Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros.Onyx Stormhas an explosive ending, but the book’s scariest moment is actually closer to the beginning — and I still haven’t fully recovered from it. Rebecca Yarros wastes no time jumping into the action inOnyx Storm,picking up immediately afterIron Flame’s ending. She thrusts readers into the aftermath of the prior book’s battle, and not long after, she introduces thesilver-haired venin, Theophanie, who serves as the main villain of the sequel. She proves a formidable opponent throughoutOnyx Storm,with the book’s scariest scene being a direct result of her storm-wielding ability.
When Violet and her friends set out to save the people of Maren’s hometown from a venin attack, Violet and Tairn have their first run-in with Theophanie — and if not forGarrick’s second signet, they’d be facing her alone. Even with Garrick rushing to Violet’s side, the two find themselves without dragons to defend them. For Violet, that’s because she and Tairn collide with a tornado moments earlier. While this doesn’t sound as high stakes asOnyx Storm’s endingbattle, it’s easily the book’s most anxiety-inducing moment. After all,there’s a minute or so when Violet believes Tairn is dead.
I’m Still Not Over Tairn Almost Dying At The Beginning Of Onyx Storm
Violet Being Unable To Feel The Bond Is Terrifying
Tairn is easily one of the best characters inThe Empyrean Series,and it’s difficult to imagine Yarros' books without his snarky comments and fierce protectiveness. While there are a few death fakeouts scattered throughoutOnyx Storm— Garrick being poisoned and Mira having her throat slashed among them —Tairn’s scared me the most. When Tairn is hit by the tornado, Violet temporarily can’t feel him through the bond. Tairn is a constant presence in Violet’s life — and mind — after the Threshing inFourth Wing,and it’d be devastating to see her lose that connection, even if she could potentially survive it.
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Sgaeyl’s mating bond would also make Tairn’s death incredibly tragic, as the two dragons suffer being separated from one another for long periods of time. A permanent loss is unthinkable for them, and for this reason, it would have a huge impact on Xaden as well. There’s also Andarna to consider; she looks up to Tairn as a mentor, and she’d be equally devastated to lose him inOnyx Storm.Tairn’s importance to just about every prominent character makes his near-death experience inOnyx Storma heart-stopping one, and I’m still not over it.
It’s a relief that Yarros doesn’t choose to kill Tairn inOnyx Storm— but I’m not convinced that she never will.
Needless to say, it’s a relief that Yarros doesn’t choose to kill Tairn inOnyx Storm— but I’m not convinced that she never will. The emotional impact of Tairn’s death would be a great way to raise the stakes inThe Empyrean Series,andYarros has set the stage for Tairn’s death to work without Violet’s.
Tairn’s Death Would Be One Of The Saddest Twists In The Empyrean Series
It Would Be A Good Way To Raise The Emotional Stakes
The Empyrean Seriesisn’t shy about killing off important characters — even ifOnyx Storm’s deathsare a bit underwhelming compared to those inFourth WingandIron Flame— so Yarros writing off Tairn wouldn’t be a huge surprise. However,it would be one of the saddest twists of the entireEmpyrean Series,as Tairn is a fan-favorite character and a critical support for Violet. He’s constantly ensuring her safety, and he proves one of the most loyal and accommodating dragons within the Empyrean. While he’s often snarky, it’s clear his connection to his rider runs deep.
After Onyx Storm, I’m Convinced These Two Characters Will Die By The End Of The Empyrean Series
There are two characters who have to die in future Empyrean Series books, as Onyx Storm is setting the stage to replace them with a better leader.
Given how devastated Violet is after losing Andarna temporarily, Tairn dying would be the most heartbreaking twist Yarros could deliver. Of course,it would also be a great way to raise the emotional stakes ofThe Empyrean Series,so I’m not ruling it out as a possibility.Onyx Storm’s brief but worrisome Tairn moment proves how effective such a turn could be. AndOnyx Storm’s Andarna disappearance suggests that there’s a way to kill Tairn without killing everyone else involved in the mating bond.
Andarna Breaking Violet’s Bond Sets Up The Possibility Of Her Having One Dragon
This Makes Me Worried For The Next Empyrean Series Book
Onyx Stormmay not have gone through with killing Tairn, but his death fakeout could be a sign of what’s to come. Tairn’s death would be the easiest way to break readers' hearts in the nextEmpyrean Seriessequel, andOnyx Stormdoes set up his demise. With Andarna breaking her bond with Violet — and then quicklycoming back duringOnyx Storm’s final chapters—Yarros has signaled that a rider with two dragons could potentially live without one of them. Given the rarity of Violet’s circumstances, it’s possible she could be the first to break the biggest rule of Yarros' world.
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Of course, it’s implied that Andarna can only sever her bond with Violet because Tairn bonded her first. This offers some hope that Tairn can’t be separated from Violet via death. However, given that Violet is the first rider to bond two dragons, there are a lot of unknowns surrounding her situation. For this reason,anything’s possible, including Violet and Andarna outliving Tairn.
With Xaden’s venin transformation potentially impacting his bond with Sgaeyl, he might also be capable of surviving Tairn’s demise in futureFourth Wingsequels.
With Xaden’s venin transformation potentially impacting his bond with Sgaeyl, he might also be capable of surviving Tairn’s demise in futureFourth Wingsequels.Fourth Wingtells readers that Violet’s and Xaden’s lives are linked through Tairn and Sgaeyl’s mating bond, but that may not be the case considering how unprecedented their circumstances currently are. There are also theories that Tairn and Sgaeyl broke their mating bond at the end ofOnyx Storm,which would save Xaden if Tairn were to perish as well.
Onyx Storm’s Scariest Scene Makes Me Worried About Tairn Dying In Later Books
The direction of Yarros' story and Tairn’s death fakeoutmakes me worried for future sequels, as I think Tairn is poised to become a casualty of the war against the venin. It’s inevitable that more majorEmpyrean Seriescharacters will die, and while Violet has plenty of loved ones caught up in the war, Tairn’s death makes the most sense. He’s a mentor of sorts to Violet and Andarna, so his demise would be a turning point. It would also push Andarna into a larger role as Violet’s only dragon, which seems like an obvious direction for the young irid.
There’s currently no timeline for the nextEmpyrean Seriesbook, but Yarros is taking a break before writing it.
I’d hate to see Tairn meet a grim end, so I’m hoping the nextEmpyrean Seriesproves me wrong about this theory. However, I can’t shake the feeling that Yarros was testing the waters with Tairn’s near-fatal incident inOnyx Storm.And if nothing else, that scene proves how chaotic and anxiety-inducing Tairn’s demise would be. It’s the surest way to shake things up in the last two books, but only time will tell if Yarros goes so far.
