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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was simply…. meh. I really enjoyed the adventuring and then teamwork when they were flying around BUT it felt super rushed. The best part was the cliff hanger at the end and the fact that I finished the book and can move right onto the next one!
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
tense
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One thing RY does well is write fight/combat scenes. I’ll give her that!
I feel like these last two books had a bunch of fluff in the middle which was hard for me to keep interest.
I wasn’t focused until about 60% through. About 75% Through I was HONED IN. RY really knows how to leave you with a cliff hanger to keep you hanging on. Now I have to see what happens next…. Hopefully I don’t have to commit another 24hrs of my time for a climax!
I feel like these last two books had a bunch of fluff in the middle which was hard for me to keep interest.
I wasn’t focused until about 60% through. About 75% Through I was HONED IN. RY really knows how to leave you with a cliff hanger to keep you hanging on. Now I have to see what happens next…. Hopefully I don’t have to commit another 24hrs of my time for a climax!
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
3/5
Finished: 4/18/25
TLDR:
The Empyrean series only continues to get better. While a lot of times the middle book in a big fantasy series like this can feel redundant or too fact heavy, Rebecca did a great job of moving the plot forward while also entertaining the reader. I cannot wait for the rest of the series!
The Plot Quickens:
Violet Sorrengail ventures beyond Navarre's weakening borders to seek allies against the venin, confronting perilous challenges and uncovering hidden truths that test her resolve and relationships. As the war escalates, she must navigate treacherous alliances and personal sacrifices to protect her world and those she loves.
Overall Thoughts:
This book started slow, which is understandable due to the amount of world building and story building Rebecca would need to do. This is Book 3 in the series, and that book is always heavy on details for larger fantasy series like these. I did struggle in the beginning connecting with the material; it had been a year and a half since I read the previous novel, and some details were fuzzy. I am glad I powered through though, because as always Rebecca knocked it out of the park with this one! The slow and steady details are all so carefully cultivated and the ending was the perfect kind of cliffhanger, leaving you desperate for the next installment.
Highlights:
I loved the world expansion with the isles and getting to meet additional people, and the expansion on her father's travels there. Finding out more about everyone's second signets was awesome, and watching Dain become more and more of a character I love has been so great, I love that he has had such a solid redemption arc from Book 1. My absolute favorite part were the chapters from other character's POVs, so you could experience their own thoughts and, the best, their dragons. The way Imogen's dragon spoke, to the scene with Sawyer arguing with his dragon, to Ridoc and his dragon tussling over tricks made me love each character even more.
Low Points:
SPOILERS AHEAD
I understand that Xaden was worried about hurting Violet if he got too close to her, but the repetitive nature of that issue started to wear on me. In one chapter, prior to them hooking up, he spends several pages double checking her decision, and it drove me absolutely batty.
I also didn't like near the end when Andarna randomly shows back up and it's not talked about once?? Just like, oh hey your dragon that went off to her own kind is back and everything is normal, carry on. Not a single line. I know a lot was going on, but c'mon, you were bedbound for days over the loss, it's worth at least a bit of a reference.
3/5
Finished: 4/18/25
TLDR:
The Empyrean series only continues to get better. While a lot of times the middle book in a big fantasy series like this can feel redundant or too fact heavy, Rebecca did a great job of moving the plot forward while also entertaining the reader. I cannot wait for the rest of the series!
The Plot Quickens:
Violet Sorrengail ventures beyond Navarre's weakening borders to seek allies against the venin, confronting perilous challenges and uncovering hidden truths that test her resolve and relationships. As the war escalates, she must navigate treacherous alliances and personal sacrifices to protect her world and those she loves.
Overall Thoughts:
This book started slow, which is understandable due to the amount of world building and story building Rebecca would need to do. This is Book 3 in the series, and that book is always heavy on details for larger fantasy series like these. I did struggle in the beginning connecting with the material; it had been a year and a half since I read the previous novel, and some details were fuzzy. I am glad I powered through though, because as always Rebecca knocked it out of the park with this one! The slow and steady details are all so carefully cultivated and the ending was the perfect kind of cliffhanger, leaving you desperate for the next installment.
Highlights:
I loved the world expansion with the isles and getting to meet additional people, and the expansion on her father's travels there. Finding out more about everyone's second signets was awesome, and watching Dain become more and more of a character I love has been so great, I love that he has had such a solid redemption arc from Book 1. My absolute favorite part were the chapters from other character's POVs, so you could experience their own thoughts and, the best, their dragons. The way Imogen's dragon spoke, to the scene with Sawyer arguing with his dragon, to Ridoc and his dragon tussling over tricks made me love each character even more.
Low Points:
SPOILERS AHEAD
I understand that Xaden was worried about hurting Violet if he got too close to her, but the repetitive nature of that issue started to wear on me. In one chapter, prior to them hooking up, he spends several pages double checking her decision, and it drove me absolutely batty.
I also didn't like near the end when Andarna randomly shows back up and it's not talked about once?? Just like, oh hey your dragon that went off to her own kind is back and everything is normal, carry on. Not a single line. I know a lot was going on, but c'mon, you were bedbound for days over the loss, it's worth at least a bit of a reference.
I read this all in one day and could not get enough... need I say more?!?
Might try again another time but I’ve been trying to read this for months now…
adventurous
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