happening. It was a little hard to follow the geography as well.

From writing point of view, I think it would made more sense to split the book into “parts” that way it would feel like every part was a little book and it wouldn’t feel this dragged out.

What I did like? Dragons. And magic. And dragons. I wanted more of that. And of course all the secret and not so secret royalty. It could have been so fun.

Dragon Rider
by Taran Matharu
The Soulbound Saga #1
Epic Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Apr. 23, 2024
Avon and Harper Voyager
Ages: 16+

After his father died in the rebellion against the Sabine Court, Jai, along with his brothers, are now hostages. For years he's served as the caretaker of the elderly ex-emperor who killed his father, while his brothers serve the old man's grandson, who is to marry the Princess of the Dansk Kingdom, and she brings with her a dragon and the knowledge to soulbond with it.

Adding soulbond dragons with their legion of soulbond griffins would give the Sabines the power to rule over everyone.

But conspirators send the court into chaos, and Jai knows the truth and escapes with a dragon hatchling no one knows about. Crossing paths with the Princess's handmaiden, she and Jai make their way to the border where their two lands meet, but the lie of their 'betrayal' travels fast.


Not a whole lot of violence in this, but of what there is, it's dark. Not graphic, but if you have a good imagination... This first book has a lot of politics, and there are a lot of characters/tribes whom the Sabine rulers invaded, destroyed, or accepted their surrender without a fight, but sadly it felt as if all that information wasn't given slowly enough, so they jumbled up together, and there wasn't a lot of time to 'relate' to one before another was introduced. I'm still not sure how many other 'tribes' there are other than the three that this book is centered around, but I know there is at least one, maybe two more.

I did like the story, and it mostly moved along at a quick pace. I'm not sure how old Jai is, I think he is supposed to be in his late teens, but a lot of the time he seemed more like a fourteen/fifteen-year-old. His 'soul-searching' did slow the story down a lot and it got boring because most of it was repetitive of his last 'search'. I get why he needed to do it, but it was the same thing over and over again, with the same outcome.

I did hate how it ended in a major cliffhanger, which did lower my excitement for the next book.

A low...

4 Stars

This book was amazing from start to finish. There were no lulls. There's always something going on. Poor Jai can't catch a break. Taran wrote such amazing characters where you truly felt for them. You wanted them to win so badly! I felt the world building was so easy to understand. The sense of found family was great. I truly loved where the book left off because it left it wide open and there's so much to be resolved. I cannot wait for the next book and to see where it goes!
Don't go into this thinking you're getting Fourth Wing because others are comparing them. They are completely different.