Book Club February Review: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Anyone keeping up with BookTok or Bookstagram should have expected to see Onyx Storm, the third instalment of The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros, as our February book club pick. Both Kay and I read Fourth Wing and Iron Flame last year for The Shame Shelf, and it has now become a tradition to choose this series whenever the next book is released.

I mean, who wouldn't choose fawning over Xaden and diving into the world of dragons and signet powers if given the option?

I would advise those who haven't read the first two books yet to stop scrolling, as there will be major spoilers for both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame.

Onyx Storm picks up after the wards at Basgiath have been restored, thus protecting the people from further attacks by the enemies, and follows Violet as she sets forth to seek Andarna's kind. Though tensions are high within the war college and betrayal looms around every corner, she is determined to help Xaden and find a solution to stop his turning venin.

The Not So Good Stuff

All this hype and anticipation built around this book, and yet I was left feeling disappointed and frustrated at the end. It’s definitely my least favourite of the three, and I can only boil down my sentiments to three points: the characters are two-dimensional, there is no development in Violet and Xaden’s relationship, and the writing is quite unpolished.

Firstly, let’s start with the characters. The protagonist, Violet, would occasionally grate my nerves in Fourth Wing and Iron Flame—constantly demanding Xaden to be more forthcoming with his secrets, then blaming him for having some in the first place—but she has become even more insufferable in this instalment. Everything revolves around her; she blames herself for events outside of her control, and she is portrayed as this strong character that can beat just about anyone when others have failed.

It has come to a point where Kay and I make jokes like:

• Of course, she bonds two dragons.

• Of course, she is the first lightning wielder in a thousand years.

• Of course, her second signet is another rare power.

On top of that, the other characters don’t feel fleshed out and lack any depth or even negative traits that would make them more dynamic. Everyone is just good. It’s also quite unrealistic that the fate of the world relies on these second years. Like, where are the adults? Where are the graduates? You can’t possibly convince me that these second-years are stronger and more capable than the alumni.

Secondly, what I loved so much about Fourth Wing was the tension and uncertainties in Violet and Xaden’s relationship. We pined for the enigmatic wingleader because there was so much mystery surrounding him. Did he catch feelings when they first kissed? What did he think when he first saw her? The romance was exciting because we didn’t know how they would eventually fall in love.

Xaden used to be an interesting character with his own flaws and desires, but now his whole personality revolves around Violet. Some people might find this romantic, but I think it’s toxic and rather boring. There's no tension in their relationship, and I can only hope that Yarros will use the opportunity in the next book to enhance the overall conflict with Xaden's struggles about becoming venin.

Lastly, I’m disappointed with the writing and pacing of the story. For the first five chapters, I had no idea what was going on, and there were too many characters and names that weren’t relevant. It left me feeling confused. It felt like Yarros wanted to pack all this information into the book, which truly impacted the writing. I’m not asking for fancy prose, but I found the fast-paced action very jarring to read.

The Good Stuff

Although the book gave me whiplash at times, the last quarter of the story finally rewarded us with an engaging climax that felt gripping all the way until the end, concluding with an interesting cliffhanger. The stakes were raised, people died in battle, and Xaden made an irreversible decision that sets us up for the fourth book. When I turned the last page, I was left with so many questions that I couldn’t believe we would have to wait indefinitely for the next instalment. I even went on TikTok to watch all the possible theories about the ending to satisfy my craving and fill my need for more.

On the same note, the storyline itself was quite intriguing and had a lot of potential. We were introduced to the bigger world, jumping from one island to another to find Andarna’s kind, learning more about the different gods and the people who worshipped them, and receiving some answers about Violet’s background and the mystery surrounding her father. Yarros dropped secrets throughout the book that made me stop to re-read paragraphs and wrap my head around their meaning and relevance to the wider scope of the series. She is quite successful in that regard.

Without a doubt, Yarros has built a compelling world that deeply engages readers, creating a following reminiscent of Harry Potter or The Hunger Games. However, if she hadn’t crammed so many plot points into one book, I believe she would have been far more successful and done the series justice. This is the third book in a pentalogy, and while I understand that the middle usually offers less potential, I wish she hadn’t rushed this highly anticipated instalment. Without a deadline for the next book, I hope she can take her time to build the story and recapture what we all loved about Fourth Wing.

Rating

CY - Unfortunately, I think this series is deteriorating with every new instalment. I loved the first book, I enjoyed the second one, and I can't say anything stood out to me in the third. The writing was rushed and the pacing felt awkward. 3/5.

Kay - I still love this series, but Xaden has lost his edge and Violet was pretty annoying. The story was still good, but the writing wasn't great and the characters were very two-dimensional. The entire book felt underdeveloped. 3.5/5

Despite some of the flaws in Onyx Storm, it is only fair to admit that Yarros still managed to create a worldwide sensation around this cast of characters and their dragons, and build a compelling world that readers happily get lost in.

What are your thoughts on the book? Do you agree with the areas that we think could have been improved upon? What did you like most about Onyx Storm?

Let us know in the comments. We're intrigued about your opinions.