Honest Book Review of Onyx Storm
Author: Rebecca Yarros
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Okay, I’ll be honest, I was a little nervous going into Onyx Storm. After Iron Flame left me feeling like I ran a marathon (with too many words and unnecessary plot lines dragging me down), I wasn’t sure what to expect. But let me just say, this book delivered so much more than Iron Flame did.
I am going to be the first to admit that I am not a super fan of this series like the other fantasy book lovers out there. The only way I was able to read this was on audiobook. I probably would have rated Onyx Storm lower and take over a month to read this if I had to sit down and read this. Reading this as an audiobook really saved this for me.
The good news is that Onyx Storm delivered more in the terms of high-stakes action, dragons with attitude, and a plot that is worth wanting more of.
Here is a blog article: 5 Books to Read After Reading Fourth Wing. If you hit a book hangover with this series.
One of the biggest improvements? The pacing. Iron Flame had me drowning in info dumps and plots that could have been edited out. But Onyx Storm gets right to the good stuff. There’s tension, battles, and shocking reveals that kept me glued to the pages. It finally feels like the story is moving forward instead of stalling with endless training montages.
Now, let’s talk about romance. Look, I love a good slow burn and an intense love story, but if I had to read Violet’s inner monologue about how hot Xaden is one more time, I was going to throw my book across the room—again. We get it, girl. He’s gorgeous. He smolders. His jawline could cut glass. The embodiment of Shadow Daddy. I get it. Move on. But instead of toning it down, Onyx Storm somehow cranks it up even more.
Case in point: “Golden onyx eyes used as weapons to melt my underwear straight off my body. I flat out liquefy.” *BARF*
At this point, I had to pause and ask myself, are we still in a high-stakes war, or did I accidentally stumble into a dragon-riding thirst trap? Don’t get me wrong, chemistry is great, but when every other page feels like a variation of “Wow, he’s so dangerously attractive or hot,” it starts to feel repetitive. I wanted more emotional depth, but instead, I got even more thirsting, making their relationship feel stuck in the same loop rather than growing.
Of course, the real stars of the show? The dragons. Just as good in Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, these majestic, sarcastic, and terrifying creatures are everything. Their bonds with the riders feel even stronger, the battle scenes are chef’s kiss, and I could read an entire book from their perspective alone.
Overall, Onyx Storm reminded me why I fell in love with Fourth Wing in the first place. It fixes so many of the issues I had with book two Iron Flame and brings back the excitement, danger, and heart pounding adventure that makes this series so much fun. If you love dragons, romance, and high stakes fantasy, this one’s a must-read!
⚠️⚠️ SPOILERS ⚠️⚠️
One of the most significant developments in this installment is Xaden’s transformation into a venin to save his dragon, a decision that adds layers of complexity to his character and his relationship with Violet. This act of sacrifice not only alters the dynamics between the protagonists but also raises questions about the nature of power and the lengths one will go to protect loved ones. We spent a lot of time with Xaden pushing back a lot from Violet because of his fear of losing control.
Now, I did enjoy actually getting out of Basgiath War College for once. Exploring worlds outside of the college was such a refreshing take to the previous two books in the series. But then it slightly got repetitive with hoping from one world to another and then the same similar conflicts happened. The rulers there, opposing them, give them a hard time and no magic. But most of the time, Xaden is able to draw magic regardless because of him turning Venon. There were some points that I thought to myself, why are we debating this. Over a political dinner, let’s question Violet why she didn’t choose a prince yadda yadda ya. Let’s drive unnecessary romantic points of the plot and not the political part of it. Isn’t that why they are there, to forge political alliances?
The BIGGEST and the MOST annoying thing that happened in this book is another stupid jealousy love triangle that seemed to rear its ugly head again. Some reason, a prince of Navarre decides to show up and tries to ask her on a date like it’s high school all over again. Then Xaden gets super jealous and drawn out. Now thankfully, it wasn’t as petty or super drawn out like Iron Flame was between Violet and Cat. But it was sort of stupid to have a repeat the same annoying thing again. If you are so stupidly in love, then why are we suddenly getting insecure and jealous over something as juvenile as this.
Oh and another thing, throughout the two previous books, Violet and Xaden had no problem breaking the rules to be together. But as soon as Xaden had to be a teacher, now suddenly they want to follow the rules and Xaden is considered her Ex-Boyfriend? STUPID. Not sorry when I say this, but I think another stupid reason drives the romance aspect of the plot.
Safe to say, a lot of Violet’s and Xaden’s relationship in this book is what drove me up the wall. Most of it in my opinion was dialed up 110% for the drama to keep this book in the romantasy genre category in Goodreads. If it didn’t have most of it, it would really fall into the Epic fantasy genre.
So I almost threw the book across the room because of the beginning. For a hot second there, I thought we lost Tairn. I didn’t not handle that very well. Thankfully, he did not meet his end but I had to hold my breath for a second there hoping that he would make it out alive.
Now, my heart really goes out to Adarna, she really struggled to find her place in this book. With her being a rare 7th dragon, then her kind rejecting her. It was just hard. But I am glad that she got a chance at the end there to be with her kind so she can grow into a mighty dragon. But unfortunately though, it came at the cost of breaking the bond with Violet.
Now, what the heck is going on with Xaden? At the very end, he reveals in his POV that he was literally betraying his squad and Violet by giving her location to the Dark Wielder’s (Venin). I must have missed the real motivation as to why he was doing it, but if he loved her so much, why would he secretly betray her like that? Makes me like it less.
Let’s talk about the ending. What. The. Heck. Violet comes back, mind blank of what happened, married and Imogen telling her that she did exactly what she was asked to do. This ending is the pivotal reason I cannot wait for the next book. What the freak happened. Haha. Love this cliffhanger.
