Book Review: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Rating: ★★★★☆(4/5)

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Introduction:

Released January 2025. Read January 2025.

This book was highly anticipated in the reader groups that I am a part of. Since I have a toddler, I was not interested in getting a hard copy yet. I have the other two on Kindle so it made sense for me to keep up that route. So starting at about 3 in the morning (I go to bed at 8 with the toddler) I woke up to read as much as I could before teacher life today. We had a field trip today for one of my classes so I was a very tired but happy teacher on that bus this morning.

I loved it.

This is a 700+ page book on my Kindle. It gives it time to ebb and flow with the action. This series is the type to not leave too many stones unturned. This means long stretches of time in the book with exposition and not a lot of action. The build up for me is worth it for the shocks of action that are present.

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Summary: A Brief Overview (Without Major Spoilers)

The storm is coming…

I am waiting on that second signet to show up for Violet (Growth and new skills) while I know Xaden is hanging out towards the death and rebirth part of the arc. The two have their own journeys that they are on and we have to see it all from Violet’s POV this round.

By the 500 mark we are really into the growth and new skills section. The last few chapters though is where it all culminates. That is a pattern for Yarros that continued here. This is a saga worth diving into.

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What Worked for Me:

This is a political novel as much as it is a fantasy novel: If you like novels that spell out in great detail the aspects of a brewing war, you will love this book too. If you want all action and not a lot of exposition, then this novel will bore the crap out of you. There are layers here that unfold slowly showing how Violet has been trained for the unfolding action.

Andarna. I love her sassy nature. She is so snarky and witty and I just love her.

Cat and Maren: I loved the gryphon riders getting to be at Basgaith and the level of comedic relief they provide. There is also a level of tension they add to the plot that helps during moments where the story would otherwise lull.

All of the non-MCs in Violet’s life. They are a unit and they are funny. Watching them grow into a family has been one of my favorite aspects of reading the novels. I love the witty banter between Ridoc and Rhi or Vi. It just makes moments cozy in what could be seen as a not very cozy story.

The Lore. I found myself highlighting words throughout on my Kindle. Learning about the different levels of Venin, the lore of Andarna and her type of dragon, the history of the continent etc. I can tell that Yarros did a lot of world planning. Some of it draws from other lore that I have heard of before and is obviously inspired some of her world but the uniqueness is there enough for me that I can see she has a vision for her story.

Violet finding her strength. She is getting more real world experience as she has to lead a mission. It is becoming clear how valuable her team is as a whole but how she is the glue.

Xaden’s evolution. The Iron Flame ended in Spoiler Alert: Xanden channeling into the Earth and breaking his soul in the process. A large part of Onyx Storm is trying to find a cure for him or slowing his progression. Without giving away the answer, I actually like the route Yarros chooses for Xaden. While readers often wish for Happily Ever Afters and pretty tied up ending bows, that’s not what happens with Xaden’s journey. And that’s okay! It might be hard to handle on the heart and nerves but not all stories end up magical. Yarros throws a trick ending cliffhanger in there for us too that will keep readers wondering if there is hope for Xaden yet. I personally hope that she takes the more realistic route in the next book and lets Violet become her own hero but that’s just me.

The ending. We get 12 hours after the battle and Imogen has used her signet on Violet. The reader gets treated to glimpses of what’s happened in those 12 hours and I think many will feel like the wind has been knocked out of them. I loved it.

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What Didn’t Work for Me: Trigger Warnings and Criticisms

Daine’s Dad. Dickwad. Douche. Dumbass. How many more D words can I come up with to talk about this dude? Again, Yarros is really cheesy with her villains. They come off as punishers who hurt for the sake of power or ego and don’t have a deeper level. They are very surface level for me and I prefer villains with a little more grit to them.

Edward Cullen. I mean Xaden. In his quest to keep his control Xaden literally turns into Edward Cullen for me. Yarros spends pages talking about the ache Violet feels for Xaden but that he is trying to control himself and will only give her kisses as not to lose that control. It reminds me wayyyy too much of how Edward treated Bella and it made my eyes roll.

The fact that these are 21+ year olds for the MCs and they act like teenagers. They are in a military structure but they complain and disrespect leadership. They act like none of the rules apply to them because they know they have all of this power and that their mission must be so much more important than anything else going on. The leadership isn’t much better. There is a part where Violet is given a companion to basically watch her actions and narc on her like they are twelve. It makes scenes feel a lot more juvenile than they should be.

The repetitiveness of actions. This is small for some but I am so sick of jaws dropping or hitting the ground everytime someone gets a surprise in this book. I could also make a drinking game out of the amount of times she mentions people’s eyebrows.

Theophanie and other give away names. A Theophany is a manifestation of God. Which in this context the character plays a similar role. It just irks me that Yarros likes to use names like this that give away character arc or plot points before they can actually happen.

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Final Thoughts:

I flew through the book in order to write this review close to when the release date happens. I fully plan on going back to reread it again in a month or two. The fact that I can look at a 700 page book and still see it as light reading points to the hard work on Yarros’ part. She is telling this saga of a story in a way that is highly consumable. I reread the other two books in under a week. It is not hard to sit there and just lose yourself to the world she’s creating.

That being said if you are a romantic this might not be the story for you. If you see the realism in actions have consequences and the heroine doesn’t always need the hero, you might enjoy this more. I don’t think Violet even knows her own strength outside of Xanden. She is going to be the key to saving this world, not Xaden in my opinion.. I think the cliffhanger Yarros ends this chapter with will be hard for some to stomach but I loved it. I hope the 4th book is just as riveting.