This story was a roller coaster in the best of ways. The story was well paced and structured, keeping me in suspense from beginning to end! The art is gorgeous. And the character designs are what attracted my interest to begin with. But the writing is phenomenal. Specifically the way things are described in the narration, details that appeal to the senses, immersing you in the experience. Also the brilliant way dialogue is used—not just what is being said, but what is not being said—the subtext was wonderfully executed to hint at what might be going on without coming out and saying it. There's a good balance between giving the reader some insight and letting them figure out things for themselves without spoonfeeding information. Which, speaking as a writer, can definitely be a tricky balancing act to maintain, but this one did in masterfully well.

I also liked the creative use of the "camera" to give a sense of movement and dynamics. As well as transitions, sound effects, audio, and special effects, they all pair together nicely to make for an immersive and very unsettling, emotional experience. I am very appreciative of the censoring for certain triggers. While I do enjoy the occasional horror story (especially this time of year ~) and I don't mind reading about gore, visual gore can be a little iffy for me personally if it's in extremity, so I really appreciate the "read only" option. I might've had to read in-between the cracks of my fingers otherwise. xD

All the characters seemed really interesting and unique. Including the MC who was intelligent and I like having the option to play them as feisty, because I'm a pretty assertive, feisty person myself. I enjoy playing the role of a heroine who doesn't just lie down and take it, but can dish it out, too when push comes to shove. The fact that the MC uses their knowledge of medicine to their advantage, made them feel worthy of respect. There were plenty of customization options which was quite impressive and not something you see often in visual novels.

My favorite character was Shyloh. Right from the beginning I felt really sympathetic for him (and I swear not just because I think he's hot ... okay I may be a little biased BUT), he was clearly being excluded on purpose and called a "villain". The other characters were interesting, don't get me wrong, but I just thought they were kind of bullying him. I wanted to yell at them and tell them to stop being so mean. >_< Now I only played through the one time as I'm writing this, but I saved at all the choice menu screens, so I can go back and see how the other choices affect the story. Because I am curious. And I don't want to be too judgemental before getting to know the other characters better, but based on first impressions alone Shyloh is my first favorite and Kai is my second. I don't want to spoil anything in case someone who hasn't played happens to be reading this, but I chose to "confront the villain" and I was quite satisfied with how it turned out and am very curious to see what happens next.

My only constructive criticism, and I'm not even sure if I'd call it such, is the "heroes" were introduced all at once and they did it in a way that felt very forced and rehearsed. Which I'd normally suggest splitting up character introductions giving the player time to get to know them individually instead of all at once. However, I think it kind of works here, because we know that they've been waiting for the MC. So while it may feel a little infodumpy, I'd still give it a pass, because from a narrative perspective, it makes sense.

Overall, for a dark, unsettling, horror otome, this was very tastefully, maturely, and artfully handled. Loved it and would highly recommend! ♥