Onyx Storm: Book 3 in the Empyrean Series

Intro

Violet has to grapple with the fact that not only is Xaden a duke, he is also now venin. When she decides to lead a mission to find the seventh breed of dragon-Andarna's kind- she is forced to travel to numerous islands and must defend herself like never before now that Xaden is in political power. While she is figuring out how to find Andarna's breed, she is also simultaneously looking for a way to cure venin. When Violet keeps getting letters from a mysterious source about knowledge that could cure Xaden, she refuses until someone she loves is kidnapped, forcing her to choose between her country and her family.

How I came across the book

Onyx Storm is the third book in the Empyrean Series.

Other books by the author/In the series

The other books that are published in the Empyrean series are Fourth Wing and Iron Flame.

The Good

• Violet's motto has changed from I will not die today to I will save him

• Both Violet and Xaden refuse to give each other up for the sake of it being easier now that Xaden has turned venin and they are still fighting for each other like always

• Violet is fighting a venin and then Xaden shows up and kills everyone who is a threat to her and even though he is technically a venin he is an actual human and isn't like the ones trying to kill Violet

• The leaders are marveling at Violet's speech and saying she could be a politician or nobility and Xaden says at least a duchess and he is a duke DOES HE WANT TO PROPOSE

• TAIRN HAS FALLEN ONTO HIS SIDE DOWN THE MOUNTAIN BUT HE STARTS BREATHING AGAIN IF HE DIED IT WOULD HAVE DESTROYED ME

• Xaden is the professor for his own Signet Sparring class which means he and Violet will get to spend a lot more time together

• Even though their request for an exemption was denied Xaden promises Violet that they can just sneak around

• During Signet Sparring Rhiannon says she doesn't know if she should be in love with or terrified of Violet's boyfriend and Violet says Xaden isn't her boyfriend and Xaden telepathically says THAT IS FAR TOO CASUAL A TERM FOR WHAT THEY ARE

• XADEN TELLS HIS WHOLE CLASS WHILE VIOLET IS IN THE ROOM THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE PERSON CAPABLE OF TAKING HIM DOWN AND EVERYONE IN THE ROOM LOOKS AT VIOLET

• XADEN AND VIOLET ARE GOING TO FIGHT EACH OTHER ON THE MAT AS PROFESSOR AND CADET AND LAST TIME THEY WERE BOTH STUDENTS

• HALDEN WAS GOING TO TOUCH VIOLET SO XADEN GOT JEALOUS AND HIS SHADOWS THREW HALDEN INTO THE WALL OF ROCK

• The wyvern killed Aura honestly I thought she was annoying and didn't like her as a character

• XADEN CALLS VIOLET LOVE IS THIS AN AARON WARNER PARALELL

• XADEN CALLS VIOLET HIS HOME IN PUBLIC IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY

• When they are in Deverelli and get to the island Xaden introduces Violet as his consort even tho they arent married and she says it is not the time for thid and he says WHEN WOULD BE HE ACTUALLY WANTS TO MARRY HER

• Jaden’s mom is talking about how it is wise to have an arranged marriage for political alliances and Xaden says to draw up the marriage papers and violet thinks he’s gonna marry cat but he said the name on the paper is VIOLET SORRENGAIL THEYRE ACTUALLY GONNA GET MARRIED and the royals of helots say three to four years and Jaden says A LIFETIME ANYTHING LESS IS UNACCEPTABLE

• XADEN CAME TO VIOLET'S ROOM AT RIORSON HOUSE SOAKED WITH RAIN AND SHE SAYS ITS ONLY BEEN 73 DAYS BUT HE KISSES HER

• Sloane saves Mira by transferring Dain's power and using it to heal Mira

• Violet kills Theophanie

• Violet and Xaden are now legally married by a binding contract and Xaden put a ring on Violet's finger while she was unconscious

The Bad

• If Jack reveals anything about Xaden it will kill Xaden

• Everyone at Basgiath is wary of Xaden except Violet now that he is a venin but he still has the same humanity that he did before and he can sense venin to kill them which puts Violet and everyone else at an advantage

• The king of Navarre gave Xaden his title as Duke back and gave him a seat in the Senarium and all of Tyrrendor to rule except Xaden doesn't want that responsibility and he has to accept the agreement

• Violet is being arrested for treason against the kingdom of Navarre and is brought to sit before the Senarium for her crimes which Xaden is now a part of

• Colonel Aetos no longer consideres Dain as his son

• Colonel Aetos has now been promoted in rank to General ew he is disgusting and such a bad character

• VIOLET AND TAIRN ARE FIGHTING WYVERN AND THEN THEY GET HIT BY A TORNADO AND FLUNG TOWARD A MOUNTAINSIDE AND TAIRN SLAMS HIS WINGS SHUT AS HE HITS THE MOUNTAINSIDE AND HIS BOND WITH VIOLET GOES DARK

• Xaden is assigned to fight at the front while Violet has to stay at Basgiath and Tairn and Sgayel will be able tyo see each other but they cant

• Since Xaden is now Violet's professor the two of them being together violates the Code of Conduct since a professor can't be involved with a cadet so they will have to break up THEY CANT BREAK UP THERE VIOLET AND XADEN

• Aetos denies Xaden's request for an exemption to the code of conduct even though the relationship was previously existing before Xaden became a professor

• VIOLET AND XADEN CAN'T SNEAK AROUND BC XADEN IS SLEEPING IN THE PROFESSORS QUARTERS AND THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE AROUND WHEN VIOLET TRIES TO SEE HIM OR DO ANYTHING AND AURA BEINHAVEN IS ASSIGNED TO VIOLET TO TRACK HER AND MAKE SURE SHE AND XADEN AREN'T BREAKING THE RULES

• VIOLET USED TO DATE PRINCE HALDEN THE PRINCE OF NAVARRE

• AWWW XADEN IS SAD THAT VIOLET USED TO LOVE HALDEN

• Aura is mad at Violet on their mission to find Andarna's kind so she sets everything around them on fire including Grady who is the leader of their mission and she kills him

• WHY DOES HALDEN STILL GET POSESSIVE OF VIOLET THEY BROKE UP YEARS AGO

• Violet is the only one who can talk to her dragons after flying across the sea and everyone else has lost the connection

• When Navelle is talking to Violet about her dad's books he says Xaden is exactly how Asher described in his writing and says they are perfect for each other BUT THEN CALLS HIM DAIN OH NO

• i hate that xaden's parents were just together as a political arrangement and the contract said talia would leave on his tenth birthday and she fed him chocolate cake and then left its so heartbreaking that xaden never had a real family and then her wanting to talk to him after all this time is cruel she abandoned him

• Talia knew Naden was coming and she put poison in the chocolate cake and she kept the chocolate cake for weeks because she knew they were coming and now GARRICK ISNT BREATHING

• The group finally found Andarna's kind but they will not accept her since they believe she used her powers for violence

• Ridoc now knows that Xaden is a venin

• xaden isnt letting himself be alone with violet bc he thinks he cant control his venin abilities even tho he can

• violets second signet from andarna is dream-walking which is a form of innistic and if anyone finds out she will be killed

• leothan tells andarna that they are of the same den and he wants to teach her the ways of her kind AND SHE LEAVES VIOLET SINCE TAIRN BONDED VIOLET FIRST

• Theophanie has kidnapped Mira and will only release her if Violet brings the two brothers so she brings Brennan and Jack who is Xaden's "brother" but she says Jack wasn't the brother she asked for AND SLITS MIRAS THROAT NO NO HER MOM IS ALREADY DEAD NOT HER SISTER TOO NOW ITS ONLY VIOLET AND BRENNAN AND RIGHT AFTER SHE LOST ANDARNA THIS IS SO EVIL

  • Xaden channels again to save Sgayel from Pancheck and his venin process is now complete

Who else would like this

Fans of Xaden and Violet's complicated relationship and romantasy lovers.

Rating

8.5/10 FIRST OF ALL THE ENDING IMOGEN WIPED VIOLET'S MEMORIES WHAT AND NOW SHE AND XADEN ARE LEGALLY MARRIED. It was never explained when or why Violet wanted Imogen to wipe her memories so that was a little confusing. I hated when Xaden's mom tried to act nice to him as if she didn't abandon him when he was ten years old. I thought that the writing of the new complexity of Violet and Xaden's relationship was really good since he wasn't letting himself get near her but then she would always stay with him even though he became a monster. Even though their world is crumbling around them they would never actually hurt one another no matter how severe the circumstance. Xaden fully turned venin at the end when he realized that he had no other choice to save Violet and Tairn when they were fighting Theophanie. I was a bit confused on the significance of why Violet and her squad was fighting at times and when Theophanie entered the plot. The fact that Andarna left Violet for her kind left me speechless and crying I was NOT expecting that, I actually thought she would turn down Leothan and stay with Violet and Tairn because of such a strong bond the three of them shared. I can't believe that book 4 is released in 2027 but I will be here not so patiently waiting.