A review by ballousclues
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“I will save him.” ― Rebecca Yarros, Onyx Storm


So, as a disclaimer, I don't feel I can give this series less than 5 stars simply because of how easily entertained I am. That being said, Onyx Storm felt incredibly confusing for the first half of the book. Lots of 'new' (but not really?) names, places, dragons, and things, so I felt relieved when I went on TikTok and saw I wasn't the only one confused. Overall, I am giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars and 🌶️🌶️/5 spice.

In this installment in the Empyrean series, we're seeing Violet in a race against time as the crew is preparing for another war. Violet has to face some tough trials, keep more secrets, and make some complicated decisions on how to do the most good possible while harming the least amount of people. Onyx Storm had lots of lore about the characters, dragons and the continent. Lots of conversation around war and alliances. Lots of working within the morally grey area. BUT this book did not have
*another* miscommunication trope,
thank GOODNESS. 

Characters 5/5 - I absolutely love the characters in this series and adore Ridoc, Garrick, and Bodhi. I think that Yarros does such an amazing job of developing lovable characters that I can't help but get attached to. Violet and Xaden were pretty good in this installment too. As I mentioned above, I was so excited that we had
moved on from the miscommunication trope.
 
Plot 3/5 - I liked the plot in Onyx Storm, but I had a really tough time following everything in the beginning. I get why there were some 'new' faces, and was also just super confused on the who, what, when, where of everything taking place. Once I got about halfway through the book
and the crew was going around the islands and performing the trials,
I felt I was really liking the book. I also felt like towards the end,
so much was happening all at once and yet we didn't get much resolve at the end.
So, I would kind of sum of the plot as so much happening at once and yet nothing at all. 
 
Pacing 3/5 - The pacing was okay, but I felt it could have been better. I liked the book and once it captured my attention, I was sat.
 
Writing 3/5 - Yarros's writing style just isn't for me sometimes, but I absolutely LOVE the content in the books. 
 
World Building 3/5 - I really like the world building that Yarros does, and I felt like she nailed it in Fourth Wing. Iron Flame drug on for me, and Onyx Storm felt unreasonably confusing. 
 
Overall 3/5 - If I were to really evaluate this book for me, it would be closer to a 3/5. But, I LOVE this series, and the entertainment makes it a 5/5 for me. So far, my order of favorite to least favorite in this series goes Fourth Wing, Onyx Storm, and Iron Flame. Onyx Storm was far better than Iron Flame, imo, but just not as perfect as Fourth Wing was for me. Definitely excited for the next installment in a few years!
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