What I love about Becky Chambers, and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, is that with every passing chapter, every interaction between our protagonists and the people they meet, there is an undercurrent of tenderness. Dex and Mosscap do not have all the answers, no one does, no one needs to. By the end of this fragment of their journey, they are no closer to their “destination,” and that is entirely the point. Instead, they are able to listen to each other, support each other, grow and learn and take their sweet time in the process.

Becky Chambers continues to write the absolute best sci-fi out there. I could read a million of her books.

This novella, part two of Chambers' Monk and Robot duology offers a hopeful and thoughtful vision of the future. If you need a break from dystopia but you still want to be immersed in a future world that makes you think about human progress-- here is your answer! I loved this and have been recommending it far and wide. Also, the main character uses they/them pronouns, which is refreshing and potentially great "practice" for folks who want to support the trans community but don't yet feel comfortable with the language changes.

Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot series returns with A Prayer For The Crown-Shy, continuing the charming tales of Sibling Dex and their robot companion, Mosscap. In true Chambers fashion, Monk And Robot delights as much as it examines big questions of introspection, self-reflection, and the ever-changing needs of humanity.

After meeting in the robot-inhabited wilderness, Sibling Dex and Mosscap return to the human lands of their home moon. Dex sends ahead, heralding their arrival, and the two become the Monk and Robot equivalent of niche internet micro-celebrities, drawing awe in the populations of the moon’s outer villages. Sibling Dex serves as Mosscap’s guide, their tea service left behind in favor of aiding the robot in its quest to learn about humanity. However, as Dex watches Mosscap explore the world, they begin to wonder about their own place in it. This novella sees Dex and Mosscap jump from town to town, discovering what makes each unique. All the while, Dex uncovers hidden truths about themself.

If you enjoyed A Psalm For The Wild-Built, you’ll love A Prayer For The Crown-Shy. And if you didn’t like Psalm, try again. More than just another Monk And Robot story, Crown-Shy expands the world, the concepts, and the characters in meaningful ways. Crown-Shy feels like the second half of the story Psalm began, making the pair a must-have for folks who want the full story. Where Wild-Built was a Sibling Dex-centered book, Crown-Shy shines the spotlight on Mosscap. The robot’s antics, seen through Sibling Dex’s eyes, lends the world a sparkling sheen. Everything interests Mosscap, no matter how mundane Sibling Dex originally believes it to be. Sibling Dex sees their world through new, mechanical eyes, and their relationship with Mosscap reads like a true-to-life friendship. At times, Sibling Dex is annoyed by their new companion’s quirks. But for the most part, they’re discovering new things because Mosscap is eager to learn.

The central relationship whisks the story along. Crown-Shy is only 160 pages or so, but there’s a lot of love and reflection within those pages. Sibling Dex, having abandoned tea service in favor of Mosscap’s escapades, begins to grapple with bigger questions about their existence. A life serving other people can be meaningful and fulfilling. But when it comes at the expense of knowing their self-worth or personal desires, it begins to feel vapid. Though Sibling Dex finds temporary purpose in guiding Mosscap through the world of humans, they allow their uncertainty about a life of service to fester. They stand on the precipice of grand personal change, but their refusal to step over the threshold begins to poison all their interactions with Mosscap and those around them.

None of this is to say Dex is mean or rude. Not by a long shot. Instead, the story has moments of frustration, moments of understanding, and moments of uncertainty throughout. Chambers has a way of hinting at what’s below the surface, then driving the lesson home with an open and honest conversation between characters.

That’s precisely what happens here, and Crown-Shy has a unique, unexpected ending that left me with a smile. It carries on the story A Psalm For The Wild-Built started, but it brings the narrative in new, creative directions. It’s one of my favorite 2022 reads so far, and I can’t wait for more from this delightful series of novellas.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is the second novella in Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot series, and once again, I am captivated. If you've been looking for an utterly unique take on robots and the future, please, please take the time to read these two novellas.

Sibling Dex and Mosscap make quite a unique team. One of a (potentially retired) Tea Monk, and the other is a robot on a quest to understand what humans want and need. Together, they've been traveling from one town to the next.

In a way, both are on the same quest, though perhaps they did not know that at the beginning. Both are trying to find purpose in their lives while understanding what they would like to do next. By traveling the world together, these two friends are learning so much more than that.

“You don’t have to have a reason to be tired. You don’t have to earn rest or comfort. You’re allowed to just be.”

Over the years, there have been certain novellas that I've come to cherish. Monk and Robot are two such novellas, as they absolutely delight to read. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is everything I had hoped it would be, with a fair bit more on top.

There is something so poignant about this series – and I'm not just referring to the timeline (the series is set at a point where humanity has learned not to rely on robots). It's the way humans treat one another, how they respect the world, and how they listen. Given everything happening in the world, there are so many lessons we could take from these works.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is a series of vignettes as Sibling Dex, and Mosscap bounce from one place to the next. Each location has a unique story and set of characters, and each one seems to drive a different point home.

While A Psalm for the Wild-Built will always hold a special place in my heart, I must admit that I love A Prayer for the Crown-Shy just as much – if not more. The second novella isn't afraid to delve deeper into the emotional state of both beloved characters. Much of what they're feeling and saying resonated with me, and I'm confident I won't be the only reader that feels this way.

At the end of the day, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy reminds us that it's okay for us just to exist. We don't have to be working or creating value in some way. Take a moment, catch your breath, and just be.

A Psalm for the Wild Built took us in the wilderness, in Mosscap’s world where the robots went after the great split with humanity. This book finds Sibling Dex and Robot Mosscap traveling through Panga, this time on Dex’s turf. Like that last book, there are wonderful questions and conversations. It sparks introspection and thoughts about the outside world, and I was sorry to see it end.

A Psalm for the Wild Built was my favorite read of last year, and I deliberately put off reading this one, because I knew I’d read it quickly and be left wanting more, not the worst problem to have, I suppose, but that’s exactly how it turned out. I guess I’ll just have to re-read both of them while waiting on another adventure.

A #bookstagram buddy told me this has been called “hope punk,” and now I have some research to do in order to find likeminded books. We could all use a little more hope these days, methinks, and thanks to Chambers for brining a little bit of that to us in these trying times. This one’s out now wherever you get your books.

A beautiful addition to the series. I can't wait for more monk and robot tales. Becky Chambers's world building and lyrical prose are as amazing as always.

Both a continuation and a counterbalance to the first book, and (amazingly) even more heartwarming this time around. It's really shaping up to be an unfolding conversation of a book series; unfolding life's deepest questions in the most whimsical and encouraging of ways.

Love, love, love Chambers gentle and optimistic future. Dex is such a lovely character, and I love how Chambers uses the question of Mosscap the robot being sentient to explore what it means to be human. Lovely and sweet and charming.

Incredible! I loved A Psalm for the Wild-Built and the sequel is even better. Becky Chambers is one of my favorite authors and I'm a fan for life.

I enjoyed this but I still keep coming back to how I want more murderbot and this is not murderbot. It is much more gentle much more philosophical and while that is good on its own and their are people who want that. This just still feels very saccharine

Just a delight. This book feels like a warm hug. Chambers invites the reader to slow down, take a break, and consider what is needed to be content. The society of Panga values fulfillment and contribution over productivity, which is a radical and hopeful way of thinking. I loved spending more time with Dex and Mosscap.

I've been anxiously awaiting this next installment in the monk and robot story, and I wasn't disappointed. Each page was like a sip from a warm mug of tea. It warmed the soul and makes you think, while you fall in love with the sweetness and gentleness of these characters all over again. If you want an interesting read, with good representation, and characters that will make you examine your place in the world, pick up this book!

Charming and softly philosophical, it feels like reading a grown up Winnie the Pooh tale. Read like sipping hot, sweet tea. It's a beautiful story.

I so thoroughly enjoyed getting back into the world of Dex and Mosscap. This is a lovely companion to 'A Psalm for the Wild Born,' with similarly soothing writing and descriptions while continuing to have Dex and Mosscap explore complicated ethical and moral dilemmas in a thoughtful and nuanced way. Just as much as I was challenged and soothed, I was entertained. I laughed so much reading this! Mosscap has such a delightful and refreshing perspective that is so endearing to read. I loved getting to see these two navigate the greater world, outside of the bubble they established in the first book. I will be reading and re-reading both of these books for years so come.

Wow this book finished suddenly. I know it's a novella, but still.

Just like the first one in this series, it's a very quiet, soothing read, and it picks up shortly after the last one. It also continues Dex's feelings that something is missing with regards to their tea services, and it's interesting that tea service doesn't take place at all in this book. Even better that Dex and Mosscap end up having a conversation about it, and what it may mean.

Dex and Mosscap come out from their wilderness adventures that took up most of last book, and Dex readies them both for a robot to meet people for the first time since the before times. There's only a line here or there that could really be classed as world building, but it doesn't really need more than that after the previous book's set up.

Although there is plenty of excitement to be found whenever they stop, it's well described in that it manages to keep the peace of the rest of the novel.

Mosscap gets to ask its question of 'What do people want' and ends up getting answers that it can put into two categories: philosophical or extremely specific things. Perhaps it's no surprise that this book ends up taking on such a philosophical nature, as Mosscap and Dex explore themselves and what each of them want and need during their walks.

I particularly liked when Dex came back to their family, the conversation they have with Mosscap about all the different familial relationships and how Mosscap tries to remember but knows that even its robot mind is not equipped to the task of wide polyamorous relationships and cousins and everything else.

I also liked when Dex's father asked Mosscap what it wanted, because that's the first time that had happened. More than anything, this spoke to a wider acceptance of Mosscap as person, outside of just Dex.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Again, I cried. I jumped at the chance to read this book after the first one was one of my favorites of last year, and Becky Chambers once again delivered. This book was poignant, beautiful, and an utter joy to read. Even with how short it was, it was the perfect length. The characters were wonderful, the world was amazing to envision, and the feeling the book brought was just peaceful. 5/5

Sibling Dex is a tea monk, traveling to serve tea to people as a service. He is accompanied by Mosscap who is a robot. They discovered each other in the forest of Panga and teamed up. Mosscap is on a mission to discover all about humans and what they what most in life. They are now headed towards a city so that the robot can experience this other way of living.

Along the way, they encounter several villages. In some, they are welcomed and feasted. In others, they are considered outsiders and shunned. Regardless, Mosscap continues to ask everyone encountered what do they want?

The pair are even able to fit in a visit to Dex's home farm. They are welcomed there and his parents and relatives are excited to see him as he hasn't been home for quite a while. They are given dinner and taken around the farm. As they continue their journey, they stop on a beach and ponder their next steps. Will they continue to the city or remain where they are?

This is a gentle book in the Monk and Robot series. Chambers uses these two characters to ask what is the purpose of life and once one has enough, is more even necessary? The characters are interesting and their interaction is compelling. This book is recommended for science fiction readers.

We live in unprecedented times. I wish we didn’t, but life lately has been rough. Between Covid, War, Dictators, and environmental catastrophes, sometimes you need a story that is a warm hug or a mug of hot cocoa. This is what the A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is about. It is a book that replenishes a world-weary soul.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is the second book in the Monk & Robot series. We find our intrepid duo on the road and picks up right where the last one left off. Mosscap, the robot, and Dex the tea-monk are going from village to village, meeting with people and experiencing life in many ways. You would think that all this traveling would be for Mosscap’s benefit, but it isn’t. Instead, you have Dex reexamining ideas and things they hold dear as they watch Mosscap experience things for the first time.

There isn’t a plot. Instead, think of the travels of the duo as vignettes. They are moments in time that impart a bit of wisdom. All that said, this isn’t a preachy novel, far from it. Chambers walks the line between memorable and heartfelt with preachy and shmaltzy well. One of the main takeaways from this story is a conversation about mental health and how it is a journey rather than a destination.

Dex has struggled with their mental health in the past. They have to internalize that it is ok not to be ok. It is ok to be one of the folks that rely on others and doesn’t bring anything to the table. This echoes moments in the first book where Dex sets off into the forest to be alone.

Again, Chambers has written a beautiful story about hope and the many ways we find it in the world. And that it is ok to rest for a bit on other people. Echoing my first sentiments, the world is brutal right now. We are staring at these unprecedented moments in shock. This book soothes the soul; the tales of Monk & Robot stick to your heart and are ready to go on an adventure with you wherever that leads.

It was so lovely to spend more time with Dex and Mosscap, my favourite tea monk and robot duo, as they travelled throughout their world together. While the first book focused on their meeting and Dex’s pilgrimage to discover their purpose, this second installment picked up right where the last one left off, with the two of them on a journey to answer Mosscap’s age-old question to the human race, going to different villages and asking “what do you need?” Full of the same warmth and gentle discoveries about human (and robot) nature, I felt so cozy reading this, even while the poignant and complex undertones made me stop and think.

I think I slightly preferred the first book (I will never get over the magic of meeting Mosscap for the first time), but honestly I’m invested for life; I’ll read any story that Becky Chambers writes about these two. I hope this series never ends.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!