Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
A word of caution, this VN is heavily, heavily focused on furry and scalie transformations with very detailed sequences of turning into ones. If this is not your cup of tea - I'd still urge you to give it a spin for the characters and story.
Art in its purest form, the work of absolute love and passion of very devoted people. Very, very rarely can the visual novel transcend the confines of its form and nature, and this one does, leaving a profound mark on me.
The atmosphere of a small Scottish town touched by the first World War, standing on the precipices of a mortal and fae world, is enchanting. The artstyle is beautiful and warm, like looking at old paintings, combined with good music accompanying it, sets a stage for a gripping story about trauma, self-discovery, healing and change. The storytelling is incredibly intimate, almost like a soft telling of a fairytale.
The characters are written masterfully, they feel like people, not talking heads in a game. They all have their own flaws, dreams, unique quirks, and the authors are not afraid to flaunt them to their fullest. They have completely understandable fears, struggles and insecurities, but also power and tenderness.
Grace's story is probably my favorite, which was a complete surprise for me, as I did not like her at first glance, not my type of character. Boy did it took me for Mr. Bones wild ride and never let go until the credits. The themes resonated with me incredibly strongly, even if the ending is a bit too perfect and sweet.
Jessie is my second pick, her story was much more grounded and less thrilling, but Jessie herself is an amazing character I grew to love. Also helps that she is associated with my favorite creature in all of fiction, and Scottish take on them is delightful. I only wish they went all in on it like with Grace, as I was desperate for more.
Contrary to popular opinions, I didn't vibe with Marion that much. I liked her at the beginning, but neither her character nor a creature she is interested me at all. Hell, her story with Douglas the fisherman in Grace's route felt better than her own one.
Side characters are almost all a delight. The proper Scottsman barkeep and Douglas the fisherman are ride-or-die homies, the Gran is sweet as a biscuit, but there is one character I absolutely loathed, read at your own discretion further. The character I'm speaking of is Alana, the cryptic teacher, a witch and, I assume, the narrator of the story. She is absolutely infuriating with her attitude and unsolicited advices, holier-than-thou demeanor and total uselessness of her warnings. Like, girl, speak plainly for fae's sake, your mad ramblings and butthurt rants are not helpful in the slightest, just breaking the pacing and vibes of the story, and I can feel my eyes rolling up each time she appears on the screen.
All in all, this is a must-read Visual novel. The authors promised even more routes than the three sisters, and I can't wait to be lost in this world again.