I wonder if eventually Thistle will learn to stand up for herself. So far, I can only see that she's been taken care of by others. While I understand that this is a difficult time for her, I'm hoping you'll address later in the story because everyone continues to tell her that she is a fighter.
Oh yes, she does. Its in the later chapters the further you read. It actually gets a little morally grey for her later on. And she does recognize how different she is since her mother and father died. I guess I want her to process her grief and the huge change in coming from living with just her mother and grandmother into a large, aggressive culture.