I am enjoying this story, and it is certainly well executed.
Feels a little familiar though ... a mysterious institute in a foreign country, numbered personnel and a strict hierarchy, a mysterious elixir, overwhelming incitements to self-gratification that is aggressively punished, and the hint of fear that somebody may be about to turn perfect rubber-enclosed order into dangerous chaos, all set within a building full of secret areas and hidden depths. Even abstract figures like "The Doctor" appear; the similarities are striking.
Doll's House Hotel certainly didn't invent any of those genre forms, but it did assemble them all together into a single story. Whether this is emulation as flattery, or simply a case of parallel evolution, perhaps the author will clarify. There is no swimming lesson in TDHH, but the early introduction of a responsible senior punished for the sins of the charge is familiar.
That probably comes across too negative. This is its own story, with its own feel, and the genre is ... the genre. For those that like this kind of story, there is a refreshed version of The Doll's House Hotel on my wordpress thing. The one on the plaza must be heading towards twenty years old now and was an early effort. ICRI is much more nicely written.
I wonder how it will all turn out?
