Author: Taran Matharu
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Series: The Soulbound Saga, book #1
Jai spent most of his life serving as the personal aide to the aging retired emperor who murdered his father. Held as a political hostage, Jai hardly ever leaves the palace, where he’s viewed as a slave and an enemy. When he has a chance to escape during a coup for the throne, Jai runs for his life. But escape isn’t easy. Traveling through a large empire with his distinctively foreign looks, practically no money, and with enemies on his tail, Jai will need the help of a newly hatched dragon, a frosty handmaiden, a mysterious drunkard, and lots of luck, grit, and magic to survive.
I really enjoyed this book. It reminds me a bit of Eragon – a teenager finding a dragon egg, bonding with a dragon, learning magic while traveling across the empire and running from enemies… There’s a lot to like here, and while this bears some resemblance to Eragon, it was also very different.
Jai grew a lot throughout the book. He started off as a sheltered palace servant, and has to quickly learn survival skills. I wish there were more female characters, but the ones who are in here have a strong presence. The magic is cultivation style, mixed with a western type of fantasy setting, culture, and political system. There’s a lot of fast paced action, magic, dragons and other magical creatures, and secrets to discover.
When Jai finds a dragon egg during his escape from the palace, he finally has the chance to learn magic and become a soulbound. Traveling through the vast enemy empire with his new dragon, a handmaiden in hiding, and a drunkard, Jai will need to quickly level up in order to survive and find the freedom he’s longed for all his life.
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