Synopsis
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 neighbouring Dansk Kingdom, she brings with her 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.
Review
Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu caught my attention from the moment I saw a dragon on the cover. It hooked me the moment I started reading it. To say it caught my attention is an understatement. I fell in love.
I really loved the way Matharu writes. He has this captivating quality that consistently makes you want to read and wonder what is going to happen next. Dragon Rider is a classic Hero’s Journey plot line, but despite that, I was constantly on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next and how the characters were going to get out of the situations they found themselves in.
There were some beautiful turns of phrase for description, which brought the world and characters to life. A few had to be read over a couple of times before I fully understood, but once I got used to Matharu’s writing style and voice, this happened less frequently.
I will say there were specific plot points that I did guess from early on, and while new pieces of information had me questioning my guesses, it wouldn’t be long before I was certain again. However, the twists that cropped up along the way were enough that those few predictable things didn’t bother me. However, when Jai finally figured them out, I celebrated a little bit.
It is quite dark in places. The ‘bad guys’ they meet throughout are truly bad, which is an understatement, to say the least. I would check trigger warnings before reading.
One of the things I loved about Dragon Rider was the world's diversity. This came up in so many different ways. Different people, who looked different, had different beliefs and cultures, and were from different countries. But the thing that I loved was the different mythical creatures from so many different parts of our own world and mythologies. There were so many that I had never heard of before and had to look up, which I am not mad about (see, you learn things from fantasy books). I have a great love for authors who draw on mythology that is different from those portrayed almost exclusively in commercial fiction in the past.
It was a fantastic read. If you want to move from Young Adult to more Adult fantasy or even into Epic fantasy, then I would recommend Dragon Rider. It has the movement of a Young Adult fantasy with themes of Adult and Epic fantasy; it would be a great stepping stone.
Am I incredibly sad that I can’t immediately begin reading book 2? Yes, yes, I am. But I guess that just means that I will have to reread it before book two comes out… damn what a pity?!