Rating: 9.5/10
FROM THE ASHES OF AN EMPIRE, A HERO WILL RISE…
‘A dazzlingly epic and richly complex world of dragons, magic, and rebellion’ Amélie Wen Zhao, New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
‘A classic fantasy adventure that reminds me of the novels I loved growing up, but with a flair of cultivation from the novels I love now’ Will Wight, New York Times bestselling author of the Cradle series
FROM THE ASHES OF AN EMPIRE, A HERO WILL RISE…
Jai has spent his life forced to serve the cruel empire that killed his family and now rules his people.
To grow ever more powerful, the emperor’s young son is betrothed to Princess Erica of the Dansk Kingdom. An unconquerable realm, where ancient beasts roam. The princess brings with her a priceless gift: dragons. Only Dansk Royalty can bond with these magical beasts to draw on their power and strength. Until now.
When the betrothal goes wrong, a bloody coup leads to chaos at court. Finally, Jai has a chance to escape. He flees with a fierce Dansk warrior, Frida, but not before stealing a dragon egg.
To vanquish the empire, he must do the impossible: bond with a dragon. Only then he can seize his destiny, and seek his revenge . . .
An epic new fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Taran Matharu, where dragons fly and empires fall.
‘Bloody, glorious, and irresistibly compelling, Dragon Rider is a riveting epic that is at once sweepingly vast and heart-wrenchingly personal’ Sarah Beth Durst, award-winning author of The Bone Maker
‘An excellent addition to the collection of any fantasy reader!’ Dakota Krout, bestselling author of The Completionist Chronicles
‘Dragons soar, kingdoms clash, and a unlikely hero discovers his inner strength and forges his own destiny’ Jennifer Estep, New York Times bestselling author of the Crown of Shards series
‘Brutal politics, intricate worldbuilding, and edge-of-the-seat battles’ Prashanth Srivatsa, author of The Spice Gate
READ THE EPIC FANTASY WITH SCORCHING FIVE-STAR READER REVIEWS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
‘After falling in love with the dragons in Fourth Wing and Iron Flame . . . Dragon Rider did not disappoint in any way. I was hooked’
‘What an absolutely amazing ride this was!’
‘Fans of Iron Flame and Dragonfall will love this book!’
‘Okay, this is a must read! If you like dragons, political intrigue and machinations, and a touch of violence, pick it up!’
Review
There was something about this book that pulled me into this story; not even 500 pages was enough to keep me back from going further into the story wanting to discover what happened. I had a sense of urgency because epic fantasy books are either slow in their worldbuilding or medium-paced in the other sense that they’ll contain a lot of story and worldbuilding combined. Yet, I read Dragon Rider and became attached to Jai’s story instantly. I liked Lenoid, but I hated him at the same time. You’ll understand that everything that happens within Jai’s journey is because of good old Emperor Lenoid.
Every page I read through, made me want to go further. Jai had a story that was worthy of the heroes of old. It was exceptionally gripping to see how his character evolved, from being the son of a Steppeman to becoming something else. Hope, and inspiration for other characters under the heel of the Sabines. And the Sabines are as good as they get; they’re hated by everybody! That should be enough to give you an idea of the story. It’s a story full of colourful characters, but sometimes they did fall into the good vs bad trope, and I want more nuance within the characters that are opposed to Jai. That doesn’t mean it detracts from the story either.
Yet at the same time, some criticism that I did have: the story did contain traditional fantasy tropes, and sometimes the magic explanation was a bit too cumbersome and could have been paced down. Some parts could have been slow, but there are some exceptional writing scenes especially when it comes to dungeons. I would have wanted better diversity when it came to displaying races such as the Dansk which was more or less your typical fantasy Viking race. I would have wanted more variety such as a race based on the Carthaginians, the Kushites, or more. There are hints of it within the Phoneix Empire and the deserts. But I’ve noticed in many fantasy novels now being published; that you’ll mention a ‘desert’ land, and then the Far East, and we never get to go there. So I want to see more of them being put into the story.
All that being said, this was an EXCEPTIONAL story. Probably one of the best Adult Fantasy Debuts of 2024 that can be compared to Dragon’s Dogma 2 and other fantasy novels out there. It’s a enticing world, and you will not regret it.
Also Winter for the win. She’s awesome
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