Onyx storm review:
Is it worth Reading?
Considering the great popularity of 'Fourth Wing', some may wonder if the newest volume of 'The Empyrean' series, 'Onyx Storm' is worth reading after all. In this complex review, I will discuss 'Onyx Storm' and 'The Empyrean' series as a whole, and try to prove that the hype around Rebecca Yarros' books is well-earned!
What is 'Onyx Storm' about?
The 3rd volume of 'The Empyrean' series by Rebecca Yarros continues the story of Xaden and Violet right after 'Iron Flame'. Xaden's transformation caused him anxiety that he will hurt Violet because of his new power and now, he remains distant to her.
Meanwhile, Violet is ready to discover the foreign lands with her team to find other dragons from the Andarrna's species. However, her secret mission is to also find a remedy for Xaden who remains a venin. With her dragons and friends, Violet travels through tropical islands, so different from the well-known landscape. Violet is determined to win the war and most importantly - save her beloved boyfriend, Xaden. And this journey is believed to be a cure for all of her problems.
The world-building of 'Onyx Storm'
I understand from Yarros' intention that this was to be the part that reveals even more of the world and the plot, creating some kind of attempt at a nested box convention. It is successful to a certain extent. In this volume, the action expands beyond the Continent and the characters travel through unknown islands. Changing locations has a refreshing effect, especially since the topography of the Continent is exceptionally dull and uniform.
It's easier to read when dragons don't fly over monotonous, snow-covered mountains that don't stand out in any way, and there's a blue ocean or tropical islands below them. You also need to know that although I love mountains in the real world, in literary realms I love it when the action takes place on the seas or exotic islands (hence my past with reading pirate books and my love for everything pirate).
The changed location is definitely a plus, especially compared to the first part, where the action barely goes beyond the territory of Basgiath which is terribly uncreative and boring for a military and magical university. Magical schools are another theme I love (my favorite series is, after all, 'The School for Good and Evil'), but Yarros completely wasted the resources that such a choice of setting offers. Basgiath doesn't bring anything new; it's just a failed copy of the worn-out stereotype of a magic school.
The plot of 'Onyx Storm'
Although I think 'Iron Flame' was incredibly clumsy in terms of plot, Yarros makes up for it a bit in 'Onyx Storm'. The plot, aside from the love story, starts to become clearer and doesn't get lost in the romance. This is definitely the most '-antasy' book in the entire series.I also like the Xaden-venin subplot, which explores his dark side and approaches moral conflicts (although not too closely).
As for the darkness, the antagonists of the entire series are a wasted potential - it is an interesting idea to create such vile creatures, negatives of the norm like the viper and venin, but the execution is so shallow and uncreative that I cry for the unused imagination of Yarros. The villains are so one-dimensional, lacking depth, that I can't believe their menace.The whole 'Onyx Storm' doesn't turn out badly, although it's not at the level of normal fantasy: extensive action, logical cause-and-effect storylines, and the author's creativity, but still, as for romantasy I'm still surprised by the quality. Especially since in 'Onyx Storm' the love story definitely takes a backseat to the other aspects of the plot. Speaking of romance, I have to finally give my opinion on the 'Empyrean' plot, which is really the axis of the whole series.
The Surprisingly Good Romance
The Violet and Xaden's romance isn't anything special. It's a typical enemies-to-lovers relationship, and in this case, surprisingly, the transition from enemies to lovers was more enjoyable for me than the lovers stage, which is just monotonous - the relationship between Violet and Xaden has the same problems as an old marriage, which is actually mentioned directly in the book.
However, I think the low level of embarrassment in the romance, even in the erotic scenes, is commendable. For that greatly constructed main couple, 'Onyx Storm' is worth the reading! It's really hard to achieve in a romance novel not to write romance in an obnoxiously awkward way, which Sarah J. Maas does perfectly. In ACOTAR or 'Crescent City' Maas describes everything in a way that makes my cringe level extremely high while reading.
The only alternative to my embarrassment is laughter, which I chuckled at several times during the absurdly stupid turns/scenes used in the erotic context of Sarah J. Maas. It doesn't help that for some reason Maas is very attracted to the concept of a non-human, fae lover (ACOTAR) or at least an angel ('Crescent City').
But now, when Xaden is a venin, it is kind of a romance between a human and a non-human, right? Well, their relationship proves that the interracial romance isn't the problem, but the writing style. Rebecca Yarros impressed me in 'Fourth Wing' with her writing of Xaden and Violet relationship, and 'Onyx Storm' even deepens my respect for Rebecca.
Characters
Yarros writes about the enemies-to-lovers relationship, so it's natural that this romance consists of an 'independent' pick me and a bad boy. Violet is a grotesque pick me, and every text about how she isn't short or fragile (the girl suffers from brittle bones!) made me laugh. Fortunately for the seriousness of the character, Yarros gave up such turns of phrase over the course of the volumes, although she added a comedic aspect to the books. Violet is supposed to transform from a 'Fourth Wing' delicate intellectual into an aggressive warrior in black leather, which is such a repeated theme in these types of books that it's funny. I really don't understand why all the authors think there's something wrong with being a delicate intellectual. It hits me personally!
Xaden is also such a bookish bad boy that I feel like I'm reading a modern novel, but a Molière drama. The exaggeration of the characteristics is incredible. Xaden - of course - is a tall, muscular brunet with a killer good looks, he is mysterious and dark - of course, and his bad reputation - of course - doesn't translate into reality, because in reality he is sensitive and has a good heart, which - of course - beats only for and for Violet. Seriously, the characters are a good proof of Yarros' complete lack of creativity, they are like taken from Maasversum, which is the basis for all other romantasy.
Of course, the secondary characters are so insignificant that I can name less than ten of them, even though I finished reading 'Onyx Storm' three days ago. As always, the entire world revolves around the main characters, and the others are treated like stepchildren. Even the dragon personalities, who are, after all, some of the main characters, are overdrawn and one-dimensional. But they are the only characters whose storyline really engages me. I also really like the dragon-rider relationship, which is a life-or-death one, completely making the human dependent on the dragon.
Are you a romantasy fan?
Review of the 'Empyrean' series as a whole
Fortunately, the entire 'Empyrean' series was published as a romantasy with full awareness. So how did I end up reading 'The Empyrean'? It can be rightly inferred from the initial part of the post that I am not the biggest fan of romantasy, especially not a reader of books of this kind.
However, I was curious whether I, as someone with occasional contact with romances and derivative genres, would read 'Fourth Wing' with the same enthusiasm that the book's fans promise. I approached 'Fourth Wing' with absolutely no expectations.
I thought I would be bored to death while reading it and the characters and the world would be so uninteresting that I wouldn't even finish the first part, let alone read the other two - which, spoiler, is what ultimately has happened. I was surprised that I read the first volume in a flash, and I enjoyed it more than well. I couldn't put it down because the atmosphere of constant danger to the characters' lives in the first part made me unsure which of the characters would die on the next page.
Why 'Fourth Wing' is the best Romantasy ever written?
The first volume of 'The Empyrean' seems to me the best of the whole series, although it is the least developed in terms of plot. However, for me, 'Empyrean' is not about the plot itself, but about the tension, about the lives of the characters hanging by a thread (and, of course, about the dragons), which is most noticeable in 'Fourth Wing'. 'Iron Flame' although it explores the world of Yarros more than 'Fourth Wing' isn't as appealing to me as the first volume. The romantic plot isn't as exciting for me in the second part as it was in the first, and I'm not a fan of the enemies-to-lovers plot, which is worth nothing.
If I had to summarize my experience with 'Empyrean' series I would say that I am more than satisfied with the level of the series, compared to my zero expectations. However, Yarros shows no creativity, neither in the plot nor in the world she presents.
Either she mindlessly repeats existing motifs without modifying the original or, worse, she doesn't utilise the potential of certain elements in the books: the magical school, dragons, and a venin and a vivern as the opposite of a rider and a dragon (the motif of the battle between good and evil). These are threads that could have been developed with a bit of will and imagination despite I having the impression that Yarros intentionally doesn't manipulate the archetypal plot and world. With good cause it is said that the power of romantasy is its repetitiousness.
Is 'Onyx Storm' worth Reading?
Although all the volumes from 'The Empyrean' series is a pure definition of the romantasy genre, it is the biggest compliment I can give to these books. They are the best from their genre, beautifully balanced between romance and tension.
However, there are some imperfections in this series by Rebecca Yarros. Apart from the undeveloped world building, the gradual decrease in the quality of the volumes is the biggest downside of 'The Empyrean'. Thus, 'Onyx Storm', the latest book in the series, is the worst in the whole 'The Empyrean', with its visible lack of ideas for the world building.
So, is 'Onyx Storm' worth reading? It depends if you loved the previous volumes. I did, and 'Onyx Storm' only disappointed me. However, if you weren't astonished by the series, 'Onyx Storm' will only make you hate it. 'Onyx Storm' isn't the must-read for the romance fans, since it is the least romantic volume of all, and it definitely isn't a good fantasy. I really don't know who is the expected audience of 'Onyx Storm' - propably only 'Fourth Wing' fans who are not fired of Rebecca's lack of new ideas.
The Ending of 'Onyx Storm': worth the Try!
Nevertheless, the ending of 'Onyx Storm' makes me excited for the new part of the series - I'm waiting for one specific character to enter their villain era because that would be epic! Wanna know what character it is? Read 'Onyx Storm' by Rebecca Yarros and find out by yourself!
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