All Ashes and Illusions

this is so peak, but higher peaks are to be seen, off to unluckily in love :D

All Ashes and Illusions is a dark, very well-written VN full of complex and interesting characters. Tavi ended up being my favourite, and I also really liked Safiya. The art and soundtrack are stunning and really fit the story. I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend it.

This is a very well-written VN, though it has the capability to make you feel very uncomfortable on purpose, which might not be ideal for everybody, as much as I enjoyed it. The story is very dark, but it also sets up a lot of information that is helpful for a read-through of other VNs that are directly or tangentially related to this story. [spoiler] I feel bad for Safiya, though I don't think this iteration of Yuel would have as interesting a relationship with Tavi if not for her. [/spoiler]

I was going to read All Scars and Starlight when the new content came out, but after seeing several reviews suggest reading All Ashes and Illusions first to get a better understanding, I'm glad I did. A very grim and dark story, where things just go from bad to worse. It's a change of pace from what I normally read, but I honestly really enjoyed it. Knowing the tone, I think was key going into this. I didn't expect a happy ending. [spoiler]Watching Yuel's innocent love for Safiya as a child turn into an obsession was sad to witness, but it made complete sense with his character. He was alone, and Safiya was the one constant positive from his childhood.[/spoiler] As a side note, having read other visual novels by Ebi-Hime with Yuel before, it was really interesting to me to see his origin, along with the other characters that tend to show up in these visual novels. Off to read All Scars and Starlight now!

The title of this Visual Novel is quite telling. The story is memorable, with believable, consistent characters. The art is great, the music is fitting and pleasant, and the setting was chosen well. While I cannot say that I have enjoyed said story, I do believe that was the point. Give this a read!

The most well-structured ebi-hime VN I've read, with the most stunning background art and gorgeous music from Yuzuki. It's a gloomy read, but there is some mordant humour. If you like Macbeth but wanted the characters to be prettier, look no further... EDIT: On reflection I think it is one of ebi-hime's best VNs to date. She is particularly skilled at writing unreliable, un-self-aware character.