Dragon Rider: A Novel

Taran Matharu

Apr 2024 · The Soulbound Saga Book 1 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

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 dowry: 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.

Ratings and reviews

watching matharu mature as an author has been a fun experience. This book has a lot of themes that make me enjoy this world because who wouldn't be excited about a book with dragon riders, and Griffen riders. the level of detail in this book puts to shame the summoner series, and the contender series. a world with depth that leaves you dieng for more information. the only reason I can't give this book 5 stars is the obviously rushed ending. No idea what happened there, but it definitely doesn't match with the rest of the book.

Reading about the life and degradation of Jai and his brothers was very thought-provoking. It makes me wonder how often we (and that's a generic we) treat others as offensively and cruelly as they were being treated, without even thinking about it. From the sample, I'd say this story is very well written and engaging. The author helps you care about what happens to the characters from page 3. It takes you that long to figure out who's who. If you like adventures, struggles against overwhelming odds, and rooting for the underdog, I think you'll like this story!

good read.

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, Italy, Taiwan, Brazil, Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Turkey, Denmark, Iran, and the Netherlands.