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Onyx Storm
Spice guide · reviewed 21 September 2026
How spicy is Onyx Storm?
Sort By Cravings editorial review · scale 0–5 · Empyrean by Rebecca Yarros
Onyx Storm is spice level 4 out of 5 (Spicy). Empyrean book 3 only: 623 pages, venin body-horror CW, open-wound ending. Last-time energy, not Iron Flame’s earlier-payoff map. Do not start here.
Start only after Empyrean 1–2. Heat is quieter; the venin CW is not.
Venin CW. 623 pages. Open wound. Quieter than Iron Flame.
Rebecca Yarros· 623 pages· Steady climb
explicit on-pageForbidden LoveDragonsRomantasy
15 seconds · then decide
Venin CW. 623 pages. Open wound. Quieter than Iron Flame.
Rebecca Yarros · Onyx Storm · Sort By Cravings spice guide
No invented opening line. The green control sends you to Audible for the real sample — this page stays muted.
▶
0:00–0:15
muted preview
What the search is asking
How spicy is Onyx Storm? Is it smut? Can I start tonight?
What the SBC profile actually rates
Live profile: fewer on-page scenes than Iron Flame, shipboard privacy mid-book, then war mode. Desperate-cure quest. Books 4–5 unpublished here.
- Book spice: 4/5 Spicy
- Explicit sex: yes — frequent and graphic
- Style: explicit on-page
- Series: Empyrean
- Vs Iron Flame: same lane (4/5 Spicy)
- Vs Fourth Wing: same lane (4/5 Spicy)
- Genre: Romantasy
- Start: Fourth Wing, then publication order
Comfort check · the number is on the cover
Kindle before this tab cools
Audible sample on their site
Comfort check, not a dare
Live profile: fewer on-page scenes than Iron Flame, shipboard privacy mid-book, then war mode. Desperate-cure quest. Books 4–5 unpublished here.
Spice comfortExplicit lane — check warnings
Time623 pages on the profile
PayoffOpen wound
VoiceDesperate quest
ListenAudible · tagged sample
LaneRomantasy · explicit on-page
Is Onyx Storm smut?
This is “will I feel blindsided if I press play in the next ten minutes.”
Heat is a significant part of the story.
Explicit 4/5, quieter than Iron Flame: last-time energy on a 623-page third night, not book 2’s earlier payoff.
If you needed permission: Start only after Empyrean 1–2. Heat is quieter; the venin CW is not. The longer compatibility check lives on the Onyx Storm profile.
Who should read Onyx Storm — and who should skip the spice?
This is your night if…
- You want a spicy 4/5 comfort check before you commit.
- Romantasy is the lane you are already reaching for.
- Forbidden Love is a hook you actually want.
- A 623-page commitment is acceptable tonight.
Yes. Buy it now →
Not this craving if…
- You are avoiding explicit on-page heat.
I wanted Haunting Adeline heat instead →
Where is the heat in Onyx Storm?
No chapter spoilers. Just so you stop refreshing “does anything happen.”
0–25%
The comfort check still holds
Early pages still match this guide: Venin CW. 623 pages. Open wound. Quieter than Iron Flame.
25–55%
The heat lane does not change mid-book
Live profile: fewer on-page scenes than Iron Flame, shipboard privacy mid-book, then war mode. Desperate-cure quest. Books 4–5 unpublished here.
55–85%
What “the scenes” means here
4/5, quieter than Iron Flame. Last-time energy, not a scene checklist.
85–100%
Then the door (Amazon or Audible)
Finish if the number still fits. The buy path is on this page; the longer fit notes live on the book profile.
Does Empyrean get spicier?
Not above this book’s number on the titles we have already rated. Onyx Storm is 4/5 Spicy. Verified rungs: Fourth Wing 4/5; Iron Flame 4/5; Onyx Storm 4/5. Range on those rungs: 4–4/5. We do not invent unrated sequels.
Onyx Storm · this page
4/5 Spicy
Is Onyx Storm spicier than other titles on this hub?
Numbers below are live Sort By Cravings ratings, same 0–5 rubric. This is a comfort ladder, not a ranking.
Onyx Storm spice level compared on the same rubric
| Book | Spice level | What that means | |
|---|
| Onyx Storm |
4/5 Spicy |
Venin CW. 623 pages. Open wound. Quieter than Iron Flame. |
Get it |
| Iron Flame |
4/5 Spicy |
Same 4/5 lane as Onyx Storm. |
Guide |
| Fourth Wing |
4/5 Spicy |
Same 4/5 lane as Onyx Storm. |
Guide |
| Divine Rivals |
1/5 Sweet |
Milder on the same SBC rubric. |
Guide |
The other comfort check
Venin body horror, graphic battle violence, character death, chronic pain, grief, war, plus explicit 4/5 sex. Skip unless Fourth Wing and Iron Flame are done.
The questions you type after midnight
How spicy is Onyx Storm?
Onyx Storm is spice level 4 out of 5 (Spicy). Empyrean book 3 only: 623 pages, venin body-horror CW, open-wound ending. Last-time energy, not Iron Flame’s earlier-payoff map. Do not start here.
Is Onyx Storm smutty?
Explicit 4/5, quieter than Iron Flame: last-time energy on a 623-page third night, not book 2’s earlier payoff.
Does Onyx Storm have explicit scenes?
Yes on this scale. Explicit 4/5, quieter than Iron Flame: last-time energy on a 623-page third night, not book 2’s earlier payoff.
Does the Empyrean get spicier?
Not above this book’s number on the titles we have already rated. Onyx Storm is 4/5 Spicy. Verified rungs: Fourth Wing 4/5; Iron Flame 4/5; Onyx Storm 4/5. Range on those rungs: 4–4/5. We do not invent unrated sequels.
Is Onyx Storm spicier than Iron Flame?
Same 4/5 number as Iron Flame. Venin CW. 623 pages. Open wound. Quieter than Iron Flame. — tropes and CW, not the shared number, tell them apart.
How does Sort By Cravings rate Onyx Storm?
Onyx Storm sits at 4/5 Spicy on the 0–5 scale (Clean→Scorching). Venin CW. 623 pages. Open wound. Quieter than Iron Flame.. Frequency, explicitness, and how central intimacy is. Unsupported ratings stay unpublished.
Last chance to stop scrolling
You already have the spice number.
What you do not have — until you tap — is chapter one in your hands.
Amazon Associate disclosure: we may earn from your purchase. The rating is not for sale.
If you buy it and still want a next fit
One Friday book. Mood and spice already checked.
After this one. Not a pile. One match.
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