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!

The Monk and Robot books so far are like a really good cup of tea right when you need it. They're warm, deceptively complex, relaxing, and even though they don't fix everything, they make things feel right amidst all the chaos of life.

The world is so well-designed and comfortable, small enough to be easily traversed and explored by both characters and reader, and yet large and complicated enough to be endlessly interesting. The characters are wonderful; I find myself loving Dex as a person while simultaneously relating to them hard, and the same goes for Mosscap. I like the sense of harmony the world evokes, and I also appreciate that despite being an undeniable utopia, it still has its own problems. Dex disagrees with others, gets into bad moods, argues with Mosscap, runs into problems and gets frustrated, and seems to have a tenuous grasp on their own relationship with themself and with the world around them. It's a soft, lovely world, but not perfect.

I wish these books were longer so that I can stay lost in their pages for longer, but at the same time, they're perfect single-serve portions of peace and bliss: just enough to draw me in and help me relax for a couple of hours before jumping back into life. Again, just like the perfect cup of tea.

Chambers' new book was a lovely continuation to the previous book in the series, A Psalm for the Wild-Built. This book follows Mosscap and Sibling Dex as they travel throughout Panga after their chance encounter in the wild. Like the previous book, reading this book was like drinking a warm cup of tea on a stormy day.

It is a delightful blend of cozy sci-fi and eco-futurism. The core of this book asks us how we define our purpose in life and what should our communities be like as we look to the future? It operates as a blend of wandering philosophy navigated through our two main characters, and an excellent example of extended world-building. Chambers has created a world I would love nothing more than to set my feet down into and walk around, while asking some of the big esoteric questions about life.

The book is relatively low on drama and high on comfort. I highly recommend it for anyone that, like myself, has been greatly enjoying the new trend of cozy sci-fi/fantasy, and needs a little escape.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Tor for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

After the first of this series I was extremely excited to read this. It didn't disappoint I love these short novellas by becky Chambers

I was looking forward to this 2nd instalment in the Monk & Robot novella series and I was not disappointed.

But the book itself was lovely! Slow-paced and philosophical, it was a balm to my soul for a few hours. And Mosscap's antics and misunderstandings were cute as well. The main thrust is Mosscap's desire to know what humans need. Not want but need. It doesn't really get it's question answered satisfactorily, but I think that's the point really.We are introduced to a bit of (imagined?) conflict between Dex and his family, which may create fodder for future stories. There is also a bit of existential dilemma for Mosscap, which is very interesting. I really like how Chambers looks at the problem from all angles with the aim to find a solution that is acceptable to Mosscap and its moral/robot sensibilities.

If you are looking for quick and dirty action, stay far away from this series! This is contemplative and philosophical and almost devoid of a real plot.

Full of small comforts and big ideas, the Monk and Robot adventure continues to be a joy. Sibling Dex and robot Mosscap are back from the wilderness and are embarking on Mosscap's mission to check in on humanity and ask people what they need. Visiting villages and stopping by Dex's family farm on their way to the big city, they enjoy each other's company, contemplate simple and complex philosophies, and discover more truths about themselves and what they need. I would probably read ten more of these thoughtful, hopeful, cozy science-fantasy tales!

[SPOILER] Some favorite quotes:

“You know how it is; sometimes you just want to have a moment between yourself and a turtle and no one else.” —Robot Mosscap

"That's the nice thing about trees. They're not going anywhere. You can take all the time you need to get to know them." —Mosscap

"'Oh, that's lovely,' Mosscap said ... 'Crown shyness is so striking, don't you think?' ... Every tree was lush and full, bursting with green life. Yet somehow, in the absence of contact, they knew exactly where to stop growing outward so that they might give their neighbors space to thrive."
[/SPOILER]

Becky Chambers does it again. Nonbinary tea monk and wild-built robot continue their quest through humanity to experience what is most important. Beautifully writing and a moving meditation on existence and purpose, as was the first in the series. Splended Speckled Mosscap has forever a place in my heart.

I ADORED Becky Chambers' first Monk and Robot book, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, so I had high expectations for the second book, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy. It absolutely lived up to them.

Dex, a tea monk, and Mosscap, the robot Dex encountered in the wilderness, are travelling from town to town trying to answer the question "What do humans need?" Mosscap is beginning to realize that question isn't as simple as it seems. Dex is struggling with the fact that even though they are an excellent tea monk, they feel restless and unfulfilled by their work and life.

This series is so wholesome and heartwarming. It's like a hug. Mosscap's pure joy at having new experiences and meeting new people is nothing short of precious. And Dex's mental health struggles are so relatable. The interactions between Dex and Mosscap were the highlight of the first book and that continues to be the case in the second book in my opinion. If you want a book with loveable characters, low stakes, and a thoughtful exploration of what it means to be human, you must read the Monk and Robot books!

Becky Chambers is such an incredible author. This is such a quaint and lovely duology that will not disappoint any of her fans. I think I liked To Be Taught, If Fortunate better because it seemed more sci-fi and "spacey" but this book is like a hug and warm cup of tea. As always the sci-fi is accessible and the characterization is casually but thoughtfully inclusive.

If you’ve been around for more than a minute you’d probably guess that A PRAYER FOR THE CROWN-SHY by Becky Chambers would provoke all the superlatives from me. Not to be predictable, but…yes!!!!

An emphatic YES to everything this book is and chooses to be: a meditation, simple & profound; an exhortation on behalf of comfort & rest; an interrogation of the requirements for a meaningful life; demonstration of a society built on reciprocal care; an embrace of life’s dichotomies—company and solitude, wildness and civilization, ease and hardship.

It’s the perfect length to read in a sitting and the perfect content to consume amidst another summer of discontent.
Run don’t walk.
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“‘Welcome comfort,’ they reminded themself, rubbing the little pectin-printed bear with their thumb.

‘Without it, you cannot stay strong.’”
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Heaps of gratitude to @tordotcom for the galley!! Monk and Robot book 2 came out on Tuesday.

So cozy, just like the first. Becky Chambers has the ability to convey so much in so few words. Always love the comfort.

This series is just...so beautiful. Optimistic but not simplistic. Warm but not sappy. Plotless but not pointless. It's a buddy story, a utopian vision, and a deeply human consideration of what it means to be alive. I hope they go on forever.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for access to this arc.

Sigh. I needed this. In so many ways I needed this. It’s such a lovely, thoughtful, instrospective story of seeking answers but being okay with not finding them yet. Of friendship and quiet companionship and just … being. It’s more than a little bit of a repeat of last year’s “A Psalm for the Wild Built” but it digs a little deeper as this time Mosscap asks its question “What do people need?” to people other than Sibling Dex and Dex finds themself seeking the answer for themself.

When Sibling Dex headed into the wild and was found by a robot named Mosscap, it was a meeting of human and robot-kind that hadn’t taken place in centuries. Once robots somehow gained consciousness, they left humans to relearn how to live without all the robots that had been invented to make life easier for humans. It also allowed the moon to be reclaimed from the cesspit that humanity had turned it into. It’s anti-dystopian. Is that a word? Anyway, things are better now.

After three hundred years of humans and robots not interacting at all, the news that one has deliberately come out of the wilds to talk to humans is Big News. Sibling Dex is happy to take Mosscap with them along the roads where they’ve made their living serving tea and deal with the inundation of requests for Mosscap’s presence but Dex is leery of being so much in the limelight, too. The two travel to many settlements which delights Mosscap.

There are so many things to see and do and people to ask its question to. Dex finds themselves explaining things that they’ve known their whole life but which fascinate Mosscap. Sometimes Dex struggles. Sometimes the reason for Mosscap’s glee at everyday things escapes Dex but it leads to wonderful conversations between them. “I see the world this way but you see it another way because your eyes are different. Your experience is different. And what would it be like to see it your way?” sort of conversations. Or “If you only move from one place to another, there’s no chance of having the happy accidents that come from wandering.”

I found myself bookmarking page after page and highlighting passage after passage until I realized that I would come close to quoting a third of the book that way. And no one wants to read a review that long. But it’s just so wonderful and gently makes points that are important, but not always easy, to think about. Not everyone is the same or views ideas the same way but that doesn’t mean that one is right while the other is wrong. What causes evolution – of thought and of being – and does venturing out from your group change you? How much can you change and still be part of that group?

While I read this novella, I had a gentle smile on my face for most of it. I wanted to hug it and pet it and gently scritch it under its chin. I wanted to sit quietly with it and watch it experience the world and muse about its questions. It makes me feel hopeful. It’s comfort reading but more. I don’t know if there will be more “Monk and Robot” stories. But I would happily read them. A

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. This series is softer than petting a fluffy kitten with a chinchilla, and I love it. In this stage of their journey, Mosscap and Sibling Dex are traveling through the populated portion of the world, seeking the answers to the question, "What do you need? ". Their journey into acceptance, friendship, and self care is gentle and sweet, and I cherished the experience. While I still desperately want tea monks to be real, I will happily accept the fictional version for as long as I can.

A quiet tale filled with hope.
A tea monk (a traveling spiritual healer) and a liberated robot travel and converse about life and living together in a resource poor world.
Crown-shy is a way trees share the sun and one of the ways that explains the accord that allows the society to thrive.

I loved the first book in this series and if it's possible I loved this one even more. The section of the book that the title is based on brought me to tears it was so lovely. There's not much to say that other readers haven't said- this series it a hot cup of tea and best read when you're sorely in need of it.

Two of my (many) favorite quotes-

On how lenses/perceptions vary:
"'Makes you think of what?' Dex panted.
'Of how any sighted individual’s perception of the world is entirely based on the way the structures in their eyes receive light.' Mosscap smiled at Dex. 'I wish I could borrow your eyes for a day, see what that’s like.'"

Made me LOL:
“'I don’t think it’s very kind to use an entire subclass of animal as a metaphor for behavior that you deem unseemly.'
Dex threw up their hands. 'Well, we do it, all the time.'
'And it’s not even an accurate metaphor,' Mosscap went on. 'You’re basing that shorthand off of the human relationship to leeches, not the entire experience of being a leech. They’re as vital a part of their ecosystem as anything else.'
'Gods around.' Dex rubbed their face with their palms.
'Would you use the term parasite in the same metaphorical manner?'
'Yes!' Dex exclaimed. 'I would!'"

Thanks to Tordotcom and NetGalley for the review copy!

I adored the first book in this series, A Psalm for the Wild-Built. And this novella was everything book one was and then built upon it. These stories are gentle and healing in a time and world where we need gentleness and healing, but it also manages to touch on things that are a little more serious like mental health. These books will surprise you and I will recommend them to everyone that will listen.

Y’all know how I feel about Becky Chambers, but in case you’re new here, she is my favorite. She makes me think, she makes me laugh, she makes me want to be a better person. This is another stellar work, following up on last year’s Psalm For the Wild-Built. I loved watching Dex and Mosscap’s relationship grow, and Mosscap’s delight at learning more about humans and the world in general never fails to make me smile. I also really enjoyed visiting more of Panga, and learning more about the utopian society they’ve built. It’s thoughtful and gentle, and it’s wishful thinking in the best way. If the last book felt like a hug, this one feels like someone taking your hand to hold.

Thank you SO MUCH to TORDOTCOM for an advanced copy of this wonderful book.

These novellas are life affirming. the give you characters you can relate to, show diversity, discuss the human condition, and give you hope for what a future where everyone takes care of one another and the earth could look like.

This series is HUGS in a book. they are Science fiction and robots but in a very human way. I can't recommend them highly enough!