Book Review: Dragongirl by Todd McCaffrey

Dragongirl
Author: Todd McCaffrey
Series: The Dragonriders of Pern
Publication: Del Rey; 1 edition (July 27, 2010)

Description: Young Fiona, rider of the gold queen Talenth, has returned from the past, where she and a group of dragons and riders fled so that the wounded could heal from their previous battles with Thread and the younger dragons could safely grow to fighting age. Gone only three days, yet aged more than three years, Fiona is no longer a child but a woman prepared to fight against the Thread that threatens to destroy her world.

Fiona’s life takes a pivotal turn when a shocking tragedy thrusts her into a position of authority. Now she finds herself leading weyrfolk who have a hard time trusting a senior Weyrwoman who is both young and an outsider.

My Thoughts: DRAGONGIRL takes place right after DRAGONHEART. Fiona and her group of dragonriders have come back from the past to just three days later. The problems she left are still problems. There is an illness that is killing dragons and thread is starting to fall and there are not enough dragons or dragonriders to battle it.

When a tragedy takes all the dragons and riders from Telgar in a horrible event, Fiona is sent with her gold queen Talenth to be the new weyrwoman there. She brings along T'mar and his wing. She also brings her young friends. Fiona has a remarkable talent for managing her weyr and a remarkable talent for inspiring loyalty.

When Kindan and Lorana find a cure for the dragons, part of the problems are solved but they are still facing a major shortage of dragons old enough to fight thread. Talenth clutches and provides 22 eggs as does the other queen at Telgar. These clutches are light - many too small - and they don't know if it is because of the cure or just coincidence.

Kindan, T'mar, Lorana, and Fiona forge a partnership for their emotional support with Fiona at the center. She has such a big heart that she wants to love everyone. She also takes her responsibility to keep up morale at the weyr very seriously and tries to hide her fears for the future of Pern.

This was an exciting story with lots of growth for Fiona but it is clearly part of a much larger story arc. Both a cliffhanger ending and unresolved plot threads will have to wait for the next book.

Favorite Quote:

"All relationships take work," Cisca said. She shrugged. "Really, when you think about it, anything you care to do well takes work."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.