Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rider of Dragons by A. T. Qureshi (Aug 2026) is a slow burn Romantasy with dragon racing, and follows Ginny Sterling and her beloved dragon Fang. Together they race in the Dragon Racing Championships and hope to win the prize money and crown, however with forces working against her, can she soar to the top and become the first female dragon rider to win?
When her brother Danny wins the championship, Ginny’s family is ecstatic and Ginny wishes no more than to follow in her brother’s footsteps. But when Ginny asks to race her family are vehemently against it – especially after the death of her brother. She sneaks out to join to qualifying race, but one step closer to achieving her dream means taking one step away from the wishes of her family – who kick her out of the family home if she races. With no one to train her and risk the wrath of the Sterling family, she is forced to take matters into her own hands, and makes a deal with the dangerous and mysterious trainer Qais.
Rider of Dragons has been one of my highly anticipated reads of 2026 and I was thrilled to receive an ARC from the publisher. I was immediately hooked with the idea of dragon racing, especially as How to train your dragon is one of my favourite films, and I must admit I have been chasing a dragon high since reading Fourth Wing. I really hoped this book would fill the void of dragons that I’ve been craving. For any reader who has read the author’s Baby Dragon series they will be familiar with the cosy fantasy world of Starshine Valley, and the frowned upon and illegal dragon races. In this new duology, Qureshi explores this darker side of the cosy world she has already created with criminal gangs, dragon thieves and racing that is anything but cosy. The book was easy to read and describes the races in vivid technical detail and does well to heighten the fear and secrecy of the races. There are moments where Ginny feels the full force of the violent races and this quickly pushes the story away from the safety and cosy life she is familiar with. Overall, I liked Ginny’s unwavering stubbornness, but at times this felt a little naive especially when she quickly trusts Qais, despite pretty much everyone questioning her decisions.
I have mixed feelings about the story as a whole, the last few chapters really sets up the next book perfectly with the cliff hanger and plot twist – I cannot wait to see what happens next and how Ginny develops as a character. However I was expecting the book to be much darker and grittier all the way along from the way this book was marketed. At times it felt confused between cosy fantasy and then a Romantasy without breaking into a clear distinction. I wonder whether this was because the world of Starshine valley is already established as cosy and safe, that suddenly adding in the juxtaposition of the illegal, deadly races doesn’t quite work. I wonder if adding a completely new location, that is still a part of this world, but allows enough distance to let this new story breath would have created the tension that I craved. Another thought I had while reading was the lack of tension or high enough stakes as to why Ginny needs to win the race. As much as I liked the fact that she is banned from racing because she’s a girl and she wants to prove everyone wrong, it didn’t feel big enough to risk losing her family’s support and potentially her own life.
Furthermore, I’m all in when there is broody and mysterious male main character and I loved the secrecy of the set up between Ginny needing to find a trainer and her last hope is Qais. Their trainer – trainee dynamic had all the makings of a tense and sizzling relationship, but I didn’t feel as invested as I would have liked. The story explores themes of bravery, loyalty and trust and defying how others perceive you, I would have liked this to be stronger foundation between Qais and Ginny that may have created a deeper connection with the reader before they act on their attraction to one another.
That being said I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next book and seeing where the story goes next – especially after that ending! I think readers will enjoy the unique take on dragon racing / riding, as well the expansion of the already existing world – and a few cameos from loved characters.
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Amy is a writer and reviewer and her action-packed debut novel, CORNELIA FAIRFIELD AND THE DARKENED HEART is set to be published on 26 May 2026! Available in paperback here: WATERSTONES, AMAZON (ebook here), FOYLES,HATCHARDS. For more content read Amy’s book reviews, short stories and updates on Amy’s writing journey posts.
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