Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu

Tropes Done … Pretty Well?

Have you ever read a fantasy novel where you knew, within 30–40 pages, everything that was going to happen—but you mostly didn’t mind? That was Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu for me. 

It's pretty awesome dragon art IMO

I picked this one up at a used bookstore near me, drawn in by the cover art—a rarity these days, as I find modern fantasy covers tend toward the boring and unimaginative. But, of course, the book is called Dragon Rider, so... in we went.

The story follows a young male protagonist in a setting that isn’t exactly European or Tolkienesque, but still feels very familiar. While the world-building offers some new trappings, the cultural underpinnings and fantasy tropes are well-trodden ground.

The hero meets a beautiful girl (who I guessed early on would be the love interest—and possibly reject him later), encounters the dragon riders, and begins to learn just how hard it is to become one. He struggles to bond with animals—the core magic system of the book—and soon discovers that the ruler’s son and grandson are plotting his demise in order to seize power.

So far, so standard.

And I don’t mean that negatively. The prose flows smoothly, and the characters are... mostly likable. I did find it hard to connect with the main character, and something else kept nagging at me: I wasn’t entirely sure this book knew its own genre. There were moments when I wondered if it was actually meant to be young adult.

The protagonist is young, it’s a standard hero’s journey and coming-of-age arc, and the plot is very predictable—not bad, just very recognizable. The fate of the world hinges on the actions of someone under twenty. His friends are also young, and they’re learning and growing together. You know the book.

Beyond that, the magic system is fairly engaging: bonded riders link to animals (from mice to dragons), gaining strength, stamina, and even spellcasting abilities depending on the bond. While the book has hints of epic fantasy, it leans more toward political / coming-of-age.

And... it’s good?

A solid 4/5. But it lacks something meatier to push it higher. I’d recommend it as a fast, easy read—with short chapters, a breezy pace, and light stakes. It’s a snack of a book: not romantasy, not heavy epic fantasy, but a traditional hero’s journey wrapped in a light political fantasy shell.