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A Dance of Dragons #3

The Phoenix Born

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The final book in the thrilling A Dance of Dragons series!

For the first time in a thousand years, the fire dragon has been awakened and Rhen is its rider. But after destroying the armies that threatened the city of Rayfort, Rhen is shown a vision in flames that changes everything. The shadow's phantom armies are coming and the dragons are the only things that might stop them.

High in the castle at the top of the Gates, Jinji has learned something of her own. Janu, her long lost twin, is alive. And just as the spirit shares her body, the shadow shares his. In the blink of an eye, her quest for vengeance against the evil that killed her family has changed to one of protection. Because she knows that if Rhen learns the truth he will do what she cannot—end the shadow, and end her brother in the process.

As the shadow grows more aggressive, Jinji and Rhen fight to find the rest of the dragon riders. But with time running out, they are forced to face the impossible decision between honor and love. Alliances are formed, promises are broken, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance…

Unknown Binding

First published November 17, 2015

85 people are currently reading
598 people want to read

About the author

Kaitlyn Davis

51 books1,714 followers
Bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis writes young adult fantasy novels under the name Kaitlyn Davis and contemporary romance novels under the name Kay Marie. Publishers Weekly has said, "Davis writes with confidence and poise," while USA Today has recommended her work as "must-read romance."

To learn more about her contemporary romance novels, visit her Goodreads author page for Kay Marie here: https://www.goodreads.com/Kay_Marie

Always blessed with an overactive imagination, Kaitlyn has been writing ever since she picked up her first crayon and is overjoyed to share her work with the world. When she's not daydreaming, typing stories, or getting lost in fictional worlds, Kaitlyn can be found playing fetch with her puppy, watching a little too much television, or spending time with her family. If you have any questions for her--about her books, about scheduling an event, or just in general--you may contact her at: KaitlynDavisBooks@gmail.com

Sign up for Kaitlyn's newsletter to stay up-to-date with all of her new releases and more! http://bit.ly/AuthorNewsletter

Like her on Facebook here: Facebook.com/KaitlynDavisBooks

Follow her on Instagram here: Instagram.com/kaitlyndavisbooks/

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Kirsty (Amethyst Bookwyrm).
627 reviews84 followers
December 27, 2015
Jinji has discovered that Janu is alive and that the Shadow who killed her family shares his body. Rhen is the rider of the fire dragon, who has been awoken after a thousand years and has saved the city of Rayfort. Rhen and Jin have been shown a vision that the Shadow’s phantom armies are coming and that only the four elemental dragons can stop them. Jin knows that killing Janu will end the Shadow but she protects her brother and tells no one, knowing they would put the fate of the world before Janu. As Rhen and Jin try and find the rest of the dragon riders, they have to make impossible decisions which could tear them apart as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

The Phoenix Born is the really good final book in the A Dance of Dragons series. It is really fast paced and I got pulled into the story as it has action, romance and suspense. The characters are three-dimensional and really well written and the main focus of the story.

Jin is conflicted in this story as she hates the choices she has to make, but has grown in confidence, in both herself and her powers, as the series has gone on. I really liked how much Rhen loved Jin, and how brave, loyal and clever he is. I would have liked to have learnt more about the dragons as in this book they did not have that much of a personality.

I really liked how this book ended and how it was all wrapped up. I would recommend The Phoenix Born the rest of the series A Dance of Dragons to fans of magical YA fantasy books.

This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
Profile Image for Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books.
523 reviews143 followers
December 8, 2015
Blog Post with Excerpts and Review

I really have enjoyed this series. I was very pleased at the way everything has wrapped up. I was pulled into the story right away and was hooked yet again.

I do not want to have spoilers, and this is book 3, so can't say a whole lot. I will say its written extremely well, and you feel for the characters and what happens to them.

I liked the fantasy feel of the story, with the dragons and dragon riders. I was reminded of Eragon, which was a favorite movie and book, but only a little, just the dragon riders part. Anyway, I think this third book was my favorite of the 3. (I have not read the other books, novellas I think yet, I didn't know about them but do not think they have to be read to enjoy the series)

Anyone who enjoys fantasy book, like Eragon, and Game of Thrones as the author said, and many others in the fantasy world.

I highly recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy.

I give this 5 out of 5 stars for sure. Amazing read!!



Profile Image for Kaitlyn Davis.
Author 51 books1,714 followers
September 9, 2016
Can't believe this series is coming to a close!! I'll definitely miss these characters, but I hope you all love the end of their story! :)
Profile Image for Jaime (Two Chicks on Books).
825 reviews393 followers
February 6, 2017
Loved this finale although I will admit it seemed a bit rushed. Maybe there should have been 4 books! Oh hell I'd take a ton more I loved this world! Now on to the final novella.
Profile Image for Eva Müller.
Author 1 book77 followers
June 1, 2017
This review can also be found on my blog

They learned how each other moved, how they flew, how they fought. But most of all they bonded, formed a friendship.


Don’t bore me with details on the character- and relationship development. That might actually give them some depth and make them interesting and who would want that?


At the beginning of the book, Jinji uses her magic powers to rebuild a city that had been destroyed in a battle and heal the people that were injured during the attack. She spends almost a day doing that before she collapses. But not because using magic is physically exhausting, but because seeing so many dead and injured people takes an emotional toll on her. Fortunately, trauma can be healed by a hug from your boyfriend so she can go on to use some magic to convince the different sides in the battle to stop fighting each other and fight the Shadow instead.
All of this happens in the first three or four chapters and makes it very clear that the characters won’t need to worry about any of the things most other fantasy protagonists do. Somebody doesn’t believe them? There’s a person with essential god-like powers who can impress them till they change their opinions. A serious injury? That can be solved with little more than a snap of the fingers? No food? Same. The only thing Junji can’t do is teleport but then the other’s have dragons that can cover huge distances in minutes. (That, or the whole book takes place in an area roughly the size of Liechtenstein). Frankly, that makes for some very boring reading.
Of course, there is still the Big Bad of the series but what makes fantasy exciting is that the protagonists have to deal with a lot of stuff besides fighting the Big Bad. Here, the only other things that are going on are Jinji and Rhen’s relationship “problems”. In quotation marks, because they can be summed up with ‘You lied to me about something major. But when I think about it for a few paragraphs I can understand why you did that. Now I have betrayed you but you also forgave me after a few pages. And it’s not like either of our betrayals had any real consequences (except the deaths of a few thousand people but let’s ignore that since we did not know any of them).’ So these parts are also really boring. Which results in an exceptionally boring book.



Reviews of the previous books in the series
Book 0.5
Book 1
Book 1.5
Book 2
Book 2.5
Profile Image for Chris Torretta.
885 reviews40 followers
November 19, 2015
If you take a look at my categories you may see some fantasy, mostly Terry Pratchett, but it is definitely not the dominating genre here. My hubby loves fantasy and he is the only reason I started reading Terry Pratchett, but for the most part, fantasy and I just do not get along. Kaitlyn Davis has a way of alluring you into her words like she is a book siren. Once you start you cannot back away!

All of Kaitlyn’s books have done that to me, and this is no different. From the beginning of the series I have loved these characters. They are strange and dynamic, and endearing! I get to the end of her books and just want to cry because I know that I will never again be the same! And the fact that she loves killing her readers with cliff hangers. THIS book is the last in a series and that alone is enough to make me want to read very, very slowly and to drag the book out as long as I possibly can.

I have not read the novellas that go with this series but I can say that I am going to soon! This book has all of the tension and drama that the characters had in her previous books. True to their characters, they stayed on the course (so much to spoil here!!) and did not deviate from what they thought was the right course of action. This did not always fit entirely with what I wanted them to do, but it always made sense.

Surprisingly, not only did I completely enjoy this fantasy but the book really kept me on my toes. There were things in this one that surprised me and stuff that I did not see coming.

If you have not read the previous books you really should. This is not one of those that you can pick up one in the series and understand what is happening (also why I cannot give much information for the third book). They need to be read in order to fully get what is going on. But once you start, you will not want to put them down!

Fantastic writing, beautiful characters that are full of depth and warmth. Loved every word!
Profile Image for Deborah.
Author 11 books114 followers
November 22, 2015
This is the last book in this series, and I almost didn’t want to read it too fast, so that I wouldn’t have to let go of these wonderful, 3-dimensional characters I’ve grown to know and love over the course of the earlier books, and the excellent set of novellas that go with them (but are not essential to understanding the central plot).
For me, books need to be all about character. Unusual concepts and stories may carry me along, but nothing grips me more than great characterisation, and these books abound with that. Davis has such a way of involving you so deeply with the unique people that fill her books that I won’t hesitate to read more of her work.
As she did in the first that I read, the novella ‘The Golden Cage’, she dragged me along almost against my will, in the full knowledge that all the disasters these poor characters were trying to prevent would, inevitably, come about no matter how much you wished for them not to. This book is full of anguish and pain, but also love and passion, and you can’t help but keep starting the next chapter, even when you’ve promised yourself that you really will turn off the light and go to sleep.
She adroitly captures the way that in crises, the human mind swings between the two extremes, of total confidence that things will work out, and the unshakeable knowledge that disaster is imminent. Impossible choices abound and, right up to the very end, as the morality of the spirit and the shadow become more blurred, I was kept guessing as to how this story could possibly resolve without turning into a tragedy. Which, let me assure you, it doesn’t.
For all fans of character-driven fantasy, looking for that special book with characters who are a little bit different, I can’t recommend this series highly enough.
Oh, and did I mention it has dragons? Well, it does – yay!
Profile Image for Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive).
2,497 reviews57 followers
June 23, 2016
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

I strongly recommend starting with the first book in the series, or download the series starter pack which also includes a novella.

Now that the first of the dragon riders have been awakened, the rest of them need to be find in this novel to be able to battle the Shadow, who in the mean time is playing tricks with Jinji. Do they even have a chance to win this?

It was a nice close for the series, but overall I wasn't completely overwhelmed by it. It was entertaining but it never surprised me and I felt like it had more potential. I thought the search for the dragon riders, who apparently are so rare, was too easy and Jinji made loads of stupid decisions. However, it brings closure to the series.

The Phoenix Born is the last book in the Dance of Dragons series.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
347 reviews
January 7, 2018
Better than the second book. Lacking compared to the first. Wish the dragons did more in this series. Seems like their presence was wasted.
233 reviews
July 5, 2020
This book builds the character of Jinji into a superpower for the ages. As she grows, her magic powers deepen and mature until she can do almost anything she can think of. She still loves Rhen, and I almost feel sorry for him through all of this. He is the steadfast one that Jinji relies on, especially as regards to Janu, her twin. Jinji finds the dragons and makes sure Rhen finds the one that belongs to him. Now he has a dragon to ride along with the horse Ember, and the dragon seems to pick up some of Ember's attitude toward Rhen that can make his life difficult at best. Leena also is matched to a dragon and begins developing her relationship. Somehow Jinji and Rhen manage to find riders for the other two elemental dragons in the nick of time to face a final battle flung out to four of the world's great cities. This is another very emotional book, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Profile Image for Wietske Strijbis.
75 reviews
January 10, 2024
Well that was a very mediocre ending to an okay series...

The way Rhen and Jinji had so many moments that would 'change everything' and they would always forgive each other for some weird reason. Their relationship is toxic af.
I'm reading sentences which I am sure I have read before in this book which makes it very repetitive. The way time passes is very weird. Sometimes things are happening so so quickly and sometimes they take forever.

The way Rhen ANNOYED me in this book. Blaming himself for everything, being so theatrical, makeing weird decisions, thinking only he can safe Jinji even though she's perfectly capable of saving herself and thinking he can make decisions for her. Like take a seat white boy and let her safe the world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Karla.
489 reviews5 followers
September 5, 2017
The ending was so anticlamatic, and the whole book seemed so over the top to a certain extent. Jinji's actions seemed over the top, and throughout most of the book she really acted out of character, plus there was a lot of things that just happened out of convenience. Still, it was nice to learn more about spirits and their abilities, and the war with the shadow, but I felt like by last page, there was still a lot of loose threads and open plot lines that were just ignored, almost as if they weren't important to the story when all that mattered was Jinji and Rhen...

It took me a while to finish, but still it was an interesting series to read.
Profile Image for Theresa.
4,112 reviews16 followers
May 18, 2023
When Jinji sees Rhen and the Fire Dragon surrounding Rayfort with fire, she realizes she needs to be there to stop him and heal the people and land. So, she rushes there with her brother hoping she’s in time.

Jinji’s ability has really developed into a cool power. I’m glad she’s on the good side. And I love how the elements are involved in the dragons. And I love Ember. Very cool horse

Fave scenes: JInji riding on the wave of water, Rhen meeting with the shadow on the mountain and the four dragons working together, Ember’s reunion with Rhen.
219 reviews3 followers
September 1, 2018
Rose

Kaitlyn Davis has done an excellent job of uniting several personalities within an exciting story containing dragons. While dragon riders learn of their different types of dragons, they must survive through many different trials. Couldn't put this book down because of the laughter and tears.
Profile Image for Urvashi Yadav.
173 reviews9 followers
February 8, 2023
Still wanna rant as picked up a dystopian fantasy got romance added into it later *why are you guys kissing all the time dude?*
But
The plot, the storyline, the character development, the truth reveals were amiable.
Profile Image for Samaya.
122 reviews3 followers
August 19, 2023
Absolutely love this entire series. I love how the suspense builds, the depth of the characters and how life, death, spirituality and the four elements are woven into the story. Bravo, well done. Can't wait to read the final book and finish out the series.
42 reviews
August 14, 2017
Dragons! I love dragons. I was thrilled with this series. Absolutely love the ending. Couldn't have asked for better! Rhen 😍😍
Profile Image for debturk1970_bookvibes.
1,850 reviews18 followers
January 26, 2018
Gripping, full of twists & turns with betrayals as well as declarations of trust, belief & love!!

Well worth reading!! 👍

Debbie, 1970, UK
Profile Image for Karsa Orlong.
83 reviews1 follower
August 26, 2018
Sad to see this series end. I hope there is more. Really want to see where Rhen and Jinji go from here. Thank you Kaitlyn for a great series with loveable characters.
Profile Image for katrina.
45 reviews1 follower
February 15, 2023
Fantastic series ended!

I absolutely loved this series all the way through! I had no idea how the characters could make it work but OMG ! Read it!!!
Profile Image for Maghon Thomas.
1,541 reviews1 follower
December 7, 2015
Oh my goodness! It's OVER! So, of course I want to cry, but at the same time, I totally want to cheer. I had NO IDEA how Ms Davis was going to play this one out. I mean, what if you had to chose what Jinje did- murder your brother to save the world, or let him live and doom everyone, including the man you love. How do you pick that?! Well, let's just say that her decisions almost killed me. LOL This was a beautiful epic conclusion to a series that I have been completely in love with from the start!

Ok, so Jin has the Spirit-self inside her, while Janu, her twin has the Shadow-self in him. They are connected, and because they are twins, they share a bond just like those two entities do. But it's complicated. So, Jinje will search for the dragon riders to join with Rhen to help save the world. Along the way, she hits every bump, bruise, and obstacle possible. Rhen will hate her for her choices- or so she thinks- and she just can't live with herself murdering her own twin brother. While Rhen just wants to save everyone. He loves Jin and he will do whatever he can to keep her safe. Even if she is more powerful than him, or that he ever knew.

We learn more about Princess Leena, and the new dragon riders that join up with them. We also finally learn all the secrets to the shadow and spirit powers. I finally understand everything. I finally get it all. Man, this book blew my mind. I was such a fascinating fantasy world that was build. And of course the writing was phenomenal. I only had one question left at the end-- where's Cal? LOL I know, he wasn't a major player, but he was important to Rhen, so I wanna know. But I need to read the last book of Princess Leena's series- kinda a spin off- and I think my answer might be in there. :)

It all wrapped up so perfectly- though I almost had to have a stroke and a heart attack for that to happen. And it turned out the bad guy wasn't always the bad guy. I seriously almost lost it. I am kinda at a loss of words at how much awesome was packed into this book. It was such a magical ride. I am going to miss Jinje and Rhen so much. There was action, suspense, romance, magic, dragon, drama, you name it, and there was something in this one. I hope one day that Ms Davis writes a little something to show their future. I am honored to have read this one. This series has been such a wonderful contribution to the fantasy genre. It was just magical! 5 DRAGON PAWS!!!
Profile Image for Melissa Ann.
76 reviews5 followers
November 24, 2015
"The Phoenix Born" is the last of Kaitlyn Davis' "A Dance of Dragons" series. This is a series that I've been reading and reviewing from the beginning, so finishing this book was a bit of a bittersweet experience for me. It was interesting to see the direction the story was going, but I'm also sad to see it draw to a close.


This third and final installment in the series was one that really had me hooked. With the previous two books, we were led to believe certain things, and "The Phoenix Born" takes those thoughts and flips them around. Davis makes the reader question the things we thought we knew were "right", and showed how some times things aren't always as they seem.


Something else that I liked about this book was that we were introduced to more dragon riders. The coolness of dragons themselves aside (but seriously, dragons are awesome), I enjoyed the idea of the riders. They're connected in this special and unique way that gives them a purpose, a destiny. There were also some moments where they got to lighten the mood by playing around together with their elemental dragons.


I really did enjoy reading this book. While The first in the series too me a bit to get into, now the story is able to start right away and keep moving. However, these are not stand alone novels, so if you're interested in reading one (which I do recommend), start from the beginning.


If you're looking for a new fantasy series to read that's a way easier and faster read than the "Song of Ice and Fire" series, this might be the series for you. There's still magic, and dragons, and battles, but the story isn't weighed down like Martin's is. Davis' "A Dance of Dragons" is definitely a series that I would recommend.
Profile Image for Becca.
419 reviews29 followers
November 23, 2015
I said in my last review for THE SPIRIT HEIR that the books kept getting better. This one did not disappoint. It was so intense.

Jinji and Rhen are back. Jinji and her twin Janu have been reunited. Jinji feels like her whole world may make sense again. While her reunion with Janu is everything she thought she wanted there is still danger lingering.

Rhen has seen what may happen to the world if he and Jenji do not stop it. In the process Jinji learns something about her brother that forms and impossible decision for her to make.

Rhen and Jenji go through so much emotional turmoil in this book that I was constantly wishing that they could just catch a break :).

Rhen's love for Jinji is what every girl wants ;), and Jinji's for Rhen. Sometimes I just wanted to crawl into my book and tell them "it's all going to be okay"...but then I read on, and something else would pop up. hehe. There didn't seem like there was ever any time for any of them to catch their breath. It made for a wonderfully, intense story.

Plus, I love dragons. Who doesn't? I mean in my dream world I would totally have a pet dragon. It would sit on my lawn and scare all those people away who put advertisements on my doors. hehehe

I just loved everything about this book. I could probably go on and on, but since it is the last book I want to leave it a question for you to have to answer for yourselves. Plus, if I say too much more I will give it all away. If you take the opportunity to read this series, in my opinion you will not be disappointed. It just fantastic.
Profile Image for Kirke.
903 reviews51 followers
December 8, 2015
3.5 stars

The Phoenix Born is a great conclusion in the Dance Of Dragons series. From the start it’s a thrilling ride, as Jinji has to find a way to stop the shadow, and save her brother. Though there seems no way out. Even finding all four dragon riders, while help, it isn’t enough to stop an army of souls that never gives up.

While there is plenty of action, it quickly becomes clear this is more a game of minds. Jinji is conflicted, while the shadow is doing bad things, he’s always been honest. It’s actually the spirit inside of her, she doesn’t know what to do with. All the shadow wants is the spirit, now Jinji just needs to find a way to get rid of both without having to kill herself, and her brother a.k.a. the bodies harbouring these two.

I really liked how confident Jinji grew with her powers, and most of the times she has a clear plan. Still, she needs Rhen by her side, ’cause making that final decision is tormenting her. The final plot line is very well thought out, and I loved how neatly everything got tied up. With a combination fantasy, action, romance, drama, and wicked dragons, a great series for young adults.
Profile Image for Gretchen.
448 reviews4 followers
March 3, 2016
The "final" chapter (A Dance of Dragons 3.5 does exist for more closure) of this incredible saga is complete. Riders are found. Action taken. Answers are given. I am complete!

I really love all the characters in this series and wish that the new riders could have been more fleshed out and given deeper personalities. I did appreciate the author's choice not to create a book for each rider to be found, because then the story probably would have become overly complicated.

There are passages in this book where you can feel the joy the writer has when describing objects. She doesn't overly describe, but chooses to use strong visual words to get her message eloquently across. The quality of writing has me debating which of her other series to tackle in the future.

The two spirits clearly had a strong history together, with both love and loathing. The human characteristics given to them was an intelligent move, but tricky because I'm not sure if those emotions worked real well with the Shadow. You often only think of emotions connected to humans, and in this story they transcended to spirit and animal flawlessly.
Profile Image for Yogesh Jain.
325 reviews2 followers
May 27, 2017
I have seen better works from kaitlyn davis. There is too much room for improvement in the book. The major draw back was how suddenly the heroine become so powerful. The dragons could have been better told. The riders POV was very rushed. The selection of riders everything which happens was told in a rushed way. The awakening of the riders felt useless unless for the ending. The creation of the dragons also felt like a big question mark. The author tried to add too much stuff in a small book. It would have been better with 500+ pages.

A heavily rushed ending to the slow started series. I wish the author had done a better work.

Profile Image for Fay Nelson.
44 reviews2 followers
August 17, 2016
I rarely find the final books as good as the others in a series but this was great! Rhen and Jinji's relationship had my heart exploding with love. It was so fierce and honest. Even if Jinji annoyed me with her hero complex and stubbornness.
I was bloody sobbing for the last 10% though, Jesus Christ!!!!
Profile Image for Tracy.
80 reviews
January 19, 2017
The Phoenix Born was a perfect end to this tale. All questions answered. Without ruining the story you start to realise that not everything is black & white, by shades of gray.

I am happy that I stumbled upon this series after all 3 books were released - it was great being able to read one book after another.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

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