User blog comment:SaynaSLuke/Stolen Tears/@comment-2142396-20160214132245

It’s finished and I fully agree with the ‘Sayna’s saddest book’ statement. I’ll elaborate further on it, as always. Behold the long comment! :) I love how you gave Martin’s character more depth by having him doubt if he could be the warrior everybest expects him to be and whether he even wants to be a warrior. It must be hard on him, to always justify his family’s expectations… I love Martin’s friendship with Tansy, and I feel she is going to be a good friend to Grath, too. By the way, being taken into Redwall seems like a turning point for Grath, the one where her personality would completely split from her canon self. If she had grown up in Redwall and got real friends like Martin and Tansy – and they seem pretty set on becoming her friends, - she certainly wouldn’t be that hard-edged vigilante focused only on killing all the pirates, but be more gentle and calm… well, not entirely, but I guess her personality would be more balanced out and less harsh and radical.

The captains’ rebellion was really well-written! Even though we couldn’t see most of the fighting, I could easily feel the tension in the air and see how high the stakes were in that game – and ratguards coming to Rasconza’s manor proved it, as well as the rebellion’s downfall. Now Ublaz shows just how devilish he is – the way he grants the rebels their wishes and lets them ‘sail freely’ echoes the canon when he gives Rasconza a ship of his own… only to let him drown. And poor Conza! I can feel his pain. *sob* But at least he got Val. That moment when she comforted him broke my heart so much, even if it were a tender one, because it showed us that despite Val’s lackadaisical demeanor, she really cares about him. *whispers* I’m actually kind of ship them now. I don’t like Kia, and not just because of how she treats her son, but because she is so… slippery overall. And yet, her attitude seems to be more natural and actually vermin-like: not a villain, but certainly not a nice beast to be around.

Flairnose and Greylunk reminded me of Dingeye and Thura – and of Sneezewort and Lousewort, too. :D Seems like a common type among vermin. The fight between them worked great as the culmination of their scenes since it all went this way from the very beginning, and beasts like them are tempted easily. And even after all of that, Greylunk still grieved Flairnose as if he didn’t abandon him to die… What the irony, Flairnose left his cousin to die, but was the one who died himself! I love the way you portrayed Fermald, she had always been such an interesting and unusual character who always intrigued me despite not appearing in the original book… I was surprised to hear that she considers some things she had done in the past bad, and I wonder what exactly happened.

It’s interesting how different Coral and Lutran’s reactions are to being captured, though I can understand perfectly Coral’s desire to protect what little family she has left just as Lutran’s defiance and his ‘what do I have to lose’ attitude. I felt especially sorry when Coral said that she wants Conva to hear the truth. Sad thing is, most villains already know that what they do is evil, they just don’t care. And while the villains would certainly be judged by Ignasa, very often the world would be a better place and more evil would be prevented if someone arranged the meeting between the two… *evil laugh* Still, you really succeeded in portraying Conva’s state of mind as he literally couldn’t comprehend the concept of the merciful deity and as he struggled to wrap his mind around it. No wonder Romsca thought him mad…

The ending was so powerful and terrible at once. Ublaz’s reaction to seeing the otters surprised me, because of that rage he seemed to experience. His order to kill them wasn’t ‘just business’, that was personal. I have a suspicion that Ublaz’s past has actually something to do with Holt Lutra… Poor Conva, poor Romsca and even poor Barranca… Even Conva’s death came up as a surprise though honestly it shouldn’t have had. I just remember you saying in one of the polls that you’ve been thinking about sparing him, so I hoped against hope that Ublaz would imprison him or exile him. Bu Ublaz really had to make an example out of him didn’t he? *sigh* I may be wrong, but I got the feeling that Romsca was actually hypnotized into swearing fealty to Ublaz? And thanks for not making Conza and Romsca Captains the moment their fathers die – it’s logical that even crews loyal to Conva and Kastaa wouldn’t follow the ones so young. Moreover, I got impression that the only reason Romsca and Conza’s ships weren’t appropriated by someone stronger was because Ublaz wanted to make a statement by forcing children of those who defied him to serve him. By the way, if I get things right, Rasconza is a season or two older than Romsca and Xzaris?

I love the picture of Romsca and Xzaris you posted! Though for some reason, it doesn’t seem the romantic type for me, more like ‘hey, bro’ picture. :D Nonetheless, it shows very well how close the two are. Romsca has an interesting way of braiding her hair – though I guess she needs it. And each time I see Xzaris’ armor, I have the urge to dress him up… Ah, I know, that’s the genes of great-great-great-grandfather Veil speaking! :D Even if Veil’s armor did look somewhat more covering. Speaking about Xzaris’s legacy, I wonder which of his parents were descended from Veil?

Also, I had a sneak peek at ‘The Ocean’s Echoes’, and while I don’t have much to comment about, I’d still like to ask a couple of questions. It’s mentioned that Xzaris belongs to the House of the Falcons, but since he is, eh, bluntly speaking, an illegitimate child, I wonder how he got this title. Is his mother a noble or his father just let him use it despite never acknowledging him? And there is a mistake I noticed regarding the cover illustration – the directions of the compass are a bit mixed up: Xzaris is facing north, even though he is supposed to go south. And Rasconza for some reason sails ‘Freebooter’, though it was Barranca’s ship and Rasconza’s was ‘Bloodkeel’. So unless something happened to ‘Bloodkeel’ and Rasconza bought ‘Freebooter’ or he renamed his ship… Please don’t kill me for nitpicking. ^^;