Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Welcome back! Today we're discussing 'The Bound and the Broken' by Ryan Cahill, a fantasy series about dragon riders!

This series have four novels, and three novellas. It does start out as a very stereotypical fantasy and a very familiar story. The first book was quite predictable and full of the usual fantasy tropes. Yet, this series sees a truly extreme increase in quality! I think books 3 & 4 are truly top tier fantasy. So it’s a series that rewards you for sticking with it.

I'm going to review this whole series today, spoiler free. I’m going to be objective, honest, listing any strengths and weaknesses. Cause ultimately, I want to help you decide if this is the right series for you.

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00:00 Intro Song
00:22 Overview of Books
01:58 The Concept
03:03 Regarding Book One
06:33 Worldbuilding
11:12 Plotlines & Characters
16:14 Big Themes
19:02 Dragons - Less Threatening
24:10 The Series Direction
26:18 The Three Novellas & Reading Order
28:49 Representation
30:11 Content Warning
30:48 Is the Ending worth it?
31:37 How much should you try?
32:02 Outro