I Still Haven't Recovered From Onyx Storm's Scariest Moment, And It Makes Me Worried For Future Books

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros.Onyx Stormhas an explosive ending, but the book's scariest moment is actually closer to the beginning — and I still haven't fully recovered from it. Rebecca Yarros wastes no time jumping into the action in Onyx Storm, picking up immediately after Iron Flame's ending. She thrusts readers into the aftermath of the prior book's battle, and not long after, she introduces the silver-haired venin, Theophanie, who serves as the main villain of the sequel. She proves a formidable opponent throughout Onyx Storm, with the book's scariest scene being a direct result of her storm-wielding ability.

When Violet and her friends set out to save the people of Maren's hometown from a venin attack, Violet and Tairn have their first run-in with Theophanie — and if not for Garrick's second signet, they'd be facing her alone. Even with Garrick rushing to Violet's side, the two find themselves without dragons to defend them. For Violet, that's because she and Tairn collide with a tornado moments earlier. While this doesn't sound as high stakes as Onyx Storm's ending battle, it's easily the book's most anxiety-inducing moment. After all, there's a minute or so when Violet believes Tairn is dead.

I'm Still Not Over Tairn Almost Dying At The Beginning Of Onyx Storm

Violet Being Unable To Feel The Bond Is Terrifying

Tairn is easily one of the best characters in The Empyrean Series, and it's difficult to imagine Yarros' books without his snarky comments and fierce protectiveness. While there are a few death fakeouts scattered throughout Onyx Storm — Garrick being poisoned and Mira having her throat slashed among them — Tairn's scared me the most. When Tairn is hit by the tornado, Violet temporarily can't feel him through the bond. Tairn is a constant presence in Violet's life — and mind — after the Threshing in Fourth Wing, and it'd be devastating to see her lose that connection, even if she could potentially survive it.

Sgaeyl's mating bond would also make Tairn's death incredibly tragic, as the two dragons suffer being separated from one another for long periods of time. A permanent loss is unthinkable for them, and for this reason, it would have a huge impact on Xaden as well. There's also Andarna to consider; she looks up to Tairn as a mentor, and she'd be equally devastated to lose him in Onyx Storm. Tairn's importance to just about every prominent character makes his near-death experience in Onyx Storm a heart-stopping one, and I'm still not over it.

It's a relief that Yarros doesn't choose to kill Tairn in Onyx Storm — but I'm not convinced that she never will.

Needless to say, it's a relief that Yarros doesn't choose to kill Tairn in Onyx Storm — but I'm not convinced that she never will. The emotional impact of Tairn's death would be a great way to raise the stakes in The Empyrean Series, and Yarros has set the stage for Tairn's death to work without Violet's.

Tairn's Death Would Be One Of The Saddest Twists In The Empyrean Series

It Would Be A Good Way To Raise The Emotional Stakes

Custom image of the special edition Fourth Wing book with a silhouetted dragon and fire in the background.

The Empyrean Series isn't shy about killing off important characters — even if Onyx Storm's deaths are a bit underwhelming compared to those in Fourth Wing and Iron Flame — so Yarros writing off Tairn wouldn't be a huge surprise. However, it would be one of the saddest twists of the entire Empyrean Series, as Tairn is a fan-favorite character and a critical support for Violet. He's constantly ensuring her safety, and he proves one of the most loyal and accommodating dragons within the Empyrean. While he's often snarky, it's clear his connection to his rider runs deep.

Given how devastated Violet is after losing Andarna temporarily, Tairn dying would be the most heartbreaking twist Yarros could deliver. Of course, it would also be a great way to raise the emotional stakes of The Empyrean Series, so I'm not ruling it out as a possibility. Onyx Storm's brief but worrisome Tairn moment proves how effective such a turn could be. And Onyx Storm's Andarna disappearance suggests that there's a way to kill Tairn without killing everyone else involved in the mating bond.

Andarna Breaking Violet's Bond Sets Up The Possibility Of Her Having One Dragon

This Makes Me Worried For The Next Empyrean Series Book

The cover of Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros with dragons roaring in the background

Onyx Storm may not have gone through with killing Tairn, but his death fakeout could be a sign of what's to come. Tairn's death would be the easiest way to break readers' hearts in the next Empyrean Series sequel, and Onyx Storm does set up his demise. With Andarna breaking her bond with Violet — and then quickly coming back during Onyx Storm's final chapters — Yarros has signaled that a rider with two dragons could potentially live without one of them. Given the rarity of Violet's circumstances, it's possible she could be the first to break the biggest rule of Yarros' world.

Of course, it's implied that Andarna can only sever her bond with Violet because Tairn bonded her first. This offers some hope that Tairn can't be separated from Violet via death. However, given that Violet is the first rider to bond two dragons, there are a lot of unknowns surrounding her situation. For this reason, anything's possible, including Violet and Andarna outliving Tairn.

With Xaden's venin transformation potentially impacting his bond with Sgaeyl, he might also be capable of surviving Tairn's demise in future Fourth Wing sequels.

With Xaden's venin transformation potentially impacting his bond with Sgaeyl, he might also be capable of surviving Tairn's demise in future Fourth Wing sequels. Fourth Wing tells readers that Violet's and Xaden's lives are linked through Tairn and Sgaeyl's mating bond, but that may not be the case considering how unprecedented their circumstances currently are. There are also theories that Tairn and Sgaeyl broke their mating bond at the end of Onyx Storm, which would save Xaden if Tairn were to perish as well.

Onyx Storm's Scariest Scene Makes Me Worried About Tairn Dying In Later Books

The covers of Fourth Wing, Onyx Storm, Iron Flame, and a book with a fiery 4 on it

The direction of Yarros' story and Tairn's death fakeoutmakes me worried for future sequels, as I think Tairn is poised to become a casualty of the war against the venin. It's inevitable that more major Empyrean Series characters will die, and while Violet has plenty of loved ones caught up in the war, Tairn's death makes the most sense. He's a mentor of sorts to Violet and Andarna, so his demise would be a turning point. It would also push Andarna into a larger role as Violet's only dragon, which seems like an obvious direction for the young irid.

There's currently no timeline for the next Empyrean Series book, but Yarros is taking a break before writing it.

I'd hate to see Tairn meet a grim end, so I'm hoping the next Empyrean Series proves me wrong about this theory. However, I can't shake the feeling that Yarros was testing the waters with Tairn's near-fatal incident in Onyx Storm. And if nothing else, that scene proves how chaotic and anxiety-inducing Tairn's demise would be. It's the surest way to shake things up in the last two books, but only time will tell if Yarros goes so far.

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