Onyx Storm (Deluxe Limited Edition) (The Empyrean, 3)

.... REBECCAAAAAA!!!!! No spoilers. But that was a BRILLIANT use of text design on the last chapter. Way to add to the gut punch. ADVICE: Yes, you DO want to reread Fourth Wing and Iron Flame before Onyx Storm. And take your time to really absorb the details!

yeah um, i loved it. i'm also very much not okay.

The set-up from the last two books made it hard to put down because it is in such a well-built world; however, the dialogue and storyline did feel a bit lack-luster in comparison to the first two books in this series. Overall, it was still quite enjoyable to read but I wish the dialogue, and plot felt a bit smoother.

There's a LOT to unpack here.

***SPOILERS***

This book took me really long to read, mostly because the first 100 pages or so were incredibly boring. I felt like the dialogue was choppy and didn't flow very well. It felt like Rebecca almost didn't know how to start the book.

As for the middle of the book, I really enjoyed them going to the different isles. As the mid-book point in a fantasy series, I appreciated the further world-building and believe it's definitely setting up the rest of the series.

The dragons as always were perfection, I was so sad when Andarna left, and Tairn is literally my favorite part of the series. (Yes, even over Xaden).

Now onto Xaden....

The book ended mostly how IF ended. Xaden channeled and is turning (more) venin. That fell really flat for me. Why did this book have to end with the exact same cliffhanger as IF?!? That’s a disappointment. I expected this book to have more conflict with Xaden being venin, however the entirety of that storyline was "We have to find the cure, don't stay away from me, I have to stay away from you." I would have appreciated Xaden becoming villainous, at least slightly, and the need to find a cure being even more pressing to stop him. I'm assuming that's what book 4 will be? But we'll see. I also would've loved to see more of the irids. I get why they weren't in the book much, but during the final battle scene, I kept expecting them to show up and do something else.

I'm glad Andarna came back, I'm impatiently awaiting the next book, and I was a little bit disappointed.

Overall though, it was still a 4 star read for me. Just because my expectations weren't met, it doesn't make the book bad. (subjectivity, people!) While it was *slightly* redundant, it was enjoyable, entertaining, and I loved spending time in this world.

It felt like absolutely nothing was happening while simultaneously everything was happening. I finished the book but god, at what cost?