Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, which was one of my most anticipated releases of 2025. What can I say? I’m a sucker for dragons, and this series has some of my favorites. PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED THE BOOK!!!!!! I will try to avoid specifics as much as possible, but this is not a spoiler-free review. Read the book and then come back so we can talk about it. 🙂

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.

*** ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW. READ AHEAD AT YOUR OWN RISK! ***

I really wish I had done a re-read of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame before reading Onyx Storm. This book jumped right into the thick of things, and it took me a while to get my bearings. The first quarter of the book was very politics heavy. The events at the end of Iron Flame factored in majorly to all of the power squabbles. There were a lot of people, places, and dragons to keep track of, and I think my experience would have been better if the previous books had been fresher on my mind.

The middle part of Onyx Storm was my favorite by far. The journey to the different isles in search of Andarna’s family and a cure for Xaden was so interesting. There were some great, and emotional, surprises along the way. I appreciated the depth that was added to the world-building, and the dynamic of the ‘quest squad’ was just so great. I do wish the story had moved on to the journey a bit quicker than it did, though. So much time was spent on politics in the beginning that each stop of the adventure and the impacts on the characters didn’t get quite enough time to breathe.

This brings me to one of my main critiques of Onyx Storm. There were many times that the story felt disjointed or abrupt. I had trouble following some of the scenes and needed to re-read some stuff in order to (sort of) understand it. Furthermore, sometimes big things would happen without really giving much space for the characters to process them before it was off to the next thing. Other stuff would be introduced and then dropped. For example, what happened to Broccoli?! He was there for two scenes and then never mentioned again. I need to know that he’s safe, Rebecca. Overall, the pacing of the story and description of the scenes weren’t as good or clear as they could’ve been, but it didn’t impact my reading experience too much.

I loved the character arcs in Onyx Storm. The miscommunication between Violet and Xaden from Iron Flame was long gone. Thank God. Their dynamic in that book got on my nerves so much. They had a deeper connection in this book and exhibited clear communication and trust. It was refreshing. The steamy scenes and dialogue were pretty cringeworthy, but it was still fun to read as Violet and Xaden continued to destroy furniture. lol. Ridoc and Aaric were standouts in this one for me, as well. Ridoc was an absolute star with his witty remarks and fun personality. I’d love to see even more of him in the future books, and I swear that I will SOB if he doesn’t make it out of this series alive.

Now let’s talk about the ending. The last quarter of Onyx Storm was another battle with the venin, which wasn’t a huge surprise. It just felt kind of repetitive. The characters (and readers) learned so much about the world in this story, but the end just felt like a rehash of the battle at the end of Iron Flame. Wards were miraculously turned on, and Xaden fell further into darkness to save those he loves. The last chapter also got on my nerves a bit. Instead of wrapping up the narrative of the book in a satisfying way, the author once again pulled a cliffhanger out of nowhere. It is starting to feel like a cheap trick to distract the reader from noticing there wasn’t a solid ending.

All in all, I had a good time with Onyx Storm. I enjoyed the adventure and the depth of the world-building. The writing and pacing had some issues, though. The characters and their relationships worked better for me in this one, and I appreciated how much they grew from the previous installment. I will definitely be there on release day to pick up the next book, whenever that may be. With all these thoughts in mind, I rate Onyx Storm 3.75 out of 5 stars.

There you have it! My thoughts on Onyx Storm! Did the book live up to all of your expectations? Were you able to get your hands on one of the special editions? Let me know down in the comments!