Rebecca Yarros’s Onyx Storm has become one of the top-selling novels of the 21st century, and it’s no surprise that readers are clambering for more of her work. From the release of the hit action-fantasy novel Fourth Wing in April 2023 to Iron Flame just a few months later in October 2023, fans can’t get enough of Yarros’s action-packed, alluring, and exhilarating Empyrean Series.
I found Onyx Storm to be extremely enjoyable. There was never a dull moment as the story balances fast paced action scenes with devastating emotional arcs. Part of me wants to say that the relationships within the book would have benefitted from some down time, but despite being constantly swept up in whatever was going on at the time, Yarros still finds ways for Xaden (the leader of the revolution and Violet’s love interest) and Violet’s relationship to grow.
I had many frustrations with the previous book, Iron Flame, as it seemed to have been resolved with the onset of Onyx Storm. I was immediately able to tell that the endless back and forth between Violet and Xaden—trusting and not trusting one another—had come to an end in this book and I was relieved to watch Violet and Xaden finally be able to open up to each other, not only about secrets concerning the continent’s impending destruction/salvation but also about their personal lives, thoughts, and feelings. I appreciated the moments of vulnerability between the couple throughout the book. Their ability to be vulnerable with one another demonstrates their commitment toward one another. This was a positive change from Iron Flame where Violet often told the reader that she was in love with Xaden and felt comfortable enough to trust him, but her actions rarely supported these claims.
As Xaden struggled to control his need to channel from the earth to save both the continent and Violet, he distances himself physically from her and his magic. Xaden has always been known for his control and took pride in never losing it. Throughout Fourth Wing and Iron Flame it became increasingly apparent that this control was felled by only one person—Violet. For Violet, he is willing to risk that control whether she wants him too or not. Throughout Onyx Storm, their connection to one another grows deeper while they both fear the inevitability of Xaden’s descent into madness.
Onyx Storm explores themes of love and humanity, specifically if one can be had without the other. As Xaden’s humanity slowly slips away, it leaves the reader wondering what this will mean for his relationship with Violet. As a romantic, Xaden and Violet’s relationship was my main concern while reading this book. Despite this bias, the rest of the characters all had moments to shine, and I fell in love with characters that I had both previously liked and despised.
Everyone in “Quest Squad” has a mini arc; they are by no means completed in this book, but I believe will be completed by the end of the series. Mira (Violet’s sister) and Drake (a captain of the gryphon fliers) were interesting foils of each other, both wanting to protect their family while still being well-respected powerful people in their respective militaries. I would personally love to see more of their interactions in future books. Cat, Maren, and Trager are the three student gryphon fliers on this trip and are less important to the overall plot of this book but are nevertheless beneficial to the quest as a whole. The gryphon fliers are sure to have a greater role as the series progresses. I am excited to see who Cat grows into over the next two books and watch as she inevitably rises to power.
Dain Aetos—Violet’s former best friend—made himself an enemy in Fourth Wing and has been trying to redeem himself ever since. In an interview, Yarros has reminded the readers that he is just a dumb twenty-something year old who was trying to do what he thought was right with the information he had. I think this is indicative to the messaging that Yarros has been trying to convey throughout her series: information and lack thereof is a weapon and can sway people to do what the controller of the information wants. In Onyx Storm, Dain seems to slowly be getting closer and closer to what he once was with Violet and proves to be critical to obtaining information throughout the book. In the end, Dain seems to be completely forgiven but a part of me is skeptical about the amount of power he has and the amount of control he has over his signet. This doesn’t seem to warrant the amount of power he is holding back.
Ridoc Gamlyn stole the hearts of many readers through his sense of humor and frank comments throughout the book. If I ever found myself questioning why the characters were not talking about an easy or obvious solution to a problem, I could count on Ridoc to bring it up for me. Through Ridoc, the readers get to see a different side to bonding dragons that we did not get to experience through Violet. While dragons are supposed to always be dignified and superior, the reader gets to witness Aotrom—Ridoc’s dragon—interact with him in ways that are contrary to the presuppositions that Violet has about all of dragon kind. While he is often goofy and unserious, Ridoc is a reminder to Violet throughout this book that she has people who love her for who she is and not her connection to Xaden or her dragons.
Overall, Onyx Storm is an emotional investment that will carry the reader from start to finish. I enjoyed every second of the read as I was just so intrigued as to what was going to happen next. The foreshadowing throughout the book is subtle enough to not be obvious but clear enough that I felt I was able to pick up on things before they occurred. I appreciated the way certain plot twists were handled: from shocking deaths to yet again more information being uncovered by Violet and her squad. The cataclysmic revelations were balanced well by the humor and romance in the book, which left the reader neither depressed or dissatisfied but ready for the next installment. Readers are already counting down the years until the next book comes out, but Yarros is taking a well-deserved break to write a contemporary romance novel, and I cannot blame her. I hope her time away from the series allows her to get the rest she needs in order to be able to pull off whatever the rest of series has in store for us.