‘Onyx Storm’ Review: Rebecca Yarros decides we haven’t suffered enough

Warning: Major spoilers ahead in this Onyx Storm review. If you’re not ready to relive the heartbreak, rage, and sheer emotional devastation that Rebecca Yarros just inflicted on us, turn back now.

Haven’t read Onyx Storm yet and need a recap? Or want to revisit the chaos of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame before diving in? Read our Onyx Storm breakdown for everything that’s happened so far.

As the third book in The Empyrean Series, Onyx Storm finally does what its predecessors only hinted at – it expands the world-building, deepens the political stakes, and forces every major character into some of the most significant transformations we’ve seen so far. If Fourth Wing threw us headfirst into the brutal realities of Basgiath and Iron Flame exposed the depth of Navarre’s deception, Onyx Storm obliterates every safety net left. And the worst part? It does so brilliantly.

This book is all about power shifts – both personal and political. Violet fully steps into a role that, whether she likes it or not, has been waiting for her since Fourth Wing, and the marked ones, once skeptical of her, finally start seeing her as a leader in her own right. Meanwhile, Xaden’s fate looms over the entire book, and when he finally breaks, it’s every bit as catastrophic as expected. What Onyx Storm makes painfully clear is that no matter how much we thought we knew these characters, Yarros still has the upper hand.

Onyx Storm Review: Rebecca Yarros decides we haven’t suffered enough

Violet and the marked ones: From distrust to devotion

Since Fourth Wing, the marked ones have always viewed Violet with skepticism. Iron Flame saw some progress, but trust was still a fragile thing. In Onyx Storm, everything changes. After Iron Flame’s brutal ending, Violet is the only one who knows the truth: Xaden has turned into a venin initiate. Instead of keeping it to herself, the prologue shows her telling Garrick, Bodhi, and Imogen.

Their loyalty to Xaden is still the priority – Violet knows that if it ever came down to it, they’d put him first. This is exactly why she turns to them first, because she also knows, in the way it matters most, Xaden would never do the same. He would pick her, every time, no matter the cost.

The trust between Violet and Xaden’s group grows stronger, but what’s even more interesting is how the dynamics shift. Garrick, Bodhi, and Imogen are more worried about Violet’s safety. In the first chapter, they try to convince her to sleep elsewhere, afraid of what might happen if Xaden loses control. It doesn’t matter that Xaden would never hurt her – they don’t want to take the chance. Violet, naturally, ignores all warnings, but it doesn’t change the fact that these three are constantly watching over her, protecting her and Xaden in equal measure. They’re not just doing it because of Xaden anymore.

While she confides in Xaden’s group immediately, it takes much longer for Violet to tell Rhiannon, Sawyer, and Ridoc – her own closest friends. That hesitation is telling that while the marked ones were always Xaden’s people, they are slowly becoming hers, too.

Onyx Storm confirms Violet as the future leader

Violet doesn’t just gain trust in Onyx Storm – she gains power. Throughout the book, she’s the one people start looking to for decisions. She’s the one keeping the rebellion on track, the one making calls that no one else dares to, even if it is against leadership. By the end, it’s obvious: Violet is being positioned to lead in more ways than one.

She doesn’t want it, doesn’t think she’s suited for it, but that doesn’t change the reality. The marked ones, the rebellion, Navarre, even the dragons – everyone is looking to her for direction. Her signet, her bond with Andarna and Tairn, her knowledge; it’s becoming impossible for anyone to ignore the fact that she’s the one who has to lead, even if she’s still trying to catch up to that truth herself. And then, just when she starts embracing that power, Onyx Storm ends in the most gut-wrenching, unhinged way possible.

Xaden’s final Sacrifice and the Ending that shattered us

The final chapters reveal that after the last battle, Violet wakes up with no memory of the past 12 hours. And somehow, in that missing time, two life-altering things have happened: She’s now legally married to Xaden, and he’s gone.

A missive from Dunne confirms that their marriage is “legal and binding,” and Brennan hands Violet a note from Xaden that simply says: “Don’t look for me. It’s yours now.” Earlier in the novel, Xaden is given back his position as Duke of Tyrrendor, but now that he is gone and they are married, it is assumed that Tyrrendor is now Violet’s. Yarros subtly hints at this during a scene when Aaric mentions Violet would “be a great politician…Or a general maybe? Definitely nobility” to which Xaden responds with “With that speech? At least a duchess.” The seeds were planted since the beginning and I have to applaud Yarros for how full circle the ending was.

Imogen has wiped Violet’s memory and she immediately demands an explanation, but all Imogen says is, “What you asked me to.” Xaden’s transformation was inevitable, but the way it happens is even more heartbreaking than expected. He spends most of the book resisting the urge to fully embrace the venin, drawing from the source in moments of necessity (besides the occasional loss of control). Xaden has consistently fought against what’s happening to him with everything he has, but in the final battle, he loses that choice.

Berwyn, the venin Sage who turned him, returns with a devastating revelation – he’s turned someone else, someone Xaden cares about referred to as Xaden’s “brother.” We don”t know who yet, but the impact is immediate. Xaden is shaken. But it’s not just the emotional manipulation that gets him. Berwyn threatens Sgaeyl, and that’s something Xaden can’t fight.

Because of Berwyn’s control, Xaden is physically unable to lift his blade against him. So he makes the only move left to save Sgaeyl – he gives in. His shadows consume the canyon, and for the first time, he fully becomes an Asim. Red veins branch from his eyes, but before he loses himself completely, something pulls him back. Violet. He channels from the source to save Sgaeyl who is his anchor, but he stops channeling to save the love he has left for Violet before he loses himself completely. Swoon.

The truth about Andarna and the seventh breed of dragons

Since Fourth Wing, Andarna has been one of the biggest mysteries in The Empryean Series. A dragon that hatched in secret, bonded with a rider who was already bonded to another, and displayed abilities no one fully understood – her existence was an anomaly. Iron Flame only deepened the questions surrounding her, hinting that she wasn’t just unique, but that her presence challenged everything Navarre believed about dragons. Onyx Storm finally gives us some answers.

It turns out Andarna belongs to a seventh, “long-lost” breed of dragons known is Irids, thought to have disappeared from the world entirely. These dragons didn’t go extinct—they left. Unlike the other six breeds, Irids are not warriors. They don’t engage in battles, don’t bond with riders, and don’t believe in the power structures that govern the rest of dragonkind. Instead, they have spent centuries living in secret, hidden away in a southern archipelago that doesn’t even appear on Navarre’s maps.

The revelation comes when Violet and her squad are searching for her father’s lost research in the southern isles, a mission that also serves as an attempt to find the seventh breed. The only clue they have is Andarna’s deep aversion to the cold, something that suggests her kind must have originated from a much warmer climate. The gut feeling pays off – though Violet doesn’t find the Irids first. They find her. 

It turns out that the Irids have been following Violet and her squad for some time, camouflaging themselves and waiting for the right moment to reveal themselves. When they finally do, they confirm what Andarna has suspected for some time—she is one of them. And for the first time, she has a name for what she is.

The Irids have the ability to bend magic to their will, something that makes them vastly different from the other dragon breeds. Unlike Tairn, Sgaeyl, and the rest of dragonkind, they don’t just use magic—they are magic. It explains a lot about Andarna’s unusual powers, particularly the way she burned a venin to ash without using traditional flame. She didn’t breathe fire. She reshaped magic into something new. This ability—this raw, limitless manipulation of energy—makes the Irids not just unique, but incredibly dangerous.

Andarna, however doesn’t match the others entirely, the Irids point out that while they are feathertails, she is something else – a scorpion-tail, a distinction that seems minor until it becomes incredibly important. Unlike the rest of her kind, Andarna has adapted to fight, and that is somethings the Irids hate. It turns out her existence wasn’t an accident. She was a test.When the Irids left Navarre, they abandoned Andarna’s egg intentionally. She was supposed to grow up among humans, and eventually, her choices would determine whether humankind had evolved beyond war and violence. Her purpose wasn’t just to survive – she was meant to prove that humans were capable of change. From the Irids perspective, she failed.

When they find her in Onyx Storm, they don’t see one of their own. They see a creature corrupted by humanity, a dragon who has not only bonded to a human but has been weaponised. They call her the criterion – the standard by which humans should be judged – and in their eyes, she is everything they feared.

“You have weaponised your magic, even your tail. You’ve become the very thing we abhor, the horror we fled from.” The rejection is brutal.

Personally, I was excited to meet Andarna’s den, and after meeting them, I wish we didn’t. In my eyes, they’re just rude.

When it seems like Andarna has no future among them, Leothan – one of the Irids – chooses differently. He fires the wardstone at Tyrrendor, then comes back for Andarna, offering her a place among her kind. But his offer comes at a price – she has to break her bond with Violet… and she does.

I’m going to give you a minute because I know rereading that hurt you like it hurt me.

For the first time in The Empyrean Series, a dragon breaks its bond. Andarna chooses to go with the Irids, and Violet – already reeling from everything else happening – loses her second dragon.

It doesn’t last… Andarna comes back. And she does it fast. It only takes ten chapters before she returns, appearing just as Violet is locked in battle with Theophanie, the silver-haired venin. Why she came back so quickly isn’t explained, but the fact that she did raises even more questions. Whatever the reason, her return is one of the biggest unanswered mysteries going into the next book.

Onyx Storm reveals Violet’s second signet

Ever since Violet bonded two dragons, it was inevitable that she’d develop a second signet. Onyx Storm finally answers the question of what that ability is.

Her new signet – dream walking – is first revealed in Onyx Storm Chapter 50, when Violet wakes from another nightmare of Xaden’s transformation. She’s been seeing the same scene on repeat—Berwyn turning Xaden venin, his shadows lashing out, the moment that changed everything. After telling Xaden, they quickly realise she isn’t having nightmares, she’s been inside Xaden’s. Violet hasn’t been imagining Xaden’s worst moments—she’s been reliving them while he sleeps. Onyx Storm confirms that she has the ability to walk through other people’s dreams, seeing their memories and nightmares as if they were her own. And it doesn’t stop with Xaden. Earlier in the book, she dreams of Maren’s family home burning, something she initially writes off as coincidence. But after piecing it together, the truth becomes clear. That wasn’t her nightmare—it was Maren’s.

What makes Violet’s second signet more fascinating is why she got it in the first place. In Iron Flame, it is established that signets reflect what a rider needs most. For Violet, it all goes back to Andarna’s dreamless sleep.For months, Andarna was locked in a deep, untouchable sleep, growing into her new form. During that time, Violet was unable to communicate with her, unable to check if she was okay. That frustration, that need to reach someone who was unreachable, translated into an ability that lets her do exactly that. Now, instead of just speaking to dragons, she can step directly into the subconscious of others.

While that sounds useful, Onyx Storm makes it very clear—this ability is incredibly dangerous. The first hint comes when Violet realises she’s not just a passive observer in Xaden’s dreams. If she can influence dreams, then that raises an even bigger question. Can she change them entirely?

When Andarna meets the other Irids, they immediately recognise what has happened. They tell her that she’s given Violet something “too dangerous.” They aren’t talking about dream walking itself—they’re talking about what it could become. Unlike telepathy or reading minds, dream walking has no natural defence. Mental shields can block out other abilities, but they don’t work when someone is unconscious. There’s no way to stop Violet from seeing what she’s not supposed to see, no way to shut her out of private memories, and if she figures out how to fully control it—no way to stop her from changing things entirely.

The Marked Ones can have second signets

The novel reveals that several of the Marked Ones have been keeping their second abilities a secret. This revelation comes through Garrick, who reaches Violet impossibly fast at the beginning of the book. She quickly pieces together that he’s a distance wielder, meaning that he can manipulate space itself to shorten the distance between two points. That alone is a huge revelation, and it turns out that many of the Marked Ones have been keeping their second signets under wraps, and the reason is simple: their dragons always knew.

These aren’t just random gifted riders—their dragons were choosing them specifically to build a stronger army. Now that war is looming, we’re finally starting to see the results of that plan unfold. Looking back, the hints were always there. Liam wielding ice at the end of Fourth Wing, despite his official signet being farsight. At the end of Onyx Storm, Imogen is forced to reveal hers, wielding stone in front of Dain.

The manifestation of the 6 most powerful signets

The Marked Ones having second signets makes this quote from Onyx Storm even more intriguing.

“The rarest of signets–those that rise once in a generation or century–have manifested concurrently with an equal twice in our records, both critical times in our history, but only once have the six most powerful walked the Continent simultaneously. As fascinating as that spectacle must have been, I would rather not live to see it happen again.”
—A Study on Signets by Major Dalton Sisneros

That’s a very specific thing to include in a book where we are actively seeing some of the strongest riders in history come into their power. If the most powerful signets are rising at the same time, and the six of them are destined to shape history, then it’s fair to assume we already know some of them.

Right now, Aaric, Violet, and Xaden feel like obvious contenders for that list. But if there are six in total, that leaves three more – so the question is, who else is about to change the game?

Aaric Greycastle’s signet is revealed – and it’s a game changer

For most of Onyx Storm, Aaric – also known as Cam Tauri (one of King Tauri’s sons) is written off as a first-year rider still waiting for his signet to manifest. As it turns out, that was a massive misdirection. By the end of the book, we find out his signet has been slowly manifesting as precognition.

At first, this seems similar to General Melgren’s battle foresight, but Aaric’s ability is much broader. He doesn’t just see battle outcomes—he sees the future, full stop. Looking back, there were hints of this all along. He tells Violet to protect the Dunne Temple in Aretia, an order that only makes sense after everything that unfolds. He also hands Violet the weapon she uses to kill Theophanie before she even realises she’ll need it. And then, there’s the moment where he sends Sloane to save Mira – a choice that, in hindsight, was never random.

None of this was luck. Aaric was playing the long game, making moves based on things he already knew were going to happen. Onyx Storm never directly states whether Aaric is one of the six most powerful, but with precognition on his side, it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t be.

Theophanie: The silver-Haired venin who knew too much

If there’s one thing Onyx Storm does well (aside from making us emotionally unstable), it’s introducing Theophanie, the silver-haired venin who makes it her mission to get inside Violet’s head—literally and figuratively. I hate her for it, but I also have to admit she was one of the most fascinating villains in the series so far.

Theophanie doesn’t make a grand entrance with an attack or a dramatic display of power. Instead, she casually approaches Violet and Garrick when they’re completely helpless, making it clear that she isn’t interested in fighting—yet. She introduces herself, makes it known that she knows who Violet is, and more disturbingly, she suggests that Violet will eventually join her. Unlike Berwyn, who relies on force and manipulation, Theophanie plays the long game. She doesn’t want to break Violet. She wants Violet to choose her.

We learned in Iron Flame that venin have a ranking system—initiates, asims, sages, and mavens. Initiates, like Xaden for most of this book, are still clinging to their humanity. Sages, like Berwyn, are powerful enough to manipulate others. Then there’s Theophanie, who is a Maven, also called a general—the highest rank of venin. The stronger a venin becomes, the more their abilities evolve. In Theophanie’s case, she has what appears to be a signet equivalent—except she doesn’t need a dragon to wield it. Venin of her level manifest abilities that directly counterbalance dragon riders.

When Violet first meets Theophanie, she assumes the venin is a lightning wielder like her. But by the end of the book, it becomes clear—she isn’t just controlling lightning. She’s a storm wielder. Tornadoes? Hers. The unnatural flying conditions? Also hers. The reason Tairn and Violet nearly get obliterated midair? Definitely hers.

Theophanie was actually Lilith’s Sorrengail’s equal, not Violet’s

One of Onyx Storm’s most intriguing ideas is that magic always balances itself. If a venin manifests a specific ability, the Continent will naturally produce a dragon rider with a countering power. That’s when Theophanie drops the bombshell – she wasn’t meant to be Violet’s equal. She was Lilith’s. Theophanie admits outright that she’s stronger now because Lilith is gone – because there is no one left to balance her.

This is exactly why she wants Violet. Just like Berwyn, Theophanie is convinced that Violet belongs with the venin. She even tells Violet that she and Berwyn are competing for the right to claim her, which on top of everything else, just feels rude. Thankfully, Theophanie doesn’t make it out of Onyx Storm alive, but she leaves behind more questions than answers. She knew too much, played the long game too well. Even though i’m relieved she’s gone, I can’t shake the feeling that whatever she knew, we still don’t.

The Real Meaning Behind Theophanie’s silver hair – and what it says about Violet

Violet’s hair colour has always been a mystery. It’s always been assumed to be some strange genetic quirk, but Theophanie having the same silver braid? A little weird, if you ask me.

The answer finally comes when Violet visits Unnbriel, where she notices that every priestess of Dunne, the goddess of war, also has silver hair. That’s when we find out her hair colour is because she was almost dedicated to Dunne as a baby. While in Unnbriel, a priestess casually drops:

“I’m glad they didn’t complete your dedication to the goddess.”

Firstly, rude, secondly this is exactly the kind of ominous line that makes you double take, because what do you mean Violet was almost dedicated to Dunne…the goddess of war? Later, Mira confirms the truth, Violet’s father (who is not as innocent as we thought) took her to Unnbriel when she was a baby, hoping that dedicating her to Dunne would help with her health condition. Before the ritual could be completed, the priestesses had a vision – one that involved Xaden turning venin. Whatever they saw, it was enough to stop the dedication. The result? Violet is partially dedicated to Dunne, but not fully.

As it turns out, Theophanie used to be a priestess of Dunne herself, before she turned her back on the goddess and became venin. That’s why she and Violet share the same hair colour.

A theory: What if Violet is also tied to Malek, the god of death?

If Violet was nearly dedicated to Dunne, that means her path was almost set in stone. I believe she may have also been tied to Malek, the god of death.

At one point, Violet gets a note stating:
“A gift from one servant of Dunne to another. I must warn you – only those touched by the gods should wield their wrath. I will pray to Her that she needs not use it to avoid reacquainting herself with the others who curries her favour. Her path is still not set.”

“Reacquainting herself with the others who curries her favour” sounds an awful lot like someone else had a claim on Violet before or after she was dedicated to Dunne.

Lilith always called Violet’s early illness “the fever,” but what if it wasn’t a normal sickness? What if Violet was tied to Malek back then? If Violet is half dedicated to Dunne, what if the other half of her is dedicated to Malek? If that’s true, it mean’s Violet’s path isn’t just one of war. It’s one of war and death combined.

[Hero and Featured Image Credit: Goodreads]

To check out more of Rebecca Yarros’ work, visit rebeccayarros.com.