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The Soulbound Saga #3
Emperor's Dragon
Not yet published
Expected 19 Nov 26The exhilarating journey of Jai and his dragon Winter comes to a bloody climax in this stunning conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Taran Matharu’s cultivation fantasy trilogy, the Soulbound Saga.
The war for the empire has reached its breaking point. And if Jai is to succeed, he must continue to cultivate his powers so that he is strong enough to defeat the tyrannical Sabines.
As High Khan, Jai has sacrificed everything to protect his people, forging fragile alliances, learning from those who would help him progress beyond a mere warrior, and fighting desperate battles against the Sabine Empire. Now, though, the stakes are higher than ever. The coalition Jai has painstakingly built is threatened from within by betrayal and from without by the overwhelming might of Emperor Titus.
As armies clash and dragons and gryphons fight tooth and claw for dominance of the skies, Jai must navigate a treacherous landscape of political intrigue where a single misstep could mean the end of his world. With his soulbound dragon, Winter, at his side, he must not only level up, but confront his own heritage and make impossible choices that will determine the fate of empires. To secure a future for those he loves, he may have to risk becoming the very thing he fights against.
The war for the empire has reached its breaking point. And if Jai is to succeed, he must continue to cultivate his powers so that he is strong enough to defeat the tyrannical Sabines.
As High Khan, Jai has sacrificed everything to protect his people, forging fragile alliances, learning from those who would help him progress beyond a mere warrior, and fighting desperate battles against the Sabine Empire. Now, though, the stakes are higher than ever. The coalition Jai has painstakingly built is threatened from within by betrayal and from without by the overwhelming might of Emperor Titus.
As armies clash and dragons and gryphons fight tooth and claw for dominance of the skies, Jai must navigate a treacherous landscape of political intrigue where a single misstep could mean the end of his world. With his soulbound dragon, Winter, at his side, he must not only level up, but confront his own heritage and make impossible choices that will determine the fate of empires. To secure a future for those he loves, he may have to risk becoming the very thing he fights against.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication November 19, 2026
About the author
Taran Matharu
30 books4,681 followersTaran Matharu is the New York Times bestselling author of the Summoner series, which has been translated into 15 languages and has sold over a million copies in English. He was born in London in 1990.
Taran began to write the SUMMONER series in November 2013 at the age of 22, taking part in ‘Nanowrimo 2013’ and sharing his work on Wattpad.com. The shared sample of the story went viral, reaching over 3 million reads in less than six months. THE CHOSEN is his first book in his new CONTENDER series, out now.
His books are published by Hodder Children’s (Hachette) in the UK, Australia and Commonwealth, Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan) in the US and Canada, Hachette Jeunesse in France, Heyne in Germany, Planeta in Spain, Crown in Taiwan, Record in Brazil, EKSMO in Russia, Jaguar in Poland, Ecliptic in Bulgaria, Alpress in the Czech Republic, Ithaki in Turkey, Forlaget Forar in Denmark and Unieboek in the Netherlands.
Taran began to write the SUMMONER series in November 2013 at the age of 22, taking part in ‘Nanowrimo 2013’ and sharing his work on Wattpad.com. The shared sample of the story went viral, reaching over 3 million reads in less than six months. THE CHOSEN is his first book in his new CONTENDER series, out now.
His books are published by Hodder Children’s (Hachette) in the UK, Australia and Commonwealth, Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan) in the US and Canada, Hachette Jeunesse in France, Heyne in Germany, Planeta in Spain, Crown in Taiwan, Record in Brazil, EKSMO in Russia, Jaguar in Poland, Ecliptic in Bulgaria, Alpress in the Czech Republic, Ithaki in Turkey, Forlaget Forar in Denmark and Unieboek in the Netherlands.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Emperor's Dragon is an epic and explosive conclusion to the Soulbound Saga and the stakes have never been higher.
After fighting tooth and claw to reclaim his power and free his people, Jai must strengthen tenuous alliances and prepare for the bloodiest battle of his life in order to crumble the Sabine Empire.
Emperor's Dragon barely left me a moment to catch my breath between the battle-ground action, the politicking, and the strategising. Where the previous books in the Soulbound Saga felt like a steady—albeit perilous—journey, Emperor's Dragon was a chaotic and desperate scramble for survival that I couldn't get enough of.
The world continues to expand outwards; giving us new creatures and exploring parts of the continent we've not yet seen. This final instalment reunites us with beloved characters, while also introducing new and intriguing players to the proverbial tablus board.
If you're a fan of dragons, coming-of-age fantasy, and immersive storytelling, I highly recommend picking up the Soulbound Saga. I adored this series from start to finish and though it feels bittersweet that it's over, I am excited to see what's to come from Taran Matharu.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and Taran Matharu for this eARC.
After fighting tooth and claw to reclaim his power and free his people, Jai must strengthen tenuous alliances and prepare for the bloodiest battle of his life in order to crumble the Sabine Empire.
Emperor's Dragon barely left me a moment to catch my breath between the battle-ground action, the politicking, and the strategising. Where the previous books in the Soulbound Saga felt like a steady—albeit perilous—journey, Emperor's Dragon was a chaotic and desperate scramble for survival that I couldn't get enough of.
The world continues to expand outwards; giving us new creatures and exploring parts of the continent we've not yet seen. This final instalment reunites us with beloved characters, while also introducing new and intriguing players to the proverbial tablus board.
If you're a fan of dragons, coming-of-age fantasy, and immersive storytelling, I highly recommend picking up the Soulbound Saga. I adored this series from start to finish and though it feels bittersweet that it's over, I am excited to see what's to come from Taran Matharu.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and Taran Matharu for this eARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Emperor's Dragon is the strongest entry in The Soulbound Saga and readers who have become invested in the story of Jai and his dragon Winter will be rewarded with the ending that their beloved characters have earned. On the way to that epilogue, though, there is plenty of action, politics, backstabbing, alliances, and even a small touch of romance. The dry exposition that made the first book, Dragon Rider, slow to get into is nonexistent in this one which moves much quicker. A few new players are introduced but we circle back to many that we have already met in the prior two books and everyone's story is wrapped up with a fitting conclusion. Those that have been holding out to start this series until they can binge it in the entirety need wait no longer as the trilogy is now complete. The series made for a nice read and the books do progressively get better and better.
I received advanced digital access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
I received advanced digital access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Taran Matharu has done it again. This was the conclusion to The Soulbound Saga I was hoping for. Even more so than in The Tainted Khan, this book kept clipping along and didn't suffer from some of the lulls that Dragon Rider did due to drawn out travel and exposition. Here, the world opens further and we meet more world leaders, begin bringing those that oppose the Sabines together, and engage in war on a continental scale.
The pacing of this one was FAST. Despite its length, Emperor's Dragon pulls you in and keeps you hooked. I think I finished this one in three sittings without swapping to other books until this one was done. The one less than savory effect of this pacing is that, as I approached the end, it felt like there wouldn't be time to actually wrap up the book. This ended up being an unrealized fear, as the book closed satisfactorily. My only wish with the end would have been to hear a bit more about the politics of the world moving forward.
TL;DR - This was an excellent ending to an excellent trilogy and is my favorite of the three.
The pacing of this one was FAST. Despite its length, Emperor's Dragon pulls you in and keeps you hooked. I think I finished this one in three sittings without swapping to other books until this one was done. The one less than savory effect of this pacing is that, as I approached the end, it felt like there wouldn't be time to actually wrap up the book. This ended up being an unrealized fear, as the book closed satisfactorily. My only wish with the end would have been to hear a bit more about the politics of the world moving forward.
TL;DR - This was an excellent ending to an excellent trilogy and is my favorite of the three.
September 7, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF'ed at 50% of the way through.
I really tried, boss, I really tried...I loved the first one! I will admit to also DNF'ing the second one, but I still wanted to give the series a chance. Nope, still wasn't for me. I wanted more of Winter, the dragon, but I still barely got anything of her. It was a lot of politics and dramatic plot twists...which is fine, but, really, why advertise this as a dragon-focused series when it's not.
I do love the concept of Soulbound humans and creatures but man, it's still barely utilized here.
At least I got far enough to meet the manticores but there still wasn't much of them, personality- or action-wise, for it to stand out. The human characters barely stood out too. I did like the mouse lady but even then, she had minimal time, she was shoved along for the sake of dramatic, big political drama stuff that I really could not get into as hard as I tried to.
Alas, not for me!
I really tried, boss, I really tried...I loved the first one! I will admit to also DNF'ing the second one, but I still wanted to give the series a chance. Nope, still wasn't for me. I wanted more of Winter, the dragon, but I still barely got anything of her. It was a lot of politics and dramatic plot twists...which is fine, but, really, why advertise this as a dragon-focused series when it's not.
I do love the concept of Soulbound humans and creatures but man, it's still barely utilized here.
At least I got far enough to meet the manticores but there still wasn't much of them, personality- or action-wise, for it to stand out. The human characters barely stood out too. I did like the mouse lady but even then, she had minimal time, she was shoved along for the sake of dramatic, big political drama stuff that I really could not get into as hard as I tried to.
Alas, not for me!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Okay, but I was on the edge of my seat the WHOLE TIME with this book!
This was a great conclusion to the Soulbound Saga and it had all the action, strategising, politics and backstabbing that I expected!
The pacing was FAST and there was so much drama. I think I was about 90% of the way through and we didn't seem to be getting closer to the end so I honestly wasn't sure what was going to happen?? I kept checking to make sure that yes, this is definitely just a trilogy. 😂
Like I said - on the edge of my seat throughout. This book just hooks you in and doesn't let go.
My only criticism is that I wish the epilogue had been a bit a longer. I'd have really liked to have had a bit more time with the main characters post-war.
Brilliant ending to this trilogy and I can't wait to see what else we get from Taran Matharu in the future!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This was a great conclusion to the Soulbound Saga and it had all the action, strategising, politics and backstabbing that I expected!
The pacing was FAST and there was so much drama. I think I was about 90% of the way through and we didn't seem to be getting closer to the end so I honestly wasn't sure what was going to happen?? I kept checking to make sure that yes, this is definitely just a trilogy. 😂
Like I said - on the edge of my seat throughout. This book just hooks you in and doesn't let go.
My only criticism is that I wish the epilogue had been a bit a longer. I'd have really liked to have had a bit more time with the main characters post-war.
Brilliant ending to this trilogy and I can't wait to see what else we get from Taran Matharu in the future!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews