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For Book Addicts BY a Book Addict

Romance

Tracking Down the Hype: Onyx Storm and the BookTok Phenomenon That Broke Sales Records

The Cocktail Correspondent

By The Cocktail Correspondent

Alright, here’s what I’ve been investigating: https://www.amazon.com/Onyx-Storm-Standard-Empyrean-3/dp/1649377150 by Rebecca Yarros just became the fastest-selling adult novel in 20 years. Released January 21, 2025. Book 3 in The Empyrean series. Dragon riders, military academy, “romantasy” (that’s romance + fantasy for the uninitiated.

And BookTok is absolutely losing its mind.

Time to do what I do: track down what the internet’s collective meltdown actually means.

THE INTEL (FACTS ONLY

I spent the last 48 hours tracking down https://www.tiktok.com/@booktalkforbooktok/video/7463029754569182510, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209439446-onyx-storm, https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1i79odc/review_onyx_storm_by_rebecca_yarros_still_not/, and Amazon customer feedback. Here’s what readers are actually saying when they’re not being polite.

The BookTok Explosion

https://www.tiktok.com/@deanlewis/video/7485493047854173458. One video from Dean Lewis has 98.3K likes and 1,513 comments. People are https://www.tiktok.com/@paigeejenna/video/7505837203294047518 with captions like “that was a ROLLERCOASTER 🫠 what do you mean we have to wait for the next.”

Before the book even dropped, readers were https://romancingthephone.substack.com/p/and-were-back and “anticipating emotional devastation.” That’s a direct quote from a BookTok trend analysis.

https://www.tiktok.com/@gma/video/7463485318881201450. When GMA is doing TikTok videos about your romantasy novel, you’ve officially crossed into mainstream territory.

But here’s the interesting part: there’s also drama. https://www.reddit.com/r/YAlit/comments/1i6dmbl/can_someone_explain_whats_happening_with_rebecca/ flooding TikTok feeds. Fans waited a year for this book and got the ending spoiled on their For You Page before they could finish reading.

The Divided Critical Response

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209439446-onyx-storm. The 4.22 average masks some serious disagreement.

The Love Camp:

https://www.amazon.com/Onyx-Storm-Empyrean-Book-3/dp/B0CZF874CW has four narrators (Jasmin Walker, Justis Bolding, Teddy Hamilton, Rebecca Soler, which is unusual. Reviews on Apple Books mention https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/onyx-storm-empyrean/id1738697675 – though they don’t specify which of the four they mean.

There’s also a https://www.graphicaudio.net/the-empyrean-3-onyx-storm-1-of-2.html with a full cast, which some fans swear is the superior listening experience.

The Reddit Reality

https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1ield3y/rebecca_yarross_onyx_storm_is_the_fastestselling/ is discussing the sales numbers with a mix of fascination and skepticism. “There’s other books propped up by BookTok but Yarros is still outperforming, part of the success was great marketing and fostering the fan base.”

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1j3yuhf/onyx_storm_no_bs_honest_review/, including one titled “No BS, honest review” which… tells you there’s debate happening.

One https://www.reddit.com/r/fantasy_books/comments/1k8xffk/fantasy_book_review_onyx_storm_the_empyrean_book/ called it praise: “Every page crackles with tension as Violet navigates betrayals, hidden dangers, and a truth so earth-shattering that it could break the fragile alliances she’s fighting to build.”

MY ANALYSIS (BASED ON THE EVIDENCE

After tracking down all this intel, here’s what the patterns tell me:

This is a cultural phenomenon, not just a book release. You don’t hit “fastest-selling adult novel in 20 years” without tapping into something bigger than the story itself. Yarros built a community first, a fanbase second, and then delivered the product they were already invested in.

BookTok has real commercial power. The New York Times doesn’t write articles about TikTok-driven sales for nothing. This series proves that social media recommendation algorithms can move more units than traditional publishing marketing.

The divisiveness is part of the appeal. People either devour these books in one sitting or bounce off them hard. There’s no middle ground. That polarization creates conversation, and conversation creates visibility, which creates more sales.

The romance is doing the heavy lifting. Every review mentions the relationship dynamics. The dragons and war college are the setting – the emotional devastation is the product.

Quality is secondary to experience. Multiple reviewers admit the writing has issues but say they don’t care. They’re here for the emotional rollercoaster, not literary merit.

THE QUESTION NOBODY’S ASKING

Why did Book 3 outsell Books 1 and 2?

Most series lose readers as they progress. Onyx Storm did the opposite – it’s the fastest-selling book in the series AND broke the 20-year sales record. That means Yarros is gaining readers faster than she’s losing them, three books deep.

Either the earlier books are converting readers at an insane rate, or BookTok’s recommendation algorithm is more powerful than anyone realized.

My money’s on both.

THE VERDICT

Read if: You want to be part of the cultural conversation, love emotional roller coasters in fantasy settings, and don’t mind waiting for Book 4.

Skip if: You need tight plotting, hate love triangles, or get frustrated by intentionally devastating cliffhangers.

Start with Book 1 (Fourth Wing: Don’t jump into Book 3. The series builds.

Try the https://www.amazon.com/Onyx-Storm-Empyrean-Book-3/dp/B0CZF874CW if: You’re a commuter or multitasker. Four narrators means different character perspectives.

Fair warning: This book ends on a cliffhanger and Book 4 doesn’t have a release date yet.

THE COCKTAIL: “THE STORM”

Because if BookTok is melting down over dragons and heartbreak, I’m making a drink that matches the chaos.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz dark rum (for the storm clouds
  • 1 oz blackberry liqueur (dragon-dark and dangerous
  • 3/4 oz lime juice (the sharp emotional devastation everyone mentions
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup
  • Fresh blackberries
  • Crushed ice
  • Sparkling water float

    • Instructions:

1. Muddle 3-4 blackberries in shaker

2. Add rum, blackberry liqueur, lime juice, simple syrup, ice

3. Shake like you’re fighting wyverns

4. Strain into glass over crushed ice

5. Top with splash of sparkling water

6. Garnish with blackberries on a skewer

7. Drink while reading the last 100 pages at 2am

Tasting notes: Dark, intense, slightly dangerous. The sparkle on top is false hope before the cliffhanger destroys you.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Based on reader consensus across platforms: This book is delivering exactly what its fanbase wants – emotional devastation, dragon-riding action, and romantic tension that justifies booking time off work to finish reading.

According to The New York Times, 160,000+ Goodreads reviewers, and an entire TikTok ecosystem, that’s enough to break 20-year sales records.

Bring receipts or bring nothing.

— The Cocktail Correspondent

*Got intel on a BookTok phenomenon that needs investigating? Drop it in the comments with links to the actual trend. If you just say “it’s popular,” I’m ignoring you.*

*Cocktail pairing suggestions welcome if you’ve actually made them. No Pinterest fantasies.*

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