The Tainted Khan by Taran Matharu
Publication Date: April 22, 2025
Summary from NetGalley:
Jai dreams of being a dragon rider. He dreams of freedom from the Sabine Empire and a world in which he can lead his people, the Kidara, to freedom. But even though he has his dragon, Winter, she is still growing, just as he’s still growing in his own power. And the road to victory is even more fraught than he had hoped.
Because even when he finds a tribe on the Great Steppe, they are not his people. More, they are outcasts, the Tainted, and he finds that he knows little of the customs and political intricacies that take place in these vast grasslands. He is a stranger amongst his own kind, and that is even more apparent when he reunites with the Kidara, for Jai’s uncle rules, and is loath to cede power to his nephew. And even if Jai was sure he could take the reins of the leadership, he isn’t sure he could actually hold them.
But the legionaries and Gryphon Guard of the Sabine Empire are wreaking havoc against the other tribes of the Great Steppe, and Jai is forced to learn a lifetime’s worth of knowledge in a matter of months. From taming the massive khiroi that make up the tribe’s calvary, to levelling up his magic, to becoming a true warrior, worrying over the fate of the woman he loves, and strengthening his bond with Winter, Jai is a dragon rider with a massive weight on his young shoulders. And his greatest hope is that the shoulders of Winter will soon be strong enough to help carry him.
ARC provided by Avon and Harper Voyager via Netgalley for an honest review.
Confession:
Except for the fact that I thought this book was long winded, especially the first half, I really enjoyed it. I loved learning about the different cultures that Jai encounters and his developing bond with his dragon Winter. But the pacing was on the slow side for most of the book and I did find myself losing interest at times, but I always went back to continue the story.
Jai is a great main character. He is intelligent, kind and only resorts to killing when he had to. He shows some growth in his character in this book, but not quite enough. I loved his friendship with Feng, and how quickly they bonded and learned to trust each other. Jai is a bit of a fish out of water as he re enters his father’s world. Feng helps him navigate the world and is always there with good advice for him. Jai’s journey to become the best version of himself is a long one, and a dangerous one. But he does surround himself with allies and people he trusts.
I loved his relationship with Winter, his bonded dragon. Even when she isn’t in the picture much, he is always thinking about her and her well being. The bonding becomes much stronger as Jai’s magical abilities grows. Once he masters his magic, their relationship and bond grew in leaps and bounds.
The best part of this book is learning all about the different cultures that live on the Steppe. Not just the Kidara, but the other tribes and some of the cultures that live on the fringes of his world. Jai works hard to understand their ways and to bring all of them together to fight against the Sabine Empire.
While the world building was great, the pacing and overall length of the book was long and slow. Although there are short scenes of action in the first half, they weren’t quite enough to break up some of the more mundane parts of the story. Things don’t get really interesting until the second half of the book as Jai goes off on his own to learn more about his bond with Winter and to ascend to a higher level. The fight scenes are well written and full of action, but also seemed a bit on the slow side. I never felt that Jai was ever in real danger, although there were a few times I worried about Winter.
Overall though, if you enjoyed the first book, Dragon Rider, then you will probably like this one as well. I look forward to the next book as there was a bit of a bombshell dropped at the end of this one. Plus I really want to see how Jai’s journey ends.
If you haven’t read the first book, please check out my review for it here.
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