ARC Review: Soulbound Saga #1

Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu

Publication Date: April 23, 2024

Summary from NetGalley:

ARC provided by Avon and Harper Voyage via NetGalley for an honest review.

Confession:

I quite enjoyed this story with its political intrigue, characters that are likable, and of course dragons. There is quite a lot to like about this book, and only a couple of things I didn’t like so much. But it is still a really great read that I think many people will enjoy.

Jai is the main character of the story and his is the only point of view we get. You can tell from the start that he is smart and brave, but in many ways he is very naive. He has spent little to no time outside of the palace he lives in, and has spent little time in the company of others. Although he has read a lot about many things, there is nothing like experience to truly teach you the ways of the world. Once he is forced into the world, he has little choice to learn quickly in order to survive. Jai spends the entire book learning about himself and growing the confidence he needs to be soulbonded to a dragon. The young dragon is quite delightful and I loved watching the two of them bond.

There are many other characters in the story, especially in the first part that takes place in the palace. Some we get to know better than others. There are only two other characters that we get to know well, Frida and Rufus. Frida is the handmaiden who is also soulbound to a dragon. I liked her quite a bit and she is helpful to Jia and helps to teach him how to navigate his new found world. Rufus is a soulbound they meet on their journey. He is not quite who he seems and they are not totally trustful of him, but he does help both of them out when the need arises.

The story itself is pretty straight forward. This book has three parts to it. The first part is all about the politics of this world and how the different societies and classes work within it. The second is a survival story but it also teaches us a lot more about soulbinding and the magic around it. The final part is how Jia comes into himself and becomes the leader that he needs to be after suffering his worst hardship yet. All three of these parts are important, but the pacing in the middle does lag a bit as much of the time is spent on Jai learning to soul breath. The ending seemed a bit rushed and slightly confusing as the parties are split up.

The writing and the world building is well done. I felt totally immersed in this world and felt like I understood its workings as least as well as Jia. It is not a happy story and there are many dark and gruesome scenes throughout. Some that Jia is only a witness to, but others that he is a participant in or a victim of. There are some bright spots, most between Jia and his dragon, but these are few and far between.

I thought that this was a great start to a new series. I am very much looking forward to reading the next book, and hope that there will be many more to follow. This is a fantastic new world and some great characters that I want to spend more time with. Highly recommend to those of you who enjoy high fantasy with great world building and characters you can fall in love with.