Rebecca Yarros has just dropped the third book in The Empyrean Saga, and it’s a bestseller.
Rebecca Yarros has gained success with her Empyrean Saga. The first book of her series, Fourth Wing, was released amidst the rise of the book community on TikTok, making it an instant hit with avid readers.
After the success of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, fantasy fans were craving something more to sink their teeth into, and Fourth Wing gave them exactly that. The third book in the series, Onyx Storm, hit shelves on Tuesday, January 21
Fans had spent an entire year waiting to see what would happen next to Violet Sorrengail in the magical world Rebecca created. Rebekah West, editorial director of Little, Brown’s Piaktus imprint, (the book’s publisher), told The Telegraph: “This level of fan devotion hasn’t been seen since the days of Harry Potter,” as readers queued in bookshops to be the first to get their hands on a copy.
After just days in stores, readers are already leaving unheard-of “7-star” reviews, claiming it’s “the best book they’ve ever read.” One passionate Onyx Strom fan, @yannareads, wrote on Goodreads: “THIS IS HANDS DOWN NOT ONLY THE BEST BOOK IN THE SERIES BY FAR, BUT THE BEST BOOK THAT I HAVE EVER READ.
“Rebecca DELIVERED with this one. The banter, the plot, the character development: 100/10. I read this all day, in one sitting and under 24 hours, and I literally might never read a book that can be on the same level as this.”
Another reader shared their love for the book by saying: “Binged this in a day. I’m so lost for words and gobsmacked. This was everything I wanted and more. Thanks for ripping me apart, Rebecca, and kind of putting me back together, then ripping my heart out again.”
One user joked: “I did not finish this book. This book finished me.”
Six months after the overnight hit that was Fourth Wing, Yarros published the sequel, Iron Flame, keeping fantasy fans engaged in her world. Now, with growing interest in Onyx Storm, she has proven to be anything but a one-hit wonder.
The story follows Violet nearly eighteen months after her time at Basgiath War College, on a journey beyond Aretian wards, as she seeks allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. She is tried and tested but will do anything to save the ones she loves, even if that means keeping a huge secret, capable of ruining everything.
The latest book in the Empyrean Saga has received over 140,000 5-star reviews on Goodreads, just days after its release, and is #1 on the Amazon book charts this week.
However, Onyx Storm hasn’t received glowing reviews from all of its readers; some fans have been left feeling disappointed by the highly anticipated book.
An upset reader left a one-star review on Goodreads stating: “I really wanted to like this, but I didn’t. I loved Fourth Wing. I didn’t really like Iron Flame; it was okay but could have been so much better. I waited over a year for this book because of the cliffhanger, but it felt so flat. I was bored most of the time, and what was that ending? I’m so confused.”
Another wrote: “As a big fan of the series, this was a tough read.” Then they explained that they felt the middle of the book was the hardest part to read and even pointed out that they thought “some sentences didn’t make sense grammatically.”
However reviewers feel, the numbers don’t lie, Onyx Storm has quickly become a bestselling book and could go on to be one of the biggest releases we see in the entirety of 2025. You can pick up a copy of Onyx Storm on Amazon here or Waterstones here.