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Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 37

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Written by: Cory

Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 37

It goes without saying that THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. If you haven’t read this chapter of Onyx Storm, please go read it first.

The epigraph is sweet, but again, playing at recovered correspondences which specifically talk about Ridoc ahead of a chapter may have us look – Ridoc is usually not a good sign.

And yet, we immediately calm down a bit, as Ridoc is very much alive and unharmed. But his remarks are outstanding.

“What is the wisdom in a kitchen cook attacking two trained killers?” That’s right. There isn’t any.

Another fast-paced chapter where all we care about is saving Garrick right now. He ingested zakia berries, which become poisonous when allowed to ferment. How long did Asher stay here to be able to observe and note all these things?

Treat with fig or lime within one hour. This is a very meticulous observation from a traveller like Asher, wouldn’t you agree?

Despite the chaos, Violet knows exactly how to be a leader. Throughout the book I feel like we sort of missed this. We just saw a self-assured Violet, but in reality she is becoming a leader. The world champion of diplomatic and applied military sciences that she needs to be. She thinks ahead and thinks of everyone!

“I need five small cups filled with water. Fresh, not salt. One is for Dain.”

“Logic and wisdom dictate that you assist us so you don’t become us.”

“We’re safe.” He glares up at me. “We have no magic here.” “Foolish, foolish man.” I shake my head. “They’ll drain you.

I have questions here. Isles with no magic are not afraid of venim since they assume venim only wants magic. But indeed, why would venin drain people if they have no magic? I am confused by this. It’s also italicised, which makes me think we need to pay extra attention to these particular words.

And THERE: “You pray to Hedeon, or whoever will listen, that you were not as clever as you thought you were, because that’s the only way he’s going to let you out of this alive.”

You pray to Hedeon OR whoever will listen. Two things here. Hedeon does not usually listen when he is prayed to and second, they might actually have to pray to the real god of wisdom right now. Violet uses the words “not as clever” as you thought, because this was about deceiving and not about testing with honours and wisdom. Do we still need more proof that the real god of wisdom is not on this isle?

Garrick wakes and, yes, it is our least favourite isle, but we now focus on Xaden’s loss of emotion. What we are witnessing in his approach to Faris – it isn’t him. It’s incredibly intense. Violet is the only one to step between Xaden and Ridoc. Ridoc is surprised and Dain takes notice of it too. A little spoiler theory here so tread carefully, but it does remind me of Mirja’s theory on addiction. Xaden, right now, acts a little unhinged.

Violet seems to be the only one to calm him down, but it does open up the door to so many horrible possibilities. Would Xaden hurt her friends eventually? Would he just carry out actions without thinking first of the consequences? Even Ridoc had the common sense to see that killing Faris is not the right thing to do, even though we were rooting for Farris’ death.

“Meet Malek,” he snarls. I can’t help but wonder if everyone assumes that this is a threat when, in reality, I think Violet might just have to meet this very God, and survive it, seeing as I’m certain she is connected to him somehow.

There was a lot of conversation of alliances in the previous chapters but, Talia did marry Fen Riorson. Why would Fen contract a woman from the isles to forge an alliance? Makes no sense to me. We’re missing something obvious here, aren’t we? Could it be that she was originally from Unnbriel?

“Do you truly think your isle would support your next bid for power if they knew you were outsmarted in your own home?” Outsmarted. You cannot outsmart the God of wisdom, right? And yet Violet did so. It almost feels like you cannot outsmart the Gods in general. On Unnbriel, the goddess of war and strength almost had Dain and Xaden, with Violet managing to win just because she wielded. One could say that she wielded with the help of another (god). At least this is my theory. But without “magic help”, she wouldn’t have won. This leads me to believe that, again, gods cannot be outsmarted and yet, here on the isle, in the house of the wise gods, they were outsmarted by Violet. Could it be that maybe the real god of wisdom was with her? Or could it be that in reality, no god likes to play fair, seeing as dragons pay “no heed” to them?

The moment of satisfaction we’ve been waiting for the past… gosh, three chapters now? Violet delivering the punch line to Faris. Her wits and smarts are so undeniable. She thought of everything. She truly has the mind of a scribe and the heart of a rider. She really is Lilith’s and Asher’s daughter through and through.

“You didn’t outsmart me. None of this happened.” He reaches for the glass. Ugh, well that’s some shitty ego right there. Anything but wise if you ask me.

“The eyes. I should have recognized your eyes. You’re Asher Daxton’s girl.” Violet has Asher’s eyes. Interesting to know that he also had a mix of blue and amber. This begs the question, is there something more to these colours since Faris himself remembered them? It feels odd that he shold have recognized Violet because of her father’s eyes. Do so few visitors come to the isles? This has to be an important, clue, right?

The quest squad leaves this horrible isle and continue flying towards the other two major ones. We reiterate that Catriona and Trager are a thing and then we finally note Zehyllna.

White sand beaches, palm trees and weaving humans. We have some colour here. Green-leafed trees. The colour is not as rich, but there is some. Is there magic nearby?

We learn about Xortrys and its beauty. So much water everywhere as well. Water… the symbol of Gods. Is Zehyllna’s symbol water somehow?

After Hedeon’s isle, I do agree with Violet that the welcome on Zehyllna is incredibly unsettling. The oddest and potentially the most dangerous they’ve faced yet!

Take note of the fact that Violet mentions how people’s excitement here is humming along her veins as if the people’s zeal is contagious. I believe she is feeling magic, but she doesn’t recognise it yet.

Moments later, after Tairn draws this to her attention, she does feel it. Zehyllna has magic.

Onyx Storm Read Along

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Cory

Hello! I’m Cory, a devoted superfan of the Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and the Empyrean Series. My passion for these epic tales has led me to read and reread the books, each time uncovering new layers of information. I’ve created this site to share my insights and discoveries with fellow fans and anyone interested in exploring the rich world of Empyrean.

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Hello! This site is dedicated to the Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros. I’ve made this place to explore the rich world of Empyrean, full of characters, theories, and places. Each post is carefully researched and updated with the newest details from the series. This site is also a great spot for discussing theories about the Empyrean Series. 🐉
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