07 March 2025
Onyx Storm Review And Book Club Questions
Reviewed by: Melissa Ng
Quick Facts
Book Publication Date: 21 January 2025
How I Read It: Borrowed from my local library
Where You Can Find Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros: Amazon Australia* | Kobo US* | Kobo Canada*
Trope: Enemies to lovers, touch her and die
Content & Trigger Warnings: Coarse language, spice, violence, blood, vomit
Onyx Storm Summary
Violet Sorrengail has survived nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, but lessons are over. War is here, and Navarre needs allies, magic, and an army.
Violet, Xaden, and their squad embark on a high-stakes mission beyond the Aretian wards in search of Andarna’s dragon kind, hoping they hold the key to saving Xaden — and the world.
But their journey is far from simple. Ancient magic is stirring, the venin are getting stronger, and the fate of dragon riders is more uncertain than ever.
Violet must become stronger if she has any hope of defeating Theophanie, the silver-haired venin and Maven leading the enemy forces.
Oh, and there’s also the minor issue of Xaden’s slow transformation into an asim (half-venin).
Just another casual semester at Basgiath.
Onyx Storm Spoilers
- Andarna finds her dragon kind and breaks her bond with Violet to learn their ways — but don’t panic, she comes back during the final battle.
- Violet develops a second signet — she’s a dream walker, which means she can enter people’s dreams.
- Violet kills Theophanie.
- Xaden finally turns asim (part-venin) to kill Berwyn, the Sage venin who turned him, and save Sgaeyl.
- Quinn dies. (Honestly, I barely remember Quinn, so this didn’t hit as hard as I think it was supposed to)
- One of their own has turned venin, but we don’t know who — only that they’re referred to as Xaden’s venin brother.
- Six dragon eggs go missing. Which sounds like a problem for Book 4.
- Xaden and a few riders disappear. Again, probably a problem for future Violet.
- Violet wakes up married — yes, married — but has no idea what happened because she asked Imogen to erase her memory.
Onyx Storm Review
This book suffers from middle book syndrome — lots of set-up, not enough payoff. It felt like we spent the entire book on a road trip, and just when we got to our destination… the book ended.
Before I even started Onyx Storm, I had a major problem: I completely forgot what happened in Fourth Wing and Iron Flame.
There were so many names, places, and magical elements that I had to watch a recap on YouTube just to remember what was going on. Shoutout to becklebooks for her recap of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame.
That might say more about my memory than the book, but it does make me wonder if the plot of this series is actually that memorable.
What I Liked:
✔️ Andarna’s storyline. I liked that she found her kind, though her leaving and coming back a few chapters later made it feel less impactful. Still, she remains one of my favourite parts of the series.
✔️ Ridoc. In a book filled with angst and heavy emotions, Ridoc remains the real MVP, providing much-needed comic relief.
✔️ Violet’s second signet. Dream walking? Now that has potential. I’m excited to see how this plays out in the next books. Though I half expected her to walk into a dream and find Xaden staring broodingly into the void.
✔️ The writing is easy to follow. It’s not overly dense in world-building like some other high fantasy books, which makes it super accessible — especially for readers new to the fantasy genre. I can absolutely see why this series is popular.
✔️ The ending was at least something. The final battle picked up the pace, even if it felt rushed. We got big reveals, a sudden marriage twist, and Xaden disappearing, which should make for an interesting Book 4.
What Didn’t Work For Me:
❌ Too much internal monologue. Violet spends so much time thinking about how hot Xaden is. It was so repetitive and at times, I just wanted to yell, girl, focus on the war!
❌ The romance didn’t progress. Xaden gets even more possessive (touch her and die trope cranked up to 100), and Violet spends way too much time thinking about his looks. At this point, it’s bordering on toxic instead of romantic.
❌ The pacing dragged. This book could have easily been 100 pages shorter, and we wouldn’t have lost anything crucial. We spent a lot of time travelling and looking at Xaden’s abs.
❌ Xaden’s asim transformation was underwhelming. We’ve been building up to this all book and when it finally happens? It’s… fine? He gets stronger, fights Berwyn, and kills him. That’s it. There’s no deeper consequence yet, which makes it feel like it happened just to check a plot box.
❌ The multiple POVs at the end felt jarring. We suddenly get chapters from Rhiannon and Imogen, and while I understand why the author did it, it felt out of place. We’ve spent three books inside Violet’s head, so the switch this late into the series was unexpected.
❌ The big cliffhanger. Look, I love a good twist, but waking up married with no memory because Imogen wiped Violet’s mind? It felt like drama for the sake of drama. I would have preferred a deeper, emotional twist over this soap opera-style shocker.
Final Thoughts:
This book had potential but ultimately fell flat for me. There were some great moments, but overall, it felt like a transition book, setting up future events rather than delivering on the plot threads we’ve been following.
That being said, this is a very divisive series. People either love it or hate it — I’m somewhere in the middle. It’s a solidly entertaining read, but it doesn’t wow me.
⭐ 3 out of 5 stars.
Honestly, the main reason I’m continuing the series is because it’s so popular, and I like to see if things live up to the hype. And, let’s be real — I love seeing how passionate people get about loving or hating this series.
Memorable Onyx Storm Quotes
Everyone wants wisdom but needs luck.
You look tired.
Just what every man wants to hear from the person he loves.
She alters our defenses and then, what? Goes back to class?
It would seem so.
I heard you saying you’d kill my grandson if he took another step toward your beloved, young man. How illogically toxically romantic of you.
I resent the implication that I am given to melodramatics.
Onyx Storm Book Club Questions
- Did you re-read Fourth Wing and / or Iron Flame before diving into Onyx Storm?
- What were your favourite and least favourite moments in the book?
- Did you enjoy the romance between Violet and Xaden? Has it evolved since Fourth Wing?
- Who is your favourite side character, and why?
- What did you think of the isles visited by the quest squad? Did it add to the world building?
- How did you feel about the additional POV chapters at the end? Would you want more in Book 4?
- What do you think Theophanie’s backstory is? Who was she before she became a Maven?
- Why do you think Andarna returned to Violet?
- Who do you think Xaden’s venin brother is?
- What do you think happened during the missing 12 hours and why did Violet have Imogen erase her memory?
- Where do you think Xaden and the other missing riders are?
- What do you think happened to the 6 missing dragon eggs? Why were they taken?
- How do you think Violet’s dream walker signet will be used in the rest of the series?
- Do you think there is a venin cure?
- Were there any reveals that shocked you?
- What do you predict will happen between Violet and Xaden in Book 4?
- Any other predictions for the rest of the series?
- Are there any fan theories that you think are true?
- If you had a secret signet, what power would you want?
- Will you be continuing The Empyrean series? Why or why not?
- If Onyx Storm was adapted into a movie or TV series, which actors would you cast for each character?
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