#BookReview: Dragon Rider (The Soulbound Saga #1) by Taran Matharu

Synopsis: New York Times  bestselling author Taran Matharu’s debut adult fantasy series introduces an immersive story written in the tradition of the viral cultivation genre. Discover a rich world of magic, warriors, and dragons, in which a fearless orphan and an ambitious handmaiden flee from the empire that would imprison them, with a dream to return to their homelands and a determination that’s unbreakable… 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 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.

This title will be released on April 23, 2024.

Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 2 Stars
My Review: I have loved Matharu's writing since I read his young adult fantasy novels. So when it came up that he was going to be doing an adult dragon fantasy. I was like YES PLEASE with Grabby Hands!! But sadly this one was a let down.  It was so slow and full of politics that it didn't need.  I wish he would have brought what made his YA books so good to this.  

Review

"Bloody, glorious, and irresistibly compelling, DRAGON RIDER is a riveting epic that is at once sweepingly vast and heart-wrenchingly personal." 

— Sarah Beth Durst, award-winning author of THE BONE MAKER

"Dragon Rider is an extremely compelling story, filled with characters and story richly designed and masterfully executed. An excellent addition to the collection of any fantasy reader!"

— Dakota Krout, bestselling author of The Completionist Chronicles

About the Author

Taran Matharu is the New York Times bestselling author of the Summoner series, which has been translated into 15 languages and has sold over a million copies in English. He was born in London in 1990. Taran began to write the Summoner series in November 2013 at the age of 22, taking part in “Nanowrimo 2013” and sharing his work on Wattpad.com. The shared sample of the story went viral, reaching over 3 million reads in less than six months. In addition to Dragon Rider, he is also the author of the Contender series, out now. His books have been published in the UK, Australia, the Commonwealth, the US, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Taiwan, Brazil, Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Denmark, Iran, and the Netherlands.

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Posted in: 2 Stars, Adult, Harper Voyager, Netgalley, Review