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Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 40

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Written by: Cory

Onyx Storm Read Along – Chapter 40

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. Please note that some mild spoilers from future chapters will be found here.

The chapter starts with a harrowing epigraph. The whole continent is at war, and with or without wards, it’s clear that more and more people are needed to defend against dark wielders.

The squad flies a day and a half towards the northwest until they spot land. But it’s Violet’s thought that gives me pause: “Thank you, Amari. Not sure I’ll ever pray to Zihnal again.”

Is she realizing that all gods play tricks?

There is something rather interesting about the small isles, though, that I think we should pay attention to. They fly over deep waters, the blackest shade of blue. And where they land, the sand is black too. I can’t help but wonder if we’re close to Malek’s isle? This particular small, minor isle has magic too. About half the intensity of Navarre, but more than on Zehyllna.

“Her name is Broccoli, not that,” he mutters. Everyone loves a kitten and the name Rebecca Yarros came up with…delicious! Also, the kitten is orange, just like everything else from the isle. I wonder if Broccoli is going to end up being chaos for Drake and Mira in seasons to come, much like how an orange is unpredictable. I do wonder what is the point of the kitten and if she is meant to play an important role in the book, or was just to make us all melt.

Going back to the isle, if we pay attention to what the riders and fliers are talking about in regards to the geography of this isle, I think we do have proof that they have found, by complete mistake, Malek’s isle. “We are at the southern tip of an island chain of volcanic formations,” he answers from high above us. “It does not match anything on the map, though there is another mass of land an hour’s flight due west with what appears to be sizable cliffs.”

Does not match anything on the map. They are seriously off course, and yet there is land here. With magic.

Violet makes a plan for everyone to separate and go searching. Two things to note: if they don’t find anything, they will head to the southeast isles together, and eventually to Loysam. This is important to note, seeing as they never make it to either. To me, this is foreshadowing for the next book, as I strongly believe they need to come back.

“It’s…” He grimaces. “It’s tempting, and I don’t even need it. It’s important to understand Xaden’s relationship with wild magic. It also plays again on Mirja’s theory on addiction. I wonder why is it that under the wards Xaden is more protected? Jack seemed to be able to channel under the wards too. So what is it about the wards that keeps venin more in control?

Another bit of an Easter Egg here for us: “Wielding to protect you has always been an instinct, but now it’s…uncontrollable.”

See, I know there is talk that Xaden will have to channel and hurt Violet and her friends, and while I think he will make some horrible mistakes, I cannot imagine that he would ever do anything to hurt Violet. I don’t think Rebecca Yarros is that type of author that will allow for this. Not even a little. I do believe that Xaden is a morally gray character, for sure, but I don’t think we will encounter any type of “domestic violence.”

There is another thing here: “I mean it when I say you own my soul.” This is being said over and over. And while I want to believe that Violet was somehow touched or chosen by Malek, I can’t help but wonder about this reference. There are two gods that irrevocably change souls: Dunne and Loial. Xaden always calls Violet violence and love. I don’t think this is a coincidence.

And woah, woah, woah, the biggest Easter Egg for us. The BIGGEST foreshadowing. Brace yourselves: “I’ll say the same when you’ve been unable to communicate with your mate for weeks and are then deprived by choice.”

“Humans don’t mate!” I call after him.

But there are theories stating that Violet and Xaden are mates. But that’s not the Easter Egg I was alluding to, although that is a pretty big one too. But “unable to communicate for weeks“. Oh! Could this be where the story is going in Book 4?

“I swing my gaze along the beach, but there’s nothing there, just the shimmer of the morning sun on the waves”. – So the irids really are…invisible. They could have been following this group for weeks without anyone noticing. That’s very unsettling. It also makes it harder for us to guess where the irids live.

“We didn’t find the irids; they found us.” For the first time, we got hopeful, excited and really really happy. The mission is proving to be a success! There are not one but six irids here. We can understand more about Andarna!

It took me a while to understand the slide whistle things that make the irids be able to communicate with humans.

And so, we’re about to meet the very creatures we’ve been trying to find for 40 whole chapters! Can they cure venin? That’s the most important question!

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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