Onyx Storm Review

The Empyrean Trilogy So Far—Why BookTok Can't Let It Go

Quick Trilogy Context (No Spoilers)

Rebecca Yarros' Empyrean series is "romantasy" with a simple engine: dragon-rider war college + high-stakes romance + big cliffhangers.

- Book 1 (Fourth Wing) sets the rules and the obsession.

- Book 2 (Iron Flame) expands the politics, the danger, and the emotional chaos.

- Book 3 (Onyx Storm) is the current "everyone's talking" installment—and it's been a real-world sales monster.

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Why Onyx Storm Went Mini-Viral

A lot of books trend online. This one did the midnight-release-party + endless short-clip thing at scale, with major coverage pointing to BookTok momentum and massive launch numbers.

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Ratings Snapshot (Major Platforms)

Ratings move over time—think of these as "right now" ballpark.

| Book | The StoryGraph (avg / reviews) |

|------|-------------------------------|

| Fourth Wing | 4.43 / 372,007 |

| Iron Flame | 4.2 / 264,725 |

| Onyx Storm | 4.12 / 150,980 |

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What People Tend to Love

Based on the dominant patterns in large-scale reader feedback (and the kind of reactions that get clipped into short videos):

- The "can't stop" pacing: Chapters that end like a trapdoor.

- The dragons + training/mission structure: Easy to binge, easy to talk about.

- The emotional punch: Readers come for fantasy, stay for relationship stress and loyalty tests.

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What People Tend to Complain About

The most common "ugh" points usually fall into:

- Relationship miscommunication loops: Some readers feel stuck in the same argument beats.

- Info-dumps / political scaffolding: Necessary for the series arc, but not everyone enjoys it.

- Length + "traveling between plot zones" fatigue: When scenes feel like setup instead of payoff.

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Reading Order

If you're new: Fourth Wing → Iron Flame → Onyx Storm

The emotional stakes compound fast, and Book 3 assumes you remember the rules.

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Listen on AudiobookHub

Fourth Wing (Special Edition)

The one that started it all. Violet Sorrengail enters Basgiath War College—where survival means bonding with a dragon or dying in the attempt.

👉 Listen on AudiobookHub

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Iron Flame

Violet survives year one only to discover everything she believed about her kingdom was a lie.

👉 Listen on AudiobookHub

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Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3)

Two weeks after Basgiath's battle, Violet fights a hidden venin infiltration while the alliance crumbles around her.

👉 Listen on AudiobookHub

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The Bottom Line

The Empyrean series delivers exactly what it promises: fast-paced dragon fantasy with romantic tension that keeps readers arguing online for weeks. If you're the kind of reader who loves cliffhangers and emotional stakes, start with Fourth Wing and clear your schedule.