Becky Chambers is an auto-buy author for me. So when I saw the sequel to A Psalm for the Wild Built, I knew I had to read it. And I ended up loving this one even more! Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.
They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.
Becky Chambers’s new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
In A Prayer for the Crown Shy, Chambers explains the world in more detail. Since Sibling Dex and Mosscap are more familiar with each other, there’s a bit more room for development of the world and their relationship. And all the nitty gritty world elements – like how money and bartering work – I ended up loving. It’s unique and thought provoking from the littlest to the largest ways. These elements examine what our economics says about our values and communities. How we relate to others in the world and what our ‘value’ is. Can you tell how much I loved this thought kernel??
And through this theme, Chambers continues to explore what humanity needs. If we have everything we want, how much does having more matter? In A Prayer for the Crown Shy the entire question that Mosscap is struggling with begins to feel like a meta journey for ourselves. To wonder if when we have more access, more ‘things’, more extras, what that means for us? While Sibling Dex teaches Mosscap about their world, it begins to question our own.
This line between object and person-hood, materials and organic components. A Prayer for the Crown Shy manages to balance action with introspection in a way I appreciated more in this sequel than the first. There’s this careful tension between almost a slice of life pacing with also broader implications. With beautifully descriptive writing, I ended up finishing this in one sitting. And if you love the first, you have to read this one. If you were on the fence about the first, please give this a shot, because it really draws on the foundations of the first while developing even more. Find A Prayer for the Crown Shy on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.