This story follows Jai, the third son of the executed King of the Steppefolk, he was traded to the Sabine kingdom as a royal hostage where he has been for 10 years as a servant to the old king who killed his father. We follow Jai as he flees from a royal Betrayal, finds a dragon egg which hatches and he must soulbond to or die. Soulbinding a dragon is a technique not known outside of the Dansk kingdom but Jai must learn how before he dies.

This book is a 3⭐️ for me, it didn't really grab me and it's a heavy book. It's filled with graphic gore descriptions, betrayal and heavy on the politics and world building. This story has a wonderful magic system that is thoroughly explained and it was easy to follow how and why things worked, following Jai as he learns was my favourite part of the book as well as the baby dragon.

The story started off really slow for me but it definitely sets the scene and builds up to give you a lot of information for future books. There was a lot of running and escaping as well as gruesome fighting. I was hoping we would in fact get Jai riding the dragon but Winter, the dragon he bonds to, doesn't grow up enough to even breathe flames nevermind fly so that was a bit disappointing to me.

But all in all, its a good start to a series.

I’m a sucker for anything involving dragons and so the cover and title were quite enough to draw me into this new fantasy. Once I started reading, I was completely hooked.
As some other reviewers have pointed out, there’s nothing really new in Dragonrider. A militant nation intent on subduing all of their neighbours, the insignificant third son becoming a major player, a young man discovering a dragon egg etc are all well used tropes. However, they are woven together in Dragonrider to create a story that kept me turning the pages and reluctant to put the book down.
I loved the world building and the politics especially the ruthlessness shown by several characters and the main character of Jai very likable. The magic system of being soul bound was well thought out although I’m not sure that we needed quite as much explanation about it as the author provided.
It’s the first of a new series and I’m always suspicious of how first books are going to end. I didn’t need to worry though. The ending of this first volume finishes this part of the story in a great way while still leaving the reader set up for the next instalment.
There were a couple of inconsistencies which jarred a bit and I’m a bit confused by the title as there is next to no dragon riding at all in this book although I’m sure that there will be in the future.
Overall this was a great entertaining fantasy and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers, HarperCollins, for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s definitely the year of the dragon, as boy Matharu does NOT disappoint! What. A. Book. With impeccable worldbuilding, an intrinsically built magic system and royalty domain, Matharu has taken the time required to craft what is surely going to grow into an absolutely epic saga. The first few chapters feel slightly hard to get in to but I promise you, at the end you will be reeling and revolting as well as gasping for the next book. An absolutely wild ride. A fantasy for those who enjoy Dragons, Magic, Political fantasy and well… everyone in between!

I have read and quite liked the author's teenage fiction, and I am a sucker for anything with dragons in, so picked this up with interest.
The main character is in his late teens so my initial thought is that this is aimed at the crossover market, in the same way as Sarah J Maas or Sebastien de Castell? The language and slightly more adult content would certainly come with a few warnings for teenage fiction...
I have been reading fantasy for decades now so there is very little that stands out as being truly innovative, and this indeed includes many familiar if comforting themes, character traits and plot developments. This took a little while to settle in with lengthy context setting. Having said that, the world-building was convincing and the writing was engaging. The main character is the epitome of the lost-beaten-down-royal-but-determined-and-rising-to-the-task hero and goes through some very challenging physical and mental trials. The female supporting role offers no surprises (even the "twist") but is strong and brings a welcome initiative to the cast. The political intrigues and betrayals are suitably dastardly and will appease those who demand this element from their fantasy. The dragons are maybe not as prominent as expected given the cover and marketing but are nonetheless essential to plot progression - and Winter is both adorable and exactly what you would want from a bonded companion!
I found myself totally immersed in this despite any of the qualifications above. The tension once the scene had been set was maintained with solid writing and pacing. I look forward to the sequel!

This was a tough book to rate for stars because whilst I enjoyed the characters and the premise I found it extremely slow reading and I don't know at this point if it was because it was so in depth with world building or just the authors style. either way...patience is needed!
You can certainly relate to some real world political undertones with this book and the world it is setting up, which I admire in authors but also tend to shy away from (if I am reading a fantasy series I don't want to be reminded of the real world)!
I think the twist within the plot for the one of the characters is obvious but I would be interested to see how it plays out for the series and all the characters are well thought out and developed with some very interesting traits! It definitely feels like pushing through book one will pay off for the future books in this series as I am sure the pace can pick up now the world is built!?

I received this as a free ARC. I have provided an honest review

I really enjoyed this book. The world building in this book was fantastic but it was on the heavier side. It was definitely need as this book is full of Politics, War, Betrayal and Dragons. It’s a slow start for the book but once you get towards the middle that’s when the action starts. The slow start is needed to set the scene.

I loved the unique magic system in this book and I enjoyed learning about the Mana. I liked that you also learnt a little of the other types of creatures that can be bonded with.

The book follows Jai a Royal servant to his enemies after his father was defeated in war. For Children are sent to their enemies until they turn 20 to be servants. Jai becomes the carer for the previous emperor. The two have a complex relationship as the emperor had murdered his father.
After a political alliance is arranged between the Sabines and Dansk Kingdom.
It doesn’t take long before it completely unfolds and betrayal and murder unfolds.
Jai soon ends up blamed for the emperor’s murder and is on the run but the Sabines think him dead.
Jai finds a dragon egg and unexpectedly soul bonds with the baby dragon Winter.
Frida is another complex character that we meet in this book for she isn’t who we think she is.
The book is well written and I loved all the complex characters that we meet throughout the book. I liked that the author didn’t force the romance for this book. You get little hints in the book but it’s a really slow development which I do hope to see more in the next book now.

I look forward to reading the next book in this new series.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Dragons. Politics. Betrayal. I eat all these up like my favorite ramen dish.

This is my first book by Taran and I gotta say I’ve noticed they have more books on Goodreads. I need to pick them up. What an amazing start to a series.

Their world building was chefs freaking kiss.

Cant wait to get a physical copy and praying for a uk tour!

This book was so fun! The first part of the book was a bit slow however it did pick up towards the middle and the pace kept going from there until the end.

This book is similar to Eragon in which it is about a young boy learning to be a dragon rider while trying to escape evil, but after that premise, I think this book does actually standout against its similarities.

This book gracefully laid out the world building and historical events that will eventually help understand the events that will develop in future books. I also love the politics that were a main focus throughout the story.

If you love dragons and are able to read a darker, heavier fantasy with a lot of gore then this book is for you. I am excited to continue on with the sequel when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc of this book.

This read sits right in the middle with me I really enjoyed the story since I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan and think everyone who likes that will also like the book. Don't expect it to be like Fourth WIng because the Dragons are in trend like now, it's way more political and sets more focus on world building.
My problem with the book was the pacing. It read super slow for me and I had to push myself through (I dnf'ed LOTR for this reason even though I love the movies) so you should really be into that.

4.5 for me!
Great overall story, it was very slow in the beginning, and I usually love the world building side but it was slow even for me
But once the action starts it really gets good, a little more gore than I typically like - more game of thrones than fourth wing but great overall, looking forward to continuing the story!

DNF @ 70%

Good Lord this was an absolute slog to get through. The only redeeming thing about it was the young dragon who bonds with the MC.

The beginning felt so slow and there was so much going on politically that I could barely keep up, yet it managed to bore me to tears, and honestly being bored just continued throughout the rest of the book. The writing wasn’t particularly bad, but it just felt like absolutely nothing was happening and like I was just reading the same thing over and over but with an ever so slightly different setting and I just felt like nothing was moving along.

I think I made a good shot of it, getting to 70% but the more I read the more I was just forcing it, so I decided to bite the bullet and just DNF.

Thanks NetGalley for the free copy!

The main premise of the story is about a boy named Jai who is a royal hostage come servant , and in the first third of the book that’s all he really is. We get a lot of background and world building which made the pace of the book seem pretty slow, but when we get to the betrothal gone wrong the pace really picks up and the story become so much more interesting and fast paced it more than makes up for the slow start! It keeps a good pace the rest of the book and the ending is one that makes you wish the next book was out already!

The magic system of the soulbound and mana is so interesting I enjoyed reading about all the intricacies of it and how it plays into the world we are thrown into in all its messy bloody glory! The relationship between characters are amazing and the love and respect we see is so well written that you can’t help but love them too.

Overall the book was once you got into it a really enjoyable book with a great cast of characters, good political plot lines and an amazing magic system to boot!

What a great start to the series! The world building was well done and I found the magic system intriguing. I loved the dynamic between Jai/Frida/Rufus and Winter is easily my favourite character. Bring on book two!

*Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, HarperVoyager for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review*

This was an EPIC book, with all four letters capital. If you start reading it and decide to DNF it due to the slow start I implore you to keep reading because this book it's amazing when you're past the boring yet highly necessary for the world building start.
Filled with politics and dragons you will not want to put it down.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc!
A fresh world of epic fantasy with awesome political intruige that keeps you hooked until the very end!

Jai has spent his life forced to serve the cruel empire that killed his family and now rules his people. With a chance to grow even more powerful, the emperor’s son is betrothed to the princess of a rivalling realm. An unconquerable realm, where ancient beasts roam. The princess brings with her a priceless gift: dragons. Only the royalty of her people can bond with these magical beasts to draw on their strength and power.

That is, until now. When the betrothal goes wrong, a bloody coup leaves the court in chaos. Finally, Jai seizes a chance to escape, fleeing with a dank warrior, but not before stealing a dragon egg. To vanquish the empire who murdered his people, he must do the impossible and bond with a dragon. For only her can follow his destiny and seek his revenge.

An epic fantasy adventure with a richly developed world of dragons, the fall and rise of empires and the power of a single flame igniting a rebellion. Bloody, glorious and compelling, this novel is a riveting epic that will be perfect for fans of royal politics, action and dragons.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘶

This inaugural book in the high fantasy series brilliantly lays the groundwork for an engaging saga. Jai, the third son of the Steppefolk's king, captivates as a political hostage serving the Sabines. The narrative takes a thrilling turn when a diplomatic mission goes awry, leading Jai to discover his latent strength and embark on a journey with the Dansk handmaiden, Frida.

The initial focus on the Sabine royal family's politics and violent history sets the stage, revealing Jai's quiet strength and academic isolation. The later part delves into a fascinating magic system and world-building as Jai, Frida, and their companions undertake a perilous journey to safety. The soulbond magic system, explored through Jai's connection with a dragon, adds depth and intrigue.

While the characters initially hold back, a characteristic of the first book in a high fantasy series, their complexities contribute to a vivid and descriptive journey. Dragon Rider captivates with its detailed world-building, accessible magic system, and exploration of royal dominance. The quieter moments in the story provide opportunities to connect with the characters and immerse oneself in the fantastical realm. I thoroughly enjoyed this installment and eagerly anticipate the continuation of this series. A solid five stars for its rich storytelling and promising foundation for what's to come.

If you are looking for an innovative, fresh take on fantasy, and want to be surprised by the twists and turns, then Dragon Rider may not be your book. If anything about the plot shocked you, you have probably never encountered fantasy before. Royals in disguise, third sons becoming heirs, cruel men being cruel to get to the top, those thought to be weak finding strength - we get it all, and the bonding of dragons (and other beasts) is not exactly a shocking invention.

Still, if you are looking for a book to be angry about, to hate and to destroy, Dragon Rider may not be your book either. The plot is perhaps well trodden, but the characters are engaging and this iteration of the beast/human bond feels empathetic and believable. Yes, we have a lot of technical mana core talk, which I was not keen on, but there is a clear system behind the magic - and while energy-centric, slightly buddist fantasy has come to the fore in recent years, this is still a serviceable, thoughtful version. You can hate it, I suppose, if you're really over classic fantasy tropes - but then maybe don't read books called Dragon Rider.

I found it a pleasant read that lived on its characters and the knowledge that I might know what was coming, but not how exactly it was going to happen. You're not missing anything exciting if you don't give it a try, but this was... nice!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!
This world and the politics were expertly crafted, and the violent bloodshed is a hallmark of many of my favorite books. While the beginning is slow, it is very much needed to set up the world that Jai is living in and provide context to what is to come. If you stick with it you will be rewarded! Betrayal, subjugation, poisonings, brutal beatings, patricide, and a pinch of mystery all wait within these pages. There was nothing light and easy about this, but that makes it all the better! There is great struggle, deep pain, and honor in unexpected places if you choose to fall into this insane world

This book has a very slow start and only really picks up halfway through. I think the writing could have been a bit more elevated considering some of the political elements felt very juvenile based on the style of writing.

Overall I think the pacing does increase and the story does become more enjoyable but I don’t know if I would read this book again.