Read these six dragon-centric books if you’re excited for Rebecca Yarros’s Onyx Storm | Canada Voices

It’s been a year and it’s finally here – Rebecca Yarros’s Onyx Storm, which is already, well, storming the bestseller charts, along with the series’ two previous books, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame.

Fan-theories have abounded amongst Empyrean diehards, and while some questions will be answered, others remain infuriatingly mysterious.

If you’re planning on reading the whole thing in one go – because what else is there to do on a cold January day – and are left with a book hangover, here are six other options (plus a rundown on Onyx Storm) to get you through the rest of the month.

Onyx Storm, Rebecca Yarros (544 pages, Red Tower Books)

Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean series has taken the world by storm and book three in this dragon rider phenomenon will forever solidify her voice in dragon fantasy. Xaden became venin – the very evil they wage war against – to save Violet and her home. Determined to find a cure, Violet believes her father’s research may hold the solutions the Continent so desperately needs and the key to Xaden’s growing affliction. Against orders and running dangerously out of time, Violet and her friends take off across the isles to find the seventh breed of dragons and broker alliances that could change the tide of war. Meanwhile, Navarrians can no longer deny they have traitors among their highest ranks. As the venin close in and cities continue to fall, it becomes clear the only one powerful enough to stop the venin and Xaden as he grapples for control is Violet.

Books we’re reading and loving this week: Globe staffers and readers share their book picks

The Fireborne Blade, Charlotte Bond (168 pages, Tordotcom)

A scorned lady knight endeavours to reinstate herself by retrieving the fabled Fireborne Blade guarded by a dragon – one that legend says no man can kill. Charlotte Bond showcases exceptional talent through the world building and precision of her storytelling where readers are kept guessing till the end. Interspersed within the novella are short histories of dragon slayings, the ravages left behind – human and dragon alike – and the fallible egos of men.

The Mountain Crown, Karin Lowachee (150 pages, Solaris)

Award winning Canadian author Karin Lowachee’s beautifully written tale of the slow-to-anger steadfast hero resonates with deep cultural significance in her new dragon rider series. Ten years after the war, Méka must return to the ancestral land of her people, the Ba’Suon, to perform the ancient rite of gathering a king dragon – a necessary practice to restore the equilibrium of nature. On her journey, she is accompanied by indentured war vet Lilley and a Ba’Suon traitor Raka.

Dragon Rider, Taran Matharu (576 pages, Harper Voyager)

When the brutal Sabine empire and the Dansk kingdom of dragon warriors arrange a marriage alliance, brutalized former prince Jai and handmaiden to the Dansk princess Frida are thrown together in his escape with a stolen dragon hatchling. Thus ensues a high stakes manhunt where the heroes are pushed to breaking in their fight for survival and freedom. Taran Matharu’s unputdownable series debut propels readers into a whirlwind adventure of grit and rebellion.

Fathomfolk, Eliza Chan (448 pages, Orbit)

Eliza Chan unveils a veritable metropolis of culture in her compelling debut novel featuring all manner of fathomfolk: sirens, selkies, water dragons and sea-witches. In a world where civilization is separated by land and water, Mira is half human/half siren and the first of the fathomfolk to become captain of the border guard. Mira hopes her position will help carve a path to a better life for her people but while she and her water dragon partner, Kai, strive to effect change in slow and lasting ways, his sister, Nami, prefers the more extreme approach toward revolution.

The Fury of the Gods, John Gwynne (528 pages, Orbit)

The Bloodsworn Saga is a Norse-inspired fantasy series that has reached its bloody and satisfying finale. Book three of this trilogy is a meticulous build up that sees all the players reunited for an epic final battle where the winner takes all. While the grand battles are masterfully orchestrated, John Gwynne’s strength lies in his characterizations and the power they hold over readers.

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, Moniquill Blackgoose (511 pages, Del Rey)

A Nebula and Lodestar award winner, this story follows Indigenous teenager Anequs as she fights to protect Kasaqua, the dragon the Anglish colonizers say never should have bonded to her. Begrudgingly, she is enrolled into a colonizer-approved dragon academy, but if she does not meet their standards, the dragon dies. Rife with racism, bigotry and the radiance of found family, the book centres on two outcasts who must be the change they wish to see.