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A review by imme_van_gorp
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
2.5
Okay, I have a LOT to say, so buckle up, because this is going to be a long one. I’ll promise to be completely honest, though: no hate for the sake of hate, and no praise where it doesn’t deserve any. Just pure and total honesty.
➛ Writing
First of all, the incessant name-dropping of characters and places I am sure I have never heard of before was genuinely making MY HEAD SPIN. Why was every single page filled with like four names (at least) that nobody knows or cares about and that hold no relevance whatsoever? Was the author purposefully trying to make us rage quit this book? Because honestly, this would have been a great way to make that happen.
Especially since the author never even bothered to explain any of her million names or info-dumpings; it’s like she assumed we would all remember every vague detail or name she mentioned a thousand pages earlier, and thus, that we would all be able to pick up her ramblings from where she left off ages ago. Realistically, though, this is just not going to be the case for most readers unless they’re die-hard fans who have memorized every minor, insignificant detail, which I’m assuming most casual readers have not. And really, it’s just not fun to constantly have to try and figure out what the author is even talking about or what she is trying to say.
Moreover, was it just me or did some of these sentences literally not make sense? Like, some of the grammatical, structural and vocabulary choices seemed really off, and there were multiple instances (especially at the beginning) where I felt really confused about what I was even reading. I was trying to chalk it up to me maybe being a bit out of the loop when it comes to the lingo of this world (since it’s been a while since I read Iron Flame), but I quickly realised that was not it. I genuinely think some of these sentences just did not make sense.
➛ Plot
I think the reason the author got stuck in this confusing and meaningless type of writing, though, is because she genuinely doesn’t have much of a story to tell anymore. Book one thrived because the author still had a romance to develop and because she could show how Voilet earns her place as a dragon rider, but now what does she have? Both these things are established and done at this point: There is no real plot left for her to develop properly, because she isn’t a strong enough writer to go further than those basics. Which I think might be due to the fact that she usually writes contemporary romance books, and so she doesn’t know what to do with a story that doesn’t end after book one or with a world that actually needs explaining or expanding. Instead, it just kind of drags on without a purpose or without real intrigue.
And, of course, that doesn’t mean that there’s literally nothing going on here, because obviously it does have some semblance of a plot. I’d even go as far as to say some of the dialogue could be quite entertaining or funny. The problem, however, was that none of the things that happened were actually relevant. I could have simply read the first few and last few chapters of this book and not have missed anything important for the rest of the series: It’s all filler.
➛ Venin storyline
Immediately, here’s a little warning to anyone who was planning to read this only because they were curious after the cliffhanger from Iron Flame: Don’t bother. From the very first chapter until the almost-end, Xaden is basically still fine and we’re constantly just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was really just a whole lot of melodramatics that was dragged out for the entirety of the book instead of the actually impactful plottwist in which Xaden would truly turn dark or evil, which is definitely what the ending of the previous book made us believe would happen. But nope, during the whole book he was honestly just the same dude he’s always been, only now whining about control a whole lot more while also being obsessively protective and possessive. Honestly, though, I should have known from the start not to expect something real, because who would Violet be left to hump if Xaden turned into an ugly, hissing monster?
You know what the most ridiculous part about the anticlimactic pay-off from the previous cliffhanger is, though? (warning: spoiler) This book literally ended with the same exact Venin cliffhanger where Xaden drains power to save someone he loves! This means we basically had to sit through this whole entire book where nothing happens, only for us to get to the same exact ending for him once again. I mean, how lazy is that? And honestly, this time I’m not even buying it anymore. I know this cliffhanger will never pay off, because the author is simply incapable of it.
➛ Romance
Sadly, I have to admit this romance is still a little bit tiring in general, even though I do think it was far less annoying than it was in Iron Flame. They definitely had less drama and less immaturity, and they also had more faith and confidence in each other. There were even some moments of somewhat healthy and genuine communication between them as well, which is an improvement.
Yet, it was still far from great as it seemed they had simply gone from “i love you, but i don’t trust you” to “i love you, but i can’t control myself around you” as the reasons for why these two couldn’t just be together in a normal way.
Honestly, though, I don’t think this romance ever really stood a true chance at remaining interesting after the couple already got together so soon in the series, especially since there’s never any real conflict or something that could threaten their relationship for longer than a second. It just becomes boring and bland at that point. I mean, (warning: spoiler) they literally just got married. How much more undeniably permanent can it get?
Not to mention, they were still constantly horny around each other, which is never really a sign of a romance filled with depth. I mean, literally, most of the interactions here were about how they DESPERATELY want to have sex, but they can’t because Xaden doesn’t trust himself enough for that anymore. How interesting, right? How meaningful. How romantic. How emotional. *sigh*
➛ Writing
First of all, the incessant name-dropping of characters and places I am sure I have never heard of before was genuinely making MY HEAD SPIN. Why was every single page filled with like four names (at least) that nobody knows or cares about and that hold no relevance whatsoever? Was the author purposefully trying to make us rage quit this book? Because honestly, this would have been a great way to make that happen.
Especially since the author never even bothered to explain any of her million names or info-dumpings; it’s like she assumed we would all remember every vague detail or name she mentioned a thousand pages earlier, and thus, that we would all be able to pick up her ramblings from where she left off ages ago. Realistically, though, this is just not going to be the case for most readers unless they’re die-hard fans who have memorized every minor, insignificant detail, which I’m assuming most casual readers have not. And really, it’s just not fun to constantly have to try and figure out what the author is even talking about or what she is trying to say.
Moreover, was it just me or did some of these sentences literally not make sense? Like, some of the grammatical, structural and vocabulary choices seemed really off, and there were multiple instances (especially at the beginning) where I felt really confused about what I was even reading. I was trying to chalk it up to me maybe being a bit out of the loop when it comes to the lingo of this world (since it’s been a while since I read Iron Flame), but I quickly realised that was not it. I genuinely think some of these sentences just did not make sense.
➛ Plot
I think the reason the author got stuck in this confusing and meaningless type of writing, though, is because she genuinely doesn’t have much of a story to tell anymore. Book one thrived because the author still had a romance to develop and because she could show how Voilet earns her place as a dragon rider, but now what does she have? Both these things are established and done at this point: There is no real plot left for her to develop properly, because she isn’t a strong enough writer to go further than those basics. Which I think might be due to the fact that she usually writes contemporary romance books, and so she doesn’t know what to do with a story that doesn’t end after book one or with a world that actually needs explaining or expanding. Instead, it just kind of drags on without a purpose or without real intrigue.
And, of course, that doesn’t mean that there’s literally nothing going on here, because obviously it does have some semblance of a plot. I’d even go as far as to say some of the dialogue could be quite entertaining or funny. The problem, however, was that none of the things that happened were actually relevant. I could have simply read the first few and last few chapters of this book and not have missed anything important for the rest of the series: It’s all filler.
➛ Venin storyline
Immediately, here’s a little warning to anyone who was planning to read this only because they were curious after the cliffhanger from Iron Flame: Don’t bother. From the very first chapter until the almost-end, Xaden is basically still fine and we’re constantly just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was really just a whole lot of melodramatics that was dragged out for the entirety of the book instead of the actually impactful plottwist in which Xaden would truly turn dark or evil, which is definitely what the ending of the previous book made us believe would happen. But nope, during the whole book he was honestly just the same dude he’s always been, only now whining about control a whole lot more while also being obsessively protective and possessive. Honestly, though, I should have known from the start not to expect something real, because who would Violet be left to hump if Xaden turned into an ugly, hissing monster?
You know what the most ridiculous part about the anticlimactic pay-off from the previous cliffhanger is, though? (warning: spoiler) This book literally ended with the same exact Venin cliffhanger where Xaden drains power to save someone he loves! This means we basically had to sit through this whole entire book where nothing happens, only for us to get to the same exact ending for him once again. I mean, how lazy is that? And honestly, this time I’m not even buying it anymore. I know this cliffhanger will never pay off, because the author is simply incapable of it.
➛ Romance
Sadly, I have to admit this romance is still a little bit tiring in general, even though I do think it was far less annoying than it was in Iron Flame. They definitely had less drama and less immaturity, and they also had more faith and confidence in each other. There were even some moments of somewhat healthy and genuine communication between them as well, which is an improvement.
Yet, it was still far from great as it seemed they had simply gone from “i love you, but i don’t trust you” to “i love you, but i can’t control myself around you” as the reasons for why these two couldn’t just be together in a normal way.
Honestly, though, I don’t think this romance ever really stood a true chance at remaining interesting after the couple already got together so soon in the series, especially since there’s never any real conflict or something that could threaten their relationship for longer than a second. It just becomes boring and bland at that point. I mean, (warning: spoiler) they literally just got married. How much more undeniably permanent can it get?
Not to mention, they were still constantly horny around each other, which is never really a sign of a romance filled with depth. I mean, literally, most of the interactions here were about how they DESPERATELY want to have sex, but they can’t because Xaden doesn’t trust himself enough for that anymore. How interesting, right? How meaningful. How romantic. How emotional. *sigh*
”A kiss isn’t enough between us. It never is. You want me the same way I want you. Wholly. Completely. With nothing but skin between us. Heart, mind, and body.” He brushes his mouth against mine, sturrering my breath. “All I want is to lose myself in you, and I can’t. You are the only person in the world with the power to strip me of every ounce of my control, and the only person I can’t fathom losing that control with.” He lift his head. “And yet here I am, unable to keep three fucking feet away from you.”
Like, are they even aware that they have more serious problems going on right now than whether or not they can have sex!? There’s a war going on. People are dying. Xaden could supposedly turn Venin. You guys have real issues you should be focusing on! Get a GRIP!
And somehow these two are supposed to be the heroes of the story?? With those priorities? Hmm…
Really, Xaden, a word of simple advice: If you don’t trust yourself to be around Violet at this stage, then MAYBE just take your goddamn distance for a little bit, find a cure, and have your goddamn sex after that!!
➛ Side characters
Unfortunately, I have to say that most (if not all) of the side characters still have minimal personality or depth. They’re all interchangable; I don’t feel like I really know them and so I don’t actually care about them.
I feel like some of them do have potential, though, but that potential is never really reached, because the author never bothers to properly develop their character arcs. Which is such a shame, because I remember how much I cared about and loved Liam, which led to me having my heart completely broken in the first book when he died. I just know I would never feel that way about any of these others. And that sucks, because I really do want to care. I mean: (warning spoiler) Who the hell even was Quinn, really? Or Trager? Why on earth should I care about either of them or their deaths? This series has given me absolutely no reason to.
That said, Tairn has definitely weaseled his way back into my heart and a lot of his lines managed to put a smile on my face. He’s fully back to his grumpy, sassy, peacock self and I can’t deny loving him for it. He’s definitely giving ‘reluctant dad’ vibes and it really warms my heart while also cracking me up. He’s the only one I actually care about.
Although, I also have to say I often enjoyed Ridoc’s banter and Mira’s take-no-shit attitude; they are certainly the ones with the most personality out of all the riders. Not that there is much competition there, but oh well. Out of the two, Ridoc is by far my favourite, though. I kind of like Aaric and Dain or even Cat as well, but they just do not get the attention they need in order for them to have a real personality. I mean, I feel like I could potentionally care about them if only the author gave me the chance to actually get to know them.
Now, when it comes to Andarna, I have to say I was warming up to her again after being so annoyed by her being such a brat in Iron Flame, but then she (warning: spoiler) literally just straight-up abandoned Violet, and now I can’t imagine liking her again. Loyalty is supposed to be a dragon’s strongest characteristic, but with that single choice to break their bond for her own gain, she has proven to have none whatsoever, which felt so disappointing coming from a dragon. Therefore, she lost all her redeeming qualities for me: now she’s just an ungrateful brat in my eyes.
➛ Final thoughts
All in all, it should be obvious that I have a lot of complaints, but… I can’t say I actually hate it. It’s not necessarily boring, it’s just… not very good either. It’s a repetitive, not-that-well-thought-out read that’s unmistakeably written by someone who doesn’t know how to write a strong, well-developed plot or world. And thus, the result is a rather superficial book that won’t ever be what it wants to be.
Still, it could be worse. It’s not entirely without its merrits and there are still moments of entertainment to be found here. I especially feel like the book got better the further along we got. The beginning was truly the most confusing, boring mess I’ve read in quite some time, but it does pick up quite a bit. I’d even say there were a few times I genuinely did enjoy myself later on.
In conclusion, I guess it’s just up to each reader to decide for themselves whether those couple of moments of fun are enough to make up for the messy rest…