Rebecca Yarros Says: Writing ONYX STORM “Almost Killed Me”

In reply to a comment asking if she is writing book four, Yarros replied, “Haven’t even started it. The pace in which book 3 needed to be completed almost killed me, and I’m not speaking in hyperbole.”

In an interview with Elle, she described 12- to 15-hour writing days and said it was “probably the most unhealthy process I’ve ever put myself through in my life.” Yarros typically writes two to three books a year, but the timeline on the Empyrean series was condensed as much as possible, making for extremely tight deadlines.

Meanwhile, despite all the anticipation of Onyx Storm, demand seems to have exceeded even those high expectations. Target’s website went down early this morning, likely because of fans waiting until midnight to claim an exclusive edition. As of the time of writing, the Target special edition is sold out online, and many readers report showing up to stores in the early morning only to find that stock sold out as well. There are already more than a hundred copies of this edition on eBay, with most resellers listing them for several hundred dollars each.

If you haven’t gotten your hands on it yet, though, don’t worry: there are still several other editions available in stores and online, including another sprayed edges edition. Take your time reading it, though, because it will likely be a long wait until book four.