I loved Fourth Wing and I gave Iron Flame five stars too even though it had pacing issues. I loved the characters and I loved the dragons. 

This book has lost some of the magic that made me love Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. Iron Flame’s ending shocked me, but Onyx Storm’s ending just had me scratching my head. A lot of the charm in the first two books felt like it was recycled. I did laugh a lot during this book, but I expected to also feel sad and angry for the characters too. I didn’t feel that emotional connection this time.

Also, maybe I’m bitter because this reading experience felt like a sprint rather than an enjoyable experience because I was terrified of getting spoilers. Maybe I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I needed to because I didn’t do a re-read? 

3 stars for dragons and deaths—but for a war there should be more death.