[1][2] Dragongirl is set primarily during a few months of year 508 AL (After Landing on Pern), beginning weeks after the start of the "Third Pass" of the Red Star and its attendant Threadfall.

That worked, and so they gained time, or adult man- and dragonpower, for the Pernese to handle the current crisis.

Early in Dragongirl, the entire force of centrally located Telgar Weyr is lost to a sudden disaster — all its mature dragons and dragonriders, about 300 pairs.

Critical reception for Dragongirl has been mixed, with SF Crowsnest saying that McCaffrey has developed as an author but that the writing still felt inexperienced and hurried at the end.

[3] Publishers Weekly positively reviewed the book, writing that "McCaffrey's assured characterizations and ease with referencing Pern's elaborate history make this a hardy fantasy that faithfully echoes and builds upon his mother's original vision".