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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.

Trigger and content warnings set by Rebecca Yarros:

Onyx Storm is a nonstop-thrilling adventure fantasy set in the brutal and competitive world of military college for dragon riders, which includes elements regarding war, hand-to-hand combat, blood, intense violence, brutal injuries, gore, murder, death, animal death, injury rehabilitation, grief, poisoning, burning, perilous situations, graphic language, and sexual activities that are shown on the page. Readers who may be sensitive to these elements, please take note, and prepare to face the storm…

**WARNING**

While this review does not contain any spoilers for Onyx Storm, it does if you have not read Fourth Wing or especially Iron Flame. This review if written assuming you are caught up and have read the first two novels in the Empyrean series but not Onyx Storm.

I have been a big fan of this series, and I still am, but this one took a minute for me to get into. Unlike a lot of my friends, I didn’t spend the time to re-read Iron Flame before this came out to refresh my memory or to get me back in the Empyrean state-of-mind. That could easily have been the problem.

Either way, I did get into it and had a hard time putting it down.

Violet and Xaden are now so far in the thick of it, it almost seems fruitless. It’s that part of a series where everything is muddled, grimy, and going downhill real fast. I mean that in the best possible way.

A growing sense of defeat has settled over every one as tensions among riders and fliers grow, General Aetos is an even bigger thorn in everyone’s side, Xaden’s condition worsens, and Violet’s past she didn’t know she may have begins to unfold.

Rebecca has kept us on our toes with a lot of action and suspense.

However, I could not give this a five star rating. It was very strung out. Reading more like a beginning-of-series-foundation novel than halfway through a series. From my understanding, this is to be a five book series. The direction it is going, it could have been a three, maybe four.

There was just so much that could have been covered in a chapter if not a paragraph. For example, the island hopping. Could have done without chapters and chapters of that. There were only a few key points that needed attention.

There were also a ton of names and places that I am certain have never been mentioned before. And if they had, how hard would it have been to add a three word description to jog our memory? Many times I just mentally shrugged and kept reading pretending to myself that I knew what or who was being talked about.

And Xaden. I understand he is fighting a losing battle. But he was so disappointing in this.

Violet wasn’t much better. She was so preoccupied with Xaden, all her badass-ness faded.

Luckily, the writing is still well done and the characters haven’t lost their charm, mostly. Being with Violet and Xaden for three books now, some things just become rather redundant. I really enjoyed getting a few chapters from other character’s POV.

The kernels Rebecca is leaving leading us to the big series ending are either going to kill us or fall flat. Because there is so much time between novels, it leaves readers a generous amount of time to theorize. Some readers are bound to hit the nail on the head.

Not that I want Rebecca to push out her novels any faster. Her method or writing has worked for her. Don’t change what ain’t broke.

What I did really enjoy about this book was the barrage of characters. While everything is mostly from Violet’s perspective, we get more of the other characters since most of the story is group project type situation. More than just Violet and Xaden facing everything. More venin, more wyvern, much more information.

While this wasn’t my favorite and has me a bit worried that this series still has two more books to go, I am still invested in this world.