In the start of the Empyrean book series by Rebecca Yarro’s, Fourth Wing sets the stage for a thrilling storyline. Fourth WIng, Iron Flame and now Onyx Storm is set in a fantasy world where a country named “Navarre” is protected only by elite dragon riders. Characters must bond with a dragon to become a “rider,” and channel magical powers through a connection between the rider and the dragon called a “signet.”

The long awaited third book in the Empyrean series, Onyx Storm, leads in with a thrilling foundation. Violet Sorrengail, the main female protagonist, fights to survive a rider’s life when she was chosen to be a scribe for her life duties. Sorrengail’s mother succeeds with high status as a rider, and her sister rides and holds similar grounds as her mother. As Sorrengail was not meant for a rider’s life, sorrengail was considerebaly weak. 

Onyx Storm sets the stage for multiple challenges that Sorrengail must face due to her love interest Riorson, the duke of Tyrrendor, being overpowered by Venin, a force to gain power and basically causes anyone to turn evil.  Riorson, a lieutenant rider, faces the overwhelming feeling to fight against to overpower without a care in the world, he becomes venomous and loses his true identity. 

Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson’s journey starts off as an enemies-to-lovers trope as Sorrengail’s descendants cause the deaths of Riorson’s relatives. 

In the Fourth WIng both seem to want a distant relationship, but Sorrengail bonds with Train, a dragon that subsequently is mated with Riorson’s Dragon Sgaeyl, thus connecting and making it irresistible to avoid the connection the humans have. 

  As Onyx Storm continued it felt like it was recycling a storyline. There were multiple scenes that felt unnecessary or did not deepen the knowledge of the plot. At times, the undeniable tension was crushed by corny one- liners. I understand this is a romance book, but at this point wouldn’t it be worth it to continue the dangerous and action-filled scenes rather than focus on the male lead, Riorson, each second of the book? 

As many reviews roll in on the book, The reader’s attention between Sorrengail and Riorson’s chemistry and left readers fawning over the high tension romance leaving the plot hidden behind all the craze  

Overall it wasn’t a horrible read but the way Yarros chose to portray characters was questionable and  frustrating. Onyx Storm. Compared to Fourth Wing and Iron Flame (previous books in the series), Onyx Storm was comparable to the other books worse than the Fourth Wing, adding a meaningless plot leaving it a three stars.