Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 4

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Written by: Cory

Onyx Storm Read Along Chapter 4

It goes without saying that THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. If you haven’t read this chapter of Onyx Storm, please go read it first.

One thing is for certain: Rebecca Yarros has found a new way to keep Xaden and Violet from… doing a LOT of young adult things. Basically, spice is off the table.

We can all agree that the book is already intense. Xaden can sense Violet’s power. I had a theory about Xaden losing control and boom, turns out, I was right. Xaden’s control did snap. Somewhat.

It’s nice that Xaden cares so deeply for Violet that he stops himself, though. He would do anything not to hurt her.

The book is in its early days, but I underlined this:
“I’m not quite sure how I even did it. Is the thought sharing an intrinsic thing? Or a bond thing? It’s happened more than once with us.”

We haven’t revealed Violet’s signet yet, and I’m starting to wonder—is it an intrinsic thing? Or a bond thing?

Another Easter egg here:
“I’m…well, venin. Great on the battlefield, but not a good governing quality.”
While Xaden admits this about himself, I wonder if this opens the door to high-level venin infiltrating leadership at Basgiath. After all, in Fourth Wing, Violet did say she felt uneasy around Melgren.

We’re diving straight into politics. Navarre is trying to create an alliance with Poromiel, which was predicted before—it’s the logical step given how history repeats itself. Navarre and Poromiel have been allies before (including some of the isles) to defeat dark wielders. It feels to me like this is a nudge toward the same effect.

I also took note of this phrase: “then [Xaden] storms toward the door.” Given that this is the name of the book, I’m paying more attention to the word storm everywhere. Is this about Lilith? How her death is bringing weather changes? Tairn? Xaden? There’s still a long way to go to figure it out.

I’ve been waiting so long to see more dynamics between Imogen and Garrick. I’m still surprised there hasn’t been any development between the two of them. Also, I’m kinda sad Garrick is “partying” with someone else.

I can see that Bodhi is feeling a little left out, given how he’s part of the “watch Xaden” group, as per the Prologue. Rebecca Yarros told us that it fits in with the song “i look in people’s windows.” He’s feeling rather jealous.

Oh, this chapter is getting better and better. Let me tell you, I read it three times (no joke) to make sure I fully understood it. So…runes. Runes can be tampered with. We know that putting several runes over one another can create all sorts of new effects. But it turns out we can change and alter a rune by removing one single layer. Runes can be nullified. I have a feeling this will become very important information down the line.

I’ve also been stuck on the idea that Kylynn is an agrarian. Why would we ever need them in the Empyrean series? And then it hit me. My theory about Sloane how she will somehow make the Barrens full of magic again right? If she can imbue magic into objects (or people), then people like Kylynn will be needed to restore the land and nature. This is just a theory, but I’ll expand on it later.

Again, I’m so surprised that we’re getting answers right away. Andarna wants to find her family. We don’t know if the Empyrean will eventually agree, and Queen Maraya is now involved in negotiations too. They’re hoping to find out how to defeat venin, given Andarna’s age. I did say that Andarna is the weapon. At least, I still think so—but we’ll see.

“She needs to prepare herself,” he says. “And so do you. There’s every chance this mission will kill us.”

This was part of the previews, and it’s nice to finally see who Tairn was talking to and about. I think he’s right. I can’t imagine a bunch of dragons who left on their own accord welcoming dragons from the continent again.

There’s so much about Andarna’s kind. They need to find answers: Where is Andarna from? Why did they leave? How can they defeat venin? Why was Andarna left behind? Also, they want to cure Xaden, and clearly, they’ll need another to fire the Arentian wardrone. A lot of action in just four chapters. I’m already shaking with anxiety.

I’m starting to feel there’s a lot of tension in the Sorrengail family, especially between Mira and Brennan. There are so many unresolved emotions, which I think the siblings need to work out—and FAST.

Alright, Chapter 5 is next…

Read the Next Chapters:

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8 responses to “Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 4”

  1. You’re helping so much! You’re catching onto things I wouldn’t have been able to on my own, especially links to the previous books. Ahhhhh Thank you!! lol

  2. Concerning to Bodhi, the song is not”Mirrorball” but “I look in peoples window”. “Mirrorball” is Ridocs Song. But I have noticed frustration in Bhodis reaction as well. He is in some point out of the group. All over the books I haven’t found any comment about a romantic relationship concerning Bhodis. Compared to the other characters there were some hints to a romantic or sexual interest to someone.

    1. Oh did I mix the two? Thank you so much for pointing that out. I will edit right away.
      I do feel like he’s frustrated and he wants to be more…needed. He wants more attention.

  3. I agree. I have read the scenes with Bhodi in FW and IF very carefully and will do this while my second read of OS again. I think more secrets about him will be revealed in the next book and I also think there are a few more hints in other chapters of OS.

    1. Also doing a sloooow re-read to try and find all the Easter Eggs.

  4. There was a lot of emphasis on the fact that both Xaden and Violet slept well which is unusual for them both. And then Imogen also asks if they slept well. Does she know something they don’t? Were they drugged into sleeping well whilst the others did something they were unaware of? Or did Imogen steal their memories of something that happened during the night? Was Brennan also involved in this as he looks so tired?

    I’m also suspicious of Bodhi and wonder if there is a reason he has been left out by Xaden and Brennan. Is he also Venin?

    1. I think Rebecca Yarros did such an amazing job with all the characters as to make us all feel suspicious right? Bodhi is acting weird. Mira is acting weird. Imogen is acting weird. And the whole thing is that obviously we have a big ass shadow wielding venin who keeps everyone on the edge. But yes, great call on this. It’s a bit strange on a new read….the emphasis on the sleep.

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Hello! This site is dedicated to the Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros. I’ve made this place to explore the rich world of Empyrean, full of characters, theories, and places. Each post is carefully researched and updated with the newest details from the series. This site is also a great spot for discussing theories about the Empyrean Series. 🐉
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