We all agree that we need at least a year off work after that Onyx Storm ending, right? Before I go into my rant, there will be spoilers, obviously.
Now where we… oh yes, that ending. I’m sorry, Rebecca Yarros, but what do you mean Violet and Xaden got married, but she can’t remember?? WE need to remember. Also, Xaden telling Violet not to look for him??? Sir, even if you turn into a worm and you’re placed into a compost bin, Violet will pick up each worm until she finds the broody one.
Worms actually describe my brain after trying to make sense of Onyx Storm, so let’s dive deep into my analysis.
@parisandbooks we were robbed of a wedding scene 😭😭#rebeccayarros#BookTok#onyxstorm#fourthwing#ironflame#violetsorrengail#xadenriorson #CapCut ♬ original sound – Tawny
What is Onyx Storm about?
Onyx Storm is the third book in The Empyrean series, which follows a trainee scribe turned dragon rider, Violet. In the first book, Fourth Wing, we watch Violet try to survive a dragon rider academy, Basgiath War College. It all gets real in the second book, Iron Flame when Violet goes up against the bad guys — Venin (basically evil wizards). You can find our complete recap on Fourth Wing and Iron Flame here.
@cinematicbookworm Definitely didn't get enough teenage Andarna in Iron Flame 😅 So little page time, still one of the best characters. #fourthwing #ironflame #ironflamememe #fourthwingmeme #rebeccayarros #empyreanseries #violetsorrengail #xadenriorson #tairn #andarna #sgaeyl #mirasorrengail #xadenandviolet #rhiannonmatthias #fourthwingmemes #ironflamememes ♬ original sound – FANTASY BOOK MEMES – Cinematic Bookworm
This brings us to Onyx Storm, where Violet races against the clock to save Xaden from giving into his Venin powers — which is a big no-no. Turns out one of her dragons, Andarna, might be the key to saving him. All she needs to do is find Andarna’s kind, which is easier said than done… Check out our play-by-play of Onyx Storm here.
@bookheavenx Ridoc & Aotrom are my highlight! #onyxstorm#empyreanseries#booktok#rebeccayarros#quotes#xadenriorson#violetsorrengail#bookquotes#meme#bookishmemes ♬ QKThr – Aphex Twin
What happened in the Onyx Storm battle?
I don’t blame you if the Onyx Storm battle felt like a blur. Here’s a recap.
- Xaden and Violet are split up to defeat their Venin enemies, Berwyn and Theophanie
- Violet kills Theophanie yayyyy
- Xaden defeats Berwyn but pays a big price — boooo (more on this later)
- Quinn dies trying to help innocents in the battle
- Apparently, Xaden has a Venin brother??
- Oh, and six dragon eggs are missing.
@f.booklover I just love watching memes with fourth wing and iron flame hahaha #fourthwing #ironflame #fantazy #enemiestolovers #booktok #book #meme #lol #xadenriorson #violetsorrengail #basgiath ♬ originalljud – F.booklover
How did Onyx Storm end?
Onyx Storm ends with Violet having no memory of the last 12 hours — which leaves a lot of questions about what happened after the final battle. Here’s what we do know.
- It turns out that Imogen removed her memory, confirming when Violet asks her what she’s done: “What you asked me to.”
- Violet has a wedding ring on her finger, and the missive confirms it: “It’s an official blessing of your legal, binding marriage,” Brennan whispers, stunned, and then quickly rolls the parchment.
- Xaden gave into the dark magic, which took him a step closer to becoming a fully-fledged Venin. Sgaeyl even notes the change in his appearance: “The red eyes branching from your eyes look like her [Violet’s] lightning.”
- Xaden has purposefully left Violet: “Don’t look for me. It’s yours now.”
- Andarna sends a cryptic message to Violet: “I will not let them burn you.”
- It’s confirmed that four riders are missing, but which three other than Xaden? “And we still have five riders missing — four now,” he [Weilsen] adds, looking at me [Violet].
- The team’s total death count was eleven: “Official numbers are four riders, their dragons, and three elders murdered in the valley in what we’re estimating is the last four hours,” Weilsen said.
@bookswithgeorgi I can confirm that I will cause an Aretian riot if we do not get justice for this crime 🖤⚡👀 #rebeccayarros #onyxstorm #smallcreator #romantasy #BookTok #empyreanseries #Meme #MemeCut #CapCut ♬ original sound – Georgia 💌 | Booktok 📚
Onyx Storm red herring
Before we even explain the ending of Onyx Storm, we need to address the red herring in the room. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that finding Andarna’s kind will be very important in the next book. Ultimately, though, we didn’t learn much that could help save Xaden.
The only crucial thing to note is that the dragons taught her that their kind is above bonds. This causes Andarna to sever the bond between her and Violet. However, the bond seems to be repaired at the end when they are talking to each other.
@sydneyplacesalls Where my mind goes when I think about the Irids ending the Venin. This is a very very niche reference. #onyxstorm #booktok #onyxstormtheory #irids #andarna ♬ Defying Gravity – Instrumental – Cynthia Erivo
Onyx Storm ending explained, and questions answered
Buckle in, as here’s my explanation of the Onyx Storm ending.
- Why did Xaden give into his Venin powers? To save his dragon Seagyl since he couldn’t lift a blade against the Sage (high-level wizard), Berwyn who turned him.
- Why did Xaden leave? He left to stop himself from being captured, now that everyone will know that he’s Venin by his red eyes.
- Why did Xaden want to get married? To ensure that Violet can inherit Aretia, Xaden’s kingdom and stop it from falling into the wrong hands. Hence the phrase, “it’s yours now.”
- Why did Violet ask Imogen to erase her memory of the last 12 hours? So, she won’t be able to answer questions surrounding Xaden’s whereabouts — even after torture.
- What does Andarna mean by not letting Violet burn? That she won’t let Violet go down for Xaden since they kill traitors (like protecting Venin) by dragon fire.
- What happened to Tairn & Saegyl? Tairn is confirmed to be alive by Andarna, stating that he needs to rest. We also know that Seagyl is alive at the end of the battle. However, it’s unclear if she went with Xaden (breaking the bond due to the distance) or is resting with Tairn.
- What happened to the six missing eggs? It’s most likely that someone from Unbriel stole them since Queen Marlis named her price as dragon eggs.
- Who are the four missing riders? Xaden and Garrick are definitely missing, but we don’t know about Bodhi, Ridoc, and Aaric.
- Finally, what is Violet’s second signet? Dream walking, which is revealed when Violet realises she’s been having Xaden’s Venin nightmares.
@betweenthelines_mona Venin and Balance theory 🌩️ #fourthwing #onyxstorm #xadenriorson #violetsorrengail ♬ original sound – 𝓌
Who is Xaden’s Venin brother?
There are four things we know about Xaden’s Venin ‘brother’: he knew Xaden was Venin the entire time, it’s a male character (obviously), Xaden would never have suspected him and yet be close enough to Xaden to make him feel betrayed by his turn.
“How could he do this? Choose this after watching me stumble and fall over the last five months,” Xaden states in Onyx Storm. “How could he willingly walk the path I’ve fought like hell to leave? He’s the last person I ever would have expected to turn, and yet here we are.”
This leaves Bodhi, Brennan, and Garrick, who all knew about Xaden’s turning to the dark side and were close enough to him. I’m not removing characters based on when they found out, as the bad guys could have told them earlier and just acted surprised.
- Bodhi argument: Bodhi is the closest thing to a brother Xaden has, as his cousin.
- Brennan argument: Taking the brother word literally, referring to not Xaden’s sibling, but Violet’s. I know Brennan’s accounted for, but if Xaden can hide the fact that he’s Venin, he can, too.
- Garrick argument: Garrick is Xaden’s best friend, AKA his chosen brother, and he’s the only one confirmed to be missing out of the four — which feels very pointed.
@aiyanna_ryhs @ariakaltun that man you are 🥹 #xadenriorson #xaden #xadenandviolet #fourthwing #ironflame #oynxstorm #fourthwingmeme #venin #shadowweilder #basgaithwarcollege #mylady #fyp #vir #fancast #adaptation #booktok #bookstan #inlove #newtobooktok ♬ sonido original – Laura Montañá | Escritora📚🖋️
Is there going to be a fourth book in The Empyrean series?
Yes, there will be a fourth book in The Empyrean series. Yarros hasn’t confirmed a release date yet. However, if we follow the timeline of her previous book, it should come out around 2027.
The plotline could focus on Xaden being cured, with fans theorising that the gods could save him. Hear us out. So, the Irids make it very clear that “death has no cure” when discussing Venin. However, you know who can cure death? Deities, and they’ve already intervened in the third book. For example, when the Goddess of War helps Violet defeat Theophanie with a blessed dagger. This means the gods could play a bigger part in the fourth book.
It’s also interesting that the Irids mentioned that the only way for Venin to change is through their offspring. Does that mean Violet will become/ already is pregnant??
@kayimreading 🚨🚨🚨🚨 Onyx Storm Theory!! What do you think?! #rebeccayarros #onyxstorm #fourthwing #ironflame #onyxstormspoiler #onyxstormtheory #booktok #onyxstormtheories ♬ original sound – KayAndersen
I guess we’ll have to wait and see for the fourth book.
Image Credit: Lorrainedewhurst, Sophiareads99 and Allysonmalke.
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