Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

So I???ve had this last volume for a while now, but it took me some time to get to it because life and work and blah blah blah. But now I???m finished reading it, and WHOO BOY WAS IT A RIDE!

First of all, it was nice to read how everything was finally, FINALLY wrapped up - not always happily or tidily, but in a way that made sense, given everything that had already happened in the previous four volumes. I will admit that the final unraveling of the villain???s schemes and motivations was a bit info-dumpy, given how it was all set up, but at the same time I don???t really know how else all of that could have been revealed in a more subtle way without doing so in another four or five chapters, so all in all it???s not so bad. 

But what this volume focuses on is a theme that tracks across the entire series: the cyclical nature of vengeance. While that cycle is now closed (or is it?) for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, the ending shows that the cycle can potentially continue. I can???t really talk about the details because it would be a MASSIVE spoiler to do so, but regardless: I find it interesting that it???s mostly Wei Wuxian who notices what???s going on with the character in question, and it is his musings that point all of this out to the reader. After all, he was a major contributor to the momentous events that led to this ending: events that, when you really get down to it, sprang from someone, somewhere, wanting to avenge themselves on a person, or people, or the entire world.

I also find the inconclusiveness of the cycle???s perpetuation in the form of a certain character to be very interesting too. I know some people might find this annoying or frustrating, but I???m not the sort of reader who expects every single plot thread to be tied up in a nice bow, so I???m honestly fine with the way this particular thread has been left up to the reader???s imagination. Will that character go on to perpetuate tragedy in the same way the series??? primary villain did? Or will they take a different path? Will that path be more or less wicked, more or less tragic? No one can say, because the author???s declined to write that story, and it???s up to the readers to decide whether or not this character will turn out for better, or for worse - though I???m sure there are fanfic writers who???ve got ideas of their own, and are probably churning out epics as I write this.

Speaking of extra writing, the Extras included in this volume were lovely to read. Now that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji FINALLY know how they feel for each other (after the intervention of OTHER CHARACTERS, it must be noted), the Extras show what life???s like for them in the wake of everything that???s gone before. The tone taken is mostly bittersweet, but there???s plenty of spice there too. If the one spicy scene in Volume 4 was just a little taste of what could happen between these two characters, then the Extras in this volume show ALL THE OTHER THINGS they get up to after the main story???s ending. 

But the Extras aren???t all just smutty scenes (though there are those too). In fact, my favorite stories are the ones where the plot is built around a Night Hunt, and Wei Wuxian and/or Lan Wangji and/or the Lan juniors try to get to the bottom of it. I???m very fond of mysteries, and even more fond of those with supernatural/urban fantasy leanings, and these specific Extras really hit the right notes for me in that regard. It was also an interesting bit of worldbuilding, in that the reader gets insight into how ???regular??? Night Hunts work, as compared to the very grand and dangerous ones that were featured in the main story. 

Overall, this volume was a great wrap-up for this epic and emotional series. The current cycle of vengeance has come to an end for most of the characters involved, but whether or not it???s ended for good is up in the air, given what happens with a certain character during this volume. But in the space between the ending of this cycle and the beginning of the next, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji get to have the best fate of all: time to build a life with each other and their loved ones. After everything that???s happened to them, I can???t think of a better ending for them both.