Onyx Storm: Chapter 56-57
Jun. 21st, 2025 10:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaWe enter Violet's dream, which is really Xaden's dream. This time it's obvious whose dream it is, which makes all the previous dreams where it was NOT obvious extremely funny. Yarros really thought she was foreshadowing, huh.
Violet is able to control the dream better this time, but that attracts the attention of the venin Sage. She has to hurt herself to escape the dream, but as she does she realizes something.
Well. I realize something, and we'll see if Violet catches up to me.
Like, it has to be either Sgaeyl or Andarna, right? Xaden doesn't give a fuck about any human woman except Violet. So I would guess it's either his dragon or Andarna. I guess maybe Mira? Because that's a woman Violet would care about?
Violet wakes Xaden up from the dream, and then Garrick shows up beat to shit to interrupt them.
Garrick is there to deliver a message from Theophanie: either Bodhi and Violet come to the walls of Draithus now, where the venin are, or Mira dies.
I was right! It was Mira. And Yarros saved Violet from having to figure that out.
And that's the END of the chapter. Who edited this? Who hurt you?
Let's keep going. Time is running out, and Violet meets with the other riders to plan their strategy. They're outnumbered, and they can't afford to rescue Mira without sacrificing the territory they're trying to hold, but this is obviously a trap so they don't want Violet to just walk into it. Also, Cat is mad because she doesn't want civilians to die and accuses them of abandoning the Poromish.
So we're getting a couple pages of tedious arguing from...some officer rider, I don't know who this woman is and it doesn't matter...and Xaden. Essentially, this Trissa person argues that cadets should not be fighting or contributing to the battle strategy, and all the cadets are like, no, we're fighting.
So like...what is the purpose of not using the cadets here?
Seriously, other than swinging your authority around, what purpose does that serve? They're literally being overrun by the enemy. The cadets are either going to see battle now or later when the venin show up to murder them. For three books it's been pounded into us that there are not enough riders. So why do we keep seeing characters argue against the trainees fighting? Like, what is the substance of their argument?
We don't find out.
Turns out it's not Bodhi they want--it's Jack, Xaden's brother in venin-ness. Isn't Jack in Basgiath?
Meanwhile, Violet tells Brennan to station her at the pass in Draithus, so she can protect it once she gets Mira back.
Brennan tells Violet she needs to pick one objective: Mira, the pass, or Draithus. Because the venin are relying on her trying to save everyone, and if she does, Xaden will go rogue to protect her, and the whole mission falls apart.
Remember when Xaden was like, a responsible leader of a rebellion who actually cared about the people he served? Me neither.
Violet tells her her objective will be to kill Theophanie, and Brennan barks some orders before making her promise to follow orders this time.
We'll see how that goes.
Chapter end.
Mira getting kidnapped should have so much more weight to it. But like most characters in this book, she just hasn't had the page time or the development to matter. I don't know why Xaden bothers holding any leadership position to be honest. It's not him being a venin that makes him unfit, it's that he only cares about his girlfriend at the exclusion of all else. Like, Yarros wants the fantasy of the hot powerful rich guy as the lover, but she also doesn't want Xaden to ever choose anything else over Violet, which makes Xaden seem like a horrible person on accident.
This is what happens when your book is assembled for marketing instead of written.
Violet is able to control the dream better this time, but that attracts the attention of the venin Sage. She has to hurt herself to escape the dream, but as she does she realizes something.
Well. I realize something, and we'll see if Violet catches up to me.
“I am done waiting,” the Sage snarls. “Done playing this little game. You may have raised your wards, but they won’t save you. We have the advantage, and if you will not deliver her, then she will come herself.” He closes his fist, and Xaden wheezes. “It’s simple, dream-walker. You come or she dies.” She who?
Like, it has to be either Sgaeyl or Andarna, right? Xaden doesn't give a fuck about any human woman except Violet. So I would guess it's either his dragon or Andarna. I guess maybe Mira? Because that's a woman Violet would care about?
Violet wakes Xaden up from the dream, and then Garrick shows up beat to shit to interrupt them.
Garrick is there to deliver a message from Theophanie: either Bodhi and Violet come to the walls of Draithus now, where the venin are, or Mira dies.
I was right! It was Mira. And Yarros saved Violet from having to figure that out.
And that's the END of the chapter. Who edited this? Who hurt you?
Let's keep going. Time is running out, and Violet meets with the other riders to plan their strategy. They're outnumbered, and they can't afford to rescue Mira without sacrificing the territory they're trying to hold, but this is obviously a trap so they don't want Violet to just walk into it. Also, Cat is mad because she doesn't want civilians to die and accuses them of abandoning the Poromish.
So we're getting a couple pages of tedious arguing from...some officer rider, I don't know who this woman is and it doesn't matter...and Xaden. Essentially, this Trissa person argues that cadets should not be fighting or contributing to the battle strategy, and all the cadets are like, no, we're fighting.
So like...what is the purpose of not using the cadets here?
Seriously, other than swinging your authority around, what purpose does that serve? They're literally being overrun by the enemy. The cadets are either going to see battle now or later when the venin show up to murder them. For three books it's been pounded into us that there are not enough riders. So why do we keep seeing characters argue against the trainees fighting? Like, what is the substance of their argument?
We don't find out.
“I don’t know.” Garrick scratches the stubble along his chin. “She said to bring Violet and your brother, and they’ll let Draithus stand.”
Stand or live? Anca was standing when they left it, too.
Xaden tenses. “She said ‘brother’?”
Garrick nods. “Everyone knows you were raised together.”
“It’s certainly the fastest way to wipe out Tyrrendor’s ruling line,” Trissa notes.
“Right.” Two furrows appear between Xaden’s brows, and his mouth tenses.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
“Venin don’t care about succession.”
Turns out it's not Bodhi they want--it's Jack, Xaden's brother in venin-ness. Isn't Jack in Basgiath?
Meanwhile, Violet tells Brennan to station her at the pass in Draithus, so she can protect it once she gets Mira back.
Brennan tells Violet she needs to pick one objective: Mira, the pass, or Draithus. Because the venin are relying on her trying to save everyone, and if she does, Xaden will go rogue to protect her, and the whole mission falls apart.
Remember when Xaden was like, a responsible leader of a rebellion who actually cared about the people he served? Me neither.
Violet tells her her objective will be to kill Theophanie, and Brennan barks some orders before making her promise to follow orders this time.
We'll see how that goes.
Chapter end.
Mira getting kidnapped should have so much more weight to it. But like most characters in this book, she just hasn't had the page time or the development to matter. I don't know why Xaden bothers holding any leadership position to be honest. It's not him being a venin that makes him unfit, it's that he only cares about his girlfriend at the exclusion of all else. Like, Yarros wants the fantasy of the hot powerful rich guy as the lover, but she also doesn't want Xaden to ever choose anything else over Violet, which makes Xaden seem like a horrible person on accident.
This is what happens when your book is assembled for marketing instead of written.
