This was a fast and easy fantasy read. I see on the back it does suggest for ages 10-14. Having read Anne McCaffrey's Tower and Hive series and Crystal Singer series, I was a little surprised at the simplicity and shortness (191 pages) of this novel. Clearly it intertwined the stories of the first trilogy of Pern, as it takes place at the same time.

According to another Pern book, the best order in which to read the Pern books is to read Dragonflight and Dragonquest first. However, Dragonsong said it was the first book in the Harper Hall trilogy, so I picked it up, not realizing I was going to be out of order on the whole chronology of Pern. That's okay, McCaffrey's books do a very good story synopsis catch-up in the introduction or prologue, so while I realize there were stories told that I've probably heard the ending of already, I haven't read those stories. Sometimes, it isn't bad to know the ending before reading the story, because you read for the enjoyment of the story itself.

McCaffrey does seem stuck on two types of lead heroines: small and fragile or tall and strong. Menolly falls into the category of Tall, Big Girl, like the Freedom's Landing heroine and some of the heroines in Tower and the Hive. Overall, I enjoyed this story. It captured my attention and now I can't wait to read more Pern books.