This is not my typical genre so I am not sure about the use of language or the path this is going. When I reading the first chapter which introduces Elias Kraus, I have to say I would not have known the character was a man. There was something feminine in his description of the scene, and in his thoughts. I didn't find him believable, as the story continues (including his flashback to his childhood) I still didn't quite trust him. On the other hand, I enjoyed Ophelia, and thought that she could have a standalone story. The only thing I disliked about her was her name, her mother, and the odd story of when she was 7-years-old and a parent of her friend confessing an affair with Ophelia's stepfather. And, to add insult to injury, the reaction of the friend's father (remember, this is a 7-year-old child) - anger with her and not the mother who just confessed to an affair. I would like to read more to find out if the two stories when finding their intersection are a good match.