Thanks for the welcome! I should have made clear I wasn't criticizing you for criticizing her or ... now I'm confused. Anyway, I understood you didn't find it malicious or purposeful. And it is something we authors have to watch - what is in our heads doesn't always exactly translate to the page. Please do not apologize. That is one reason why I hesitate to comment on reviews. I truly feel that reviewers deserve to complain/criticize/etc. without being harassed by authors :)

As for the whole subtlety issue, I know. I prefer to do a good bit of work when I'm reading (most of the time - sometimes I want an easy read). Others not so much. I hate being anvil-icious and I literally grit my teeth as I write the same hint for the fifth time ... but you know what? Some readers still don't get it. So it's a balance, really, and we risk annoying the more attentive readers so the less attentive ones won't be lost. I've asked myself lots of times if fantasy is really the genre for me ...

Anyway. Thanks again.