#57: This week on A Novel Bunch, we’re diving into chapters 33–49 of Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros and BUNCHIES… we are officially in emotional warfare.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

We land on Hedotis expecting wisdom and instead get manipulation, mind games, and XADEN’S MOM?? Yeah… enter Talia. But it also unlocks something deeper—because now we’re not just seeing his power shift… we’re seeing why.

And that shift is getting worse.

From poisoning plots to political alliances, every isle tests the squad in a new way, but the real tension is internal. Xaden is fighting himself. Hard. The control is slipping, the instincts are darker, and when he says he’d rather feel nothing than risk hurting Violet? Yeah. We’re spiraling.

Meanwhile, Violet is stepping UP. Like… full command energy. Strategy, leadership, sacrifice, she’s becoming exactly what everyone needs… even if it costs her everything.

Then we hit Zehyllna and things go from chaotic to devastating. Losses stack up (Trager?? Sila??), the “gifts” feel more like ominous setups, and Violet starts piecing together something massive: fate isn’t random here. It’s calculated.

And then… the Irids.

SIX of them. Watching. Judging. Refusing to help. Confirming our worst fear: there is no cure for venin. Not a clean one, at least. The soul is stripped piece by piece… and once it’s gone? It’s gone.

Except… Violet doesn’t believe that. And neither do we.

Because now the secret is out. Xaden is turning, and Violet finally tells her squad. The fallout? Surprisingly loyal. But the question shifts from if they can save him… to what happens if they can’t.

Back in Aretia, everything starts collapsing. The wards are failing, venin are infiltrating leadership, and the war is no longer coming—it’s HERE. And just when we think Xaden might hold the line… another shadow wielder emerges.

Yeah. Magic is rebalancing. And it’s not in his favor.

But the most terrifying part?

Even after everything—the fear, the distance, the literal countdown on his soul—Xaden still chooses Violet. Still comes back. Still fights it.

73 days without channeling. 73 days of control.

And when they finally give in to each other… he doesn’t lose it.

Which means one thing:

Maybe he’s not too far gone.

We’re breaking down Xaden’s unraveling, Violet’s rise to power, the Irid revelations, the “no cure” debate, and the growing theory that fate, love, and war are all tied to the same irreversible force.

Because if love changes the soul…

What happens when that soul is already breaking?

Let’s get into it, Bunchies!

#56: This week on A Novel Bunch, we’re diving into chapters 16–32 of Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros and BUNCHIES… things just went from unsettling to straight-up unhinged.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

We start picking up on something Rebecca literally warned us about—there’s a double meaning in the epigraphs—and suddenly EVERYTHING feels like a clue. Letters from Asher? Cryptic. Lilith’s unsent messages? Worse. And the deeper we go, the clearer it becomes… Violet has never been told the full truth. Not even close.

Meanwhile, enter: JEALOUS XADEN.

Because Halden is back, asking Violet out like nothing ever happened, and Xaden? Oh he handles it. Shadows, threats, slammed-against-the-wall energy… we are absolutely feral. But beneath the tension, there’s something darker building, because Xaden isn’t just protective anymore. He’s shifting.

And we need to talk about that shift.

His power is different. Stronger. Colder. Controlled… until it’s not. The gold flecks in his eyes? Gone. The way he reads Violet? Sharper. And when things go down in Deverelli… he doesn’t hesitate. At all.

Yeah. We’re not okay.

As the squad heads to the Isles, the vibes somehow get even weirder. No magic. No connection. No dragons communicating, except Violet and Tairn. And yet, for Xaden… it’s peaceful. Which is maybe the scariest part of all.

We meet Narelle, uncover more of Asher’s hidden plans, and everything we thought we understood about the gods gets reframed—because in the Isles, it’s not divine… it’s something else entirely.

Because according to the Isles?
It’s not divine.
It’s science. It’s alchemy.
And whatever is happening between Violet and Xaden… might be something entirely new.

Oh, and then there’s the temple.

Silver-haired priestesses. Six pillars. A goddess calling Violet to choose her path. And when Violet says, “I choose him”… something answers back.

Lightning. Power. A force she swears she didn’t summon.

So who did?

Because by the end of chapter 32, we’re left with one terrifying realization:

Xaden might be becoming the storm…
but Violet?

She might be something even more powerful.

We’re breaking down jealous Xaden (bless), the Deverelli chaos, the venin evolution, the growing “cure” theories, and the very real possibility that Violet’s destiny has been set in motion long before she ever knew it.

Let’s get into it, Bunchies!

#55: This week on A Novel Bunch, we’re diving into the prologue and chapters 1–15 of Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros and BUNCHIES… something is OFF. Like… deeply, unsettlingly OFF.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

We pick up in the aftermath of absolute devastation, and immediately the vibes are wrong. Jesinia is translating everything, secrets are surfacing, and Andarna casually drops that she may have altered a venin by changing her scales?? I’m sorry—WHAT? If that’s true, that could change everything we thought we knew about defeating them.

Meanwhile, Violet is no longer saying “I will not die today”… it’s now “I will save him.” And that shift? It tells you everything. Because at the center of all of this chaos is Xaden—and the terrifying possibility of what he’s becoming.

Because let’s talk about it.
The pull of power.
The connection to the earth.
The fact that he can sense venin.

Yeah… we’re not okay.And things only get weirder from there. Venin are infiltrating Basgiath, targeting the weak, and we meet a mysterious silver-haired figure who can wield lightning?! I’m sorry—since WHEN can venin do that? And why does she feel… connected to Violet?

The worldbuilding is going absolutely feral again—ancient journals, hidden runes, missing truths about Navarre, and repeated mentions of “the six”… except now we know there’s actually a seventh. (Hi, Andarna??)

We also get MAJOR red flags across the board:
Brennan looks exhausted in a way that feels familiar…
Xaden is unraveling—emotionally and physically
And Violet’s mother?? The more we learn, the less anything makes sense.

Oh—and can we TALK about that unsent letter from Lilith? Because not only does she clock Violet’s poor taste in men (same), but it raises a million questions about her past, her knowledge, and what she’s been hiding this entire time.

On the political side, things are escalating fast. Violet is charged with treason, alliances are shifting, and Xaden is officially named Duke of Tyrrendor—which is terrifying now that he is venin.

And then there’s the magic.
Signets are getting rarer. Stronger. Stranger.
We’re hearing about once-in-a-generation powers appearing at the same time.
And the balance of magic? Yeah… that might be breaking.

By the time we hit chapter 15, the tension is unbearable. Because Xaden himself basically admits that if it came down to it… he would choose Violet over everything. Over the war. Over morality. Over everyone.

And if that’s not foreshadowing something absolutely devastating… I don’t know what is.

We’re breaking down all the early clues, the venin infiltration, the Andarna implications, and of course… the growing fear that Xaden might be slipping into something we can’t come back from.

Let’s get into it, Bunchies!