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Reviews tagging 'Ableism'
Onyx Storm (Parts 1 & 2) [Dramatized Adaptation] by Rebecca Yarros
43 reviews
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This series is so ridiculous, and I just love it. Fourth Wing was a perfect fantasy romance book, Iron Flame was a slog that was wayyyy too confusing and slow, and this book doesn't quite find the pace and sparkle of Fourth Wing but is definitely addictive. It's extremely confusing -I truly cannot keep the characters straight, let alone the political dynamics (and the island-hopping really got away from me) - so I highly recommend just ignoring the stuff you don't understand (for me that was like 65% of the book lol). But this is just so much fun.
Violet gets a lot more fleshed out this book, which I appreciated - she feels a lot more nuanced, and her motivations make a lot of sense. I loved learning more about the dragons, and the world-building and lore, although confusing, feels real and the stakes feel high. Violet and Xaden's back and forth is definitely less annoying than in Iron Flame, and the plot developments are exciting and interesting. As many reviewers have pointed out, the last 20% or so is a wild ride, and I loved it. And of course, the book ends on a cliffhanger - which is honestly not a spoiler, considering the first two books ended on cliffhangers and the fantasy romance genre loveees a cliffhanger. I really can't wait for the next book!!!
Violet gets a lot more fleshed out this book, which I appreciated - she feels a lot more nuanced, and her motivations make a lot of sense. I loved learning more about the dragons, and the world-building and lore, although confusing, feels real and the stakes feel high. Violet and Xaden's back and forth is definitely less annoying than in Iron Flame, and the plot developments are exciting and interesting. As many reviewers have pointed out, the last 20% or so is a wild ride, and I loved it. And of course, the book ends on a cliffhanger - which is honestly not a spoiler, considering the first two books ended on cliffhangers and the fantasy romance genre loveees a cliffhanger. I really can't wait for the next book!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Grief, Death of parent
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I said I was not going to read this book. I did not want to read this book. I did not enjoy a single second of it. I listened to it as an audio book through libby because I finished Shadow of the Gods (a much more enjoyable book, by the way) and the sequel was not available to check out at the time. But this book was. I primarily have been listening to audio books recently to keep myself occupied while processing samples but this book has been nothing but a distraction. Imagine you are looking at very small crystals through a microscope but your progress is hindered by rolling your eyes roughly every 5 minutes because of the audio book you are listening to. Or having to pause the audio book/skip through a scene of the characters getting hot and heavy out of sheer embarrassment because your advisor has come into the lab to work as well.
This book continues the trend of feeling unplanned (or, to be more generous) poorly planned. Plot points from previous books, most notably, Violet's Father's research, are retconned in this one. For a 24 hour audio book, very little happens until the ending, once again. The characters undergo no development. Yet another new antagonist is introduced only to die at the end. Violet and Xaden have the same argument for the ENTIRE book, AGAIN, but at least it isn't the same argument they had in Iron Flame. Except it is worse this time because now other characters keep insisting that Xaden and Violet do not have a healthy relationship, but Violet continues to cling to her relationship to Xaden, insistent that she can fix things even when LITERALLY EVERYONE INCLUDING XADEN TELLS HER THAT SHE CAN'T. This book is driven by an idiot plot (if you can even call it a plot) and a rapidly failing relationship.
At one point one of the characters says that Xaden and Violet argue like an old married couple and I wanted to slam my head through my desk. They argue like a pair of high schoolers in a relationship that will fall apart at the next school sporting event.
There are unnecessary point of view shifts at the end of the book. Yarros either has a group of yes-men as writing friends or simply no writing friends at all. Or the publishers are forcing her to write so fast she doesn't have time to actually edit her writing. It's honestly upsetting to see. For real this time I will not be reading any more of these books unless I am paid. Like at least 150 USD.
This book continues the trend of feeling unplanned (or, to be more generous) poorly planned. Plot points from previous books, most notably, Violet's Father's research, are retconned in this one. For a 24 hour audio book, very little happens until the ending, once again. The characters undergo no development. Yet another new antagonist is introduced only to die at the end. Violet and Xaden have the same argument for the ENTIRE book, AGAIN, but at least it isn't the same argument they had in Iron Flame. Except it is worse this time because now other characters keep insisting that Xaden and Violet do not have a healthy relationship, but Violet continues to cling to her relationship to Xaden, insistent that she can fix things even when LITERALLY EVERYONE INCLUDING XADEN TELLS HER THAT SHE CAN'T. This book is driven by an idiot plot (if you can even call it a plot) and a rapidly failing relationship.
At one point one of the characters says that Xaden and Violet argue like an old married couple and I wanted to slam my head through my desk. They argue like a pair of high schoolers in a relationship that will fall apart at the next school sporting event.
There are unnecessary point of view shifts at the end of the book. Yarros either has a group of yes-men as writing friends or simply no writing friends at all. Or the publishers are forcing her to write so fast she doesn't have time to actually edit her writing. It's honestly upsetting to see. For real this time I will not be reading any more of these books unless I am paid. Like at least 150 USD.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
5 stars for the reading experience and world building, 3 stars for the overall quality of writing, and the craft. There's so much that I love about this series, I just wish the author wrote with more clarity and precision, and that her books passed through one more edit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Abandonment
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
[Mostly spoiler free review, will cover spoilers]
I unfortunately think this is my least favorite of the Empyrean series to date. I had so much fun with Fourth Wing, which was admittedly my introduction to romantasy, and enjoyed Iron Flame.
I think we may have lost the plot in Onyx Storm. While I'm sympathetic to the fact that the "middle books" in a series like this one are more challenging because they set up action to come, I think Yarros struggled to introduce the readers to elements of the world and magic system. Much of this work could and should have been done earlier on, but a lack of deep storytelling early on in the series really catches up with us here. I appreciate that Yarros tries to leave breadcrumbs for her readers, but too many meaningful pieces that are critical to a deeper understanding of the book remain either elusive (i.e. you have to be the type of reader that enjoys reading a book three times and annotating it) or entirely too obvious. The world building is clunky and chaotic at best, and even readers of high fantasy like myself may struggle with the first 100-150 pages. The info dumps were prolific without much more to hold your attention.
Yarros similarly seemed to struggle with the pacing until we hit a solid 50% in - there's a lot of battle scenes that cut immediately back to a boring classroom scene, and that seems to loop throughout a good portion of the book.
I was less invested in the romance arc between our two leads than I was in the previous two novels. Xaden ismoody and possessive, and. not in a good way. It's beginning to border the sort of toxic masculinity vibe that turns me off. Xaden continues to intervene in her life whenever he feels threatened or jealous, despite the fact that she proves her dedication to him over and over and over again. I'm glad we've freed ourselves of their miscommunication trope from Iron Flame, but the romance has less fun and spark than it used to.
I continue to appreciate Yarros' efforts at disability representation as well as representation of badass women and people of color throughout her book. The disabled, women, and people of color aren't just sidekicks to a white man, they are main characters given depth and compelling storylines of their own. One of the bright spots of this book for me was the additional details and character development of Violet & Xaden's friends. Learning more about Ridoc, Rhi, Garrick, Bodhi, Cat, and Aaric and what makes them tick added a layer of complexity to the previous books and I've now become attached to the squad. And I'd be remiss if I didn't say that Tairn, Andarna, Sgaeyl, and the whole Empyrean remain a delight. I got plenty of giggles from Tairn's lectures and Andarna's continued sassy adolescent drama.
While I've lost some of my enthusiasm for the series, I am likely invested enough to want to read the last two, but I hope that Yarros will take the time off that she needs to get a real break from the series and feel like she's ready to come back fresh to it and give her readers her best for book 4. Fourth Wing was so well done that I hope that the last two books will do the series proud.
I unfortunately think this is my least favorite of the Empyrean series to date. I had so much fun with Fourth Wing, which was admittedly my introduction to romantasy, and enjoyed Iron Flame.
I think we may have lost the plot in Onyx Storm. While I'm sympathetic to the fact that the "middle books" in a series like this one are more challenging because they set up action to come, I think Yarros struggled to introduce the readers to elements of the world and magic system. Much of this work could and should have been done earlier on, but a lack of deep storytelling early on in the series really catches up with us here. I appreciate that Yarros tries to leave breadcrumbs for her readers, but too many meaningful pieces that are critical to a deeper understanding of the book remain either elusive (i.e. you have to be the type of reader that enjoys reading a book three times and annotating it) or entirely too obvious. The world building is clunky and chaotic at best, and even readers of high fantasy like myself may struggle with the first 100-150 pages. The info dumps were prolific without much more to hold your attention.
Yarros similarly seemed to struggle with the pacing until we hit a solid 50% in - there's a lot of battle scenes that cut immediately back to a boring classroom scene, and that seems to loop throughout a good portion of the book.
I was less invested in the romance arc between our two leads than I was in the previous two novels. Xaden is
I continue to appreciate Yarros' efforts at disability representation as well as representation of badass women and people of color throughout her book. The disabled, women, and people of color aren't just sidekicks to a white man, they are main characters given depth and compelling storylines of their own. One of the bright spots of this book for me was the additional details and character development of Violet & Xaden's friends. Learning more about Ridoc, Rhi, Garrick, Bodhi, Cat, and Aaric and what makes them tick added a layer of complexity to the previous books and I've now become attached to the squad. And I'd be remiss if I didn't say that Tairn, Andarna, Sgaeyl, and the whole Empyrean remain a delight. I got plenty of giggles from Tairn's lectures and Andarna's continued sassy adolescent drama.
While I've lost some of my enthusiasm for the series, I am likely invested enough to want to read the last two, but I hope that Yarros will take the time off that she needs to get a real break from the series and feel like she's ready to come back fresh to it and give her readers her best for book 4. Fourth Wing was so well done that I hope that the last two books will do the series proud.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Abandonment
Minor: Vomit
adventurous
dark
medium-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, War
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Ableism
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“If l'd been there, beyond the wards, I would have drained the very earth to its core to keep you safe.”
3.5 or maybe 4 stars, I’m torn on this one! Some things I really enjoyed and others felt a bit anticlimactic. Onyx Storm is the third book in the Empyrean series and picks up where Iron Flame leaves off.
This captured my attention from the very beginning. There’s lots of things to keep track of here- character names (and last names), whose dragon is who, what signet does that character have again? But overall I didn’t find the world-building clunky or confusing. I actually quite enjoyed the writing style- since it is mainly from Violet’s POV, I think it’s fun to discover the information alongside her.
I think this is written the best of all three books actually! There were some feelings of lull and boredom at times, but I do think that’s just kind of the nature of middle books in a series as the plot continues to build. I had a harder time feeling connected to the characters in this one for some reason. FW and IF had me stressed and emotional towards the well-being of many characters, but deaths in this one didn’t really leave any sort of impact on me. 😔
I liked Violet in this; I think she had many opportunities to show off her intelligence and cunning abilities. The scenes searching the different islands for the irids were packed with high stakes and adventure. Like Iron Flame, this one focuses more on the fantasy plot lines than the romance plot lines, but that said, I was actually a big fan of the romance in this one. Xaden and Violet’s relationship is finally starting to feel more mature. Love seeing how sweet Xaden is and how Violet brings out his soft side, but I would be lying if I said I don’t miss him being more dark, broody, and confident. Their relationship is really tested in this one and I actually love the different “forbidden” aspect of it; it adds interesting layers of longing and tension.
The ending of course leaves us with more questions than answers and I will absolutely be first in line when the next book is released. Overall love the escapism I feel when reading this series.
“‘Rebel' is so...outdated. We prefer the term 'revolutionary’.”
3.5 or maybe 4 stars, I’m torn on this one! Some things I really enjoyed and others felt a bit anticlimactic. Onyx Storm is the third book in the Empyrean series and picks up where Iron Flame leaves off.
This captured my attention from the very beginning. There’s lots of things to keep track of here- character names (and last names), whose dragon is who, what signet does that character have again? But overall I didn’t find the world-building clunky or confusing. I actually quite enjoyed the writing style- since it is mainly from Violet’s POV, I think it’s fun to discover the information alongside her.
I think this is written the best of all three books actually! There were some feelings of lull and boredom at times, but I do think that’s just kind of the nature of middle books in a series as the plot continues to build. I had a harder time feeling connected to the characters in this one for some reason. FW and IF had me stressed and emotional towards the well-being of many characters, but deaths in this one didn’t really leave any sort of impact on me. 😔
I liked Violet in this; I think she had many opportunities to show off her intelligence and cunning abilities. The scenes searching the different islands for the irids were packed with high stakes and adventure. Like Iron Flame, this one focuses more on the fantasy plot lines than the romance plot lines, but that said, I was actually a big fan of the romance in this one. Xaden and Violet’s relationship is finally starting to feel more mature. Love seeing how sweet Xaden is and how Violet brings out his soft side, but I would be lying if I said I don’t miss him being more dark, broody, and confident. Their relationship is really tested in this one and I actually love the different “forbidden” aspect of it; it adds interesting layers of longing and tension.
The ending of course leaves us with more questions than answers and I will absolutely be first in line when the next book is released. Overall love the escapism I feel when reading this series.
“‘Rebel' is so...outdated. We prefer the term 'revolutionary’.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Ableism, Vomit, Death of parent
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
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am hovering between 2.5 and 3 stars for this one, so I'll give it 3 to be generous.
This book has me convinced: there are not five books worth of story here. Much of this book felt like filler, and honestly, it’s filler that doesn’t feel like it’s furthering the story. We get introduced to a lot (and I mean a lot) of new characters that make it difficult to follow. We’re also introduced to all these new places as Violet and Xaden are looking for a cure/looking for Andarna’s family. Not to mention all the other subplots happening with the side characters. Most of the writing here was a mess, and I’m not sure Yarros herself knows where the story is going.
I know that Yarros wasn’t a fantasy writer before this series, and quite honestly, it shows. If you’re going to write a five book fantasy series, there needs to be some sort of plan of where the story is going, and you can’t convince me there is one. For that reason, the world building feels a bit all over the place in this book as Yarros tries to expand the world, but none of the rules she already established feel consistent. Consistency is key when you’re building an elaborate magical world!
Also, I have never been a fan of the sudden change to different POVs at the ends of books. Either commit to it or don’t. Multiple POVs might actually help with some of the world building stuff, so I wouldn’t mind if that was changed in future books.
Maybe not as badly as Iron Flame, but once again this book needed editing. Not just for repetitive writing, but for the overarching story as well. Maybe an editor could help Yarros figure out where the story is going from here lol.
Once again, I’m mostly here for the dragons. I’d keep reading for Andarna and Tairn only, and I would have loved more time with them in this book. There feels like there’s so much potential with the dragons that Yarros isn’t necessarily utilizing in the story, which is also a bit disappointing.
Let’s be honest, I’ve invested my time in three books, I’ll probably finish out the series just out of pure curiosity.
This book has me convinced: there are not five books worth of story here. Much of this book felt like filler, and honestly, it’s filler that doesn’t feel like it’s furthering the story. We get introduced to a lot (and I mean a lot) of new characters that make it difficult to follow. We’re also introduced to all these new places as Violet and Xaden are looking for a cure/looking for Andarna’s family. Not to mention all the other subplots happening with the side characters. Most of the writing here was a mess, and I’m not sure Yarros herself knows where the story is going.
I know that Yarros wasn’t a fantasy writer before this series, and quite honestly, it shows. If you’re going to write a five book fantasy series, there needs to be some sort of plan of where the story is going, and you can’t convince me there is one. For that reason, the world building feels a bit all over the place in this book as Yarros tries to expand the world, but none of the rules she already established feel consistent. Consistency is key when you’re building an elaborate magical world!
Also, I have never been a fan of the sudden change to different POVs at the ends of books. Either commit to it or don’t. Multiple POVs might actually help with some of the world building stuff, so I wouldn’t mind if that was changed in future books.
Maybe not as badly as Iron Flame, but once again this book needed editing. Not just for repetitive writing, but for the overarching story as well. Maybe an editor could help Yarros figure out where the story is going from here lol.
Once again, I’m mostly here for the dragons. I’d keep reading for Andarna and Tairn only, and I would have loved more time with them in this book. There feels like there’s so much potential with the dragons that Yarros isn’t necessarily utilizing in the story, which is also a bit disappointing.
Let’s be honest, I’ve invested my time in three books, I’ll probably finish out the series just out of pure curiosity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Blood, Vomit