After the intensity and level of the previous volume, this one was a little disappointing. A lot has changed, and with the deaths of last volume, that was entirely expected. With everything going on, it just makes sense in how the characters took the turns that they did. Weiss, Ruby, and Blake all had strong stories (especially Weiss), but Yang's story felt a little weak. I'm not saying it was bad, but given everything that happened, and how little time is spent with her, that story just feels like it's missing something. Then there's the new villains. Most of them we still don't really know a lot about, but Tyrian gets some good screen time. He's a strong enough villain, especially as we watch his already damaged mental state worsen towards the end, but I almost feel like he was trying be a copy of a familiar Dark Knight villain. Oh, and there's Salem. She's intimidating, and obviously has some serious power, but I don't feel like she's a solid character yet. She's just there. Overall, this feels like too much story, though. We get a lot of exposition, and plenty of world-building, but with only 12 episodes, it felt a little too much. On top of that, the pacing took a hit. For a 2-hour volume, it felt a little longer. However, the backstory for Ren and Nora was great, and overall, the volume was good. I wouldn't say it's bad, and I wouldn't say it's the worst of the series so far, but it's definitely a step back from what made Volume 3 so great.