Book · 2025
Onyx Storm
by Rebecca Yarros
Book three of the Empyrean series: Violet Sorrengail's war with the venin moves past the wards, and the dragons are done playing safe.
Catalogue record: Open Library
What does Reddit think of Onyx Storm?
The most contested book of the 2025 releases in this sample, and the debate is about the series, not the book. The defense comes with its armor on: "I've read all the hate threads here on Yarros' series. I'm a guy mid-30s. Big Tolkien and Sanderson fan. These [books work]" (↑175). The pushback names the release cycle — "a bit of a recency bias towards Yarros (who's published all three Empyrean books in [a year and a half])" (↑139) — and the reader experience: "I am struggling to get through this book" (↑106), "Very overhyped. Don't plan on reading Onyx Storm" (↑98). The release itself generated its own thread culture: midnight-release runs (↑93) and a misbound-copy story where Onyx Storm's dust jacket hid a different book (↑139).
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · The Empyrean series' third book and its harshest thread-culture
- · Recency-bias accusations vs. the 'read the hate threads, still worked' defense
- · The release event as its own story: midnight runs, misbound copies
- · Struggle-to-finish reports alongside the enthusiasm
Common praise
- + The defender's excerpt is explicit about reading the hate threads first and still endorsing the book (↑175).
- + Fantasy-romance readers name it among the year's most-discussed and recommended titles (↑91).
- + The anticipation was real: readers describe going to the midnight release (↑93).
Common criticism
- − "I am struggling to get through this book" (↑106) — the most direct complaint in the sample.
- − "Very overhyped. Don't plan on reading Onyx Storm" (↑98) comes from a reader who pushed through the first two books.
- − A thread chalks the series' standing up to recency bias — three books in eighteen months (↑139).
Who it's for
Deep in the Empyrean series and need book three? The threads assume you're already committed — the debate here is whether the series deserves its standing, not whether book three delivers. Enjoy hate-thread discourse and reading anyway? The top defense is written by someone who did exactly that (↑175). If you struggled with Fourth Wing or Iron Flame, the sample says the third book doesn't fix that (↑98, ↑106).
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Onyx Storm?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“I’m just going to say it: Onyx Storm. I’ve read all the hate threads here on Yarros’ series. I’m a guy mid-30s. Big Tolkien and Sanderson fan. These books are fun and like sugar: delicious and junky. An easy read and gets me stoked to read more.
“I have not finished Onyx Storm yet so I can't commit to the full storyline. However, I am struggling to get through this book. I noticed the same thing in Iron Flame. It's the way she writes I think. I find it hard to keep up and take in the content, which is funny because the writing is not advance…
“I had to push through Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. Very overhyped. Don’t plan on reading Onyx Storm
“As always, I’m exited for the next Emily Henry, Ali Hazelwood, and Abby Jimenez books. I’m also excited for Onyx Storm.
“Iron Flame and Onyx Storm. I admit that Fourth Wing is a guilty pleasure and it definitely had its problems, but I was hoping it's sequels would be improved upon. Oh how hopeful I was. Iron Flame was a bum rushed mess with too many characters and the MC's were having the same argument over and over …
“Totally agree. I both hate the Fourth Wing series but I can't not read it!! I spent the entirety of Onyx Storm complaining to my partner about how bad it was but still made it through all 550 pages and since it ended on yet another cliffhanger I WILL read the next one.
“Fourth Wing. I was so so angry with the ending of Iron Flame that I don't even want to read Onyx Storm. I love fantasy. I love romance (even spicy scenes). I love fantasy that has a romance in it (hello, Lord of the Rings had Aragorn and Arwen who are my favorite of all time). I think the Empyrean s…
“Spoiler alert for Onyx Storm! After spending 300 pages with Violet and Xaden basically edging each other via their mind link- when they finally got the chance to actually f*** in chapter 25, I was foaming at the mouth lol. Them breaking the table from going at it so hard was like exactly what every…
“*Fourth Wing* The elevator pitch I got was “magic school with dragons” and everything was fine until Athebyne. I don’t think Yarros’s writing or the editing is that bad, but I checked out of Violet and Xaden’s story during *Iron Flame* and hate read most of *Onyx Storm*
“Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm The Basic ideas with the Dragon Academy, the venin, the Griffins and the Rebellion IS great. But everything gets suffocated by the romance. Superficial Lust based romance that IS completly toxic codepency. IT completly messed Up the world building. So much t…
“Man I am going to say it here, but the fourth wings series is getting worse. First book came out of the gate strong, cool story, characters, and dragons. Iron flame was okay but not as great as the first, I figured it was suffering from sequelitis but still wanted to give it a chance. But I have no …
“If you think Fourth Wing is bad you should read Onyx Storm. That book was so poorly written that Fourth Wing felt like it was close to Lord of the Rings tier.
“I haven't read it yet. I hated Iron Flame. I wanted to be willing to try Onyx Storm and hope it got better but I read the first chapter and just wasn't into it. I returned it to the library so someone who was genuinely excited for it would hopefully get it. Your review confirms what I was worried …
“I completely agree with you. I thought Fourth Wing was fast paced and a lot of fun. I couldn't put it down. Iron Flame was okay, but not as good as FW. My copy of Onyx Storm arrives Wednesday. I can't wait. Hoping for a strong finish!
“I know this is lame but… Onyx Storm Veiled Kingdom book 3 Quicksilver book 2
Convinced? Pick up Onyx Storm
What else does r/RomanceBooks read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
Onyx Storm — frequently asked
What does Reddit think of Onyx Storm?+
Split along series lines. The defense: a self-described Tolkien and Sanderson fan says he read all the hate threads and the books still work for him (↑175). The criticism: readers report struggling to get through it (↑106), call the series overhyped (↑98), and note a "recency bias towards Yarros" who published all three Empyrean books in about eighteen months (↑139).
Should I read Onyx Storm if I struggled with Fourth Wing?+
The displayed excerpts suggest no. The reader who "had to push through Fourth Wing and Iron Flame" lands on "Very overhyped. Don't plan on reading Onyx Storm" (↑98), and a struggling reader reports the same difficulty with this book (↑106). The defenders in the sample liked the series from the start — nobody displays a conversion story.
Is Onyx Storm the best book in the Empyrean series?+
The sample doesn't settle it. The most-upvoted defense endorses the series rather than this book specifically (↑175), and the praise that names Onyx Storm is about it being heavily discussed and recommended in fantasy-romance spaces (↑91). Readers who rank the books aren't represented in the displayed excerpts.