Very well done.
The melody is perfect in my opinion, but I do agree that the string pads are a little abrupt. Still, it doesn't detract from the whole feel of the song, which, by the way, is amazing. :)
Two requests for you. I'm working through a short game series, and I'm in the process of collecting musics. Would you mind if I use this one? Also, I'm a bit of a music composer myself, and I feel like it might be cool to try re-mixing this piece of yours in my own software. Would you mind if I do it? You'd get full credit, of course - check out my latest works if you want to know my style.
Anyway, amazing work here. Top marks, fave'd, and downloaded once I find my flash drive.