Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

The review that everyone has been waiting for! Rebecca Yarros' debut fantasy novel Fourth Wing took the world by storm, being placed on a gaggle of best books of 2024 lists. The excitement only increased with it's sequel, Iron Flame, so you can imagine the fervor and anticipation for Onyx Storm's release. I was one of (so, so) many who preordered this book and cleared my reading queue for it's release. We follow Violet's journey while she trains at Basgiath War College, so expect bullying, death, violence, blood, grief, animal death, genocide, murder, fire injury (there are dragons), war, and classism.

Violet Sorrengail and her friends return to Basgiath to continue their training while the rest of the country tries to rebuild and Navarre and Poromiel attempt to come to some sort of alliance, since Navarre has finally come to terms with the fact that they have bigger problems looming. War is breathing down their necks, their enemies are everywhere, and they've been hiding a big secret: their army is far larger and more powerful than anyone thought. It falls to Violet to travel well beyond Navarre's wards to try to secure them allies, and maybe discover a secret or two of her own that will tip the scales in their favor.

I have been insanely excited for this book! Irreverent people, sassy dragons, and magic, how could I say no!? Rebecca Yarros' continues to build her characters, making them charming and loveable while also flawed - although I didn't see as much growth as I would have liked. I really love the drama and storylines of the secondary characters, but I didn't get as much of them in this story, mostly because of how the book was structured. We did get to learn a lot more about the world outside of Navarre, and about Violet's dad, which I really enjoyed. And there wasn't nearly as much of Violet's inner monologue about trust, but there's still inner monologue - she's just on to a different topic in this book. Even so, the story kept me interested and there was even one point where I dropped my book to grab my head with both hands, so it definitely had its exciting moments.

I'm giving Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros 4.25 stars out of 5. The middle book of the series, it had a lot of information and a lot of filler but it was still fun and exciting. A solid read, but it certainly wasn't my favorite of the series. We will call it The Empyrean Series' awkward tween years. It's nobody's favorite but it's still important for development and I am excited to see the adult it grows into. I still enjoyed it and encourage you to read the series if you have any interest in fantasy at all. The spice level in this one is a 1.5.

For more from Rebecca Yarros, check out her website at https://rebeccayarros.com/

Pairs well with a nice cup of tea and discovering that your parent isn't the saint you thought they were. It's a tough pill to swallow but we all have to come to terms with it eventually.

If you want a summary on the first two books in the series, or you need a quick reminder who someone is, check our The Empyrean page for full book summaries as well as our spoiler free study guides!

Review of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - The Empyrean book 1

Review of Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros - The Empyrean book 2