Author Rebecca Yarros is known not to hold back on major character deaths in her writing, and the newly-released Onyx Storm is no exception to that rule.
Yarros' viral Empyrean series—which has caught the eye of the massive booktok community online (a movement that has been awash with controversy over the last few months)—sets itself in a brutal high fantasy world where war is plentiful and death is a norm.
Thus far in the series, Yarros has not been shy in killing off major characters. Fans may remember the ending of the second Empyrean book, Iron Flame, when the series' iconic heroine watched as her mother, Lilith, sacrificed herself in a final play to ward off dastardly Venin.
Who Dies In Onyx Storm?
Onyx Storm centers the series' central kingdom at the brink of war. The existence of the Venin has gone public, and some reluctant alliances must be forged as the Empyrean world prepares for what is sure to be the battle to end all battles.
Because of this impending war, the body count in Onyx Storm is not all that high. There are several major battles throughout the novel, with various nameless cadets losing their lives in the process, but the ultimate bloodshed does not come until much later in the book, largely being saved for its final few chapters.
The biggest of these deaths comes with the villainous Theophanie. Theophanie is introduced earlier in the novel as a Venin Maven obsessed with the series' main character Violet and her newly-Venin(ized) love interest Xaden.
Theophanie and Violet's paths finally cross at the end of the book, as the Venin big bad draws Violet from the shadows with a threat that she has Violet's sister captured and held hostage.
This culminates in a big battle between Violet and her Venin foes, with Violet ultimately prevailing, before she is reunited with her (at the time) recently lost dragon partner Andarna.
Violet was able to take the the silver-haired storm-weilder thanks to a weapon left to her by Aaric earlier in the novel, as it is revealed to her that her father once bowed to the Church of Dunne, and had (at one point) pledged his daughter to the church.
It turns out, Theophanie was previously a preistess of Dunne and Aaric had used his signet (magical power granted to dragon riders) of precognition seeing the battle ahead and supplying Violet with exactly the blade she would need to take down the books big bad.
Does Xaden Die In Onyx Storm?
One of the biggest questions coming out of Onyx Storm for most readers will be what happened to Xaden and did he die at the end of the book.
The book's final action sequence takes place on two planes with Violet attempting to free her sister from Theophanie's clutches, while her love interest Xaden confronts the dastardly Venin Berwyn, who has his dragon Sgaeyl at blade's end.
This leads Xaden to fully embracing his new Venin status, becoming a full on Venin Asim. Xaden ends the novel leaving Violet behind, having disappeared by the time she wakes up from the battle with Theophanie.
However, while Xaden is no longer in the picture at the end of the book, he is not dead and will likely be present in the next book (whenever that may come).
It is assumed that Xaden left not because he had been relieved of his mortal coil, but had gon into hiding as his Venin hunger for power will put him and Violet on opposite sides of the upcoming war.
With the story going the way that it is, it would not be all that surprising if Xaden eventually bites the dust (likely as a sacrifice to save Violet), but author Rebecca Yarros seems to be saving that for another time.
Does Tairn Die In Onyx Storm?
Another big name that looked as though they may die in Onyx Storm is Violet's ultra-powerful dragon Tairn.
Tairn and Violet have been bonded since her Threshing in Fourth Wing, where she (the nocitibly brittle and unlikely hero) was taken by one of the strongest dragons her fellow Riders had ever seen—similar to something like How To Train Your Dragon.
Since then, Tairn and Violet have forged a connection deeper than just about anyone else in the series. That is why it was awfully scare when Rebecca Yarros his fate into question during Onyx Storm's final confrontation with Theophanie.
While things look dire, just like Violet prevailed over her Venin foe, Tairn also comes out unscathed, as Violet's other bonded dragon Andarna rejoins the cause after leaving her Rider earlier int he story to seemingly live a life of peace with her passive species of dragon.
Andarna could not be kept out of the fight long though, as she teams up with Tairn to take down the attacking Venin, and keeping the black dragon alive (at least for now).
Onyx Storm is now available in bookstores worldwide.
