What do you think?
Rate this book
Dragon Ridden Chronicles #1
Dragon-Ridden
Tate leads a life full of secrets. Having an incredibly life-like dragon tattoo that moves when nobody is looking and no memory of her life prior to eight months ago can make things difficult. When a momentary impulse leads Tate to return an ancient hairpin to its rightful owner, it sparks a chain of events that soon affects every aspect of Tate’s life. Now with several people convinced that she holds the key to unimaginable power, Tate’s about to learn how a single action can have unintended consequences.
With no allies to watch her back, Tate’s going to have to move fast if she wants to survive in the city of Aurelia, where friends are often enemies in disguise and appearances are deceiving. She’ll find that monsters walk the labyrinth beneath Aurelia’s streets where the secrets to Tate’s past rest. Unlocking her hidden memories might just be the only thing keeping Tate alive and preventing the coming war.
With no allies to watch her back, Tate’s going to have to move fast if she wants to survive in the city of Aurelia, where friends are often enemies in disguise and appearances are deceiving. She’ll find that monsters walk the labyrinth beneath Aurelia’s streets where the secrets to Tate’s past rest. Unlocking her hidden memories might just be the only thing keeping Tate alive and preventing the coming war.
317 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 25, 2012
969 people are currently reading
2271 people want to read
About the author
T.A. White
24 books3,518 followersWriting is my first love. Even before I could read or put coherent sentences down on paper, I would beg the older kids to team up with me for the purpose of crafting ghost stories to share with our friends. This first writing partnership came to a tragic end when my coauthor decided to quit a day later, and I threw my cookies at her head. Today, I stick with solo writing, telling the stories that would otherwise keep me up at night.
Most days (and nights) are spent feeding my tea addiction while defending the computer keyboard from my feline companion, Loki, who would like to try her paw at typing.
Most days (and nights) are spent feeding my tea addiction while defending the computer keyboard from my feline companion, Loki, who would like to try her paw at typing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews
May 24, 2025
The first of a new series should WOW you. It should knock you off your feet, and make you wanna come back for more.
This?!
This was intriguing but with an oddly unspecific taste to it.
Meet Tate
Tate doesn’t remember anything about herself.
We know more about Tate than Tate does.
We're introduced to naive girl character who is basically making shit up as she goes… And are told that she was a warrior soldier in a previous life
She suppose to be a hardened badass awakened with no memories, but her POV didn't match it. While reading her character was *admittedly* fun and sassy, it was just in such a contrast with what we were TOLD about her
Also.. that cover ?? like Stairs?! You write a fantasy with pirates dragons and magic... and have a cover of some fucking stairs? *shaking my goddamn head*
The secondary characters First the ones I liked...
Dewdrop a young pickpocket and thief.
Night a cute cat beast thingy that communicates via telepathy. I lowkey him as pictured Toothless from how to train dragons for this haha
“Did you really have to let him come with us?” Dewdrop asked, leaning into her.
“So he can control water,” Tate said, waving his words away. “Your scream can rupture internal organs. I have no past and Night is a monster cat. We’re not exactly in a position to cast stones.”
The best part and reason why I’ll keep reading is this group of Tate, Night and Dew. We got this hilarious hint of her future fun misfit crew that I really want to see developed in the next books instead of just instafriending
Now the other ones.... Jost the pirate captain from the ship that first picked her up and she escaped. He is a manipulative dick.
Ryu one of the pirates on ship *but theres def more to him than that* who irks her to no end and is wayyy to observant. He is also a manipulative dick.
“Ryu eyed her suspiciously, as if he knew she was keeping something back. She quickly rearranged her features to reflect innocence and honesty. Nothing hidden here. No lie has touched these lips.”
Blade badass assasssinnnn for the local crew
“You’re a thief aren’t you? All thieves can be called to him.”
“I’m not a thief,” Tate said, outraged. “Why does everyone keep assuming that?”
Blade opened his hands wide as if to say, what can you do?”
Can I ship her with blade?
I’m gonna be honest, it seemed like most of the ‘good’ guys and bad guys were equally douches and manipulating her in this book *cough Ryu cough*
She was caught in a bigger plot where she didn’t have the resources, allies, or memories to be able to really play the game on the same level as the rest of them
“Reluctantly she said, “What’s surprising is how often I’m called odd or strange or unique. Why, I’m told that so often, I’m almost beginning to believe it. To me, you are the strange ones. Kidnapping random people off the street, only to tell them they’re odd, is much stranger.”
Worldbuilding which was greatly affected by her aMnEsIa Tate doesn’t remember shit about who/what she is, her past, or her current world
“Like magic?” Tate asked incredulous. “You gave me magic stones.” Something in her voice must have hinted at her disbelief.
“Tate, magic exists.”
“Really? Because Trent’s experience would suggest otherwise.”
We are just as clueless as the her. Constantly trying to figure out the characters, the world, just everything. The character couldn’t explain shit to us, so a lot didn’t make sense and I felt I needed to put wayyy 2 much effort into figuring out what the fuck is happening
But we get these flashbacks of her past that only the audience remembers
Flashbacks or dream memories can be a really useful trick to introduce details that will later become important! But it wasn’t *quite* done right. Some scenes felt random. Some flashbacks didn’t really add value to our book and just took away from the present plot. Plus I had hard time distinguishing what Tate knew vs what we knew about her so that just turned into a confusion
Yet even with these annoying gaps and even worse attempts at fixing them, I still enjoyed her POV… she was willing to fight dirty and actually had some survival instincts *thank fucking christ*
“A small part of her had always wanted to see how she’d fare against him. She’d cheat of course. When you’re smaller and weaker than everybody else, you had to even the odds somehow. Only a slim scrap of sense had kept her from challenging him.”
Overall… fuck I can’t even decide if I liked this book. Its basically a YA with swearing. I loved the side characters. I liked the blending of mages, pirates, cat people and merpeople. The idea of Dragon ridden was a really unique concept of human bonding with powers of dragons but this aspect wasn’t really developed at all in this book ?? We don’t learn any background about other dragonridden. Tate doesn’t find out any more to develop her own powers.
Theres clearly a bigger mystery at part that later books will build up to it. But as a first book of a series with the word DRAGON in it, it definitely failed in that aspect. I wanted more buildup instead of the gaps in everything that leaves me wondering what do I even know about this book and what does Tate know.
“You will in time, Tatum Alegra Winters.”
Of course the creepy child robot/god/being knows her real name
Oh please please mama let this book continue to build up towards its full potential
This?!
This was intriguing but with an oddly unspecific taste to it.
Meet Tate
Tate doesn’t remember anything about herself.
We know more about Tate than Tate does.
We're introduced to naive girl character who is basically making shit up as she goes… And are told that she was a warrior soldier in a previous life
She suppose to be a hardened badass awakened with no memories, but her POV didn't match it. While reading her character was *admittedly* fun and sassy, it was just in such a contrast with what we were TOLD about her
Also.. that cover ?? like Stairs?! You write a fantasy with pirates dragons and magic... and have a cover of some fucking stairs? *shaking my goddamn head*
The secondary characters First the ones I liked...
Dewdrop a young pickpocket and thief.
Night a cute cat beast thingy that communicates via telepathy. I lowkey him as pictured Toothless from how to train dragons for this haha
“Did you really have to let him come with us?” Dewdrop asked, leaning into her.
“So he can control water,” Tate said, waving his words away. “Your scream can rupture internal organs. I have no past and Night is a monster cat. We’re not exactly in a position to cast stones.”
The best part and reason why I’ll keep reading is this group of Tate, Night and Dew. We got this hilarious hint of her future fun misfit crew that I really want to see developed in the next books instead of just instafriending
Now the other ones.... Jost the pirate captain from the ship that first picked her up and she escaped. He is a manipulative dick.
Ryu one of the pirates on ship *but theres def more to him than that* who irks her to no end and is wayyy to observant. He is also a manipulative dick.
“Ryu eyed her suspiciously, as if he knew she was keeping something back. She quickly rearranged her features to reflect innocence and honesty. Nothing hidden here. No lie has touched these lips.”
Blade badass assasssinnnn for the local crew
“You’re a thief aren’t you? All thieves can be called to him.”
“I’m not a thief,” Tate said, outraged. “Why does everyone keep assuming that?”
Blade opened his hands wide as if to say, what can you do?”
Can I ship her with blade?
I’m gonna be honest, it seemed like most of the ‘good’ guys and bad guys were equally douches and manipulating her in this book *cough Ryu cough*
She was caught in a bigger plot where she didn’t have the resources, allies, or memories to be able to really play the game on the same level as the rest of them
“Reluctantly she said, “What’s surprising is how often I’m called odd or strange or unique. Why, I’m told that so often, I’m almost beginning to believe it. To me, you are the strange ones. Kidnapping random people off the street, only to tell them they’re odd, is much stranger.”
Worldbuilding which was greatly affected by her aMnEsIa Tate doesn’t remember shit about who/what she is, her past, or her current world
“Like magic?” Tate asked incredulous. “You gave me magic stones.” Something in her voice must have hinted at her disbelief.
“Tate, magic exists.”
“Really? Because Trent’s experience would suggest otherwise.”
We are just as clueless as the her. Constantly trying to figure out the characters, the world, just everything. The character couldn’t explain shit to us, so a lot didn’t make sense and I felt I needed to put wayyy 2 much effort into figuring out what the fuck is happening
But we get these flashbacks of her past that only the audience remembers
Flashbacks or dream memories can be a really useful trick to introduce details that will later become important! But it wasn’t *quite* done right. Some scenes felt random. Some flashbacks didn’t really add value to our book and just took away from the present plot. Plus I had hard time distinguishing what Tate knew vs what we knew about her so that just turned into a confusion
Yet even with these annoying gaps and even worse attempts at fixing them, I still enjoyed her POV… she was willing to fight dirty and actually had some survival instincts *thank fucking christ*
“A small part of her had always wanted to see how she’d fare against him. She’d cheat of course. When you’re smaller and weaker than everybody else, you had to even the odds somehow. Only a slim scrap of sense had kept her from challenging him.”
Overall… fuck I can’t even decide if I liked this book. Its basically a YA with swearing. I loved the side characters. I liked the blending of mages, pirates, cat people and merpeople. The idea of Dragon ridden was a really unique concept of human bonding with powers of dragons but this aspect wasn’t really developed at all in this book ?? We don’t learn any background about other dragonridden. Tate doesn’t find out any more to develop her own powers.
Theres clearly a bigger mystery at part that later books will build up to it. But as a first book of a series with the word DRAGON in it, it definitely failed in that aspect. I wanted more buildup instead of the gaps in everything that leaves me wondering what do I even know about this book and what does Tate know.
“You will in time, Tatum Alegra Winters.”
Of course the creepy child robot/god/being knows her real name
Oh please please mama let this book continue to build up towards its full potential
Read
June 15, 2021I have no idea what rating this book deserves. It has some fantastic points, plot, at least part of the world builing, but at the same time it left me strongly disappointed.
The book started with a bang, and an heroine worth salivating over. Then she was slowly morphed in the most irritating new trend, the NA grrlll. Stupid, placid, inoffensive. A dragon 'rider' with a mystical past turned into a child. Without reason. You keep wondering how. It really doesn't fit the story. She was a warrior/soldier in a previous life she can't remember. What she's not, even without her memories, or should not be is naive. But she's turned into a stupid, unthinking girl, thus colliding with the hints of backstory.
Plus, there is no real end to the story. Yes, the plot has a satisfying ending, but the overall story was left hanging. And I'm not sure there's a sequel :)
My own nit was the total lack of reactions to betrayal, and this book has plenty of it. And if some of it could be overlooked, it actually had a meaning in the plot, most couldn't. She basically has been sold more than once, risking her life. And she's being tortured by the bad and the good guys. Sorry, I want some reaction to that. No, the fact you need the truth isn't a justification enough for torture, sorry.
This book needed some serious rage.
And still I would recommend it.
The book started with a bang, and an heroine worth salivating over. Then she was slowly morphed in the most irritating new trend, the NA grrlll. Stupid, placid, inoffensive. A dragon 'rider' with a mystical past turned into a child. Without reason. You keep wondering how. It really doesn't fit the story. She was a warrior/soldier in a previous life she can't remember. What she's not, even without her memories, or should not be is naive. But she's turned into a stupid, unthinking girl, thus colliding with the hints of backstory.
Plus, there is no real end to the story. Yes, the plot has a satisfying ending, but the overall story was left hanging. And I'm not sure there's a sequel :)
My own nit was the total lack of reactions to betrayal, and this book has plenty of it. And if some of it could be overlooked, it actually had a meaning in the plot, most couldn't. She basically has been sold more than once, risking her life. And she's being tortured by the bad and the good guys. Sorry, I want some reaction to that. No, the fact you need the truth isn't a justification enough for torture, sorry.
This book needed some serious rage.
And still I would recommend it.
February 22, 2019
After reading the very excellent Broken Lands series by T.A. White, I embarked on the Dragon Ridden Chronicles. The writing is absorbing, and the sidekicks are plentiful. I see some similarities in the structure, especially with a misfit young female protagonist who is surrounded by other misfit male side characters. The action is non-stop. The backdrop to the world is a mystery, just like Broken Lands.
However, I have to admit I didn't like this series quite as well. There is a stronger young adult/new adult vibe. Tate didn't have the same maturity as Shea, even though a major theme in Broken Lands was the maturation of the lead character from books one to three. The romance is very close to non-existent, and I really missed it. In looking at reviews for books two and three, it doesn't seem to progress much in the romance department, so I don't know if I will continue. That is pretty much a must-have for me. I also felt characters and story lines were rushed a bit. It was a little schizophrenic in hopping around from conflict to conflict. I like to feel a little more settled in the world, the characters and the reasons. I just didn't have a clue WHY Tate was putting herself into dangerous situations again and again. Her vested interest is never that strong. On the other hand, the action and suspense sequences are excellent and White is very good at edging along clues to the mystery of Tate's missing past. It definitely is a page turner.
I apologize for my mixed review. My feelings were mixed on this book, largely because I don't connect well to characters who seem to act like they are in their late teens (although I suspect that is not Tate's age), and the lack of decent romantic scenes. Or even scenes that explored attraction. There is a male romantic lead, but you barely know it.
3.5 rounded to 4 stars
Book source: Kindle Unlimited
However, I have to admit I didn't like this series quite as well. There is a stronger young adult/new adult vibe. Tate didn't have the same maturity as Shea, even though a major theme in Broken Lands was the maturation of the lead character from books one to three. The romance is very close to non-existent, and I really missed it. In looking at reviews for books two and three, it doesn't seem to progress much in the romance department, so I don't know if I will continue. That is pretty much a must-have for me. I also felt characters and story lines were rushed a bit. It was a little schizophrenic in hopping around from conflict to conflict. I like to feel a little more settled in the world, the characters and the reasons. I just didn't have a clue WHY Tate was putting herself into dangerous situations again and again. Her vested interest is never that strong. On the other hand, the action and suspense sequences are excellent and White is very good at edging along clues to the mystery of Tate's missing past. It definitely is a page turner.
I apologize for my mixed review. My feelings were mixed on this book, largely because I don't connect well to characters who seem to act like they are in their late teens (although I suspect that is not Tate's age), and the lack of decent romantic scenes. Or even scenes that explored attraction. There is a male romantic lead, but you barely know it.
3.5 rounded to 4 stars
Book source: Kindle Unlimited
June 2, 2020
I’ve loved all the series by this author but this one is a struggle for me. My biggest issue was that I struggled to like any of the characters. There is potential for the heroine but everyone else in her life in this first book seemed to betray her in one way or another. It’s kind of hard for me to like them because of that and how do you like a series where you don’t care for the characters? I also realize there are things we don’t know yet as a reader so there is potential for things to turn around in the next book.
October 31, 2021
I’ve read all the books in the series, and love them all!
I thought, it was a high fantasy or dystopian but it was more than that.
I will write the review on book #5.
If you a fan of this author, don’t wait, read this series.
It was so good! 😍😍😍
I thought, it was a high fantasy or dystopian but it was more than that.
I will write the review on book #5.
If you a fan of this author, don’t wait, read this series.
It was so good! 😍😍😍
April 23, 2022
Quite confusing with not enough mention of dragons for my liking. T A White has written much better stuff than this.
November 18, 2021
This book has an unusually high rating for the crap it pulled. First of all, when the main character has amnesia, a key expectation is that we learn about what they have forgotten, or their past life. The author kept introducing random past scenes that made no sense. Tate didn't even try to recall her memories, every time she was close she walked away. Not only did she gain back her memories near the end but the reader doesn't get any insight into her missing memories and then she gets amnesia again. This book was crap.
The world building was completely absent. They talked of the history of the world using unknown terms such as Dragon-Ridden, and First Saviour without revealing anything about what they meant. Tate didn't even know, which means we were just as clueless and brainless as the main character. The world made no sense, it was just stuff thrown together. The magic made no sense, none of it was ever explained. The character development was nonexistent. I didn't feel a connection with any of the characters. The people were hollow.
Tate was a whiny mess. I don't know how she survived all those battles. Just when you thought Tate had done something awesome by escaping Ryu (a lord/pirate who is just as much a mystery as the rest of the book), It turns out she's an idiot. They explain that Tate has just been getting in the way this whole time and in fact caused this whole friggin battle for power. Ryu would have been my favourite character if he had not been so absent. The author kind of hinted that Ryu and Tate are dragon soul mates or something but it was never acted upon. Which means this book was neither romance, nor comedy, nor fantasy, nor good. Tate was more of a damsel in distress than a powerful dragon. She fainted almost every chapter, and she never won any fights that mattered instead someone else saved her. Case in point: Night, Ryu, Dewdrop, Tempest were constantly saving her. What kind of person assigns a made up a name for somebody and doesn't even bother to use their real name once they know it. Tempest died and Tate made a whole big thing about burying him and then she was like "hmmm, I don't actually know his name....whatever". Tate is a garbage person.
The only thing that kept me going was either hope for a budding romance between Ryu and Tate so the story would have some plot at least or intrigue about Tate's past. Guess what? That didn't happen. Which means literally nothing was accomplished in this book. Yes, I know there is a sequel. But, based off of the first novel I am assuming nothing will get accomplished in the sequel either.
Just a few annoyances of many: The author teased us so many times with almost-memories. Tate would be like "Jax?", and then there would be no explanation. She awoke from a nightmare, and the guard watching her cell asked what it was about, "war" was all we got. In my opinion I believe the author intended Tate to be a strong independent Woman who has been trapped/alive for centuries with Ryu by her side to guide her into the modern age with a new love (there was a weird scene of in-between death where this dude kept stroking Tate's face and calling her "my love" and telling her he would wait for her (wtf?!)). What we got instead was Tate, a bratty child who complains constantly and is always getting into trouble, needing someone to save her.
This book is not worth your time or patience. Please avoid if you, like me, are an avid book reader in search of fantastical tales to take you someplace far away.
The world building was completely absent. They talked of the history of the world using unknown terms such as Dragon-Ridden, and First Saviour without revealing anything about what they meant. Tate didn't even know, which means we were just as clueless and brainless as the main character. The world made no sense, it was just stuff thrown together. The magic made no sense, none of it was ever explained. The character development was nonexistent. I didn't feel a connection with any of the characters. The people were hollow.
Tate was a whiny mess. I don't know how she survived all those battles. Just when you thought Tate had done something awesome by escaping Ryu (a lord/pirate who is just as much a mystery as the rest of the book), It turns out she's an idiot. They explain that Tate has just been getting in the way this whole time and in fact caused this whole friggin battle for power. Ryu would have been my favourite character if he had not been so absent. The author kind of hinted that Ryu and Tate are dragon soul mates or something but it was never acted upon. Which means this book was neither romance, nor comedy, nor fantasy, nor good. Tate was more of a damsel in distress than a powerful dragon. She fainted almost every chapter, and she never won any fights that mattered instead someone else saved her. Case in point: Night, Ryu, Dewdrop, Tempest were constantly saving her. What kind of person assigns a made up a name for somebody and doesn't even bother to use their real name once they know it. Tempest died and Tate made a whole big thing about burying him and then she was like "hmmm, I don't actually know his name....whatever". Tate is a garbage person.
The only thing that kept me going was either hope for a budding romance between Ryu and Tate so the story would have some plot at least or intrigue about Tate's past. Guess what? That didn't happen. Which means literally nothing was accomplished in this book. Yes, I know there is a sequel. But, based off of the first novel I am assuming nothing will get accomplished in the sequel either.
Just a few annoyances of many: The author teased us so many times with almost-memories. Tate would be like "Jax?", and then there would be no explanation. She awoke from a nightmare, and the guard watching her cell asked what it was about, "war" was all we got. In my opinion I believe the author intended Tate to be a strong independent Woman who has been trapped/alive for centuries with Ryu by her side to guide her into the modern age with a new love (there was a weird scene of in-between death where this dude kept stroking Tate's face and calling her "my love" and telling her he would wait for her (wtf?!)). What we got instead was Tate, a bratty child who complains constantly and is always getting into trouble, needing someone to save her.
This book is not worth your time or patience. Please avoid if you, like me, are an avid book reader in search of fantastical tales to take you someplace far away.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2020
There was stuff I liked about this, and stuff I really didn't.
Mostly, I didn't like that Tate was easily manipulated, to such a degree that she'd just roll over for whoever, and not be mad for more than 10 seconds.
In this book, she was manipulated pretty much constantly. Betrayed repeatedly. Used as a pawn. Beaten and tortured. The entire series of events can be laid at the feet of Ryu and Jost, people she thought were friends but who just fucked her over repeatedly, and kept putting her into horribly dangerous situations without giving her any info. And then being furious with her if things didn't go the way they wanted ... when, again, they gave her no info so she was flying blind.
All that was bad enough, but the kicker was these two things:
1 - I think it's likely Ryu is going to be the love interest, and I literally despise him.
2 - Tate is so spineless that she rolled over and accepted all the blame for everything.
Then, she's tortured one last time by the "good guys" (Ryu and the inspector), and told she now is basically their prisoner, because dragon-ridden must be under the emperor's thumb. So she is forced to stay there and train.
And she still doesn't hate them.
The book made me pretty angry. I'm reading onward because I like the backstory and want to know her connection to the Saviors, but also because I'm hoping she casts these assholes out of her life and grows a spine. I'm doubtful, though, which means I'm also doubtful I'll go past book 2. We'll see.
Mostly, I didn't like that Tate was easily manipulated, to such a degree that she'd just roll over for whoever, and not be mad for more than 10 seconds.
In this book, she was manipulated pretty much constantly. Betrayed repeatedly. Used as a pawn. Beaten and tortured. The entire series of events can be laid at the feet of Ryu and Jost, people she thought were friends but who just fucked her over repeatedly, and kept putting her into horribly dangerous situations without giving her any info. And then being furious with her if things didn't go the way they wanted ... when, again, they gave her no info so she was flying blind.
All that was bad enough, but the kicker was these two things:
1 - I think it's likely Ryu is going to be the love interest, and I literally despise him.
2 - Tate is so spineless that she rolled over and accepted all the blame for everything.
Then, she's tortured one last time by the "good guys" (Ryu and the inspector), and told she now is basically their prisoner, because dragon-ridden must be under the emperor's thumb. So she is forced to stay there and train.
And she still doesn't hate them.
The book made me pretty angry. I'm reading onward because I like the backstory and want to know her connection to the Saviors, but also because I'm hoping she casts these assholes out of her life and grows a spine. I'm doubtful, though, which means I'm also doubtful I'll go past book 2. We'll see.
March 12, 2020
An ok read
I read both this book and Pathfinder's Way and found them interesting. The world is nicely complex and not so standard for fantasy series. I rate this one a two out of five, even though I liked it, for a number of reasons. First, there are just too many grammar issues. Apostrophes missing or added incorrectly, awkward commas, the wrong words used (ex: tact vs tack). It really needs some editing. Second, this book and even Pathfinder spend way too much time in the character's head and on descriptions of things that don't matter. There is almost no dialog in these books and what dialog there is feels stilted. And no, I don't need a description of every hallway or guard we pass by. Third, the main characters are females who come off weak, indecisive, and only able to make stupid decisions. In contrast the males are aggressive, decisive, and always know the right thing to do. It is beginning to make me question how the author views women. Personally, I like strong women with a good head on their shoulders. Points for not needing constant rescuing. Finally, it's hard to buy into a romance when the characters spend almost no time together.
I read both this book and Pathfinder's Way and found them interesting. The world is nicely complex and not so standard for fantasy series. I rate this one a two out of five, even though I liked it, for a number of reasons. First, there are just too many grammar issues. Apostrophes missing or added incorrectly, awkward commas, the wrong words used (ex: tact vs tack). It really needs some editing. Second, this book and even Pathfinder spend way too much time in the character's head and on descriptions of things that don't matter. There is almost no dialog in these books and what dialog there is feels stilted. And no, I don't need a description of every hallway or guard we pass by. Third, the main characters are females who come off weak, indecisive, and only able to make stupid decisions. In contrast the males are aggressive, decisive, and always know the right thing to do. It is beginning to make me question how the author views women. Personally, I like strong women with a good head on their shoulders. Points for not needing constant rescuing. Finally, it's hard to buy into a romance when the characters spend almost no time together.
February 18, 2020
I appreciate the stories that TA White comes up with, this one actually appealed to me more than the Vampire one.
1. The heroine has no memory and there is a mystery to it all
2. The supporting characters and world building- Dewdrop and Night are awesome
3. The love interest, its a typical SLLOOOWWWW burn that TA White seems to do but at least there isn't the "I like you, kisses, but no relationship growth". This one flirts with the possibility but doesn't promise anything.
So, I treated it like a YA novel (with swearing) and have been pleasantly surprised as I go along.
Next!
1. The heroine has no memory and there is a mystery to it all
2. The supporting characters and world building- Dewdrop and Night are awesome
3. The love interest, its a typical SLLOOOWWWW burn that TA White seems to do but at least there isn't the "I like you, kisses, but no relationship growth". This one flirts with the possibility but doesn't promise anything.
So, I treated it like a YA novel (with swearing) and have been pleasantly surprised as I go along.
Next!
July 1, 2019
This was a disappointing start in comparison with the other T.A. White books I’ve read. The heroine’s actions baffled me more and more as the book progressed and her reactions to certain events made no sense at all. I loved parts of it and can appreciate the idea behind it all but I find the execution a bit flawed. In any case points to the author cause I can definitely tell she has grown as a writer and storyteller in the last 7 years.
July 25, 2023
Love the fantasy/sci to feel of this. I’m getting the- an advanced culture made touch with this planet and something went wrong so thousands of years down the line is the setting for this novel- vibe.
I’ve been reading more and more about futuristic societies where magic is actually based on science from times past. Is this a trend?
Anyways, love it! Already on book 2.
I’ve been reading more and more about futuristic societies where magic is actually based on science from times past. Is this a trend?
Anyways, love it! Already on book 2.
July 7, 2021
3.5/5.0
Great story that begins what looks like an extremely interesting series. The characters weren’t given enough depth to connect like a reader needs to in order to make a book stand out above the others and I, personally, would have liked at least a touch of a romantic relationship (there is zero) but the overall kept me turning pages and reading well into the night.
Great story that begins what looks like an extremely interesting series. The characters weren’t given enough depth to connect like a reader needs to in order to make a book stand out above the others and I, personally, would have liked at least a touch of a romantic relationship (there is zero) but the overall kept me turning pages and reading well into the night.
April 11, 2019
3 stars
I've only recently discovered this author, Dragon-Ridden being the 5th book of hers I've read in the last 2 weeks. I didn't mind the story, but when I compare it to her other books it is a 3 star read.
I liked the characters in Tate's inner circle, and the plot has a lot going on regarding Tate, the main female character. No memory prior to being found by pirates, and she has a wickedly realistic dragon tattoo on her arm. Tate, despite not knowing who she is, is very strong, resilient and has mad fighting skills - she gets caught up in many many situations where her skills are needed.
The whole dragon rider scenario was interesting - there wasn't a lot of it in this book, but I'll continue the series to see how that develops as the way the book ends clearly indicates it will play a large part in book 2. There were some big hints dropped about Tate's background, the dreams and teasers where Tate nearly remembers, something that appears familiar almost clears the fog in her mind but then it's lost in the moment.
No real romance to speak of ( yet ) but the foundation has been laid for a love interest. The potential romantic interest is a bit frustrating at times, he and everyone else seem to enjoy keeping Tate in the dark about what is happening, which leads to her being in danger and making decisions without having all the necessary information. I'll withhold on deciding whether he is a complete douche or not until I've read the next book.
I've only recently discovered this author, Dragon-Ridden being the 5th book of hers I've read in the last 2 weeks. I didn't mind the story, but when I compare it to her other books it is a 3 star read.
I liked the characters in Tate's inner circle, and the plot has a lot going on regarding Tate, the main female character. No memory prior to being found by pirates, and she has a wickedly realistic dragon tattoo on her arm. Tate, despite not knowing who she is, is very strong, resilient and has mad fighting skills - she gets caught up in many many situations where her skills are needed.
The whole dragon rider scenario was interesting - there wasn't a lot of it in this book, but I'll continue the series to see how that develops as the way the book ends clearly indicates it will play a large part in book 2. There were some big hints dropped about Tate's background, the dreams and teasers where Tate nearly remembers, something that appears familiar almost clears the fog in her mind but then it's lost in the moment.
No real romance to speak of ( yet ) but the foundation has been laid for a love interest. The potential romantic interest is a bit frustrating at times, he and everyone else seem to enjoy keeping Tate in the dark about what is happening, which leads to her being in danger and making decisions without having all the necessary information. I'll withhold on deciding whether he is a complete douche or not until I've read the next book.
January 28, 2022
2nd series this year, 2nd big success!
Ok, I admit, I knew when I started the series that I'll really enjoy it. And, luckily, I wasn't disappointed.
This is a really cool start to a series. It makes you curious, makes you want to know more. And the characters are fun and interesting, the plot is pretty good, and the world builder is better than I expected.
So definitely a great start and worth giving a try!
Ok, I admit, I knew when I started the series that I'll really enjoy it. And, luckily, I wasn't disappointed.
This is a really cool start to a series. It makes you curious, makes you want to know more. And the characters are fun and interesting, the plot is pretty good, and the world builder is better than I expected.
So definitely a great start and worth giving a try!
April 19, 2025
3.5 stars
ehhhh idkkkk there were parts where I was really into the story and others where I just wasn't. There are similar vibes and characters to the Aileen Travers series which might be partly why I'm not as into it. But this is interesting and it seems like Tate is from a more advanced civilization, so I am interested in seeing how things progress. I think I just need a little space before I pick up the next book.
ehhhh idkkkk there were parts where I was really into the story and others where I just wasn't. There are similar vibes and characters to the Aileen Travers series which might be partly why I'm not as into it. But this is interesting and it seems like Tate is from a more advanced civilization, so I am interested in seeing how things progress. I think I just need a little space before I pick up the next book.
March 23, 2019
The author had a great concept here and then blew it during the execution. First female Dragon ridden Tate could have been awesome. But she was lumbered by an author who couldn't keep her character's non-past and her motivations lined up. Question, if Tate was found 8 months ago, kept in a cage on board, had to learn English - where did she find time to discover how to be a conman/pirate etc. Spouting off things like - loyalty is the only thing that ever matters. And - I need to be able to look myself in the mirror each morning... um... there are mirrors on a pirate ship? In the junior crew quarters? Swish ship.
Instead of keeping the story streamlined the author piled on so many groups with so many disparate but similar agendas it became boring. Then add experiments. An A.I hologram. Creatures. Dreams of Tate's past, most of which made no sense what so ever. I don't need every gap filled in but take pity and piece-meal what the hell is going on to me occasionally.
Ryu's motivations of making Tate escort Umi around the island made even less sense than Tate's continual willingness to throw herself into deadly situations again and again... because, well, I couldn't work it out.
And the occasional continuity error irked me - at one point Dewdrop has a gag in his month, to stop him using his mega scream, the next moment he's talking.
Instead of keeping the story streamlined the author piled on so many groups with so many disparate but similar agendas it became boring. Then add experiments. An A.I hologram. Creatures. Dreams of Tate's past, most of which made no sense what so ever. I don't need every gap filled in but take pity and piece-meal what the hell is going on to me occasionally.
Ryu's motivations of making Tate escort Umi around the island made even less sense than Tate's continual willingness to throw herself into deadly situations again and again... because, well, I couldn't work it out.
And the occasional continuity error irked me - at one point Dewdrop has a gag in his month, to stop him using his mega scream, the next moment he's talking.
March 29, 2018
I really liked the idea of the book. I liked the premise, I liked the universe.
However, I didn't enjoy the writing and really didn't like the lead character, Tate. Her decision making feels like a plot device - several times, I wondered why she would do something, then found that it was to get her to the next part of the story. It wasn't to progress her character development.
However, I didn't enjoy the writing and really didn't like the lead character, Tate. Her decision making feels like a plot device - several times, I wondered why she would do something, then found that it was to get her to the next part of the story. It wasn't to progress her character development.
December 30, 2012
Dragon Ridden is an entertaining, imaginative, well-written book with a fantastically feisty female lead. White created a unique world that combines fantasy, religion and culture with enough detail to illustrate Tate's surroundings without bogging down the reader. I like Tate's character! She is both funny and a badass. Despite her good intentions, she seems to constantly get into trouble--but she also fights back with gusto and smart -aleck remarks. She's my kind of heroine!
June 18, 2019
So Interesting
I originally read this two years ago and loved it. Tate is fun, but she sure knows how to make a mess. I love her, though and there are things I've guessed about her past, but there's still a bell of a lot to learn and I want to know if all. I really want to know how Tate and everyone around here will react.
I love Tate's motley crew, too. I'm sure things will be developing with Ryu as well and I want to see more of Jost and his crew, too.
I originally read this two years ago and loved it. Tate is fun, but she sure knows how to make a mess. I love her, though and there are things I've guessed about her past, but there's still a bell of a lot to learn and I want to know if all. I really want to know how Tate and everyone around here will react.
I love Tate's motley crew, too. I'm sure things will be developing with Ryu as well and I want to see more of Jost and his crew, too.
February 5, 2018
Not good like Pathfinder's Way (The Broken Lands #1)
July 10, 2025
3.5 stars
It's really hard to review this series. I read two books so far. My main impression is that I'm missing a lot of information at any point of the two books. I like some parts of the story some parts are not so good. Same with the characters.
I'm tying to read the third one soonish.
It's really hard to review this series. I read two books so far. My main impression is that I'm missing a lot of information at any point of the two books. I like some parts of the story some parts are not so good. Same with the characters.
I'm tying to read the third one soonish.
June 29, 2021
“Dragon Ridden” is an interesting read about a woman named Tate who is found on an island and lost her memory. She is taken aboard a ship of thieves where she lives among its varied crew. The senior member like and protect her while the lesser ones attack her and threaten worse if she doesn’t leave the ship for good.
While on leave at the port of Aurelia, Tate plots her escape. She also learns that one of the crew, a man name Ryu plans to stay in the city as well. She knows she must stay clear of him if she is to succeed in her plan to escape; however, that will prove to be fruitless especially after she recovers a stolen hair ornament from some thieves and returns it to its rightful owner. That one act of kindness will set a course for Tate that will plunge her into a pit filled with vipers, betrayals, monsters and mayhem.
The cast of characters are as flawed as they can get but Tate has a way that elicits loyalty and bravery where there previously had been none. I enjoyed this read. It left me wanting to know more. I’m also becoming a big fan of the author. This is the second series that I’ve read of hers.
While on leave at the port of Aurelia, Tate plots her escape. She also learns that one of the crew, a man name Ryu plans to stay in the city as well. She knows she must stay clear of him if she is to succeed in her plan to escape; however, that will prove to be fruitless especially after she recovers a stolen hair ornament from some thieves and returns it to its rightful owner. That one act of kindness will set a course for Tate that will plunge her into a pit filled with vipers, betrayals, monsters and mayhem.
The cast of characters are as flawed as they can get but Tate has a way that elicits loyalty and bravery where there previously had been none. I enjoyed this read. It left me wanting to know more. I’m also becoming a big fan of the author. This is the second series that I’ve read of hers.
January 29, 2022
This was a fantastic read. This was incredibly well written, I was engaged the entire time. I really liked the concept and cannot wait to see what comes next. I loved our whole cast of characters too, every single one of them had their own charm which isn't something you find often. I'm excited to see what comes next.
June 21, 2019
Awesome Hero
The MC is wonderful. She's amnesiac, has a handful of friends, pragmatic and lonely. Despite that she's curious and has a moral center that most of the other characters don't grasp (of course, they are almost all pirates, violent criminals, power crazed nobles and/or misogyny-damaged women).
Her decisions are awesome and even when she's dying it makes a hopeful statement about the purpose of living. Her personal history and the history of the planet, involve a technology the barest tip of which is exposed in the first book. For me, that past alone would force me to read a lot more of this series but there's a lot more reasons to like this book.
The writing is clear and clean. The characters (the good, the bad and the ugly) all operate from real world motivations and behave accordingly against the sociopolitical background. The dialogue embodies a carefully measured blend of humor, desperation, resignation and other strong emotions that tie all the elements together really well (Heck - splendidly. There I said it).
There are layers of intrigue, lost history, high tech backgrounds in the universe, a historical astrophysical disaster or some other planet-sterilizing event and a MC with a lot more depth than I expected. I think that It should be a good read for most people and I'm really looking forward to the series.
The MC is wonderful. She's amnesiac, has a handful of friends, pragmatic and lonely. Despite that she's curious and has a moral center that most of the other characters don't grasp (of course, they are almost all pirates, violent criminals, power crazed nobles and/or misogyny-damaged women).
Her decisions are awesome and even when she's dying it makes a hopeful statement about the purpose of living. Her personal history and the history of the planet, involve a technology the barest tip of which is exposed in the first book. For me, that past alone would force me to read a lot more of this series but there's a lot more reasons to like this book.
The writing is clear and clean. The characters (the good, the bad and the ugly) all operate from real world motivations and behave accordingly against the sociopolitical background. The dialogue embodies a carefully measured blend of humor, desperation, resignation and other strong emotions that tie all the elements together really well (Heck - splendidly. There I said it).
There are layers of intrigue, lost history, high tech backgrounds in the universe, a historical astrophysical disaster or some other planet-sterilizing event and a MC with a lot more depth than I expected. I think that It should be a good read for most people and I'm really looking forward to the series.
May 25, 2020
Fun and quickly paced!
To start this is more of a 3.5 and a lot of that comes down to Tate being a dunderhead for half the book. At the start we get a detailed description of the "dragon-ridden", men who bond with dragons and essentially gain longevity of life, lots of power, ability to shapeshift into said dragon and shakels of responsibility to the Emperor. This detailed explanation does include the fact women have not bonded in a very, very long time...as well as moving dragon tattoo is a dead give away.
Friends, one of the first things we learn about Tate is her moving dragon tattoo.
Sigh. Aside from that, and some odd moments of overly detailed descriptions being repeated, I was fascinated by the Mysteries presented.
Where's her memory? Who's Ai? What's up with Ryu's purring growl when he touches Tate? Is Jost really that much of a jerk?
The actual antagonists are a mixed bag. There's clearly deeper waters to consider, but those we meet here are...barely worth considering as its obvious what they want.
In the end its learning about the mysteries as well as seeing if Tate can cause Ryu to have an apoplectic fit drives me to read the next book.
To start this is more of a 3.5 and a lot of that comes down to Tate being a dunderhead for half the book. At the start we get a detailed description of the "dragon-ridden", men who bond with dragons and essentially gain longevity of life, lots of power, ability to shapeshift into said dragon and shakels of responsibility to the Emperor. This detailed explanation does include the fact women have not bonded in a very, very long time...as well as moving dragon tattoo is a dead give away.
Friends, one of the first things we learn about Tate is her moving dragon tattoo.
Sigh. Aside from that, and some odd moments of overly detailed descriptions being repeated, I was fascinated by the Mysteries presented.
Where's her memory? Who's Ai? What's up with Ryu's purring growl when he touches Tate? Is Jost really that much of a jerk?
The actual antagonists are a mixed bag. There's clearly deeper waters to consider, but those we meet here are...barely worth considering as its obvious what they want.
In the end its learning about the mysteries as well as seeing if Tate can cause Ryu to have an apoplectic fit drives me to read the next book.
August 9, 2020
I'm in a T.A. White marathon. This would my last series by this author that I haven't read yet. Now, I need to find other UF romance authors to binge.
Anyway, as for the book, it revolved around a woman named Tate that didn't remember anything from her past. She was rescued (or captured, depends on how you see it) by a band of pirates. All that was left from her past was the dragon tattoo on her arms. Something happened and suddenly she was hunted by different parties and picking up friends left and right.
As for a first book in a series, it's a good beginning. There was a hint of future romance bubbling between Tate and a fellow pirate (or is he? Fufufu). But overall it is a great book. I just hope it will only go up from here.
Anyway, as for the book, it revolved around a woman named Tate that didn't remember anything from her past. She was rescued (or captured, depends on how you see it) by a band of pirates. All that was left from her past was the dragon tattoo on her arms. Something happened and suddenly she was hunted by different parties and picking up friends left and right.
As for a first book in a series, it's a good beginning. There was a hint of future romance bubbling between Tate and a fellow pirate (or is he? Fufufu). But overall it is a great book. I just hope it will only go up from here.
July 31, 2023
Not As Good As Pathfinder
I read this book right after Pathfinder and while I loved Pathfinder, I didn't love Dragon Ridden. I don't mind some mystery regarding a characters backstory provided the pacing of the novel is good and most of the mystery is solved by the end but that didn't happen here. There were major clues given but not enough for me to have more than vague conjectures. This unfortunately kept me from understanding or relating to the main character. Also, I was hoping for a little romance as a nice subplot but it didn't happen. I'm not sure if I will read book 2.
I read this book right after Pathfinder and while I loved Pathfinder, I didn't love Dragon Ridden. I don't mind some mystery regarding a characters backstory provided the pacing of the novel is good and most of the mystery is solved by the end but that didn't happen here. There were major clues given but not enough for me to have more than vague conjectures. This unfortunately kept me from understanding or relating to the main character. Also, I was hoping for a little romance as a nice subplot but it didn't happen. I'm not sure if I will read book 2.
July 5, 2021
Very good
Ebbs and flows of a complicated fantasy with a touch of science fiction to round out the action. Intriguing, a touch confusing and completely entertaining, this is a fun ride with a complicated plot. A few typos.
Ebbs and flows of a complicated fantasy with a touch of science fiction to round out the action. Intriguing, a touch confusing and completely entertaining, this is a fun ride with a complicated plot. A few typos.
January 13, 2022
Tate walked so Kira could run. It honestly felt so similar to rules of redemption but slightly less polished. Still good though!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews