Onyx Storm

The theme of love overruling logic is prevalent within the novel, specifically regarding Xaden and Violet’s relationship. In the epigraph of Chapter 3, unsent correspondence from General Lilith Sorrengail reads: “Sometimes I worry about Violet. She has your sharp wit, quick mind, and steadfast heart paired with my bullheaded tenacity. When she finally and truly gives that heart, I fear it will overrule the other gifts you’ve given her and logic will cede its voice to love” (47). This passage acts as a foreboding hint that when it comes to love, Violet’s logic—which has repeatedly been evidenced as her greatest strength—is prone to being overcome by love. This warning from Lilith carries even greater weight in Onyx Storm, where Violet’s choices—keeping Xaden’s venin status a secret, risking missions for his sake, and repeatedly defending him to others—suggest that her mother’s fears were not unfounded. Her mother’s worries for Violet because Violet has “atrocious taste in men” further highlights this concept which will be at the center of the story’s themes (47). Violet’s love for Xaden prompts her to make illogical decisions—keeping his venin corruption a secret, bringing him on a mission beyond Navarre’s protective wards, and trusting him not to channel from the earth again to save her.