You started out by dissing your work and now I feel guilty for liking it so much!

I can see where the pacing is a little rough, but I think a lot of that probably has to do with the nature of this prompt. (You're a far braver person than I for taking this on!) I love your Red, by the way, and I was surprised by how endearing Lyra was. They play off of each other adorably.

In a word, gorgeous!