Onyx Storm | Review
Relentlessly gripping, emotionally devastating, and impossible to predict. Onyx Storm cements the Empyrean series as a generational event.
“Onyx Storm cements the Empyrean series as a generational event. It’s relentlessly gripping, emotionally devastating, and impossible to predict. ”
I put this book off for months, and in hindsight, that was pure self-preservation. After tearing through Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, I knew Onyx Storm had a reputation—especially on BookTok—for being emotionally brutal. I finally bit the bullet and read it, and I’m here to report that it fully earns that reputation: devastating and brilliant.
I have a complicated, love-hate relationship with romantasy as a genre, but the Empyrean series continues to be the glaring exception. Rebecca Yarros has an uncanny ability to make everything click—the writing, the characters, the pacing, the emotional stakes—all without ever feeling bloated or indulgent.
Yes, there’s spice, but it’s purposeful. It deepens character relationships and raises the emotional temperature instead of distracting from the plot. Yarros balances romance, lore, and high-stakes storytelling with impressive control, and Onyx Storm proves she’s not just maintaining that balance—she’s sharpening it. Just when you think you know where the story is headed, it swerves. Repeatedly. And it hurts every time.
As the third book in a planned five-book arc, Onyx Storm could’ve easily suffered from middle-book syndrome. Instead, it’s heavier, darker, and more consequential than what came before. Every decision matters. Every reveal compounds. Yarros excels at building on existing foundations and pushing them to uncomfortable, exhilarating new heights.
What really struck me, though, is the sense that we’re witnessing something bigger than just a popular fantasy series. This feels like a cultural moment in the making. If you grew up lining up for Harry Potter, obsessing over The Hunger Games on Tumblr, or watching Twilight completely take over your social circle, you know the feeling. Years later, we still say, “kids these days don’t know the excitement of queuing up at midnight for the new Twilight book.” Well, turns out, they have the chance to relive what we lived. The Empyrean series is shaping up to be that kind of phenomenon—one we’ll look back on as a defining reading experience of this era.
If you haven’t started yet, now’s the time. You still have a window before books four and five hit the shelves—and once they do, you’ll want to be fully caught up.