Rebecca Yarros

Honestly, I wasn’t too much of a fan of this book. As someone who absolutely devoured Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, I was ready for Onyx Storm to knock me off my feet. In fact, it took me three months to force myself to finish it. I feel like I just tripped over a loose cobblestone, landed face-first in predictability, and now I’m sitting here wondering where the hell all the intensity went.
I spent 75% of this book confused. Events happened that were important to the characters but I show more couldn’t figure out why, and it was never explained. Most characters, even peripheral, are referred to by first name, last name, and nickname. This wasn’t so much a story as a very long battle with some sex, some dragons, and POV’s at the end from characters that were barely mentioned throughout the book.
The book could have been half as long if the extraneous content that brings little to no value had been better edited. The descriptions of places, people, and things are too detailed at times for things that have no real impact on the plot or are never revisited. Like what was the point of the cat Broccoli? In other instances, there is not enough information to help the reader retain characters, places, and events. I found myself wading through so many characters, and I needed a navigation chart to follow a plot line that made no sense!
The sex scenes were pretty much copied and pasted for 3 books. They were gratuitous, repetitive, tedious and excruciating to read. I understand it's hard to find the right balance when writing love scenes so they are titillating, but not pornographic. The author definitely does not have this skill.
And the main characters don’t evolve much. They rampage around the landscape being heroic, violent, and wisecracking, but they don’t fundamentally change. Every so often, there’s a big reveal and everyone is sad for five minutes, then they go back to exactly how they were before. Far too much bad stuff happens to them and far too little good stuff - if this were real, they’d all have had nervous breakdowns long ago.
Also, endless new quests and characters are introduced for a few chapters, then dropped. So many characters could have been amalgamated, and most of them are referred to by more than one name. The author assumes the readers remember who each one is, even if the character hasn’t made an appearance since the first or previous book, and there are no clues as to who they are when they are brought back in.
It's the same with the dragons. For example, dragons are mentioned (sometimes by more than one name) and we're meant to know who their riders are without clues.
And it is no longer a trilogy. Five books now? Really? And Onyx Storm makes it so obvious why - because this book is mostly filler. The pacing drags in places that should be pivotal, and there are entire sections that feel like they’re here just to stretch the story out.
I’ll keep reading, because I’m too deep in now to stop. But my expectations? Let’s just say they’ve been adjusted. show less

♾️/5⭐️

She’s an icon. She’s a legend. She IS the moment.

I think everyone deserves to read this book without spoilers so you won’t find any here but just prepare to get sucked into Basgiath war college.

Fourth wing blew me away.
The character development
The enemies to lovers
The forced proximity with a twist
Dragons
BANTER
It’s everything I could’ve asked for.

The pacing of FW keeps you on the edge of your seat. It was literally a rollercoaster. The second you believe things are show more slowing down, another twist or turn appears and takes you for another wild ride. Throughout the book, I felt like I was right there with the Cadets going through the training with them.

I was so attached to this book that at one point I had to put it down for a few days just to drag it out longer because I wasn’t ready for it to be over.

I’ve heard people say this is SPICYyYy! But before you jump in I want you to know that it’s really not. It has a lot of tension and is a super slow burn but this is a book with spice, NOT to be confused with a spicy book.

I also want to say this book does a great job of mixing world building into the story without dragging it down. And because of this and the pacing, I think this would be a great book for those that are stepping into fantasy.

I love this book so much and it’s definitely my fave book of 2023. I’ll be shocked if anything tops it. Maybe Fourth Wing #2 will! 👀 show less

I can’t even with that ending! Omg!

I need 5 to 7 business days to process then I’ll write a review.

Just buy this damn book. Seriously.
All the stars!
---
Okay, it's been two days.

A dragon without its rider is a tragedy.
A rider without their dragon is dead.*

Fourth Wing is absolutely the best Fantasy with DRAGONS I've read in a very long time. The plot is perfectly paced over the school year, it never feels like it drags at any point. There's a ton of action...I mean, it's a WAR COLLEGE to show more learn to ride a DRAGON...so yeah. Plenty of tension, both romantic and hostile as everyone wants to kill everyone else because there's only so many dragons that are willing to bond to a rider.

The dragons are written exactly how I'd hoped. They are not something to be tamed, they pick their rider and put them through hell during the bonding. They are the superior species and I love that.

And Xaden Riorson...is absolutely maddening, the perfect antihero. Yarros really knows how to write a true enemies to lovers trope.
"...You want to know why you're still alive? Because you're the scale I currently judge myself against every night. Every day I let you live, I get to convince myself that there's still a part of me that's a decent person."*

Violet, our FMC, is wonderfully written as well. She's so easy to relate to and vulnerable, but a complete badass. Watching her growth through this book was so fun!
Really, all the characters are fantastic and will pull at your heartstrings.

I cannot get this story out of my head, it truly is a new favorite and I highly recommend giving it a try if you love...
Enemies to lovers
DRAGONS
War colleges
Deadly situations
Fights to the death
Unexpected plot twists
Surprise endings

HUGE THANK YOU to Red Tower Books for the ARC to read, enjoy, and honestly review!

*quotes are from an advanced copy and may not be in the finished publication. show less

After finishing Fourth Wing, I could not wait to devour Iron Flame, and it did not disappoint! Rebecca Yarros raises the stakes with more action, deeper world-building, and twists that left me breathless.

Violet’s growth is inspiring, the romance between her and Xaden crackles with intensity, and the dragon lore adds rich new layers to this incredible world. The pacing is flawless, blending heart-pounding battles with emotional depth, making it impossible to put down.

This series just keeps show more getting better, and I already have Onyx Storm on pre-order—I cannot wait for it! If you love dragons, romance, and epic fantasy, this book is a must-read. show less