Onyx Storm: Book Review

Today, we will be reviewing one of the biggest books of 2025, Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. This romantasy novel and the series have been dominating the literary world. Does the third book in the series live up to the hype. Keep reading to find out!

I have wanted to read this novel since I finished Iron Flame a year ago. But I have had a full reading list and it took me a year to get around it. A reason might be because I was let down by Iron Flame. But I have high hope for this book!

Onyx Storm Summary

After the events in Iron Flame, an alliance is forged between Navarre, Poromiel, and the Tyrrendor revolutionaries. They are forced to work together to fight the invading venin army. Xaden has turned venin but he has not channeled his powers. And Violet plans to cure him no matter what.

The answer to that might lie with the seventh breed of dragons. But nobody knows where they are. It is up to Voilet to find them and to recruit them to fight against the venin and help keep the wards up.

On top of finding the seventh breed of dragons, Violet now has to fight an enemy that can wield lightning. And she is much stronger than Violet. To stop her, Violet needs to master her control of lightning as well as stop the venin from invading.

The stakes are high and it is up to Violet and her friends to find a forgotten species of dragons, stop the venin, and to cure Xaden. If she doesn’t, then she will lose everyone she cares about and the world she knows will be over.

Onyx Storm Shatters Records

Onyx Storm was released in early 2025 and is the third of five planned books in the Empyrean series. Bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Waterstones held events to celebrate the book’s release. And why wouldn’t they? The book went on to sell 2.7 million copies in its first week, surpassing any other adult novel in first week sales over the past 20 years.

We don’t have the official data for the highest selling books of 2025 yet. But it is most likely going to be Onyx Storm. The race for the highest selling author in 2025 will be a lot closer with stiff competition from authors such as Colleen Hoover and Freida McFadden.

Commentary

I loved Fourth Wing and found it impossible to put down. But Iron Flame felt dragged out and the plot was obvious and foreshadowed throughout the whole book. In Onyx Storm, Yarros makes sure that every scene carries its weight instead of the final scene that we know will happen.

She does a great job with the plot twists and like her previous books, she keeps on building the world known as the Continent. Yarros is great at focusing on the overall plot but also focusing on the fantasy elements in her books.

Onyx Storm is full of constant adventure and threats as well as the romance scenes that have come to define this genre. This is everything that fans wanted and it is no surprise that this book has been popular since its release.

I enjoyed this book a lot more than Iron Flame and have high expectations for book four. It is hard to believe that we are coming up on the final two books in the series. But it might be a while until we see the release of the next book. There hasn’t been an update on the book’s release date.

But we should get more information in 2026. I would say we might get it in late 2027 or early 2028 but that is just my guess.

Conclusion

There aren’t many books that feel like events when they release. Besides Harry Potter, I can’t remember a series having this much hype around it. Fans have kept all three of Rebecca Yarros book trending and a TV show based on the books is in the works.

That will only continue to build the hype around this series. There is a good chance we might get the show before the series finishes. Either way, I am excited to see what the future holds for the Empyrean series. I am a fan of Yarros’ worldbuilding and her storytelling. If you haven’t read this book yet, then now is the best time. Until next time, happy reading!

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