OH.MY.GOD. I am not okay after reading this...
Onyx Storm was my first pre order of 2025 — and easily one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I absolutely loved the first two books in the series, so I went into this one with sky-high expectations and a lot of nervous excitement.
I’ll be honest — the beginning had me a little lost. There were so many characters and shifting dynamics that I found myself flipping back to remember who was who. But once it found its rhythm? It took off. The pacing ramped up, the stakes got higher, and then came the ending…
I’ve never read an ending like this before. It completely shattered me. I felt hollow, like someone had reached in and yanked the soul right out of me. I was ugly crying — the kind of crying where you’re making weird sounds and wondering how fictional people have this much power over your actual emotions. The last few chapters were like watching a storm roll in slowly, knowing it’s going to destroy everything and being powerless to stop it.
When I closed the book, I just sat there. Staring. Stunned. Not even sure what to do with myself. No playlist could fix it. No comfort book could fill the void. That’s the kind of ending Onyx Storm delivers — brutal, brilliant, and unforgettable.
Synopsis
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.
After finishing Iron Flame, I was left with so many questions. So when Onyx Storm picked up right where that emotional chaos left off, I was relieved, excited, and so ready for answers… even if I wasn’t prepared for how hard they’d hit.
I’ll be honest — the first good few chapters were a bit of a struggle. The political tension, shifting alliances, and cast of characters dropped in without much recap left me flipping back and second-guessing my memory. I found myself confused, trying to find my footing. to be honest even at the end of the book i was still confused with some of the characters,
But I stuck with it — and I’m so glad I did. Because once the story locked into place? It took off like a storm breaking across the sky.
If the first two books laid the foundation, Onyx Storm blew the doors wide open. This book expands the world in a way that feels massive, at times it was a little confusing but We travel beyond familiar territory, exploring regions we’ve only heard whispers about — which was cool. The political systems get more layered, the history more twisted, and the magic more unpredictable. You really feel the weight of the world pressing in on the characters.
Every new place we visit has its own texture — from brutal landscapes to hidden enclaves — and it makes the stakes feel bigger than ever. There’s a constant sense of movement, danger, and discovery. It’s the kind of world-building that doesn’t just paint a backdrop; it drives the story forward.
One of the biggest strengths of Onyx Storm is how deeply it invests in its characters (even when I'm totally confused with who's who!) — not just the leads, but the entire supporting cast. We get to see everyone pushed to their limits, forced to make impossible choices, and in some cases, show us sides we’ve never seen before.
And while Xaden and Violet are obviously the emotional core (and will forever own my heart), I need to talk about Ridoc. I LOVE him!
Ridoc is the quiet constant, The way he shows up for Violet, he doesn’t try to fix her, doesn’t tell her how to feel, he just stands with her. And honestly? That kind of character is priceless.
Onyx Storm gives us complexity, pain, and growth — and Ridoc is a beautiful example of all three.
I love the connection between xaden and violet, it’s a lifeline, forged in fire and pain and trust. Xaden and Violet don’t just love each other. They choose each other — over and over — even when it hurts, even when it costs them everything.
There’s a constant tension between them: protectiveness and independence, fear and devotion. But beneath all the chaos, there’s this unspoken promise — I will always come back to you.
No matter how far they’re pulled apart by war, duty, or fear, that bond is unbreakable.
The ending of Onyx Storm didn’t just twist the knife — it buried it deep and left me hollow. It was the kind of emotional devastation that doesn’t give you time to breathe, that rips the ground out from under you while you’re still trying to understand what just happened.
I went from anxious page-turning to full-body stillness. My heart was racing, but I couldn’t move. The silence that followed the final sentence was deafening. It wasn’t just sad — it was shattering. The kind of ending that redefines the entire series and leaves you staring into the void, unsure what to do with yourself.
Ugly crying? Yes. Existential spiralling? Absolutely.
Recovery? …pending.
I didn’t just read Onyx Storm. I felt it. I lived every betrayal, every moment of hope, every gut-wrenching twist — and I’m still recovering.
Onyx Storm is dark, emotional, and devastating in all the best ways. It’s not a comforting read — it’s a confronting one. But if you’re ready to feel deeply, to be ripped apart and reshaped by a story, this book delivers that in spades.
If Rebecca Yarros wrote it? I’m there. No questions asked — and this book reminded me exactly why.
Rating: 5/5 (but emotionally? zero stars, I’m in pain.)
Onyx Storm x “Half a Man” — Emotional Pairing
If you're reading Onyx Storm and need a song to emotionally spiral to? It's Half a Man by Dean Lewis. That aching, helpless kind of love? That 'I would die for you but I'm terrified you'll walk away'? That's this book.
This song is Xaden in a nutshell. Torn between love and loyalty, never feeling good enough for Violet, but still willing to give her everything he has — even if it destroys him.
“How am I supposed to love you when I don’t love who I am?”
Their relationship is built on sacrifice, pain, and trying to hold on through absolute chaos. This lyric hurts in the best, most Onyx-Storm kind of way.
I listened to this song towards the end of the book and my god it absolutely destroyed me, I still cant listen to it without ugly crying!
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