I wanted to write a comprehensive review for 9:22, since it has rapidly become my favourite VN since I first read it.
It's difficult to talk about 9:22's story without wading into spoiler territory, and the aforementioned story is all over the place, but in a good way! It's a perfect blend between confusion and mystery that keeps you constantly engaged throughout. During my read, I was constantly theorising and thinking about what was going on and why and what it meant and I was invested from the beginning to the very final moment.
Spencer is definitely my favourite protagonist of any VN I have read. He's relatable and realistic: tired, cynical, gay, and arguably not the greatest of people with his own share of problems. It's that realism that makes him so interesting - he's not just a blank slate made to carry the story forward nor a self insert for the reader, he stands out as his own character among the rest of the cast with his own personality. Speaking of, the main cast of the VN is similar, they are all both visually and behaviourally distinct from one another and support the very real and natural feeling of the dialogue that shows how well written this novel is and makes it an absolute delight to read.
My final point to mention and personal favourite part of the novel is it's effective use of the medium. I have read many visual novels that can be described as stories that have music, sound and character sprites simply alongside them, but 9:22 is a brilliant example of one that uses it's nature as a visual novel to boost the entire experience. Sound and animation are used perfectly, and even subtler details like body language and eye movement of characters convey emotions and other details that would have a significantly reduced impact if they were described by words instead. It is because of this that I think one of 9:22's major strengths is its harmony with it's medium that, in my opinion, would make the entire experience far more inferior if it was presented in any other medium.
Ultimately, 9:22 is a novel with a wonderfully well crafted and open ended story, supported by believable and great characters and fantastic usage of the medium that work in tandem to make an unmatched experience that I wholeheartedly recommend. 5 stars.