‘Onyx Storm’ Readers Are Confused: Here's Why BookTok Is Having a Total Meltdown
"I’m on Chapter 6 and very confused. Hoping the rest of the book answers my millions of questions."
Published Jan. 23 2025, 2:34 p.m. ET
Reading a book shouldn’t feel like solving a mystery, but Onyx Storm has readers deeply confused. Furthermore, BookTok is in complete chaos because they can’t make sense of what they’re reading. While this is the third installment in Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean series, it has left many fans questioning if they somehow missed an entire book without realizing it.
Readers of this series expected high-stakes action, dragons, and romance. What they got instead was something that had them flipping back pages, Googling character names, and staring at the map like it held the answers to the universe. TikTok user @sophiareads99 captured the collective meltdown in a viral video, admitting that only six chapters in, she already felt like the book was gaslighting her.
Why exactly does Onyx Storm have the readers of BookTok spiraling into a total meltdown? Let’s take a closer look.
‘Onyx Storm’ readers are confused, saying the book feels like a fever dream.
If you’ve ever had that moment where you stop mid-paragraph while reading Onyx Storm and thought to yourself, "Wait … What?" You’re not alone. Readers are struggling to follow the plotline of this book. Some are taking to TikTok and Reddit to admit they are feeling completely lost just a few pages into the book.
A Reddit thread titled “Is anyone else wildly confused?” quickly filled with comments like, “I feel like I’m so lost reading the first 50 pages” and “The flow is so weird and all over the place.”
Even readers who reread Fourth Wing and Iron Flame right before diving into Onyx Storm still feel like their memories were wiped. TikToker @frankie.reads, who spent three hours reading, confessed she had to reread multiple pages and still couldn’t make sense of what was happening.
In the comments of her video, one reader wrote, “I swear Imogen erased all our memories because this has been DIFFICULT…” Another admitted, “I had to use literally every ounce of my brain power to decipher what was happening.”
'Onyx Storm' readers are begging for a map and an editor.
It’s not just the characters — Onyx Storm has introduced new locations, new politics, and new conflicts that have left readers struggling to keep up.
One TikToker admitted, “Not me looking at the map every five seconds and then NOT finding the islands. Did I miss something?” Another wrote, “The first hundred pages felt like sitting in a political boardroom meeting, and I have no idea who or what anyone is saying.”
Beyond the world-building, some readers feel the writing itself is making things harder to follow. A top comment on TikTok summed up the frustration: “I feel like the writing is so lazy. It takes one sentence to refresh the reader’s mind.”
Others pointed out how many times they had to reread sections just to figure out where characters were or what they were talking about. One Redditor didn’t hold back, saying, “So many phrases are repeated. Honestly, I feel bad for Rebecca Yarros because I feel the timeline they are pushing on her to put these books out is way too fast. I would have happily waited two years if it meant the book was the same quality as Fourth Wing.”
The overwhelming number of characters isn’t helping.
One of the biggest struggles readers are facing? Keeping track of all the names. There are familiar characters, new ones, people who were barely mentioned before, and names that sound similar enough to make things extra confusing.
A top comment on TikTok joked, “I’m convinced we feel this way because Violet didn’t bother learning anyone’s name last year.” Another reader admitted, “I’m gonna make a character chart for my wall.”
Some are even turning to Google just to figure out who’s who, while others are realizing that certain names simply weren’t in the previous books at all. “I just finished Iron Flame a few days ago, and these names don’t pop up AT ALL.”
Reddit users are feeling the same way. One reader posted, “I just came to the sub to get answers on what the heck the rune disk is and also what deal Violet made with Tecarus.” Another added, “She keeps using last names and dragon names that I’m not familiar with. I’m like WHO.”
Readers are frustrated, but they’re still pushing through.
Despite the confusion, most readers aren’t giving up. Many are struggling but still determined to finish the book. One Reddit user summed it up perfectly: “Will I still devour the book? Yes. Will I continue to read the series? Also, yes. But this is hurting my brain.”
Trying to read Onyx Storm may have sent BookTok into a total meltdown, but it has also resulted in good publicity as no one can stop talking about the book. Whether readers get to a point of understanding what’s happening or not, most seem to be embracing the confusion as part of the ride.