WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Rebecca Yarros' Empyrean Series has its strengths and weaknesses, but Onyx Storm's ending.

The biggest problem with The Empyrean Series book 4 desperately needs to change that.

Violet & Xaden Haven't Grown Emotionally In The Empyrean Series

They've Remained Stagnant - And They're Getting Worse

For three books now, Violet and Xaden haven't grown in anything but their signet abilities and battle prowess. Emotionally, they're still as stunted and immature as ever. They're still repeating the same unhealthy patterns, and at this point, it's fair to argue that they make each other worse people. Violet, for example, once again put her friends in danger by lying to them and keeping the truth of Xaden's venin status from them. For a while, it seemed as though she'd evolve past her habit of hiding the truth and lying to her friends; after they called her out on it and forgave her in the last book, she promised she'd never do it again.

And yet, there Violet was in Onyx Storm, failing to learn the lesson of Iron Flame, and doing the same shady things for the same reasons. This time, however, it put her friends in immediate danger. Whether Violet wants to it it or not, Xaden is a danger to everyone around him – he proved as much when he put a knife to Ridoc's throat. While Violet wanting to Xaden is understandable, doing it at the expense of her friends having vital knowledge they need to stay safe is unacceptable, and it shows she hasn't grown a bit – as Ridoc rightly pointed out to her when finally learning about Xaden's venin secret. Violet even describes herself as feeling "nauseous" when she comes clean to him, proof that she knows what she did was wrong but did it anyway.

Xaden and Violet are so obsessively consumed by each other that they're the relationship equivalent of a dying star, collapsing ever inward. That's not romance; that's horror.

And Xaden? Xaden just devolved completely in Onyx Storm, becoming jealous and possessive in a way that's downright ugly and controlling, not to mention violent and aggressive with people who don't deserve it. While Xaden's personality implosion in Onyx Storm is blamed on his turning venin, and Violet's lying on her wanting to protect him, it still amounts to the same thing: they're stagnating as people because of each other. Xaden and Violet are so obsessively consumed by each other that they're the relationship equivalent of a dying star, collapsing ever inward. That's not romance; that's horror.

Other Characters Are Starting To Notice They're Unhealthy Together

They Got Called Out In Onyx Storm

It's not just readers who are noticing Violet and Xaden's lack of evolution in the books, either; other characters are, too. Violet's lack of honesty with her friends is especially hypocritical, seeing as how Xaden keeping secrets from her is the reason she always fights with him. It's enough so that she was called right out by her friends in Onyx Storm, and though the moment was framed as friends joking around with each other, there was seriousness behind their words and observations:

"[Rhiannon] shoots a sideways glance my way. 'But he's right, you and Riorson bicker like you've been married fifty years and neither of you wants to do the dishes.'

'That is not true,' I protest as Sawyer nods.

'Agreed,' Ridoc says. 'And it's always the same fight.' He lifts his hand to his chest. 'I'll trust you if you stop keeping secrets!' He drops the hand and scowls. 'It's my secretive nature that attracted you, and why can't you just stay out of harm's way for five f**king minutes?'

Rhi laughs so hard she nearly chokes."

The moment is diffused, of course by Ridoc, but the truth hurts – and what they said is true. When they're not having sex, Violet and Xaden spend most of their time arguing, bickering, and fighting with each other, going around and around about the same issues – issues they've both sworn to work on and habits they've sworn to stop doing in the first two books. When they've had three books of the same repetitive fights and bad habits, it's clear that the problem is them.

Onyx Storm Makes The Series' Violet & Xaden Weakness Even More Obvious

Everyone Else In The Squad Is Growing Except For Violet & Xaden

It's not just Violet's friends calling her out that made her and Xaden's lack of growth so much more glaring in Onyx Storm. While she and Xaden remain stagnant, the rest of their friends are growing and evolving around them, and it's making the weakness of their relationship even more obvious. Rhiannon doesn't have a lot to do in the third book, but in the above conversation about relationships, she made it clear that she and her girl, Tara, have had a mature discussion about their relationship. With the leadership of squads eating up their time, they decided to spend time together when they can, but they're not holding onto it too tightly. It's a responsible, open-handed approach to a relationship.

Sawyer and Ridoc get even bigger arcs. Sawyer's arc in Onyx Storm is one of the book's most underrated storylines. He learns how to overcome his grief and depression and shame over losing his leg and begins the long journey of reclaiming his life, making the decision to try to ride again. He even taps into his metallurgy signet to fashion a prosthetic leg for himself, swallowing his pride and adapting to his newly disabled status by creating tools that will help him to once again ride Sliseag without losing any mobility to his missing leg. Along the way, his romance with the scribe Jesinia sweetly blossoms as he decides to stop feeling sorry for himself and go for it.

Ridoc grows even more in Onyx Storm and is arguably the MVP of the third book as he really comes into his own. Once the class clown of the group, Ridoc was often dismissed by those around him, even his friends, when it came to who they'd trust in a crisis. But Ridoc stepped up in a big way in Onyx Storm on their quest to the islands, coming into his own as a stalwart comrade and a trusted ally in a fight.

He stepped up emotionally, too, finally dropping his happy-go-lucky attitude a few times, particularly when he loses his temper at Violet and calls her out – rightfully so – for lying to them yet again. He sticks to his guns when it comes to his ultimatum that Violet tells the rest of their friends that Xaden is venin as soon as they return, or he will: he's not about to let Violet slide and take the easy way out. In that one moment, Ridoc shows more emotional ability and growth than Violet ever had. The contrast between them highlights how much he has matured as a character, but also exposes how little growing Violet herself has done.

The Fourth Empyrean Series Book Must Fix Violet & Xaden

It's A Problem When The Entire Series Hinges On Characters Who Aren't Evolving

When the series' comic relief of a character is evolving more than the heroine, that's a big problem. Violet and Xaden are the central pillar upon which the entire Empyrean Series rests, and the story can only grow as much as they do. If they're not growing – which they're not – then neither is the narrative, and with a series that has two more books to go, that's a huge issue. Three books in, and it's becoming a real concern that the rest of the Empyrean Series will just continue to retread the same plotlines over and over, not just with Onyx Storm repeating Iron Flame's "someone turned venin" cliffhanger ending, but with their relationship – and it's not looking good after Violet and Xaden's surprise shotgun wedding in Onyx Storm.

As such, the fourth book in the Empyrean Series needs to course-correct, and quickly. Onyx Storm has already drawn some criticism for its messy plot, with more than a few readers pointing out that there doesn't appear to be enough story to sustain five books. If that's the case, then something else needs to fill in the gaps and supplement the main plot. For three books now, that's been Violet and Xaden's relationship, but it won't suffice if they remain so stagnant. The next one has a chance to tap into Violet's and Xaden's potential, both as a couple and individually, and actually allow them to grow for once, to do things differently. If not, it will be the fourth book in a row in which the two main characters remain predictably toxic. Both they and readers deserve better.