Okay, so you know I’ve read Onyx Storm and I’ve looked at my pre-read predictions (and maybe given myself too much credit!), so naturally, it’s time to make some WAY! TOO! EARLY! predictions for book 4. I wrote all of these down as I was reading or immediately following, so these are mine alone — not tinged by the group chat, TikTok, or my favorite fantasy adjacent podcasts or influencers.

I’m mostly writing this as a benchmark that I can revisit when Book 4 is released and see how *wrong* I was, but please join in the comments and let me know your thoughts! Let’s speculate wildly together!

• Garrick is Venin now, and he had to channel so that he could distance wield to steal the eggs and get them to the islands who wanted them (Unnbriel, I think, but I haven’t reread this section.

• Dain is Xaden’s “new brother.” Yes, I think two of them turned venin, and I think Dain is the second one because:

  • Xaden asks why the “brother” would do it when he knows what has been happening the last 5 months and Dain can see memories as his signet.

  • It’s someone unexpected, so while I do think Garrick also turned, I think it’s a red herring that there is only one.

• Dain and Sloane fall in love. Enemies to lovers? Duh.

• Melgrin is a venin, and Aaric’s power is the magic counter to Melgrin’s signet.

• Violet’s Dreamwalking signet is going to be how she and Xaden can communicate while they are separated.

• Tairn needed to rest because Andarna severed the mate bonds between him and Sgaeyl — this is to protect everyone moving forward. I think Sgaeyl and Xaden have remained bonded for now.

• Fen Riorson and the rebellion has something to do with the Venin — there’s a reason that Xaden is at the center of this.

• I think we will spend more time at Back at Basgiath, if only for the comedic impact of having these kids have to go back to class. It also gives us more time with Daddy Aetos and Markham, who I think will play a larger role in Book 4.

• The Broken Compass Violet was given on Zehyllna will play a key part in Book 4 — it will either guide her to the next person she needs to talk to or connect her with a missing Xaden.

• I think Colonel Daxton is Asher Sorrengail — we know he was a Daxton at some point, thanks to Narelle, and I believe that he found out something he wasn’t supposed to and changed his name to protect his research and his identity.

• Papa Sorrengail found the cure to Veninism in the course of his research — that’s why he was offed (I think by a Venin mole in Basgiath, probably Markham or Daddy Aetos). There’s going to be someone either associated with Dunne’s temple or on another island that sends Violet on that quest. #QuestSquad

• The First Six is actually the First Seven — and I think the first venin was General Daramore, and he had been part of the First Six until he was excommunicated for channeling from the Earth. I also think that he was bonded to an Irid, which is why they have removed themselves from the Continent and evolved into a different type of dragon.

• Okay, and here’s the biggest one: Not only do I think we’re going to see a “re-creation” of the First Six amongst our riders, I think each of them is going to have a second signet — one physical, and one mental. They will hold the balance of power within them, and that’s how they will ultimately be able to defeat the Venin.

  • Right now, my guess for the Seven (see bullet above): Violet, Xaden, Garrick, Imogen, Aaric, Mira, and Sloane.

There are a few that I’m carrying over from Book 3 — just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean that it won’t:

• Dain’s dad is a Venin — and maybe the Scribe leader, Markham? And Naolin.

• We learn more about the Empyrean and Tairn takes a bigger role there.

• We learn more about Tairn’s history.

• One of The First Six is venin.

Do you agree? Disagree? Think I’ve lost the plot — or predicted it? Let me know your weirdest and wildest guesses, too!

Okay, and now additional thoughts, because I am nothing if not wordy!

• One of Violet’s parents was a venin

We don’t really have confirmation one way or another on this one, in my opinion, but at this moment, I think that this is wrong. Obviously, Rebecca could throw me for a loop at some point, but I think that the story of the elder Sorrengails will swing in a different direction in Books 4 and 5.

• Brennan is up to something shady (I hope this is wrong but the orange dragons don’t lie)

I still really, really hope this isn’t true. I’m afraid it is though — even if he doesn’t know it. There’s something fishy about Naolin, Brennan, and the rune on his hand.

• Violet isn’t actually a lightning wielder but a power conduit

I still think I’m right on this, even if it hasn’t been explicitly spelled out. That does make me nervous about who the big bad is going to be to counter her, since we’ve learned that magic needs to be in balance and this is an incredible signet power.

• We will get more of Xaden’s POV

This one actually bums me out a little bit — I was hoping to spend more time in Xaden’s head, particularly as he is struggling with becoming a Venin. I read somewhere that Rebecca compared the Venin’s compulsion to draw from the earth to substance use addiction, and from what we learned in Onyx Storm, that feels apt. I guess we can *kind of* count Violet’s visions into his dreams as more of his POV, but that feels like a stretch even for me.

• The Sage is definitely not dead

I LOVE BEING RIGHT. That’s all.

• Dain’s dad is a Venin — and maybe the Scribe leader, Markham? And Naolin

I stand by all of these predictions and will carry them into book 4. Just because we don’t know yet doesn’t mean its not true — especially since we found out that mavens and sages can mask their Venin-ness better than initiates and asims.

• We are going to find Papa Sorrengail’s research in Lilith’s belongings — which Mira went to save

I’m giving myself half credit for this one! Papa Sorrengail’s research was found in his study — in Lilith’s old quarters! I’m not sure how evil Daddy Aetos didn’t find them but I guess he didn’t look? Did we ever find out where Mira went? I don’t think we did but there are so many little details I think I missed on my first read.

• Violet’s second signet is going to be mind-based (probs something related to information seeking)

Survey says? I get full credit for this one. Her second signet is definitely mind-based (yes, I should have said a form of inntinsic but there’s a lot of language to remember!), and I would go so far to say that being able to dream walk is information seeking.

• Aaric will have a good signet and play a bigger role

Welp, got this one, too! Precognition is such a cool signet, and it makes me really wonder when he manifested it because…how much did he influence? What does he know about the future? I am clearly not blessed with precognition because, while I was right about his cool signet, I did not foresee how essential he would be in this book. I loved his role on Quest Squad, and I loved seeing how much he knew — and how much he hated Halden.

Oh, and this does make me think that Melgren is also a Venin (more on that in my Book 4 Predictions) and Aaric’s signet manifested as the counter to that.

• Kaori’s mind will explode with excitement about the seventh den

Just because we didn’t see this happen on the page doesn’t mean it didn’t happen and/or it won’t happen on the page. I just want good things for him.

I’m rolling these three over to Book 4, too. I thought this book would be about Tairn and Book 4 would be more about Andarna, but goes to show that I am not nearly as smart as Rebecca.

• We learn more about the Empyrean and Tairn takes a bigger role there

• We learn more about Tairn’s history

• One of The First Six is venin

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Bookshop | Amazon

Plot summary: After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty.

Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything.

They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth.

But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.

Yapping into the Void:

Wow, wow, wow — where to begin with this book that really felt like three distinct books in one?* I will start by saying that I really enjoyed this book — even if people on the Internet seem to really not like parts of it — and I think that this is a huge step in Rebecca Yarros’ career as a fantasy writer.

Yes, yes, I realize that sounds a little bit condescending coming from someone who only talks about fantasy books and doesn’t write them, but I really don’t mean it that way. Rebecca Yarros (can I call her Rebecca? I feel like she’s made me cry enough times that we’re on a first name basis) says that she identifies first as a romance writer, and I think you can tell that in Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. In my reading, she’s much more confident in the sweet stuff (and the sexy stuff) between Violet and Xaden than the broader world she’s created.

I’m about to make a very niche comparison, but I’m assuming that if you’re on this blog reading about dragons, you’ve probably also read both ACOTAR and Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. If not, I’m sorry, and just skip to the end of this paragraph. For me, ACOTAR is a romance series with fantasy elements, while Throne of Glass is a fantasy epic than has a romance as a component. Again — for me! — Fourth Wing and Iron Flame remind me more of ACOTAR in that regard, while Onyx Storm feels much more like Throne of Glass — the fantasy steps ahead of the romance, in terms of plot progression. As a fantasy reader, I love this.

With that being said, a good portion of this book is dedicated to world building. We go with Violet and the Quest Squad all over the continent, we meet new people and learn about new Gods, we have some mysteries solved and others revealed, and it can be a lot. I already know that I’m going to need to reread parts of it, almost immediately, just because I know I missed a ton trying to get to the end to see who survived.

One of the main criticisms I’ve seen (and to be honest, had, at moments) is that there are so many new names and places and very little explanation of who or where they are. It’s overwhelming at times — my friend Perry found this amazing spreadsheet where someone is tracking everything that’s helping me keep everything straight — but I feel like that’s a very deliberate choice by Rebecca and not a failure of editing. This series has a limited first person narrator — Violet — throughout most of the chapters, and I believe that at the very beginning of the book, she was also overwhelmed by everything that was going on around her. Her life went from trying not to die while attending college-level classes and having a crush on a boy to…trying to save her kingdom and also not die and attend classes while being in love with a boy.

I said earlier that I considered this three books in one, and it really did feel that way. In Part 1, we were at Basgiath, living the student life and dealing with strife from classes. In Part 2, we were on the lam with Violet and Quest Squad, bopping around Islands and learning a lot about malevolent gods. And I’m not even how to describe Part 3 (Chapter 50 - end) besides an emotional roller coaster.

I’m not going to go plot-point by plot-point because, if you want that, you should just read the book. Instead, I want to offer some general observations:

• I appreciate that there was a map (apparently) in the hard copy, but it would have been really helpful to have in the digital copy, too. I was so confused in that regard.

• Character growth! I am proud that Violet isn’t keeping everything so closely guarded, and I was glad to see that the bond between Xaden and Violet has only been strengthened.

  • There were so many clues that this book was going to end in marriage between Xaden and Violet that I feel a little sad we didn’t get to see it (yet)

• Venin generally

  • Jack Barlow being so important will never not confuse me — why is everyone so obsessed with him? Also, there’s got to be more backstory there — why has he always hated Violet?

  • The Venin hive mind is something that I have so many questions about, and I feel like it’s going to be an increasingly important plot point moving forward.

  • I know we know about Panchek now, but I’ll convinced that Melgren is the big bad, and I also think General Aetos is a venin.

  • I think we’re going to learn how many Venin are entrenched in Basgiath in later books, especially since they can mask themselves as they get into higher levels within their hierarchy.

• I love the new and expanded lore we learned about magic in this book. It is incredible that the Irids are “pure” magic and can pull it from anywhere. It is terrifying that venin and human (?) signets develop to counter each other because magic needs balance.

• Similarly, while I was a touch overwhelmed at the new places and people we met on the Island adventure, I look forward to learning more about the expanded map and, more excitingly, the deities.

• Theophanie

  • Okay, I first thought this name was like Stephanie with a lisp, and I am a touch relieved that it actually has a meaning: theophany is a Greek term that means the “manifestation of deity in a physical form.” While I don’t think Theophanie is Dunne come back to Earth, but her role as a High Priestess gone dark is something we haven’t heard the last of, in my opinion.

  • I have so many questions about her here, specifically how and when she turned Venin. It is my understanding that her power was a counter to Lillith Sorrengail’s, but I also feel like she’s older than that?

• It may be a plot hole that Xaden is allowed to be a Professor at his age, etc, but I love it. It was a fun added complication to their relationship, and a good reminder of just how powerful Xaden is.

• I cannot wait to learn more about VIolet’s Dad in future books — he is such a fascinating character. I have a few predictions about his role, too, but I’ll save those for another post.

• Dragons

  • I am so, so worried for the health of Tairn moving forward — his injury scared me quite a bit, and it was the first time I actively thought that one of the reasons that Violet bonded two dragons was because we were going to lose one in the course of the book.

  • Man, the Irids. What a position of privilege they are in, and how hateful they are to anyone who isn’t in their position.

  • Andarna leaving and breaking the bond was the single saddest moment of the book. It was at that point that I began to really fear Rebecca.

  • I think it is Andarna’s Irid-ness that allowed Violet to still yield her power, as well as communicate with Tairn and Andarna when everyone else was cut off from the magic and their dragons on the Islands.

• I think the First Six were actually the First Seven, now that we know there were seven dragon dens. This is going to play an important role. In my wildest thoughts, I think Darrimore (the first Venin) actually rode an Irid back in the day and that is why they want to stay so far away from all of this.

• I need to reread the section about the Islands — there are clearly so many Easter Eggs there, and I look forward to exploring that mythology more. Clearly, they aren’t as separate from the Continent as we were lead to believe, and given Halden and Aaric’s roles, King Tauri knows about it. Who is hiding this from the cadets?

• Xaden and the bonds makes me anxious. Not only is he connected to Violet through their mated dragons, he’s an inntinsic. How does that work with the Venin hive mind, now that he’s further down that path? I know his shields are incredibly strong but the dude needs a break.

• I didn’t love the multiple POVs at the end — I felt like it was distracting and it took me out of the main part of the story.

• An observation I wrote several times in my notes: “What the fuck is wrong with all the adults in this book?”

• I’m not surprised we met Xaden’s mom in this book, but I feel so bad for him at how she turned out. She is so emotionless, which makes me wonder how Xaden ended up the way that he is.

• I’ll get more into this in my predictions for Book 4 post (coming soon!), but I believe that both Garrick and Dain turned Venin at the end of Book 3. Garrick so that he could distance wield and remove the eggs safely, and Dain to help Violet and save Navarre. As General Aetos’ son, he would be able to get around Basgiath almost undetected, and I think he — as someone who really believed in the cause — would be easy to flip once he realized how betrayed he was by his foundational beliefs being a lie.

• I always thought that Violet’s second signet was going to be mental/inntinsic, and I have seen online that some people are disappointed by this. I think it’s incredibly interesting — and dream walker was not on my list of guesses — and I believe we’re going to learn a lot through her signet in Book 4/5. I think it’s going to be a way for her and Xaden to communicate, and I also think she’ll be able to manipulate other people’s dreams to find out information, a la Inception.

• Okay, one more piece of wild speculation: I do think that Xaden and Violet are married, but I think that Tairn is resting because Andarna severed the bond between Sgaeyl/Xaden and Tairn/Violet.

While this book was emotionally devastating at times, it was also really funny and light at others. It’s a sign of how talented she is as an author that I could go from nearly crying about Trager’s death to giggling about naming a kitten Broccoli in a number of pages. Can you imagine a kitten on Tairn’s back? Go on, I’ll wait.

A few other moments that had me laughing out loud, in case you also need a laugh:

• Jealous Xaden throwing Halden into a wall, just because he could

• Halden being carried in a basket like a little baby

• Narelle’s confusion over Xaden being Dain (got that one wrong, Asher)

• Honestly, anything that Ridoc did, but notably his relationship with Aotrom and his reaction to getting stabbed

I think that’s enough out of me for one post, but I’d love to hear any and all thoughts that you have on Onyx Storm. I do have two other posts about The Empyrean Series coming soon, mainly because this was getting unwieldy:

• Revisiting my pre-read predictions of Onyx Storm

• Way too early predictions for TBD Book 4

I’ll link them here once I have them up! I promise!

…and just because I love a poll/just realized that I could do that in Substack, which one of these books is your favorite?

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS, PLEASE!! I can’t wait to spiral about this with all of you.