Rating: 
Summary: Not up to the standard of either co-author
Review: I expected better from both Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball. While there were some scenes that resonated emotionally (the opener with Acorna's parents, the first meeting with the children in the mine) on the whole it felt very formulaic. A number of the characters were cardboard and much of the plot seemed predictable. This book gives me no reason to look for the sequels.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, up until the end anyway
Review: This book had wonderful characterization and a strong plot. However, the end of this book came too quickly. It was mostly resolved within a short amount of pages, which made the conclusion seem almost to be written by a different author. The ends were tied up a little too quickly and neatly, and that didn't leave much to base the sequel on. If you can deal with that, you'll like this book.
Rating: 
Summary: couldn't wait for the 2nd book in the series!
Review: Wonderfully written (as is the usual case when it comes to Anne McCaffrey). This book was VERY difficult to put down. Unfortunately, I had to wait for the 2nd book (about a year). I've since re-read this book and have begun the 2nd book, which is just as difficult to put down. If you enjoy adventure, well thought out plots and people, you'll enjoy this book. Also recommend any other Anne McCaffrey books.
Rating:
Summary: Fairly Decent
Review: I just finished reading this book this past weekend, and was checking to find information about the sequels (which shows that I liked it at least somewhat); I looked for them at the local library, but all of the many copies were checked out!Many others have given a basic plot summary, so I won't bother. I liked many of the characters. Acorna in particular seemed rather young, naive, but with a huge heart that was willing to do whatever necessary to help those in need (even at the risk of her own life and well-being). This seems a lot like what I'd expect if a unicorn (at least one that fits several of our stereotypes about them) became a human being. I also liked the fact that many of the other characters seemed quite human, and the interesting point that the authors made that people may be neither good nor bad. For example, one of the main characters was an extremely rich old man who was extremely corrupt, but in a good way; i.e., he would bribe officials, pull whatever strings he had, etc., but all for the purpose of trying to save children from slavery. On the other hand, the story was somewhat predictable, and seemed a bit too easy. I won't say what happened at the end, but even though the authors set it up well, I had the feeling that it had all been sewn up a bit too neatly. Besides this, some of the plot twists were almost too simplistic. If you can make it beyond that, the end was the kind of ending that you really want to have with such a situation, and I have to admit that a part of me would have been disappointed had it turned out otherwise. One final saving grace is that the conclusion didn't sew up all the romantic situations; I get quite sick of books where everyone automatically and unexplainably end up with the right person after a few quick pages. So overall, I'd call this a decent book; not wonderful, but not a bad book, either.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but pales in comparison to Pern Series
Review: I am an avid reader of all of Anne McCaffrey's books, owning over 50 of them, and having read many others. I thought this book was a quite interesting subject to write on, as McCaffrey has never befor written about enslavement. I loved the characters, but found Acorna to be a bit too much of an airhead to carry off the part well. A little more in depth character description and analysis would have made this a stunning book.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: Three prospectors found the pod drifting in space. Within was an infant girl. She had silver hair, funny looking feet, and a little horn in the middle of her forehead. She was quickly adopted by the three. She was named Acorna. It was soon apparent she had the ability to purify air and water, heal wounds, and make plants grow. She was intelligent and learned quickly. Within four years she went from an infant to a young woman. It was not long before many people were after the unicorn girl for many different reasons. Acorna, however, had decided she was going to save all the children on Kezdet, a planet based on the trade of child slave labor. ***A KEEPER! I can only hope the authors plan to make this one a trilogy or a series!***
Rating:
Summary: This book kicks you clear out of space!
Review: I felt really bad for Acorna's parents. But when I read Rafik's reaction to the kid purifying the bathwater, I couldn't stop laughing for three minutes. I really liked the part where Rafik was hurt and Acorna heals him. I think that Rafik, along with the others, are good parents and worthy of little Acorna.
Rating: 
Summary: Not good
Review: Anne MCCaffrey's PERN books are wonderful, and I am especially fond of THE SHIP THAT SANG, one of her early works. But of late Ms. McCaffrey has been selling herself out, collaborating with other authors in the attempt to stay on the shelves at all costs. It's not worth it, and ACORNA is an example that proves it. It's really quite embarrassing. Buy anything with PERN in the title, but stay away if there is another author's name on the cover.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I'm 14 and love Anne McCaffrey! I have read almost all the books in the Pern series, and some others. I have begun to have greatest respect for Anne McCaffrey and her books. I think that she is the best author I've ever read. I thought that Acorna was a very interresting and wonderfull book. It kept my interest so well that I stayed up late to finish it. Anne lived up to and surppasted my high expectations with this book. While some people critisize Acorna for being one dimentional, but I belive the opposite. I beleive that Anne is saying important things about God and how we react to him with it. It is more than a kid's book about unicorns, but the double meaning is'nt thrown in your face either. Thank you Anne Mccaffrey for another great book! Katherine Dare
Rating:
Summary: Unsatisfying.
Review: I have long been a McCaffrey fan, gobbling up the Pern series and the other series she has done with a variety of collaborators, but this is one I won't pursue. The characters are one-dimensional, the plot predictable, and the dialog stilted. I'm sorry, Anne, you blew this one. Better luck next time.
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