Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) by Rebecca Yarros 
Series: The Empyrean #3
Published by Red Tower Books on January 21, 2025
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 529
Format: Hardcover
Source: Amazon
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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.
The long awaited Onyx Storm, 3rd book of The Empyrean series, was finally released and it was…meh.
Things of up in the air at Basgiath War College. Violet Sorrengail and her squadmates have returned but are waiting to see if they will be arrested for the rebellion and taking half the student body with them to Tyrrendor. This has also caused a split between the students who remained loyal to Navarene and those who left to fight the Dark Wielders. This is exacerbated by the fact that Violet and the gang have brought back Gryphen Riders with them to the college and they are all awaiting the judgment of the council if these kids will be allowed to stay and train within the safety of the wards.
While Violet is our favorite star pupil, not everyone adores our silver-haired scholar as much as Xaden does. In fact, her mother’s death has left with college without leadership and the king has named the newly promoted General Aetos in her stead. You remember, the guy who got reprimanded for sending students to their deaths into a real battle beyond the wards for war games. Obviously General Sorrengail didn’t put that update into a memo to the higher ups before she died or who would put this man back in charge of the Rider Quadrant? General Aetos takes over for last book’s villain, Varrish, and he has a burning hatred for Violet (and apparently he no longer has a son, as he shuns Dain).
Interestingly, the college has decided to train the students to fight using their signets, which has previously been a no-no, but killing your opponent is finally off the table as we need all Riders alive to fight and die against Dark Wielders. Of course, the best teacher available for signet training is the newly graduated Lieutenant Xaden Riorson. Great, Xaden is back…except the Codex states that Cadets and Professors may not play patty-cake (wink, wink) and asking General Aetos for an exception since Xaden and Violet are already in a relationship doesn’t go well. Obviously, this is just here for the purpose of rebuilding sexual tension.
While Dark Wielders and their Wyvern are attacking citizens and destroying cities beyond the wards, the most important item to deal with is Andarna’s request to find more of her kind. Wait, didn’t we end the last book with Violet telling Andarna to stay hidden and it is too dangerous to let anyone know she is different and that she is no longer a golden feathertail? Now everyone is aware that Andarna is an Irid (yes, short for iridescent), something no one has seen in centuries.
The Council tries to determine the perfect task force for this mission to find more Irids in the hope of convincing them to fight with The Empyrian and the Riders, prompting Andarna’s offer to burn them all for expediency’s sake. There are many, many experienced riders and leaders who could flying into the unknown, yet Violet ends up in charge of this very important mission and chooses mostly her friends to go with her. Okay, it is her dragon, but seriously?
THOUGHTS:
I originally thought this was going to be a trilogy until I heard an interview with Rebecca Yarros who indicated she thought it would be at least five books. If I was making this kind of money, I would drag it out too. But five books gives you a big chance to screw it up (sorry, I said it) and Onyx Storm turned out to simply be a filler story. It reminded me of all those plots in The Mandalorian and while Violet wasn’t constantly tasked to fulfill a mission in order to get what she needed. She did go from island to island either fighting or using her big Violet brain to keep those poor cadets out of trouble.
Point being, we could skip this entire book (with one exception) and never miss it. We didn’t progress much further with the plot and the ending lands us in nearly the same place we were at the end of Book 2. If you are a fan of Violet Sorrengail, you will read Onyx Storm but by the end, you will probably be as upset as the rest of us with this filler story.
Favorite Scene:
Waves crashed against the beach below, and Sgaeyl turns, pacing back toward us.
“You should see if she’ll hunt with the others,” I suggest to Tairn.
“Feel free to ask. I’ll watch. Be sure you’re near the water so you can put yourself out when she sets you on fire,” he replies.
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