Readers came out full force—many in costume! —to get a copy of the latest book sensation, then feverishly poured over the pages and filled social media feeds with predictions and memes. Onyx Storm, the third installment in The Empyrean series has arrived and, as Rebecca Yarros says, Get your leathers. We have dragons to ride.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time immersed in this fantasy world with dragon riders, magic, found family and an epic romance. There are new characters, politics, and worldbuilding that at times became overwhelming, but didn’t keep me from getting swept away. I laughed and cried and fell so in love with the story and characters, I was sad when it came to an end! Please note, if you haven’t read Fourth Wing or Iron Flame yet, beware, there are spoilers ahead!

At the end of Iron Flame, Xaden and Violet were both fighting the enemy, venin, evil beings who look human, but gave up their souls to obtain dark magic by drawing power from the earth. The venin are corrupt and thirst for untamed, raw power. Cornered by a general venin and with no other option, Xaden channels from the earth, effectively sacrificing himself, to save Violet and he begins to turn venin! When Onyx Storm begins, Xaden is in the initial stages of becoming venin and is fighting, with Violet’s support, to control the progression and remain himself but they must keep it a secret. If anyone were to find out he would be executed.

Still reeling from the death of her mother who gave her life in Iron Flame to restore the wardstones (magical stones that protect their territory), Violet is back at Basgiath in Onyx Storm, training to become a dragon rider. Her love–boyfriend’s too casual a term for what they are–Xaden has returned to the school as an instructor and is using some unconventional teaching methods. Dragon riders protect their country from dangerous enemies. After discovering she has the rare power to wield lightning, and working to hone her skill, Violet is desperate to protect everyone in her kingdom while Xaden will do anything to protect Violet. And I mean anything!

The two are deeply in love and both have magical abilities they leverage to defend their territories. Violet has two dragons, one of whom is a small golden dragon and now a snarky teenager named Andarna. Andarna just discovered her fire affects venin and wants to learn how to use her magic to help win the war, which means finding her family, the missing seventh breed of dragons. Violet eagerly agrees, forming a squad to search for Andarna’s family, secretly hoping they might know of a way to cure venin and save Xaden before he fully turns to the dark side.

Their squad—referred to as Quest Squad—is made up of eight colorful characters, including Xaden, who all have unique magical abilities or signets. They travel to foreign lands and have to defend themselves and each other along the way. Violet shines as the leader with her wit, grit, determination, and how much she cares for everyone. It’s not all fun and games since not everyone in the squad makes it out alive, but their comradery is the best and their loyalty to each other admirable. One of my favorites of their group is Ridoc, who provides welcome comic relief with the funny things he does and his witty remarks. I appreciated that we got to see them have down time to recover and heal in addition to action, especially as Violet deals with chronic illness and pain.

The scenes where Violet and Xaden are together really stand out. Their relationship is the backbone of this series and you can feel their yearning throughout the story. When they’re together, their chemistry lights up the room, literally because Violet creates lightning and Xaden manipulates shadows, plus he is possessive and hot. Xaden tells her, I’m jealous of the armor that holds you when I can’t, the sheets on your bed that caress your skin every night, and the blades that feel your hands. Whew!

The ending is full of drama, big reveals, and cryptic comments and mysteries that have led to lively discussions and debates over what will happen in the next books. I confess I’m a fangirl and enjoy talking about what happened in Onyx Storm and theorizing about what is to come in books four and five (more Broccoli please!). But it looks like we’ll have to wait two years for the next one and I’ll be more than ready for it.