Since Fp wouldn't let me review chapter 2 because I already have, I'll leave the review on chapter 3.

Breathless. Totally. I had on idea the women would gang up upon her - but then they kinda split and fought against each other too. Poor, poor Eleni! (what would happen if the soldier met Eleni? What would he say/do to her?)

You are just fantastically good at those forbidden loves! Remember the whore/murderer story? :shiver:

Narq.

I liked this a lot. It is refreshing to see the humanity that can be exhibited by those who would normally be considered soulless.

Oh wow! I really like this. What an amazingly brave girl Katya is, willing to give herself in order to save another. The connection she begins to make with the soldier. I was breathless as I read and wondering where this would go. I almost want you to continue so I know whether or not they manage to keep the secret and even stay together, or whether they get caught. Then again I don't want to know, I want to be able to imagine them forming a life together. You did an excellent job with the theme for the challenge.

“Do you think this is why I joined the army, to forced women and children to work to death?”

Just force, I think, not forced.

Good job here on presenting the officer's point of view. Those years, that regime, produced even more victims than the historians can ever calculate.

I'm not a big fan of ambiguous endings but given the circumstances, the odds stacked against this couple, to have "disappeared" and no longer be subject to State control is indeed a victory of sorts.

Still, I wouldn't object to a Chapter Three if you cared to elaborate on their fates...

I was a bit disappointed that you had not first resumed "A Puppet In The Hand" upon your return from vacation (you're back right?), but any story that includes wonderfully evocative phrases like a "stump of a smile" is worthy of consideration in its own right.

I don't have high hopes for prolonged happiness for Katya or the officer, but am certainly curious to see what comes next.

Anyways, opened this window before reading the whole thing so I could point out stuff on the way.

"Eleni? Irina?" Katya asked, fingers tight as claws. "Anna? Fyushka?" - shivers, very good, but I think it would be even better, if you'd repeated the Eleni, since she is the one readerse have sympathised with in the previous chapter.

“They will find you, and you'll die." - italicise the "will"s here please? and maybe have "you WILL die" the will in italics as well? for emphasis?

And, wow, such a shiver ran up my back at this story. I think this is one of your master pieces yet!

For school, we need to hand in assignments - writing ones: first chapters or others. I've been telling my friends to read your stories, especially A Puppet in the Hand and Written in the Clouds. I'm going to ad this one to the list although I can't even pronounce it.

Cheers!

Narq.

Hi, sorry I didn't have time to beta this. It's a wonderful story in itself and you handled it beautifully on your own anyways.

I loved the whole forbiddenness of this, but not only that, the way you wrote it, like you were whispering this story - the whole thing felt forbidden, and I feel all warm and fuzzy, and yet... there's shivers going up my spine because I feel like I've done something... bad..?

Great great great job!

Narq.

Wow, I wish I knew Siberian history more so I feel the relation. The intro made me curious on what the story is all about. Because of Olaf, I almost thought it was bestiality. But then comes the officer. Well i gotta give u a pat on the back for confusing me cos I like the unpredictability of the plot.

Love how the rated scene is indistinctly describe. it didn't take the story away from the main plot. And I love the inner conflict in Katya when she's given more to eat while fretting over Eleni's wellbeing.

For the first time I'm not wishing to know why and how those two loved each other (although it'd be nice to have that info as well). And this has the best (happy) ending I've seen.

ps: sorry if you got double review cos there's something wrong with my connection.