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adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Probably my favorite book of the series thus far! Definitely loved the world building so much more and felt very grounded in the story and narrative. I’m really looking forward to book 4.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, War
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Abandonment, War
Minor: Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It hurts my heart to give this less than 5⭐️ but I must. The first half of the book was almost boring because of how confusing it was in parts. And then the next like 3/8 was interesting and sucked me in with all the feels (sad mad excited nervous). Then the very last 1/8 just had me asking more questions and NEEDING more. Yes some questions were answered but I left with even more. I will say that I absolutely loved getting some other POVs (Rhi Ridoc Imogen) and getting a vibe of them with their dragons.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, War
Moderate: Cursing, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Well... this was emotionally devastating.
This book follows the events right after Iron Flame, and what has happened to Xaden, keeping his secret, and finding Andarna's kind.
The ending definitely was surprising, but not quite the cliff hanger I was expecting. It stinks that we are now going to have to wait potentially 2.5 years, but I feel like this book leads into the 2nd half of The Emperyn out of the 3 of 5 books. I loved the character developments of Dain and Aaric. Also Araric's signet being:Pre Cognition of all forms is SO COOL! While plenty more questions have been raised and fan theroys answered. The following questions have yet to be answered, and theorys.
The ending definitely was surprising, but not quite the cliff hanger I was expecting. It stinks that we are now going to have to wait potentially 2.5 years, but I feel like this book leads into the 2nd half of The Emperyn out of the 3 of 5 books. I loved the character developments of Dain and Aaric. Also Araric's signet being:
What in the world happened to Garrick? Is he the reason 6 of the dragon eggs went missing? My own theory is that they took them to one of the isle kingdoms to seal an alliance.
However some are saying it's Tairn and Syegal's eggs.
Where is Xaden AND Syegal? What will become of both of them now?
Who is the Maven that Xaden refers too? Could it be Naolin?
ALSO who is the brother????? While it does mention in Onyx Storm that Bodhi is retching on the ground on all fours. Which I thought was odd, but WHAT if it's Brennen? My question is though if it's him. How did he get back to Aerita with red rimmed eyes in less than twelve hours? Some are also saying it's Ridoc because of his strange actions in the end of Onyx Storm, and the fact that he is different from most ice weilders however I don't think that's true. The same question has also been raised about Garrick, because he was on the edge of burnout from distance weilding, but I don't think he is like that. However not even Imogen knew where he went in those twelve hours. Would explain how and why he is missing though.
Why did Violet ask to have Imogen wipe her memories away?
How is Andarna back so soon? Also why does she tell her she will not let her be burned? I saw someone mention online that it had something to do with Navarre laws that anyone who acts and commits high treason will be executed by dragon fire.
Big Question: WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED IN THOSE 12 HOURS????
Also a big fan theory going around right now is that Violet is pregnant. Personally I didn't feel like enough physical signs were mentioned for her to be pregnant. Also all of these signs can be associated with chronic illness, and lets not forget they traveled hours and days I belive by dragon. Anyone would be exaghausted from this EXPECILLY someone with chronic illness!
HOWEVER, the amount of times having an heir was brought up was really interesting. Similar to Xaden constantly mentioning to her and everyone that he wanted to marry Violet A LOT. And we all know he ended up marrying her in the end, so this seems like MAJOR foreshadowing however, I feel like since he was Venin. If she was pregnant I would think that would have some sort of ill affect on thier baby.
And what's the deal with Dain Aetos having extra power? Cause that seems to me like he is Venin.
Also I think thier might be a potential relationship blooming between him and Sloane Mairi. This is the relationship we all never knew we wanted and needed 😆
Also I think Violet's 2nd signet has still to be revealed. I think Dream Walking is just a gift given by Andarna. Or the exact opposite.
And what are all of the other marked ones 2nd signets? We know Imogen's Garrick's and Liam's. However we don't know Bodhi's, Sloane's, and Im sure multiple other marked ones.
Overall this book was great, and I can hardly wait for the next! And thier are SO many questions I need answered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
initial thoughts, stream of consciousness style:
captivating and action-packed. i am glad this came out in time for me to read while on holiday rather than giving up sleep to read while i’ve got work the next day.
i think what makes me mad about this series is the knowledge of how good it could be if yarros and the publishing house prioritised quality and sharpening the way things are written over getting the books out ASAP. was onyx storm a page turner? yes. have i given it a high rating regardless of my feelings about the quality of the writing? yes. it is a personal preference of mine to separate how enjoyable a story is from how good the writing is, and so that’s exactly what i’m doing here.
there’s no denying rebecca yarros can tell a damn good story. but if the empyrean series is anything to go by, i’m not convinced she has the writing chops to back up the quality of her ideas. don’t let this be confused with criticism for using plain, simple english. it’s not. adult fantasy as a genre is, quite frankly, inaccessible and non-inclusive, and i appreciate what yarros brings to the genre in intentionally making the empyrean books an easy read. however, that does not put it above reproach. for example, this may be a personal preference, but i hate how often ‘online’ (tiktok) jargon is included (‘core memory’, ‘shit’s about to
get real’, etc.). it feels like a cheap bone that potentially was intended to be a nod to booktok but falls flat and takes you out of the universe. you can use modern day language without utilising language that will place your book so clearly at a moment in time that will not be relatable or understood by readers in five years’ time.
i also think it’s a failing of her editors that the writing is not cleaned up. sentences are rambling and filled with unnecessary details that do not drive plot, setting, or character. you get one chapter in and you realise why these books are so fucking long and it’s only half because of the amount of plot that’s squeezed into them.
to me, onyx storm feels like a response to criticism about iron flame that yarros tried to put too much into one book. imo, this was better balanced and easier to follow. i also feel as if there was less repetitive disagreements between violet and xaden which was a relief, as the first two books felt like we were continuously on the same ride, over and over.
i loved that we got insight into other characters’ perspectives but simultaneously feel disappointed that yarros missed the opportunity to play / experiment with her prose and create unique voices for each of the characters through stylistic choices. also, the characters aren’t super complex nor do i think there is a lot of character development which could provide a richer reading experience (and perhaps more memorable characters so i don’t keep forgetting the laundry list of names and then stumbling when someone is mentioned for the first time in 200 pages and i’m stuck trying to remember who they are…who the fuck is panchek and when / how was trager introduced lmao ), but i am motivated to read primarily through plot-driven storytelling so it’s not a hill i’m going to die on. i am, however, interested to see how characters develop over the last two books, considering what’s ahead of them. and perhaps expecting development is not fair considering all of this happens in quite a short amount of time (i think?).
i love where the story is going and love the hints at what’s to come through the book excerpts at the beginning of each chapter. i have always loved epistolary storytelling and i like to make a game of trying to guess what’s ahead based off them. most of the fun to be had is going along for the ride and seeing where we end up. while some of the plot beats can be a bit trope-y, i have never once felt things were too predictable.
all in all, this was yet another fun read and is very promising for the last two books of the series. i’m so intrigued about where things will go and am interested to see how yarros handles what she has set up.
okay one last thing though: put me on a fucking stake for this or call me a prude but was every one of those sex scenes necessary……. 1) how are you guys fucking at a time like this 😭 2) the sex scenes aren’t even hot and so if they aren’t gonna be hot what’s the point of including them? ao3 fic writers really need to teach some workshops. i think they’d make bank, and 3) please……. how am i meant to read in public…… my font size is increased so i don’t lose my place on the page when i inevitably get distracted but that means it’s so eazy for someone to glance over and see a huge ‘COCK’ on the page………
captivating and action-packed. i am glad this came out in time for me to read while on holiday rather than giving up sleep to read while i’ve got work the next day.
i think what makes me mad about this series is the knowledge of how good it could be if yarros and the publishing house prioritised quality and sharpening the way things are written over getting the books out ASAP. was onyx storm a page turner? yes. have i given it a high rating regardless of my feelings about the quality of the writing? yes. it is a personal preference of mine to separate how enjoyable a story is from how good the writing is, and so that’s exactly what i’m doing here.
there’s no denying rebecca yarros can tell a damn good story. but if the empyrean series is anything to go by, i’m not convinced she has the writing chops to back up the quality of her ideas. don’t let this be confused with criticism for using plain, simple english. it’s not. adult fantasy as a genre is, quite frankly, inaccessible and non-inclusive, and i appreciate what yarros brings to the genre in intentionally making the empyrean books an easy read. however, that does not put it above reproach. for example, this may be a personal preference, but i hate how often ‘online’ (tiktok) jargon is included (‘core memory’, ‘shit’s about to
get real’, etc.). it feels like a cheap bone that potentially was intended to be a nod to booktok but falls flat and takes you out of the universe. you can use modern day language without utilising language that will place your book so clearly at a moment in time that will not be relatable or understood by readers in five years’ time.
i also think it’s a failing of her editors that the writing is not cleaned up. sentences are rambling and filled with unnecessary details that do not drive plot, setting, or character. you get one chapter in and you realise why these books are so fucking long and it’s only half because of the amount of plot that’s squeezed into them.
to me, onyx storm feels like a response to criticism about iron flame that yarros tried to put too much into one book. imo, this was better balanced and easier to follow. i also feel as if there was less repetitive disagreements between violet and xaden which was a relief, as the first two books felt like we were continuously on the same ride, over and over.
i loved that we got insight into other characters’ perspectives but simultaneously feel disappointed that yarros missed the opportunity to play / experiment with her prose and create unique voices for each of the characters through stylistic choices. also, the characters aren’t super complex nor do i think there is a lot of character development which could provide a richer reading experience (and perhaps more memorable characters so i don’t keep forgetting the laundry list of names and then stumbling when someone is mentioned for the first time in 200 pages and i’m stuck trying to remember who they are…
i love where the story is going and love the hints at what’s to come through the book excerpts at the beginning of each chapter. i have always loved epistolary storytelling and i like to make a game of trying to guess what’s ahead based off them. most of the fun to be had is going along for the ride and seeing where we end up. while some of the plot beats can be a bit trope-y, i have never once felt things were too predictable.
all in all, this was yet another fun read and is very promising for the last two books of the series. i’m so intrigued about where things will go and am interested to see how yarros handles what she has set up.
okay one last thing though: put me on a fucking stake for this or call me a prude but was every one of those sex scenes necessary……. 1) how are you guys fucking at a time like this 😭 2) the sex scenes aren’t even hot and so if they aren’t gonna be hot what’s the point of including them? ao3 fic writers really need to teach some workshops. i think they’d make bank, and 3) please……. how am i meant to read in public…… my font size is increased so i don’t lose my place on the page when i inevitably get distracted but that means it’s so eazy for someone to glance over and see a huge ‘COCK’ on the page………
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcohol
Minor: Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Grief, War
Moderate: Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ok, I literally was so excited for this book and I’m sad to say it left me a wee bit disappointed… a good chunk of the story just felt like unnecessary filler and the last hundred pages were exciting but it ended so anticlimactically, like wtf?
Anywho, here were some of my thoughts I put in my Nites app whilst reading this book:
- Who the fuck is Lewellen???
- Why is Halden such a loser? I was expecting this crazy cool, Casanova, charmer, manly man, guy to slide in and give Xaden a case of major jelly belly but he was the most irritating little embarrassing prick? Like give Xaden a challenge for once please???
- Violets Dad is really terrible at hiding his favouritism and I hate how he decided to make things 10x harder than they had to be. How about a spark notes version? Why does Violet have to read all your LOCKED journals about plants to get to the pertinent information? I know he’s dead but I don’t like him.
- I’m quite tired of all this travelling YAWN
- I think there’s too many characters at this point. We are losing focus. There’s first, second, third years AND the graduates of the fliers AND the riders. There’s also old people and relatives and weird aristocrats, and most of them also have DRAGONS whose names I’m supposed to remember. Oh, and we are going on a field trip to 5 different islands that have even more new characters to remember (not to mention the islands aren’t even on the friggin map so idk where tf we are). Honestly this bitch (me) is LOST.
- The smarty pants isle took death by chocolate way too literally
- First things first Amaralys
- Broccoli for president
- I low (high) key ship Dain and Sloane
- I really really hate the resurrection trope, like girl, you have too many characters, let them stay dead, KILL MIRA, ITS OK, I CAN TAKE IT
- xaden… WE WERE ROOTING FOR YOU. WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU. HOW DARE YOU.
- if I woke up married and didn’t remember accepting that shit I’d be quite miffed
Anyways, to sum up my thoughts: I think RY went a little overboard in her world building, and invited too many characters into the plot (like idk where tf my favs from the last two books were half the time).
I hope for the next one she reels it back a notch so it doesn’t seem so haphazardly put together. Give us the fun and DAMMIT YARROS, FOCUS!
Still had fun, and enjoyed returning to this world but… meh…
Anywho, here were some of my thoughts I put in my Nites app whilst reading this book:
- Who the fuck is Lewellen???
- Why is Halden such a loser? I was expecting this crazy cool, Casanova, charmer, manly man, guy to slide in and give Xaden a case of major jelly belly but he was the most irritating little embarrassing prick? Like give Xaden a challenge for once please???
- Violets Dad is really terrible at hiding his favouritism and I hate how he decided to make things 10x harder than they had to be. How about a spark notes version? Why does Violet have to read all your LOCKED journals about plants to get to the pertinent information? I know he’s dead but I don’t like him.
- I’m quite tired of all this travelling YAWN
- I think there’s too many characters at this point. We are losing focus. There’s first, second, third years AND the graduates of the fliers AND the riders. There’s also old people and relatives and weird aristocrats, and most of them also have DRAGONS whose names I’m supposed to remember. Oh, and we are going on a field trip to 5 different islands that have even more new characters to remember (not to mention the islands aren’t even on the friggin map so idk where tf we are). Honestly this bitch (me) is LOST.
- The smarty pants isle took death by chocolate way too literally
- First things first Amaralys
- Broccoli for president
- I low (high) key ship Dain and Sloane
- I really really hate the resurrection trope, like girl, you have too many characters, let them stay dead, KILL MIRA, ITS OK, I CAN TAKE IT
- xaden… WE WERE ROOTING FOR YOU. WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU. HOW DARE YOU.
- if I woke up married and didn’t remember accepting that shit I’d be quite miffed
Anyways, to sum up my thoughts: I think RY went a little overboard in her world building, and invited too many characters into the plot (like idk where tf my favs from the last two books were half the time).
I hope for the next one she reels it back a notch so it doesn’t seem so haphazardly put together. Give us the fun and DAMMIT YARROS, FOCUS!
Still had fun, and enjoyed returning to this world but… meh…
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Kidnapping, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail