“Onyx Storm,” the much-anticipated and latest book in Rebecca Yarros’ best-selling series, “Fourth Wing,” has taken the world by storm.
After leaving off with dark clouds on the horizon, the release of “Onyx Storm” on Jan. 21 quickly became the fastest-selling adult novel in the last 20 years, with over 2.7 million copies sold during its first week, according to The New York Times.
Even Google was swept up with the Empyrean series, adding a dragon animation to any “Fourth Wing” related searches, but honestly, I don’t think “Onyx Storm” delivered where it was promised.
I initially fell in love with “Fourth Wing” for the same reasons I did with “Divergent”; it explores identity and belonging, discovering who you are and who you want to be, and the learning and unlearning that comes with that. Especially in a world where book-banning and the suppression of diverse stories are running rampant, Violet confronts a lot of challenges that are relatable outside the Empyrean universe. However, as much as I love this series, “Onyx Storm” felt like a messy placeholder compared to the first two books, especially because it lost touch with some of the core values that made it powerful.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Content
Reading “Onyx Storm” felt like anticipating a sneeze that never happened, and I often found myself dragging through some of the chapters with little-to-no reward.
It follows Violet after the battle at Basgiath, where Xaden turned Venin and General Sorrengail sacrificed herself to reignite the wards. Violet sets out to find Andarna’s family, who could have the answers to defeating the Venin, curing Xaden and firing the Aretian wards.
In an interview with Popverse, Yarros confirmed that originally “Fourth Wing” was planned as a trilogy, but as she was writing “Iron Flame,” she and her editor decided to make it five books because of the story timeline.
I could feel that decision as I was reading, especially in the pacing of the story. I understand filler is necessary in a long series, but “Onyx Storm” just didn’t have enough content for 544 pages.
Even the main antagonist, Theophanie — whose appearance felt more sudden than falling off a cliff, and that’s coming from someone who has — wasn’t a threatening enough presence for most of the book to make it interesting.
And when Theophanie finally instigates major conflict, we get through all this rainbow-chasing to get left with almost the same ending as the “Iron Flame’s,” except “Onyx Storm’s” ending had a clearer direction about the future of the series.
Xaden and Violet
It felt like Xaden’s biggest personal conflict after turning Venin was keeping it in his pants, and he lost a lot of his characterization along that journey.
He turned to the dark side, is fighting the urge to reach for more power to save the day and is hurting himself in the process. He’s been through a lot of pain and has a tough exterior to hide his vulnerabilities beneath, but that compassion is what makes him Xaden.
Self-sacrifice is his fatal-flaw, but in “Onyx Storm” that compassion is largely gone.
Turning Venin puts him out of touch with his emotions, but if he is still human enough to care for Violet and not fully turn for an entire 130,000 words, he’s still human enough to hold those same values.
Look at the last books: He makes Violet a saddle, gives her a Tyrrish dagger and writes her letters. He smuggles Gryphon flyers weapons to defend themselves and kills the heir to Navarre for threatening Garrick’s life. His 107 scars are a physical representation of him carrying responsibility for the well-being of those he cares about, and he turns Venin to save those he loves.
His actions show he cares, despite how vulnerable that makes him. So where was that in “Onyx Storm?”
Violet is working day and night to help Xaden and Andarna, despite her body failing her in the process, and the best Xaden can do is a sheer nightdress? Be so for real. In the last books, Xaden would’ve been more concerned about Violet than the nightdress, and maybe they would have figured out they’re having the same nightmare way earlier in the book.
It also felt like every time Violet did something impressive, it was immediately followed with Xaden saying something along the lines of “that was hot.”
We get it, your girlfriend is the most powerful rider of your generation, but maybe we could go back to complimenting her feats without relating it to your sexual arousal.
Airing dirty laundry
Speaking of which, I’m so sick of Catriona’s complex character being simplified into a romantic rivalry between her and Violet.
Cat is one of the most powerful Gryphon fliers alive, a talented mind-wielder and second in line to the Poromish throne. Her and Violet have saved each other multiple times and gotten past their differences to find common ground, so why is Cat constantly being reverted back into a romantic rival? The reluctant friendship, mutual respect and enemies-to-friends is such a strong dynamic, but I’m getting sick of their conversations revolving around Xaden. There is so much more to this duo than the underlying factor that they’ve dated the same man.
Friendships
While some character romantic relationships fell short for me, most of the time Yarros’ writing of friendships and loyalty were my favorite parts. The complex dynamics were the strongest part of “Onyx Storm,” especially between Tairn, Violet and Andarna — and maybe even Broccoli.
I loved Dain, Sawyer and Ridoc specifically, especially as they worked through their own personal challenges to find their role in the group. They have to decide for themselves who they want to be despite the opinions of the people around them, and it was written well. They embodied everything I loved at the beginning of “Fourth Wing,” but the main characters lost as the series progressed.
Cheap character death
Quinn’s death was poorly written, specifically her last words being, “we made it a good one,” followed by a flashback to the saying’s significance. It’s like telling a joke and then having to explain the punchline — it loses its impact.
It would have been so easy to write a scene earlier in the book where Imogen and Quinn are talking about how they met before parapet, maybe with some other riders doing the same, and quoting it before a mission.
Imagine if after Liam died and said “it’s been my honor,” Yarros gave us a crash course on why Liam feels that way. She didn’t because she didn’t have to. We know why Liam felt that way, and why his sacrifice was meaningful, because his values, relationships and death weren’t written as an after-thought.
Overall
At the end of the day, I really want to hate this book. It felt directionless, sporadic and in places it backpedaled regarding trust, friendship and relationships, but it wasn’t horrible. While some of the initial charm between the characters is gone, it’s not all lost, and I think the author did a great job highlighting those themes in the arcs of side characters. There were quite a few well-written scenes, especially on the Isles, and I enjoyed them despite the drawn-out space between them.
I’m mostly upset with this book because the author set the bar for herself high, and my expectations followed. Most of my complaints are in comparison to what has already been written for this series, which are really hard to follow up with, especially with the extensive worldbuilding taking place.
While I’m disappointed that I didn’t see it in this book, I’m really excited that the ending of “Onyx Storm” gave more direction and higher stakes for the series going further. I’m hoping the world-building will pay off, and that the loss in characterization from our beloved protagonists will be an intentional part of the next book as they better define who they are.
