I really wanted to love this one. I remember flying through the first two books in the series and being completely pulled in by the world, the characters, and how fast the plot moved. So it’s disappointing to say that Onyx Storm just didn’t land for me.
Right off the bat, this book felt incredibly slow. I don’t usually mind a bit of buildup or world-deepening, especially in a fantasy series, but the first 40 percent of this felt like wading through molasses. For a while I blamed myself, thinking maybe I was just out of practice or forgetting too much from the earlier books, but the further I got, the more convinced I became that it wasn’t me. It was the book. Most of the early chapters didn’t seem to connect to the main story in any meaningful way until much, much later. And by then, I had already kind of checked out.
One of the biggest struggles for me was the cast of characters. Were there always this many? I truly could not keep track of who was who. Names would pop up and I’d be asking myself if they were new or someone I had forgotten, and in most cases, it didn’t really matter. They came and went with little impact. Eventually, I just gave up trying to follow it all and hoped the main thread would carry me through, which it sort of did. But even toward the end, there were moments where I’d pause and realize I was reading about someone I had no memory of. That’s not a great sign.
To be fair, once the story did pick up, it moved more in line with what I expected from the series. There was action, tension, and a few moments where I was fully pulled in again. But it felt like a long wait to get there, and it never really recaptured the urgency or tight plotting that made the earlier books so compelling. I kept hoping for that spark, and it just never quite arrived.
This one picks up right after book two, and in that regard, it was a smooth transition. It didn’t feel jarring or like I had missed anything. But as far as series momentum goes, I’m not sure what the game plan is now. I’ll probably still read book four when it comes out, but I’m really hoping it shifts back toward the energy and clarity of the first two. Less filler, more forward motion.
All that said, I don’t regret reading it. It felt like a necessary (if slow and slightly confusing) bridge book. If you’ve read the first two and liked them, I’d still say it’s worth sticking this one out. Just maybe wait until closer to the release of the fourth book so the plot stays fresh and you don’t feel quite as adrift in the sea of characters.
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