Dragon Rider Arc Review
Book Review:
Dragon Rider
by Taran Matharu
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Thank you very much to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC copy to review.
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.
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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.
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The magic, or magick as it was spelled here, could be interesting. This world has a hard magic system to be sure. The only ones able to use magick are the soul-bound. There are different levels to your soul-bound abilities as you progress in training. Or for those unable to handle it they die, by their magic not murdered. Soul-bound are physically stronger, have keener senses, and are faster. That is just the regular side effects though. Magic uses a person's mana, and as you grow so too does your mana core. The magic performed is done in odd combinations of finger positioning.
The biggest strength of the Soul-Bound though would be their beasts. Several different beasts are common to be bound with in the varying kingdoms. Such as in the Empire they have the Gryphin Guard, also chamroshes (bird/dog mixture), and direwolves. Only the Dansk knew the secrets of bonding dragons but they could bond polar bears and mammoths. Depending on the beast would also vary the mana and growth potential of the human bonded. Such as dragons and griffins could be strong warrior beasts and make stronger bonds.
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Our story follows Jai. He is the third-born son of Rohan. After the defeat of his people Jai and his two older brothers are sent as royal hostages to the Sabine court. For the last decade, Jai has served as the manservant to the old emperor Leonid. Through this, he was treated reasonably by the old man if not the rest of the populace. He grew up used to being beaten and regular people hating him. Even through all that Jai didn't really hold hate for those common people. Being the servant to a blinding man enabled him to be taught to read, write, and even strategize well as he transcribed all of the emperor's battles. Jai is only seventeen at the time the story takes place. Since he has mostly been confined to the old man's rooms he is really unworldly in other matters. He is a fast learner after being swindled though I will give him that.
The plot of this book is mostly about staying alive. Now to paraphrase the back of the book:
Dansk nobles have decided to broker peace with the Empire instead of war, to cement this they are marrying the heirs of both nations. As part of Princess Ericka's dowery, they bring a dragon. After a series of highly horrible events, Jai is bonded to a hatchling dragon. This could change the course of the content forever.
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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.
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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. I will probably not be continuing on with this series outside of a buddy-read situation.
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