Onyx Storm (Climax, Part 1 - Chapter 57 to Chapter 60)
STATS
Title: Onyx Storm
Series: The Empyrean (Book 3)
Author(s): Rebecca Yarros
Genre: Fantasy (Epic)
First Printing: January 2025
Publisher: Red Tower Books
Rating: 1.5 / 10
SPOILER WARNING
Heavy spoilers will be provided for the entirety of The Empyrean up through the end of the content covered in this part. Mild spoilers for elements later in Onyx Storm may be provided, but I will keep the first paragraph of each section as spoiler-free as possible. Heavy spoilers from later in Onyx Storm will be confined to clearly labelled sections.
STORY
The riders at Aretia argue whether to defend Draithus, defend the refugees fleeing Draithus, or rescue Mira, since they explicitly don't have the riders to do all of these things. Violet is ultimately given the sole decision-making power. She declares that they will use the rescue of Mira as a chance to kill Theophanie … and apparently decides more riders into existence, as they end up doing the other objectives anyway.
Violet, Bodhi, Brennan, and Xaden meet with Theophanie, while Garrick brings Jack using his teleportation Signet (since Theophanie wanted Jack). They meet Theophanie on the battlefield, with Mira as her hostage. Theophanie slits Mira’s throat, throws a dagger at Jack and … just … runs away.
There is a tense scene as Brennan mends Mira while the dragons fend off the wyverns. Dain and Sloane arrive. Sloane uses her Signet to transfer magic from Dain to Brennan, allowing Brennan to save Mira. Mira and her dragon are then airlifted away, while everyone not involved in this evacuation heads to defend Draithus. Violet and Bodhi are left to hunt Theophanie.
Theophanie returns at this moment, as if she’d been waiting off-stage for her cue. She mocks Violet. Bodhi tries to suppress her Signet, but Violet instantly jumps to two conclusions:
Theophanie is too powerful for his Signet to suppress.
Theophanie’s Signet is not lightning wielding. It is storm wielding. This somehow makes her more powerful than Violet, despite Violet’s Signet previously being classed as being more powerful than storm wielding (by virtue of her being designated as one of the most powerful riders while her mother was still alive, with no indication that her mother was stronger than her).
Violet tells Bodhi to flee, and his dragon takes him away. What follows is a fight of hollow noise, with Violet trying various cool action things while Theophanie monologues about her impending turn to the dark side. We then get a false cliffhanger into a POV shift chapter.
PLOT
Buildup
Actual Stakes
I cannot emphasize strongly enough how much stronger the start of this climax is versus the previous books.
I barely hear any of it. Only one thought matters: Theophanie is done waiting for me, and she has Mira.
She has my sister.
And our last words were in anger.
Fear threatens to worm its way past the rage boiling in my blood, and I fight to deny it entry. Mira doesn’t have time for my fear. It’s a four-hour flight to Draithus, and if we don’t leave in the next half hour, we’ll be too late—not just for Mira but for the thousands of civilians as well.
I have no investment in these “thousands of civlians”. Yarros throws around statistics and slaughters background characters with such regularity that ten, a thousand, or a million civilians are all equally meaningless. I also dislike both Violet and Mira.
However, I do believe that Violet cares about Mira. The emotional weight of this moment that is relatable and understandable. That gives this climax more tension and better stakes than a threat against thousands, millions, or even billions of faceless civilians ever could.
Hollow Drama
… that’s not to say it’s all perfect.
Xaden stands silently in front of the throne, his arms crossed as he studies the field to the north of Draithus, where Theophanie has demanded we meet. “We don’t have enough riders to retrieve Mira, defend Draithus, and protect the pass.”
“No.” Brennan sighs and examines the map more closely. “We’ll have to prioritize anobjective. Maybe two.”
Xaden nods.
“We can’t just leave people to die,” I protest.
This doesn’t work on a couple levels.
First, this is an example where a writer is relying on the audience agreeing with the principle of anything without actually earning the investment. We have no reason to care about Draithus. We have no reason to care about the refugees. Add on top of this the fact that this is Yarros’s self-insert Mary Sue power fantasy, and it's a given that whatever Violet wants to protect will survive this while the things she doesn't care about will either be saved anyway or else discarded with no real consequence. All this is to say that the only one of these three objectives that has any real weight is Mira, and that one obviously won’t be discarded.
Second … why do you not have enough dragons, Xaden? Could it perhaps be because you pitched a hissy fit and got your province cut off from the rest of Navarre’s military? This mess only exists because of Xaden’s actions, and yet the narrative will never acknowledge this.
I did consider criticizing the fact that Violet won't discard Mira for the greater good, since hers is one life against all those lost if the city falls or the refugees are attacked, but I’m actually going to let that one go. It’s a character-based decision built upon established dynamics. That makes perfect sense for the story being told. Plus, as pointed out later, rescuing Mira means a chance to kill Theophanie, which is a strategic victory for the overall war effort.
What I won’t ignore is Yarros turning this into more self-indulgent power fantasy by handing Violet the decision-making power and then validating herself again.
Brennan stares at me while pointing at Xaden, andI don’t think he’s just talking about this discussion. He gestures to the model. “Violet, pick one objective to win.”
“People will die if we only choose one.” My heart starts to pound.
“Yes.” He nods. “Welcome to leadership.”
“Why me?” I stare at the model. Mira has to come first, but the thought of leavingcivilians to be desiccated, our own riders and fliers to die with their bonded ones? It’s too much to fathom. Losing Liam was battle. Mom was her own sacrifice. Tragerwas…luck. Being responsible for the deaths of thousands?
“Because I don’t think you can,” Brennan answers gently. “Theophanie knows you’ll try to save everyone like you did in Resson, or at Dunne’s temple, or Basgiath before Mom…” He swallows. “That’s why we’ll fail. Because you will choose everyone over yourself, and he will choose you over everyone.”
And then she tries to pretend that Brennan didn’t consider killing the enemy leader as an objective, just so Violet can be validated for such an obvious idea.
“Theophanie.” I take a steadying breath. “I guess I would kill Theophanie.”
“I’m impressed. That was not on my list.” The table creaks as Brennan sits on its edge.
What Theophanie Really Wants
Before the end of Chapter 57, it is clarified that Theophanie actually requested Xaden’s “brother”, not Bodhi. Garrick misspoke when he though she wanted Bodhi.
At first glance, this is fine … but Garrick already knows Xaden is a venin. Why would he assume “brother” meant anything other than the venin Theophanie has already tried to free once?
And why, despite figuring this out, do they decide to bring Bodhi anyway? He is Xaden’s succession plan. What was the point of making a big deal out of that fact if he’s going to be needlessly dragged into this trap?
I can’t tell if Yarros is trying way too hard to seem clever or if she really meant Bodhi at the end of Chapter 56, only to change her mind in Chapter 57 and decide to slap this explanation in instead of doing the bare minimum of editing.
I do think that making Jack part of the climax makes sense. It helps tie the end of this narrative back into the beginning. It just feels like the Bodhi misdirection was unnecessary and confusing.
Aaric Aftshadowing, Part 2
“Molvic has been spotted along the cliffs,” Tairn warns as he flares his wings, slowing our momentum.
Fucking Aaric. “If he gets himself killed—”
“He was seen flying south, away from conflict.” He spits every word in disgust.
What in Amari’s name could he be doing? “It’s not like Aaric to run away.”
“Nor Molvic.”
Also, the stated reason Sloane and Dain show up is that Sloane is delivering something to Violet on Aaric’s behalf, when Dain is pursuing her.
I won't elaborate what Aaric is up to this time. We’ll wait for the reveal when we cover Violet’s last three chapters in Sunday. Just keep in mind that Aaric behaved erratically here and that said erratic behavior is referenced without actually impacting the scene.
The Berwyn Lie
Back in the Iron Flame review, I concluded that Yarros lied to the audience about Xaden killing Berwyn.
In Chapter 58, not only does she confirm that she lied, but she also tries to smuggle in the reveal of that fact by having Violet act as if Berwyn’s survival was common knowledge this whole time.
“And yet you didn’t bring the brother he wanted.” Theophanie sighs. “Berwyn will be disappointed.” A thin line of blood appears along the edge of her knife.
“He’s on the way,” I say quickly.
“Berwyn.” Xaden tenses, and his focus swings south toward the city again. That’s where he needs to be—in position to save as many people as possible—but he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to leave me.
“Yes. Hence the term brother.” Theophanie glances my way. “I won’t make the mistakes with you Berwyn made withJack. He spills his Sage’s secrets too easily.”
“I’m not turning.” My hands curl into fists.
Hey, Violet? Maybe want to focus on the fact that guy Xaden claimed to have killed is alive?
For that matter, the fact that Berwyn threatened Violet in Xaden’s dream, and that said threat became very real moments later, is never acknowledged. Why does the “rational woman” renowned for her “intellgience” not pick up on this?
The only question here is when Yarros lied. Did she lie in Iron Flame, when she needed Berwyn to be dead? Or did she lie here, when she needed him to be alive again but didn’t want to write about Violet finding out and dealing with the fallout of Xaden unambiguously lying to her for no good reason?
Either way, the fact Violet isn’t fazed by Berwyn being alive just tells me that Yarros was trying to sneak this under the radar … either that, or she can’t remember significant events within her own continutiy. Yarros is free to pick her poison.
The Rescue / Assassination Plan
Violet, Brennan, Bodhi, and Xaden all to to meet Theophanie. Garrick teleports Jack to the meeting place in that magic treasure chest that can hold venin. They do the trade.
…
I’ve got nothing after that. What, exactly, was there plan?
First, why is Brennan here? Obviously, it's so Yarros can save Mira after Theophanie cuts her throat, but what reason did the group have to bring him? They did not anticipate Theophanie cutting Mira's throat. What’s more, a big deal is made out of Xaden putting himself in danger while also being Duke of Tyrrendor, so why is an important rebel officer like Brennan also being exposed to danger? Yes, there is the family angle, but Mira is far closer to Violet than him, and Brennan has been framed as one member of this family who is anything close to cool-headed and rational. Surely it would make more sense for him to trust his sister’s fate to Violet while ensuring the rebel leadership remains intact to fight another day.
Second - and I cannot stress this enough - why is Bodhi here? I hate to harp on the point that he is Xaden's successor, but Yarros is the one who chose to make a big deal about that at the last second. As for his Signet, it’s not a general anti-magic effect. Sure, the riders may think it can disable Theophanie’s Signet, but they surely remember that her ability to move so fast that she seems to teleport is a separate thing, right? They remember she is still a venin who can do a death wave attack? (I know they remember that because Yarros has Violet remember that in an unsubtle line to try to force tension.) Why, then, are they risking Bodhi?
Also, Mira’s dragon was taken hostage, too. Did they have no plan for helping him off the battlefield? Chapter 60 presents his inability to take off as an unforeseen consequence, with the airlift being an act of desperation rather than something pre-planned. How did no one consider that Theophanie might have maimed this dragon to present him from trying to grab Mira and flee?
Yarros clearly just stuck characters into this scene as needed to force narrative beats, and then she couldn't even try to make sense of any of it.
Healing Mira
I want to like the chapter where they struggle to save Mira. If we ignore everything happening around it (including things happening on the same page), there is weight to it, at least at first. Her injury does seem to be fatal, and again, we can lean on Violet’s connection to her for emotional weight.
It’s just … this is where the climax peaks and begins to nosedive.
Can Brennan Heal Mira?
This was genuinely in doubt right up to the point that Sloane and Dain showed up, at which point, Mira’s survival was guaranteed.
Inventing obstacles and immediately resolving them is standard fare for Yarros at this point. She can’t truly allow Violet to fail, after all, no matter how high the odds are stacked.
A slit throat is a lethal injury because of how fast a person bleeds out. Given how mending works, it should absolutely be able to save Mira if used immediately (which it is). The only question was if Brennan had the power to pull it off in time. As soon as someone who can transfer power arrived, it was obvious that he’d succeed.
Everything Happening Around This Scene
The only reason this overwrought chapter can happen is that the riders’ dragons are fending off wyverns. There is active combat going on around them (which Dain and Sloane fly through with zero resistance). No stray blasts of fire incinerate the heroes. No brawling brutes accidentally roll into them.
I’ve complained about Yarros requiring her audience to disconnect from reality to empathize with her self-insert Mary Sue, but here, she’s disconnected an entire chapter from reality.
Dain Has Too Much Power
Sloane has angst about draining people, fearing she’ll be a venin (an idea that was brought up out of nowhere in the last book and yet has not gotten any exploration in this entire bloated mess of a story). Dain is confident that she can transfer power out of him and into Brennan without harming her. When Sloane begins the transfer, we get this line from her:
Sloane wraps her fingers around Dain’s wrist. Her eyes flare, and she swallows. “Someone like you shouldn’t have this much power.”
What is Yarros setting up here? Is Dain a venin? Is he chosen by the gods for some purpose? Does he have a secret bond with a second dragon?
Does Yarros herself know why she has given Dain “power for power’s sake”?
All valid questions. I expect a disappointing answer in Book 4.
Showdown with Theophanie
The Return
So … after conveniently disappearing while Mira was healed, since Yarros didn't want Violet to kill her yet but couldn’t have her overpowering Violet … Theophanie comes back as soon as Violet is no longer distracted.
Why?
Let’s be clear: Violet is the only threat to Theophanie. She is immune to dragon fire (even Andarna’s, as was demonstrated back in Chapter 52). We are shown in Chapter 59 that Xaden’s shadows can’t restrain her (which is how she was able to flee). She’s too fast for anyone to put a dagger in her. Theophanie has both mean and motivate to butcher all of these riders here and now.
On top of that, Theophanie explicitly wants to turn Violet into a venin, and she thinks the fear of losing her loved ones will do it. Why not move on to killing everyone else to force the matter after she slices Mira's throat? They are distracted, and their dragons are tied up by the wyverns.
Oh, and the cherry on top is that Violet apparently can’t use her Signet if Theophanie is using her own to disrupt the atmosphere. (Given how previous books described Violet’s lightning as merely a manifestation of energy and stated that Violet doesn’t need to call lightning from the sky, something she seemed to have gotten past when Violet mastered the electric arc trick, this should not be true, but this is what Yarros wants to be true in this moment, so she has to stick with the consequences of that.) And Theophanie isn't shocked when Bodhi can’t suppress her Signet, so even if she knows what Bodhi is capable of, he’s not the reason.
All this is to say that this is where the climax, which was already beginning its descent, began to plummet. None of this makes sense under the rules Yarros has established. No effort it made to cover up how staged this is. Yarros wanted a specific sequence of events to take place, and logic was not a concern.
The Action
Much like with the fight on Unnbriel, I want to like the start of the fight between Theophanie and Violet. Yarros once again put some passion onto the page. Violet also uses her brain in this first to try to negate Theophanie’s many advantages, which is neat.
The issue is that, at this point, the climax no longer has any tension. The reason the start of the climax was so engaging what that Mira was in danger. Now that Mira is out of danger, what’s left to fuel this? Addiction to the power fantasy? The principle of many people being hurt elsewhere, people whose well-being will not actually be affected by the outcome of this fight?
If Theophanie had been properly developed as the antagonist of this story, if she’d gotten focus and been allowed to be a genuine threat and built a real dynamic with Violet, then this fight could have stood on the foundation formed by their relationship (just like how the prior events were supported by relationship between Violet and Mira). We haven’t gotten that, though. Replace Theophanie with some random venin whom Violet has never met before, and nothing actually changes.
The Maorsite Plot Hole
Yarros has pummeled us over the head with the fact that Violet is the smartest, most rational person in this setting. When Violet jumps to a wild and wholly irrational conclusion, reality warps to accommodate her.
So when this happens during the fight between Violet and Theophanie, we can rest assured that these are the true rules of the world.
Her lips crack as she screams, but instead of releasing my forearm or removing the knife from her thigh, she grasps her own dagger and drives me backward, slamming my spine against the ground. My eyes widen and I wait for the explosives in my quiver to kill us both, but the cushion somehow sustains the impact.
A maorsite detonation (because, as established earlier in the climax and confirmed earlier in this same scene, the “explosives” are maorsite) will “kill [them] both” - that is to say, kill a human rider and a venin.
Yarros is now explicitly telling us that maorsite can kill venin.
…
All the plot holes I discussed back in Iron Flame now unambiguously exist. Maorsite kills venin. The alloy was never necessary. This simple fact should have fundamentally reshaped this series and this entire setting.
Save the Children!
The last page of Chapter 60 is Theophanie trying to tempt Violet to turn by pointing out how the wyverns are breaking through the lines at Draithus (lines that somehow have held despite this being a three-dimensional battlefield with no barriers to bottleneck them) and attacking the refugees on the Medara Pass. It is cartoonishly overdone. What’s really bizarre, though, is the note the chapter ends on.
I glance south just long enough to witness the horde disappearing into the valley. “You’re right. I can’t be everywhere.” Theophanie’s eyes widen as I arch my neck against the blade. “I don’t have to be.”
When push comes to shove, I’m not the best of us.
She is.
Yarros is choosing the play the pronoun game again for cheap drama, creating yet another false cliffhanger. (This is the ninth one - we’ll double back to #8 in Prose.) Let’s set that matter aside for the moment, though. We’ll accept the ambiguity at face value.
Who, exactly, is Violet talking about?
Really think about this - don’t just guess. This is presented as some major payoff. Not necessarily as growth for Violet, perhaps, but a reflection of a relationship that has been pivotal to driving this narrative, someone who has been by her side every step of the way. This is someone who faced the tribulations of the rainbow dragon hunt with her and had their relationship tested in some dramatic moment.
Ah, of course - Ridoc! The accessory who graduated to being an actual character! The guy who was present through the trial, who fought with Violet over Xaden’s …
….
Oh, right. It’s a woman. That means it’s Mira or Cat, and since we can safely rule Mira out as being in any condition to defend refugees at the moment, it has to be Cat, right?
Nope. It’s Rhiannon … the accessory so irrelevant to this narrative that she was benched for the entire rainbow dragon hunt and has only appeared so we can admire Violet for validating her leadership skills.
…
Now, obviously, logical cause and effect demands that it be Rhi. She is the squad leader. She was assigned to this objective earlier in this block of chapters.
My issue here is that Yarros is trying to milk this for an emotional character beat that she simlly has not earned. Violet and Rhi’s dynamic has only appeared in filler scenes, and said filler was always about the power fantasy of Violet being this font of wisdom, rather than about their friendship. This would be like if the climax of an episode of The Next Generation hinged on Riker turning to Mot the Bolian barber and asked him for his tactical assessment of the situation after only featuring Mot in passing during the pre-credits scene. This is such a swerve.
And believe me, we’ll explore where that swerve goes in great detail tomorrow.
CHARACTER
Violet
Back in Chapter 13 of Iron Flame, we covered how Yarros tries to frame Carr as a Bad Teacher because he acknowledged the strategic value of Violet’s Signet.
Carr hikes over, then puts the back of his hand against my forehead and hisses. “You’re burning up.” He glances at Tairn. “Tell your dragon to carry you directly to the courtyard. You won’t make it from the flight field. Get food and a cold bath.” There’s something suspiciously close to sympathy in his eyes as he looks me over. “And while I agree that we do not command dragons, perhaps you could talk Andarna into making an appearance. You are a rare, powerful signet, Cadet Sorrengail. It would be a travesty to use yourtraining sessions in this manner again.”
I’m not a signet. I’m a person. But I’m too damned hot, too tired to make the words form. Not that it matters — he doesn’t see me that way. Carr never has. To him, we are the sum of our powers and nothing more. My chest heaves, but even the cool air of the mountaintop can’t touch the burn sizzling in my veins.
In Chapter 58 of Onyx Storm, Tairn does the same thing, and it is framed as affirmation of Violet's value. He is not condemned for this.
“You are our lightning wielder, and while your life may not matter more than other riders’, your signet does. You are the weapon and will have to learn to accept the sacrifice of others in your name if you want to win this war.”
So it’s evil to value Violet for her Signet first and foremost when she might have to serve the greater good, but it’s a noble thing when it justifies her sacrificing others “in [her] name”?
Theophanie
This woman is a too incompetent to take seriously. She runs away rather than strike when Violet is most vulnerable. She then lets all Violet’s loved ones get away before trying to turn Violet, despite invoking said loved ones as the reason Violet would turn. This is a caricature, not a character.
Also, in her monologuing, Theophanie hints at a history with Violet’s mother.
“Your mother knew at your age that she was no match for me. That’s why she hid behind those wards. Perhaps you should have followed her example.”
This comes out of nowhere. When and how did General Sorrengail come into contact with Theophanie? Is this going to get explored at some point in the future?
WORLDBUILDING
Ongoing Scale Issues
As riders are arguing about plans in the opening of Chapter 57, there’s this curious exchange about the defenses at Draithus
“We have a six-dragon riot stationed there—”
“Ten now that the line has fallen back.”
“Don’t forget the nightwing drift.”
“Against hundreds of wyvern?”
There are only six dragons stationed at this major Poromish city?
I skimmed past this issue in Chapter 44. The token force of dragons at that city was specifically there as a guard for the Queen of Poromiel. Draithus is a very different beast. These are the defenses the city has after Suniva’s small number of dragon defenders proved lacking, and it’s also presented as the last bastion before the venin can assault Navarre directly. (Never mind that the wyverns give the venin the ability to strike ANYWHERE, regardless of “lines”, so it’s already demonstrated that front lines are an obsolete concept in this particular war. No city is truly safe just because it is behind the “lines”.)
Why are there so few dragons defending this city? Where are all the other dragons? Navarre likely has at least 750 bonded dragons, as basic math involving the information available to us shows.
Violet’s class, which had barely a 100 dragons bonded, was supposedly very small.
The death statistics Yarros chose to establish us indicate that about 50 of those dragons should have riders survive to graduate.
General Sorrengail was proof that riders serve at least 25 years, given how old Brennan seems to be.
Where are these dragons fighting, then? What are they defending? There are no wyverns attacking Navarre directly, so they have no reason to keep all of these dragons inside the kingdom, not when they could keep the fight from reaching them by just reinforcing a city they know the venin want to take. Are we meant to think that the dragons are stretched thin because every town in Poromiel has six dragons assigned to it? Why would Navarre ever agree to such a deployment when they are barely willing to join this war in the first place? Surely they’d want dragons massed around sites of strategic value.
Again, Yarros is not thinking through the implications of her numbers. She wants the situation to sound dire and for Violet and her friends to save the day, so she is making Draithus as weak as possible, when the reality of her world demands that it not be. Would it have so hard to at least scale up the number of dragons to 20 or 30, to at least show that people are taking this conflict seriously?
Oh, and things get even more muddled when we get this line:
How did this happen? A harsh red line on the map spans from what had been the eastern front directly to Draithus. They’ve surged in the last twenty-four hours, ignoring everything else along their path, concentrating on this one target when easier, comparable cities remain untouched.
What comparable cities? Also, this confirms that the concept of front lines in meaningless, since the wyverns have such an easy time striking at Draithus.
Signets
Theophanie Wields Storms
This idea is fine on its own. Kind of another blow to Violet’s supposed intelligence that she thought Theophanie only wielded lightning after seeing her SUMMON A TORNADO in Chapter 10, but other than that, fine.
The real issue here is Yarros trying to force the concept of …
Balance
“Of course I’m not.” Theophanie flicks a finger, and the clouds above us begin to rotate. “There is only one exception to the rule, Violet Sorrengail. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be you. If it was going to be one of her daughters, I’d have bet on your sister.”
…
“She’s their answer to my mother.” Saying it out loud snaps the shock from my system, and my mind begins to race. Only Aimsir’s exhaustion or a physical illness weakened Mom. Not even the strongest wind wielder could diminish Mom’s storms.
“She was the answer to me,” Theophanie hisses, and the clouds start to swirl.
I’m guessing this means Violet is even more special, as the implication is that only Violet’s Signet is unaffected by he Balance rule?
Overall, I feel like Balance was an idea Yarros shouldn't have toyed with unless she was prepared to explore it. This is a payoff that has no real weight because it’s not clear how anything is actually changed by it. What does it really matter that Theophanie balances out Violet’s mother instead of having a randomly assigned power that happens to be the same?
Bodhi’s Signet Failing
I honestly thing that Yarros brought Bodhi to this fight just to make a big deal out of Theophanie being immune to his Signet.
Too bad his Signet hasn’t contributed at all to the plot of this series. What has he actually done with it? Stopped Carr from wielding fire in a flash-in-the-pan moment that only existed to demonstrate the Signet existed?
Much like with the idea of Balance, this Signet has so much potential, and Yarros ignores it until she wanted to force tension.
PROSE
False Cliffhangers (#8 & #9)
As covered above, the transition from Violet’s POV to Rhiannon’s at the end of Chapter 60 is a false cliffhanger. The issue in this case isn’t actually where Yarros cuts the chapter. It makes sense to use Violet declaring her faith in Rhiannon as a point to break and transition into another scene. Rather, the problem lies in the fact that Yarros plays the pronoun game to force a mystery where one doesn’t exist. She’s trying to force this natural transition feel more dramatic than it actually is.
Then there’s the transition from Chapter 59 to Chapter 60.
They’re airborne within seconds, flying south toward the city. I look away before fear has a chance to grab hold. He’s the most powerful rider on the field, and she’s merciless. Their survival isn’t a question.
Bodhi and I will give them enough time to save the city.
“Now that the Duke of Angst is gone,” Bodhi says, his voice rising, “we have a problem.”
Of course we do.
“What’s the issue?” I walk back to the carnage surrounding our dragons.
“He does not wake,” Tairn announces, and Cuir lowers his green snout to Teine’s.
Oh shit. Fear comes racing back.
“We have to get him off this field before Theophanie returns.” Bodhi studies the clouds.
“Can Garrick get Teine up the cliffs?” I ask.
“Under normal circumstances? Yes.” Bodhi winces. “But he’s already exhausted from walking all over the Continent in the last few hours. There’s no chance.”
There are two issues with this false cliffhanger.
In terms of delivery, this isn’t a huge shift in the scene. Yarros establishes a “new” problem at the end of one chapter and then immediately shifts to solving it. This is why Tairn leaves prior to Theophanie revealing herself. However, Tairn’s presence doesn’t actually help Violet fight Theophanie, so nothing is actually changing. This isn’t so much a change to the status quo as a fizzing idea of change.
There’s also the awkward fact, as covered up in Plot, that no one foresaw the possibility that Mira’s dragon wouldn’t be able to fly home under his own power. It is not credible that this group of dragon riders never considered the possibility that the enemy might do something to keep a hostage’s bonded magical creature from fighting or escaping. It’s even less credible that no one checked on said dragon before members of the group started flying off, especially since it defeats the purpose of saving Mira if her dragon dies (since apparently “choose to live” is only an option for Violet or those bonded to Violet). Yarros had to assassinate her characters for this weak excuse for a cliffhanger to exist.
UNFAMILIAR FACES
Tomorrow, December 20th, the collapse of the climax continues with the three chapters that are not in Violet’s POV.
This next part is going to function a bit differently. We’ll start with Yarros’s stated reason for breaking down the POVs like this, then evaluate each POV chapter its own entity. To finish, we’ll analyze whether Yarros achieved the goal she claims to have been pursing with these POVs.
I hope to see you all tomorrow. Be sure to subscribe for the newsletter if you’d like weekly e-mails with the latest post updates. Please also share this review with others if you enjoyed it. Take care, everyone, and have a wonderful weekend.
