Review: Onyx Storm

Onyx Storm

Rebecca Yarros

Little Brown

Review: Lauren O’Connor-May

Onyx Storm is the third book in the Empyrean Series, which has become a romantasy firestorm among admirers of the genre. 

There are some other interesting or funny surprises in Onyx Storm, but also everything that everyone who has read the first two books, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, have come to expect, such as the romantic dynamic between the lead characters, Violet and Xaden, which is desperately drawn to but constantly needing to resist each other. Yarros keeps inventing new ways to keep this going: in book one, it was because they were enemies, in book two it was because Violet felt betrayed when Xaden’s secrets were revealed and now, well … that would be spoiler. 

Yarros seems to have found yet another way to keep the dynamic going, if the cliffhanger ending is anything to go by. 

Readers can also expect more rebellion — it’s still Violet and her friends against the world —  and Xaden is still his toxicly obsessive self. Violet will again use her cunning to survive and don’t get attached to likeable characters because, sadly, some of them go the way of Liam. 

Also, as usual, there is lots and lots of spice.

The book, however, also has a few new twists, such as surprises about Violet and Xaden’s past, intriguing developments for characters and adventures beyond the borders of the map in the book.

The inside covers also feature art of scenes at Basgaith, the dragon war college around which the series pivots. I liked that the paintings were by an artist and not AI. Social media is awash with AI renderings of scenes from the books.

Some reviewers have “blacklisted” Yarros, firstly for apparently appropriating Gaelic words for the dragon's names — though some Gaelic speakers having posted that they like the revived interest in the endangered language. 

She then attracted more ire because of alleged Zionist comments. I searched for these posts but could not find whole threads, just ambiguous bits and bobs cobbled together. The internet also seems divided on exactly what she said and meant, so I’ve reserved my judgment for now.