Title: Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3)
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Genre: fantasy, fantasy romance
Publisher: Red Tower Books
Publication Date: January 21, 2025
Format: Hardcover
Length:  527 pages

Read if you like: found family, epic battles and trials, the chosen one trope, representation of chronic illness, morally grey characters, unique magic system, magical creatures, gut-wrenching plot twists
 
Rating: 

Onyx Storm was one of my most anticipated releases of 2025 and if you don’t read any further, know this: it exceeded all of my expectations. I thoroughly loved this book and could not have asked for more from Yarros. 

I’ve seen some varied thoughts on Onyx Storm since it was released, and while I’ll address those in more detail later in the review, I want to quickly remind anyone reading this that I rate books strictly based on my enjoyment of the reading experience. For me, this was such an easy five-star read. I was so entranced the entire way through and loved how Yarros expanded the universe and magic in such significant ways that this series is quickly becoming a favourite for me. 

I’m going to go ahead and dive directly into the review but as this is the third book in a fairly intricate series, there will be spoilers for books one and two in this review. Read at your own risk!

The Book Synopsis: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming…and not everyone can survive its wrath.

The Review

Oh my god, what an unbelievably enjoyable book. My jaw was on the floor when I finished and I’ll continue to reel from this reading experience for some time.  

I’ve loved this series from the start, but wow, it feels like it gets stronger and stronger as it goes on. With all of the dense world-building that was accomplished in Iron Flame, I felt like Onyx Storm was able to spend an incredible amount of time centred on a plot rooted in action. The sheer amount of battles, events, and gut-wrenching twists and turns when you reflect feels like more than just one book’s worth of plot points, which for me, was a huge bonus. I loved how much of the world and magic that we got to see in this book and was desperately turning pages to see what would come next. 

There were two plot points in particular that I loved that I want to call out. The first was the visiting of the other countries. Oh my goodness I LOVED this addition. Each island brought a unique culture with entirely new customs, and seeing the Squad adapt and adjust while also trying to impress their hosts enough to obtain military support was such a fun adventure. The twists that arrived from each island had me so intrigued and I thought it was such a fun way to explore the whole Emperyean world in a way that felt far less dense than traditional world-building. I would read entire books based on some of the island experiences, I truly loved this addition to the story.

The second plot element I loved was the expansion of the cast, and in particular, the larger role of the dragons. Before Fourth Wing, I’m not sure that sassy dragons were characters I would have ever believed I’d become so invested in, but Yarros has excelled at creating this fantastic cast of remarkably enjoyable people and creatures alike. The banter is always on point, and their perspectives alternate between serious, gut-wrenching, and genuinely funny. There’s a pretty broad cast of humans at this point, which you would think would make having corresponding dragons and griffins feel daunting, but seeing their various personalities and how they play off of each other is one of my favourite parts of this series. I LOVE their sass and quick humour and loved seeing so much more of it than before across a broader range of dragons. Also, Andarna’s adolescent whims were the cherry on top.

Speaking of characters, there was SO much character development in this book. I loved seeing Violet and Xaden settle into their bond and, while dealing with insurmountable odds, know that they were secure with each other. I like angst to a degree, but I think there’s something to be said for a securely attached relationship and the power that can add to a story. 

In what now feels like a Yarros trademark, this book ended with an absolutely massive cliffhanger that had me gasping. I have so many questions about how the conclusion transpired, but in the best way, where I’ll eagerly be consulting my friends for their thoughts and comparing notes. I love not having all the answers, and I love being surprised. 

Now, very quickly, I do want to address that there are also a good amount of people who seem to have NOT enjoyed Onyx Storm. Generally speaking, I feel like a lot of the people I’m seeing who didn’t enjoy Onyx Storm didn’t really like Iron Flame either, and I think there’s a reason for that. 

Fourth Wing was a fantastic introduction to a unique and exciting universe, but it does have a different feel to the rest of the series. It felt more like a romantasy, whereas the subsequent books have focused less on romance (though I feel there’s still an adequate focus) and more on the plot and universe. 

In terms of the world-building, Fourth Wing was a bit shallow. The universe was established yes, but much of the world-building heavy lifting for this series actually was accomplished in Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm runs with that even further. In short, each book since Fourth Wing has been much more of what I expect of a fantasy: a dense world, an intricate magic system, a big cast, and a lot of interwoven pieces across all of these aspects.

A decent amount of the readers I’ve seen who did like Fourth Wing but didn’t like Iron Flame also weren’t fantasy readers. It’s not all that surprising to me that these readers then didn’t like Onyx Storm either. Onyx Storm feels much closer to Iron Flame than to Fourth Wing, and the series is headed in a distinct fantasy direction from here. This isn’t to say that non-fantasy readers can’t enjoy this universe (they can and they do!) but if the romance was primarily what hooked you in Fourth Wing, it might not be enough to enjoy the rest of the series on that alone. I’ve seen a lot of criticism related to the number of characters, the density of the plot, and the expansion of the world all being hard to follow. Personally, this wasn’t the case for me, but if you’re not a fantasy reader I can 100% see how this could transpire in this book and in Iron Flame and how that could be frustrating. 

I’ll note that this is completely distinct from fantasy readers who haven’t enjoyed the series and take other issues with it—that’s totally normal and happens with literally every book ever written. Not everything is for everyone. I’m only addressing criticism here because the reach of Fourth Wing is so enormous, it’s hit a lot of non-fantasy readers in a way that’s similar to ACOTAR, and when that happens, I feel like the feedback is a lot more of a mixed bag than when you’re reaching those well acquainted with the genre. Fantasy isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. I felt like Fourth Wing was extremely accessible, but the series has gotten a lot denser since then; it just so happens that I love that about it. 

If I could give this book more than five stars, I would. To me, it was perfect, and it was an exceptionally enjoyable reading experience. I loved every single second and will be very eagerly awaiting the next instalment.