Dragon Rider

“Progression fantasy meets grimdark” is a fantastic selling point for a book in 2024, and Taran Matharu deserves immense credit for writing a traditionally published book that wholeheartedly embraces progression elements. Matharu tells the story of Jai, exiled prince of the steppes raised as a servant in the palace of the Sabine (read: Roman) emperor, on the run from the aftermath of a royal marriage gone horribly wrong (read: Red Wedding).

I have conflicting thoughts on this book. The story is fine, with twists that are pretty apparent to anyone who's read progression fantasy and a straightforward plot that won't surprise anyone who has read grimdark. It really does feel like traditional publishing hampers many progression stories, which thrive on a slow pace and the use of dedicated space to flesh out character development. Many of those moments felt truncated or lacking, causing many of the characters to feel undeveloped as I read through. Also, people who pick this one up for the dragon rider/magic plotline should be warned that it is much less prominent than you are expecting!

Bildungsroman is one of the most foundational tropes of progression fantasy, but one of the most attractive elements of the genre is that while it is shameless nostalgia, it is written for adults. Maybe it is because this novel is traditionally published, but I didn't feel like this novel featured characters making adult decisions or any sort of adult elements beyond racy language and copious invective. I would go as far as to say that Matharu probably swears much less in real life than he writes in this book, and it shows and feels forced.

Overall a decent start to a trilogy, I'll read the next two books.
Rating: 6.5/10
Closest comparison: The Umbral Storm