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A review by kerveros
Acorna's Quest by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Margaret Ball, Anne McCaffrey
2.0
I know I read an Acorna book when I was in school - judging from the cover it may have been this one. But in the... 15 odd years since if it was this one I recalled none of the plot points. Which... good re-read value I guess?
I last read the first book in this series in February last year, and although it does have a relatively open ending it is self-enclosed enough that it was on a whim I borrowed this from a friend, as opposed to a need to find out what happens next to Acorna and her adopted family.
Due to the year and... 3/4 since I last read Acorna I appreciated the recap that you get at the beginning of this book. That said either I've forgotten some of the events, misinterpreted them or there is some ret-conning going on here. I can't point out particularly bits but I am just left with a feeling that some parts of it don't quite add up for me.
The plot of this book is.. adequate. Whereas the first book feels self-contained this one is screaming "I'm part of a bigger story!!!!!!" which, honestly I am not a huge fan of books that do that. Pretty much everything here screams set-up for future books - be it the introduction of some of Acorna's species (including an Aunt, all of whom know best for Acorna and to my mind don't so much as listen to her concerns (or hear them I guess) but say "oh yes you feel x so let me distract you with 5"... no sense at all), to the introduction of the species that killed Acorna's parents (also and spoiler here for the end of the book WHAT KIND OF MERCENARY LETS A SHIP/SURVIVOR GET AWAY TO TELL TALES?!?!? I mean... it *seems* to maybe have worked out for them here but I doubt that is the case. What is this Mulan and you're letting a messenger go back to confirm how blood thirsty you are? ) the major plot points all felt like they were included to be part of a larger narrative.
The POVs with Acorna are arguably the best, the POVs with her 'relatives' I just found dull. Karina was a new character that was not needed and I'd be glad not to have her in the next book (the synopsis of which sounds like I might get my wish there). The three miners from the first book just weren't that good/interesting/important here... Pal (the un-wanted love interest from Acorna) is quickly dealt with... all in all it was a pretty much a picture perfect cookie cutter happy ending. Not that there is anything wrong with that... but sometimes it just...doesn't work for me.
Overall I found this to be a bit of a disappointment, it just doesn't hold the same charm as Acorna. My friend only has the first three books in the series so I can only hope that the third and final book (that I will read in this series) is back on par with the first! (That said this line from the end of the book did rather amuse me"...They [humans] are quite barbaric and vicious beyond belief: when attacked, they actually fight back!" )
I last read the first book in this series in February last year, and although it does have a relatively open ending it is self-enclosed enough that it was on a whim I borrowed this from a friend, as opposed to a need to find out what happens next to Acorna and her adopted family.
Due to the year and... 3/4 since I last read Acorna I appreciated the recap that you get at the beginning of this book. That said either I've forgotten some of the events, misinterpreted them or there is some ret-conning going on here. I can't point out particularly bits but I am just left with a feeling that some parts of it don't quite add up for me.
The plot of this book is.. adequate. Whereas the first book feels self-contained this one is screaming "I'm part of a bigger story!!!!!!" which, honestly I am not a huge fan of books that do that. Pretty much everything here screams set-up for future books - be it the introduction of some of Acorna's species (including an Aunt, all of whom know best for Acorna and to my mind don't so much as listen to her concerns (or hear them I guess) but say "oh yes you feel x so let me distract you with 5"... no sense at all), to the introduction of the species that killed Acorna's parents (also and spoiler here for the end of the book
The POVs with Acorna are arguably the best, the POVs with her 'relatives' I just found dull. Karina was a new character that was not needed and I'd be glad not to have her in the next book (the synopsis of which sounds like I might get my wish there). The three miners from the first book just weren't that good/interesting/important here... Pal (the un-wanted love interest from Acorna) is quickly dealt with... all in all it was a pretty much a picture perfect cookie cutter happy ending. Not that there is anything wrong with that... but sometimes it just...doesn't work for me.
Overall I found this to be a bit of a disappointment, it just doesn't hold the same charm as Acorna. My friend only has the first three books in the series so I can only hope that the third and final book (that I will read in this series) is back on par with the first! (That said this line from the end of the book did rather amuse me