Khorii became a hero in her own right as she fought to save the universe from a mysterious, deadly plague that not even the healing powers of the Linyaari could stop.

Now, confined with the rest of the survivors on Paloduro, the home planet of the disease, it seems as if the danger may be fading, and Khorii and her friends may be able to stem the tide of death and disease . . . until ominous signs indicate that the perpetrators are near and that the epidemic is only beginning. As old enemies reemerge and a shocking family secret is revealed, Khorii must unlock the malevolent mysteries of the deadly pestilence with the aid of her android "brother" before their unknown foes complete their covert mission to cripple the entire star system. ( )

This series just doesn't have the charm that the original Acorna series had. I don't know if it's because we're not discovering as many different worlds and cultures or if it's due to having Khorii as a main character, but there's definitely something missing. However, for fans of the series, this is still enjoyable and worthwhile. It's a fast read and this one does a better job of tying into the latter part of the original series than First Warning did.

This book is a good set-up for what's to come. I think the last book of the series is going to be extremely exciting. Not only is the plague transforming into an unknown entity that even Khorii doesn't seem able to fight, old enemies are coming back (as the summary says).

Khorii is a bit whiny for my taste, but she does what she needs to do. She has some awesome moments in this book, one with a shady trader, and some others with futuristic pirates. Sometimes I really miss the presence of Acorna's adoptive fathers. Instead, Khorii hangs out with kids whose parents were the victims of the plague. It fits into the story line, but I don't think there are any really strong characters in this series, which bothers me a bit.

What I like about this book is that Khorii seems to be coming into her own. Without the help of her parents, she's maturing and learning how to manage by herself. Also, the entire book is suspenseful. You know something really bad is going on, but all the characters seem to pass it off as something odd but not incredibly important. In the end, the begin to figure it out. This is at once frustrating and necessary, because it most definitely kept me turning the pages.

I would recommend this for those who have already read the original Acorna series. If you're just now getting into this series, don't start with Acorna's Children. It's not as good and you won't catch the references made to the previous series. ( )

Something had been niggling at me during the previous book (first warning), but I brushed it off. I realized what it was during this second novel. The writing feels off. Maybe it's because we're dealing with essentially child/preteen protanganist for the most part, but I felt like the novel was written worse than Anne's normal works. I felt like I was reading something far below even the young adult line. ( )

Something had been niggling at me during the previous book (first warning), but I brushed it off. I realized what it was during this second novel. The writing feels off. Maybe it's because we're dealing with essentially child/preteen protanganist for the most part, but I felt like the novel was written worse than Anne's normal works. I felt like I was reading something far below even the young adult line. ( )

2006