Finally it was there, the most anticipated book for many readers on social media. Of course I’m talking about Onyx Storm, the third book in the “The Empyrean” series by Rebecca Yarros. I was highly anticipating this book as well and it was not without hesitation I dove into this story first thing in the morning on release day. ‘Well, this review is late then’ you might think. True, but that was not without reason as it took me a while to finish this book. In the end, my feelings towards this instalment in this popular romantasy series are very conflicted. This review is spoiler free for Onyx Storm, but not for Fourth Wing and Iron Flame.

About the book

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Series: The Empyrean #3
Published by Piatkus on January 21, 2025
Pages: 527
Genres: Fantasy, New adult, Romantasy

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty.

Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything.

They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth.

But a storm is coming…and not everyone can survive its wrath.

My review

Before reading

As stated before, I was highly anticipating this book and therefore really looking forward to start it. However, I found out quickly that I couldn’t remember almost a single thing from the previous books. I had to put this one aside and start over with this series completely. This wasn’t in my plans and I somehow was not looking forward to it since I’m not much of a rereader. I don’t mind spoilers, so I already saw stuff online. However, I was still curious for the way this story would unfold. I therefore expected to enjoy this book as much as the first one in the series. I forgot how slow and long the second book was feeling and I really hoped that this wouldn’t be the case this time.

Characters

Just like in the previous books, Violet and Xaden are our main characters. What’s different however is that we get to hear more different voices towards the end of this story. I can’t tell you which POVs we’re getting because this would be a huge spoiler. Nevertheless, I’m not sure what to think about Violet and Xaden still. Many people think they’re end game, but I’m not too sure about it yet.

Individually they are interesting characters. Violet is fierce. She has a physical disability, but this isn’t stopping her from riding dragons and throwing a fight when she needs too. She also has her insecurities about her physical condition, which is not that strange whenever you read what’s going on and what battles she has to fight. Violet has the feeling she has to prove herself twice as much compared to her peers in order to be seen as their equal. This is no different from the previous books, although her peers seem to be more accepting of her. Now, Violet struggles with “normal” stuff which isn’t strange either. However, I have the feeling that she’s not growing much as a character compared to the previous books. This is contradictory to her dragons, especially one in particular.

And what about Xaden then? I think he’s hiding a lot, because some events towards the end are pretty mysterious to me. What I liked about the characters in this book is the fact that the dragons are playing a more prominent role than before and therefore we get to know them better. On the other hand, there are so many characters with so many different yet similar names, that I still got confused a lot. And sometimes characters are only mentioned once, but there’s still a backstory to them which only added up to this confusion. The cast of characters is getting too big for me to remember everyone and their role.

Writing

The writing however is fine. The chapters are of alternating length, but I didn’t mind that at all. The middle part felt really long whereas both the first and final quarter were interesting and more easy to read. The latter one because we get more different POVs which might be interesting for future books. The first quarter picks up where the previous book left off and here, a lot seems to happen at once. I therefore got sucked in right away, only to zone out a bit in the middle and get intrigued again towards the end. Do you understand why I’m so conflicted?

Plot

One of the biggest things I’m conflicted about is the plot. Whereas the first two books have a clear direction (even though the second book in this series felt very long at times), I felt like this instalment was missing said direction. This series is heavy on politics, but I’m very confused by it. There are so many islands and conflicts yet again, it’s hard to remember everything and everyone. Furthermore, I felt like the plot was missing direction, I still have not much of an idea what the aim of this book is and what’s at stake. There’s happening a lot and not much at once. Therefore, the middle part was a bit dragging. Moreover, the smut scenes were not that necessary here, they didn’t add anything to the actual story as I felt like the characters were not growing that much. Most of these scenes feel like a filler. So, this plot is pretty two-faced to me as I was both intrigued and uninterested at the same time. I wanted to keep going, but also wanted to put the book aside and pick up something else. I can’t put quite a finger on it yet. Is it the book or was I just fed up with the series as I read three books back-to-back? I still don’t know.

Final thoughts

As you may have noticed, I’m very conflicted by Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. This was one of my highly anticipated books for the first half of 2025, but I’m very conflicted about my reading experience and enjoyment in the end. Yes, I enjoyed my time spent in this world, but I was confused at the same time. This series is heavy on politics, but I’m so lost now on who is who and what each and every kingdom/country/island/whatever wants. Moreover, I felt like this book is missing direction, I’m still wondering what the aim of this plot is. I didn’t feel emotionally invested and I actually found most smut scenes useless since they don’t add much to the storyline. However, the first and final quarter of this book are intriguing and therefore I’m curious for what would happen next, albeit not as hungover as many other readers.